Download Accomplishments of Ancient Civilizations

Accomplishments of Ancient Civilizations
Around 3500 B.C., cities/civilization developed. During this time, there were great
changes born out of necessity and for the advancement humans.
During the New Stone Age, permanent settlements appeared in river valleys and
around the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent is land between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers. River valleys were the “Cradles of Civilization.” Early
civilizations made major contributions to social, political, and economic progress.
The river valleys provided rich soils (Silt), irrigation waters for agriculture, as well
as protection from invasion by nomadic peoples. Silt is rich soil deposited after
flooding.
Development of Political Systems:
- World’s first states (city-states, kingdoms, empires). A city-state is a center of
government and its surrounding areas.
- Centralized government (often based on religious authority).
- Written law codes (Ten Commandments, Code of Hammurabi).
Development of Economic Patterns:
- Metal tools and weapons (bronze and iron).
- Increasing agricultural surplus (better tools,
plows, irrigation).
- Increasing trade along rivers and by sea
(Phoenicians).
- Development of the world’s first cities.
- Development of the practice of slavery in the
ancient world among most cultures, taking
various forms.
Development of Language and Writing:
Language and writing were important cultural
innovations.
- Pictograms were the earliest written symbols.
- Cuneiform (top right) (Sumer).
- Hieroglyphics (bottom right) (found in Egypt).
- Alphabet (Developed by the Phoenicians).
Development of Social Patterns:
- Hereditary rulers (dynasties of kings and pharaohs). A dynasty is a sequence of
rulers.
- Ridged class system, where slavery was accepted.
Development of Religious Traditions:
- Religion was a major part of life in all early
civilizations.
- Polytheism (belief in many gods/deities) was practiced
by most early civilizations.
- Monotheism (belief in one God) was practiced by the
Hebrews.
- Religious structures were developed such as ziggurats in
Mesopotamia. Ziggurats were temples in the center of the
cities. Other religious structures included pyramids in
Egypt.
River Valley Civilizations (About 3500 to 500 B.C. [B.C.E.])
Mesopotamian Civilization – Tigris
and Euphrates River Valleys
(Southwest Asia)
Mesopotamia is an area
geographically located between the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Mesopotamia means the land
between two rivers. Mesopotamia
began as urban societies in southern
Iraq at around 3500 BC, and ends in
the 6th century BC. It is widely
considered to be the cradle of civilization in the West Mesopotamian people
invented many technologies including metal and copper-working, glass and lamp
making, textile weaving, flood control, water storage, and irrigation. The Code of
Hammurabi: Hammurabi, ruler of the Babylonian Empire of the Fertile Crescent,
created a code of laws that stated violations and their punishments; instead of fining
violators, the code called for “an eye for an eye.” This represents early law.
Egyptian Civilization – Nile River Valley and Delta (Africa)
Ancient Egypt started around 3200 B.C.
Egyptians lived and adapted along the Nile River
Valley. Predictable flooding allowed for
irrigation of crops. With a fertile valley and
surplus crops, Egyptians prospered under rulers
called Pharaohs. Pyramids were built as tombs
for Pharaohs. The Egyptians’ achievements
included a written language called hieroglyphics,
advanced building techniques, literature,
mathematics, medicine, papyrus (Egyptian Paper
made from reeds) and many other forms of
technology.
Indian Civilization – Indus River Valley (South
Asia)
The Indus River Valley Civilization started about
2500 B.C.E. and lasted about 700 years. It was
located along the south-western part of the Indus
River. Natural borders consisted of mountains and the
Arabian Sea, sheltering the civilization from attack
and disease. Water from the river fertilized and
irrigated crops. Most people in the Indus River
Valley Civilization were farmers and some were
merchants and traders. In the large cities, some
houses had complex plumbing systems and sewers.
They developed a system of weights and measures. Archaeologists have concluded
that the cities in this area had a complex government.
Chinese Civilization – Huang He Valley (East Asia)
Around 2500 B.C. the Yellow (Huang He) River Valley Civilization began in
China, which was the start of the many Chinese Empires. Many of the ethnic groups
and cultures began in this era in
China. This history, in which a
vast area populated by diverse
ethnic groups became, over time,
a more or less single culture,
began in the Yellow River Valley.
Early on, they made advances in
agriculture, irrigation (water),
pottery, ships, lacquer, silk,
weaving, and carving.
Other Early Civilizations (About 2000 to 500 B.C.)
Hebrews settled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River Valley (part
of the Fertile Crescent in Southwest Asia).
Origin of Judaism
The monotheism of Abraham became
the foundation of Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam. These religions changed the
world. The Hebrews were the first to
become monotheists.
Beliefs, Traditions, and Customs of Judaism:
- Belief in one God (monotheism)
- Torah which contains written records and beliefs of the Jews.
- Ten Commandments which state moral and religious conduct.
- Abraham, leader of the Hebrews was a herder and trader who left Ur in
Mesopotamia around 1900 B.C. to settle in Canaan in the Middle East near the
Jordan River. Today, Canaan is made up of Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. In the
1200’s B.C., Moses led the Hebrews, who were enslaved in Egypt, out of Egypt in
an exodus into the Sinai Desert.
- Jerusalem is the Jewish holy city. It is of great importance to the Hebrew Faith.
Judaism spread in two main ways. The first way is exile. When Abraham was
exiled from Mesopotamia, it led to the spread of the religion. The second way is
Diaspora, which is the dispersion of the Jews beyond Israel (their homeland).
Communities developed and some
were enslaved.
Phoenicians settled along the
Mediterranean coast (part of the
Fertile Crescent in southwest Asia).
They were known as sea traders
because of their location.
Nubia was located on the upper (southern) Nile
River (Africa). By 3000 B.C., a civilization
developed on the southern part of the Nile River
and made contact with Egypt; in 2000 B.C.,
Nubian civilization became the kingdom of
Kush.