Download Name________________ World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes

Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
The First Civilizations….What do they all have in common?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Section 1: City-States in Mesopotamia
 The earliest civilization in Asia rises in __________________________and organizes into citystates.

Some of the best farming ground in ____________________

• Includes Mesopotamia—“___________________________”—
a fertile plain

Tigris and Euphrates rivers ___________once a year, leaving
rich soil called silt. Allowed for great surpluses of food that led to bigger
villages.
The Fertile Crescent
 The _______________________________is arc of land between Persian Gulf and
Mediterranean that is great for farming. The land in this region outside of the Fertile Crescent is
otherwise a ________________.
Environmental Challenges
Environment poses three disadvantages:
1. floods are ________________________; sometimes no rain
2. land offers no barriers to ______________________
3. land has few ______________________________________, which makes building materials scarce
Geography of the Fertile Crescent
Solving Problems Through Organization
• Over time, Sumerians worked together to find solutions to environmental challenges:
- built ______________________ ditches to control water, produce crops
- built _____________________________ for defense
- traded _____________, cloth, and tools for raw materials—stone, wood, _________________
• Organization, leadership, and laws were the beginning of civilization. _______________ and
______________ were needed for planning and _______________________________.
What would life be like without any formal government? As these civilizations grew, a formal
government structure becomes necessary.
Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
Sumerians Create City States
Priests and Rulers Share Control
• Sumer’s early governments controlled by temple ___________________, as farmers believed
success of crops were based off the blessings of gods. Worshiping many gods means? ________
• In times of war ___________________________become rulers; wars became more frequent,
which led to dynasties rule after 2500 B.C.
• ________________________—series of rulers from a single family
The Spread of Cities
• Surpluses led to long distance trading.
By 2500 B.C. there were many new cities in Fertile Crescent
• Sumerians exchange products and ideas with other cultures
• _______________________________— process of one culture spreading to others
Sumerian Culture
A Religion of Many Gods
• Sumerians believe in many different gods—______________________
• Gods are thought to control forces of nature
• Gods behave as humans do, but people are gods’ servants
• Life after death is bleak and gloomy
Life in Sumerian Society
• Sumerians have _____________________, kings, landholders, priests are at top.
• Wealthy merchants next; at lowest level are slaves who were foreigners or family members
who had been sold into slavery.
Most people worked with their hands in the fields or workshops
Sumerian Science and Technology
• Sumerians invented __________________, sail, and plow; first to use ___________________.
• Made advances in ______________________ and geometry
• Developed arches, columns, ramps, and pyramids for building
• Had a complex system of writing—_______________________
• Studied astronomy, chemistry, medicine
Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
The First Empire Builders
Sargon of Akkad
• Around 2350 B.C., Sargon from Akkad defeats city-states of ________________
• Creates first _______________ by taking control of both northern and southern Mesopotamia
• Empires are independent states under control of _______________ leader
• Sargon’s dynasty lasts about _________________ years
Babylonian Empire
• Amorites, which were nomadic warriors, take control of region around 2000 B.C.
• Made _____________________, on Euphrates River, the capital.
• Babylonian Empire was at its’ peak during __________________ rule (1792–1750 B.C.)
Hammurabi’s Code
• Hammurabi creates a code of laws for the Babylonian Empire
• _____________________ laws on all aspects of life; engraved in stone and made public
• Set different punishments depending on ______________________, gender
• Goal is for government to take______________________ for order, justice
• Amorite rule of Fertile Crescent ends 200 years after Hammurabi
Section 2: The Pyramids of the Nile
 Using mathematical knowledge and engineering skills,
Egyptians build magnificent monuments to honor
dead rulers.
Pyramid builder- http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/launch_gms_pyramid_builder.shtml
How did you do?
Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
Section: 2 Pyramids on the Nile
Egypt’s Settlements
• Arise along the northern flowing 4,100-mile _____________________________ on a narrow strip of
fertile land. You can actually stand on _________________________ and __________________ at the
same time.
The Gift of the Nile
• Yearly flooding in July brings water and fertile black mud—___________________________
• Farmers build irrigation system for ____________________ and barley crops
• Egyptians worship Nile as a ________________________ because of its great gift it provided Egypt.
Environmental Challenges



Light floods reduce crops, cause ________________________
Heavy floods ____________________________ property
Deserts __________________________ but also protect Egyptians
Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt
The river area south of First Cataract is elevated, it becomes Upper Egypt
• _______________________________where boulders turn Nile River into churning rapids
• River area north, including Nile delta, becomes _______________________________
• __________________________ land formed by silt deposits at mouth of river; triangular
Trade was possible between the two because the river. Upper Egypt could go with current and Lower
Egypt could float upstream due to winds and sail boats.
King Narmer Creates Egyptian Dynasty
Villages of Egypt ruled by two kingdoms: Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt
King __________________________ unites them around 3000 B.C.; makes _________________ capital
Established first Egyptian dynasty. First of ________________ dynasties spanning 2,600 years.
Pharaohs Rule as Gods
To the Egyptians, kings are _________________, the Egyptian god-kings were called _______________.
Unlike Mesopotamia where kings were just _______________________________.
Pharaohs control religion, government, army, well-being of kingdom.
This government and others based on religious authority are called a ___________________________.
Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
Builders of the Pyramids
Kings believed to rule even after death; have eternal life force, _________________________
Build elaborate________________________, pyramids, to meet needs after death
Pyramids made with blocks of stone,__________________ tons each; 481 ft. high. Built without even
using the wheel.
Pyramids show that kingdom had great leadership, _________________, and were economically strong.
Religion and Life
Egyptians believe in _________________ gods and goddesses—____________________
Most important gods: ________________ is sun god; ________________, god of the dead; goddess
_____________________ is ideal woman.
Believed in life after death; person judged by deeds at death.
Develop ______________________________, process that prevents body from decaying to keep body
healthier for after life.
Book of the Dead which contained prayers and spells were placed with dead to guide the soul after
death.
http://oi-archive.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/mummy.html- List the mummification steps below:
Social Classes
Society shaped like pyramid, from pharaoh down to farmers, laborers
Few people at top have great power; most people at bottom
People move into higher social classes through ___________________ or merit
Women have many of the ____________________ rights as men
Egyptian Writing
In the __________________________ writing system, pictures represent ideas, would eventually stand
for sounds as well.
• Paper like sheets made from _____________________________ were used for writing instead of clay
and rock.
Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
Egyptian Science and Technology
Egyptians invent calendar of _____________________days and 12 months, they did this to keep track of
the flood and planning for planting season.
Develop system of written numbers and a form of _______________________ for keeping track of taxes
and debts.
Skilled engineers and architects construct palaces, pyramids
Egyptian medicine famous in the ancient world, knew how to check for ______________, set bones,
cure fevers, and treat wounds.
Changes to Egyptian Society
Power of pharaohs declines about 2180 B.C.; end of Old Kingdom.
In Middle Kingdom (2040 to 1640 B.C.), pharaohs regained control.
The pharaohs improved trade, dug canals for ____________________ and they drained swamps for
farms.
Hyksos, a group from Palestine would move into Egypt and ruled from 1630 to 1523 B.C. Egypt would
rise again, but we will talk about that later.
Section 3: Planned Cities of the Indus
 The first Indian civilization built well-planned cities on
the banks of the ________________________.
 The Geography of the Indian Subcontinent
 ____________________________: landmass that
includes India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh
 World’s tallest mountain ranges separate it from rest
of Asia
 Rivers, Mountains, and Plains
 • Mountains to north and desert to east, protect Indus
Valley from _________________________
 • Indus and __________________ rivers form flat,
fertile plain—this area is called
___________________________________________
 • Southern India is a dry plateau flanked by mountains
 • There is also a narrow strip of tropical land along coast.
Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
Monsoons
• Seasonal winds, called monsoons, dominate India’s climate
_______________________________: wind that changes direction or can also mean a heavy rain.
• From October-February, Winter winds blow dry air westward
From June-October, Summer winds change direction and blow east and bring rain—can cause
______________________ or drought if it falls to rain.
Environmental Challenges
• Floods along the Indus are ___________________________.
• Rivers can change course
• Rainfall from Monsoons are unpredictable; could have ________________________ or floods
Indus Valley Civilization
• We know less about this culture than we do about Mesopotamia or Egypt, although it Influenced an
area _____________________than these other civilizations.
Earliest Arrivals
•No one is exactly sure how human settlement began in the Indus Valley.
• But there is evidence from 7000 B.C. of ________________________ and domesticated animals.
• By 3200 B.C., people were farming in_______________________ along Indus River.
Planned Cities
• By 2500 B.C., people build cities of brick laid out on a
__________________________, much more calculated than those
of Mesopotamia where the city was just thrown together.
• Engineers create __________________________ and sewage
systems, buildings were made of ___________________________.
Again more reliable than other cities.
• Indus Valley called
__________________________________________ after Harappa,
a city in the valley.
Harappan Planning
• City built on mud-brick platform to protect against _____________________________
• Brick walls 3.5 miles long protect city and central buildings, as well as the
________________________, which provided protection for the royal family and served as a temple.
• Streets in grid system are _______________________________
Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
• Lanes separate rows of houses (which featured __________________). Some houses may have been 3
stories high.
Language
• Had writing system of ___________________________, but scientists can’t decipher it
Culture
• Harappan cities appear uniform in culture.
• No great social divisions, everyone was basically_____________________.
• Produced non-essential goods, which suggests they were prosperous and not at war.
• _________________ important to the culture, as suggested from images.
Role of Religion
•Believed to be__________________________, but
no real temples have been found
• Priests closely linked to ____________________
• Some religious artifacts reveal links to modern
_______________________ culture
Trade
• Gold and silver were brought in from Afghanistan
Had thriving _____________________ with other
peoples from distant areas, including in Mesopotamia, because the Indus River provided a link to the
sea.
Signs of decline begin around 1750 B.C.
•_____________________________, floods, or soil depletion from overuse may have caused decline.
• Satellite images show evidence that shifts in _________________________________ occurred which
backs up the idea of the disasters above.
• Around 1500 B.C., Aryans, a nomadic group from north of the Hindu Kush mountains, enter the area
and become ___________________________.
Section 4: River Dynasties in China
Early rulers introduce ideas about government and society that shape Chinese civilization.
The Geography of China
Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
Barriers Isolate China
• Ocean, mountains, deserts _____________ China from other
areas
River Systems
• 2 major river systems: ______________________ (“yellow
river”) in north, Yangtze in south
• Huang He leaves loess—_______________________—when it
floods, which wind blows to the west and north
Environmental Challenges
• Huang He floods can devour _________________________________________
• Geographic isolation means lack of trade; must be _______________________________
• Invader are able to reach through the west and north occur many times throughout Chinese history
China’s Heartland
•Only ________________ of China is farmable, and the North China Plain, the area between two rivers,
is the center of civilization.
The First Dynasties
• Around 2000 B.C cities arise and grow into civilization. ____________ becomes first ruler of Xia
Dynasty
• Yu’s ___________________________________ tames Huang He (“Yellow River”)
• __________________ Dynasty, 1700 to 1027 B.C., first to leave written records
Early Cities
• Built cities of wood, such as ______________________—one of Shang’s capital cities
• Upper classes live inside __________________; poorer people live in huts outside
• Shang cities have massive walls for __________________________, show great leadership and control
of masses.
Chinese Civilization
• Sees China as center of world; views others as _________________________
• The______________________ is more important than the individual
Family
• Family is __________________ social institution; respect for ___________________ a virtue
• __________________________________ control family property
Name________________
World History Chapter 2 Guided Notes
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mrs. Harvey
• ________________________ expected to obey all men, _________________________
Social Classes
• King and warrior-nobles lead society and ________________________, the rest were peasants.
Religious Beliefs
• Spirits of dead ancestors can affect family _________________, could be trouble or
helpful
• Priests scratch questions on __________________ and tortoise shells, touch it with hot
poker and interpret cracks for answers
• Oracle bones used to consult gods, especially supreme god, ____________________
Development of Writing
• Writing system uses symbols or units to ____________________, not ideas
• People of different languages can use same system
• Huge number of characters make system difficult to learn, _____________________________
The Zhou Take Control
• In 1027 B.C., Zhou Dynasty takes control of China
Mandate of Heaven
• ___________________________—the belief that a just ruler had divine approval
• Developed as justification for change in power to Zhou. If a dynasty became weak, it could be
overthrown and justified by a new ruler having Mandate of Heaven.
•_____________________________—pattern of the rise and decline of dynasties
Control through Feudalism
• _________________—system where kings give land to nobles in exchange for services
• Over time, nobles grow in power and begin to fight each other
Improvements in Technology and Trade
• Zhou Dynasty builds ____________,________________ to improve transportation
• Uses ___________________ to make trade easier
• Produces cast iron tools and weapons; food _____________________________
A Period of Warring States
• Peaceful, stable ____________________ empire rules from around 1027 to 256 B.C.
• In 771 B.C., nomads sack the Zhou capital, murder _____________________