Download Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt

Focus #2 8-26-08
pg. 86 (map)
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1. What is the title of the map?
2. Where did all of these civilizations begin
around?
3. pg. 80-84 Name three categories or
elements of culture.
4. (Yes or No) Can different cultures have
things in common?
Mesopotamia and
Ancient Egypt
Chapter 16
Section 1
Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt
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Egypt, in North Africa, and Mesopotamia, in
Southwest Asia, were the earliest known
civilizations.
A civilization is a highly developed or
advanced culture.
Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt
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The time of the earliest
civilizations is known as
the Bronze Age.
Mesopotamia
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Mesopotamia was
located between the
Tigris River and the
Euphrates River.
Today, this area is
located in Iraq.
Why would people want
to settle in between two
rivers?
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
was part of the
region known as
the Fertile Crescent.
*Fertile Crescent1.Known for rich soil
2.good for farming
3.irrigation
4.easy transportation
5. protection
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Mesopotamia
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Around 4500 B.C., people began settling in
this area.
Farming Revolution-People could produce
their own food and not have to travel to get it.
12 month calendar was used based on the
phases of the moon.
With a steady food supply, the population
grew larger.
Questions: (notes/pgs. 80-85)
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1. What is cultural diffusion?
2. Name two ways that cultures are
spreading faster than ever before. Explain.
3. Why did early civilizations start around
river valleys?
4. Explain two benefits to living around water
for early civilizations and one negative aspect
for living around water.
Sumer
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The earliest city-states
arose in an area called
Sumer.
The Sumerians grew
wealthy from trade.
Sumerians invented the
wheel and sailboat.
Religion and Government
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Religion was based on
polytheism.
At first, each city-state
was a theocracy.
First Systems of Writing
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The Sumerians were
the first to write and
keep records of laws.
Sumerians created
cuneiform.
Akkad and Babylon
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Akkad conquered Sumer and several other
city-states.
Akkad’s King Sargon created the first empire.
Over time, the Akkadian Empire weakened
and was defeated by the Kingdom of
Babylon.
Babylon’s greatest king was Hammurabi.
Babylonians created a number system based
on 60.
Hammurabi’s Code
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Code was a law.
“An eye for an eye and
a tooth for a tooth”
A New Babylon
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Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt
the city of Babylon and
made it a center of
trade and culture.
Babylon was known for
its “hanging gardens.”
Phoenicians
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Phoenicians were
important traders of
Mesopotamia.
They formed an
alphabet that
represented the sound
of language.
Egypt – Gift of the Nile
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Egyptian civilization arose along the Nile
River in Northeast Africa.
Most ancient Egyptians lived near the river
and its delta.
The Pharaoh
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Narmer, a king of Upper
Egypt, conquered
Lower Egypt and united
the two of them.
Narmer had the title of
pharaoh.
Egypt was a theocracy.
Religion
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Egyptians believed in
many gods and
godesses. Each stood
for some part of nature.
The most important
were the sun god Re,
the river god Hapi, and
the sky god Horus.
Religion
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The Egyptians believed in a form of life after
death.
The linen wrapped bodies were known as
mummies.
Rich people were buried in elaborate tombs.
The largest tombs were pyramids and
belonged to pharaohs.
Trade and Conquest
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The Hyksos ruled Egypt
for 150 years. They
taught the Egyptians to
use bronze and iron
weapons and horsedrawn chariots.
With the new
technology, Egypt was
able to trade in more
places.
Egyptian Writing
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The ancient Egyptians
used hieroglyphics.
They carved and
painted hieroglyphic
characters on their
monuments or on
papyrus.
Mathematics and Medicine
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They used a number
system based on ten.
They were the first to
use splints, bandages,
and compresses.
Decline
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Egypt eventually grew weak.
Priests and pharaohs struggled for power.
Egypt was conquered by Greece and Rome.