Download Ch. 1 and 2 Notes Packet

Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
Ch. 1: The Emergence of Civilization
Section 1.1: Prehistoric People
► Researchers believe the 1st people originated in Africa
► Exploring pre-history
 Anthropologists: study the remains of hominids (humans & early
humanlike creatures)
 ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
► The study of artifacts leads to info about a peoples culture (set of
beliefs, knowledge, and patterns of living
 ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
 Stone Age: period in prehistory (2.5 million years ago) that begins w/ the
development of stone tools
► The oldest part of the age is called the Old Stone or Paleolithic
Age, which lasted 2 million years until about 12,000 years ago
► Early Humans
 The 1st people
► Had powerful jaws, receding chins, low foreheads, and heavy
eyebrow ridges
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► Over generations, these people migrated (moved) to find food from
Africa to Asia and Europe
► Between 100,000 and 400,000 years ago, homo sapiens, the
species we all belong to arose and spread into Asia and Europe
 Ice Age
► In the last 1.7 million years there have been times of extreme cold
weather
► These ice ages lasted 20,000 to 140,000 years
► During these periods ice covered large parts of the Earth,
sea levels dropped revealing land bridges that connected
the continents
► ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
 Neanderthal people
► Early homo sapiens that lived about 35,000 to 130,000 years ago
during the Old Stone Age
► They wore animal hides for clothing, used fire, and had more
efficient tools
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
► They buried their dead with tools and meat causing
scientists and historians to speculate that they believed in
an afterlife
► ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
 Cro-Magnon people
► Appeared in Europe 35,000 years ago
► More advanced than the Neanderthal people especially in
spear throwing for hunting and drew painting on cave walls
► By 20,000 years ago humans had migrated to Australia and
northern Asia
► _____________________________________________________
► Agricultural Revolution
 The Middle Stone or Mesolithic Age (about 10,000 years ago) resulted in
the creation of the harpoon, bow and arrow, fish hooks, the taming of
dogs, and canoes
 The New Stone of Neolithic Age (about 4,000 years ago) resulted in the
more specialized tools from stone and wood.
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► Some people during the Neolithic Age began settling in
villages because of the development of agriculture (raising
of crops) and domestication (taming animals like cattle and
pigs)
► With help from the invention of the plow and fertilizer,
farming became easier and more dependable resulting in a
long process called the Neolithic agricultural revolution
► This revolution laid the foundation for the creation
for civilizations and distinct cultures
Section 1.2: Foundations of Civilization
► Characteristics of a civilization
 4 regions of importance to civilization development
► ______________________________________________________
► Valley of the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers in Southwestern Asia
► Indus River Valley in Southern Asia
► Yellow (Huang) River Valley in Eastern Asia
► In these regions civilizations developed
 Civilizations are complex cultures with 3 characteristics
► People are able to produce surplus food
► __________________________________________
__________________________________________
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
► People perform different jobs instead of each person
doing all kinds of work
 Surplus food and irrigation
► B/c the 4 river valley civilizations were near rivers that flooded
and a warm climate, people in these regions came up with the idea
to dig ditches and canals to move water from the river to fields
(irrigation)
 ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
 Cities, government, and labor
► Larger populations allowed these civilizations to build palaces,
temples, and public buildings
► New farming techniques required cooperation between people
creating the need for leaders and government
► With farming mastered, other people could specialize in other
work (division of labor)
 Artisans (skilled workers) develop, while other became
traders or merchants
 ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
► Other characteristics
 River valley civilizations developed calendars based on the phases of the
moon
► Since phases lasted 29.5 days their year was not correct only 354
days, this mistake will be fixed by later people
 To pass on ideas and info these people developed a written language
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► River Valley Civilizations
 Developed family roles and religious beliefs that related to their farmingbased cultures
 The Use of Metals
► 6,000 years ago Euphrates-Tigris & Nile Valley people used
copper to make tools and then developed a better metal, bronze (a
mixture of copper and tin)
 ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
► The Iron Age (about 3,200 years ago) began when people
discovered how to make iron for tools
 Family and religion
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
► Women managed the family, cared for children, prepared food,
made clothing, and most likely invented pottery and weaving, and
did much of the early farming
 With the invention of the plow w/ animals used to pull
them, men became the primary food providers returning
much of the power from women back to men
► People believed in many gods and goddesses & in unseen forces of
nature that controlled all aspects of their lives
 ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Ch. 2: The 1st Civilizations
Section 2.1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
► The Land: Is Geography and Importance
 12,000 years ago the land near the Nile was that of swamplands
 The Nile River
► Longest river in the world, 4,160 miles
► The long course of the Nile was broken a a series of cataracts
(rapids) in ancient times
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► When the Nile flooded and then the waters receded, fertile land
was left for farming crops
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► A strong wind allowing boats to upstream and a current that
allowed ships to sail downstream made the Nile a major pathway
of travel and trade
 Other advantages
► Deposits of granite sandstone and limestone for building material
► Deserts and seas that surrounded the Nile gave natural barriers for
the Egyptians against invaders
► The land bridge of the Sinai Peninsula allowed Egyptians to trade
with Asia and share their culture
► Early steps toward civilization
 Hunter-gatherers came to the Nile Valley in 12,000 B.C & eventually
creating farming settlements
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
 3,000 B.C.: Nile Valley people invent Hieroglyphics (a form of writing
that uses symbols to represent sounds and words)
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
► The Egyptians used papyrus plant to make a type of paper to write
on using an ink made from plant juice, soot, and water
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► The Egyptian Kingdoms
 2 distinct cultures: Upper Egypt (South of the Nile River Delta) and Lower
Egypt (North in the Nile River Delta)
► 3,200 BC, Menes king of Upper Egypt united both Egypt into a
united kingdom under a new dynasty (family of rulers)
► Menes and his dynasty conquered new lands, improved irrigation
and trade, had the people regard them as gods, eventually taking
the title of pharaoh (great house) for the name of the ruler
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
 The Old Kingdom (2680 BC – 2180 BC)
► The Great Sphinx and the largest of the Egyptian pyramids built
► Society split in two
► Lower class
► Peasants and farmers, who served as soldiers and
builders
► Upper Class
► The pharaoh, royal family, priests, scribes, and
gov’t officials
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
 Middle Kingdom (2050 BC – 1650 BC)
► Golden Age marked by stability and prosperity
► Hyksos (foreigners from Asia) came and introduced new weapons
like the chariot and bow
► Some historians say the Hyksos invaded Egypt others say
they migrated to Egypt and gradual gain political power,
regardless the Hyksos’ rule ends the Middle King and
ushers in the 2nd Intermediate Period
 The New Kingdom (1570 BC – 1080 BC)
► A strong ruler from Upper Egypt ejects the Hyksos from Egypt and
reunites the kingdom
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► Hatshepsut reigned from 1530 BC – 1482 BC)
► She was a strong pharaoh that secured Egypt's borders &
promoted trade
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
► Thutmose III (1482 BC – 1450 BC)
► Brought Egypt to its height in wealth and territorial control
► Amenhotep IV (1380 BC – 1362 BC)
► Tried to force monotheism (belief in one god) on the
polytheistic (belief in many gods) Egyptians
► Wanted his people to worship, Aton (the Sun)
► __________________________________________
__________________________________________
► Egypt's decline
 Ramses II, Ramses the Great (1279 BC – 1213 BC)
► Kept the Egyptian empire together & ordered the construction of
many temples & monuments
 ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
 Attacks by neighboring empires such as the Persian Empire weakened
Egypt to the point where it was no longer an imperial power
► By 300 BC, the Egyptian no longer ruled Egypt
Section 2.2: Egyptian Life & Culture
► Achievements of Ancient Egypt
 Architecture and the arts
► Pyramids built as tombs for the pharaohs
 The best known pyramids including the Great Pyramid
built around 2600 BC
► __________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
► Pyramids built using ramps, levers, and thousands
of workers
► Sculptors made small, lifelike statues of rulers and building were
decorated with paintings.
 Science, math, and medicine
► The Egyptians fixed their moon phase cycle calendar by creating
calendar based on the sun, which resulted in there being 365 days
and 12 months in the new calendar
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► The Egyptians discovered ways to treat illnesses and preserve
bodies
► Education and religion
 Scribes: an elite group of people that learned to read and write to work for
the government
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2

The gods
► Villages had their own god or gods
► Sacred animals: cats, crocodiles, and scarab beetle
► Amon-Re: most important god associated w/ the sun; the creator
god
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
 The Afterlife
► At first only the pharaoh had an afterlife
 ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
 At death a person’ heart is weighed against a feather
(symbol of truth)
► If the heart balanced that person lived in eternal
happiness
► If the heart weighed more than it was eaten by a
monster
 Mummification
► The body had to be preserved to make life after death possible
► Organs were removed from the body, which was treated w/
chemicals
► Mummies were placed in tombs with food, weapons, and clothes to
use in the afterlife
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► Society and Economy
 Women ranked as equals to their husbands in social and business affairs
► A women could own property and leave property for their
daughters to inherit
 Farming
► Farmland divided into large estates
 Peasants farmed these lands using crude hoes &wooden
plows
► Wheat and barley were the major crops
► Flax was grown to turn onto linen
► Cotton grown to made into cloth
► __________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
 Trade
► Trade was tightly controlled by government
► Merchants riding donkeys and later camels formed caravans
(people traveling together for safety over long distances) and went
off to Asia and deep Africa to trade
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
► They sailed to trade & were one of the 1st people to build seafaring
ships
Section 2.3: Sumerian Civilization
► The Land: Its Geography and Importance
 The land that is now present day Israel, Syria, and Iraq with its crescentshape and fertile farming land is known as the Fertile Crescent
 ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
 The two rivers unlike the Nile flooded often and its flooding could not be
predicted
 The Fertile Crescent has a history of one people invaded and creating a
civilization then a new people come in and the process repeats
► Sumer and Its Achievements
 Neolithic people settled in an areas in the crescent called Sumer and w/
time created the Sumerian culture
 Sumerian writing
► Sumerians wrote by pressing marks into clay tablets
► ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
► We call this kind of writing cuneiform and the
Sumerians had over 600 cuneiform signs
 Architecture and science
► The arch a curved structure over an opening was developed by the
Sumerians
► Ziggurats were Sumerian temples made of baked brick placed in
layers and were made to be places of worship to the gods
► They were the first to use the wheel and to develop math
► They created a number system based on 60
► __________________________________________
__________________________________________
► Sumerian Society
 Sumerians form a community called a city-state (a town or city and the
surrounding land it controlled)
► EX: Ur, Erech, and Kish
 Government and society
► City-states rarely united under a single government as the city-state
was viewed as belonging to a god/s
► Priests competed against each other for control of water
and land
► ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________


Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
► At the top of Sumerian society were kings, high priests, and nobles
► At the next level were lower priests, merchants, and
scholars
► At the next level were peasant farmers & at the
bottom were slaves
Farming and trade
► Most Sumerians farmed growing dates, grains & vegetables & they
domesticated animals
► Before 3000 BC had begun trading w/ other people in Asia
Education and religion
► Sumerians considered education very important
► ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
► Sumerians were polytheistic and their gods were identified with
forces of nature and heavenly bodies
► EX: An (lord of heaven), Enki (god of water and wisdom)
► Specific gods protected specific city-sates
► Ex: city-state of Ur protected by Nanna (god of the
Moon)
► They believed in vague & shadowy afterlife free of
rewards and punishments, but did bury tools and
food w/ the dead
Section 2.4: Empires of the Fertile Crescent
► Akkadians
 About 2330 BC, the Akkadian a group that lived in Mesopotamia
conquered the Sumerians
► They spoke a Semitic language related to modern Hebrew and
Arabic
 Sargon (2334 BC – 2279 BC)
► Ruled the Akkadian empire conquering lands all the way to the
Mediterranean Sea
 ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
► The Babylonians
 Hammurabi the ruler of Babylon in 1792 BC began a campaign of
conquest in the Tigris-Euphrates River Valley
 Hammurabi was a wise ruler and law maker
 ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
► Some laws dealt with trade and industry other dealt with wages
and property rights
► Punishments were harsh “an eye for an eye”
► A wealthy man did not lose an eye for cutting off a
poor man’s eye, he just paid a fine
 Babylonian culture
► Most Babylonians farmed and raised livestock
► Babylonians were active traders and women could be traders,
scribes, or merchants
 Religion
► Adopted many of the Sumerian gods
► _____________________________________________________
► Priest were believed to be able to predict the future
► The Hittites
 Warlike people who invaded the Tigris-Euphrates Valley from Asia Minor
in 1600 BC
► They were the first to smelt iron
► Under their law only major crimes received the death penalty
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► The Assyrians
 Semitic speaking people from northern Mesopotamia
► They had been dominated by other people for centuries, but
between 900 BC and 650 BC they began to expand conquering the
Fertile Crescent and part of Egypt
► Fierce warriors that were the first to use cavalry that enslaved
captured civilizations and killed captured soldiers
► 700 BC: Babylon is looted and completely destroyed
► The Assyrian king had total control and only answered to the
Assyrian god, Ashur
► Governors controlled territories and reported to the king
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► 635 BC civil wars begin weakening the empire so that in 612 BC
the Chaldeans were able to invade and conquer the empire
► The Chaldeans
 Nebuchadnezzar
► Chaldean king that rebuilt Babylon and created a hanging garden at
his palace in the city which is regarded as one of the seven
wonders of the ancient world
 Skilled astronomers that could predict solar and lunar eclipses
 ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
► The Persians
 Conquered Babylon in 539 BC, originated in present day Iran as they
migrated their in 850 BC
 Cyrus the Great
► Conquered all of the Fertile Crescent and Asia Minor (Turkey)
► He and his successors would stretch the Persian empire into
Europe and India
 Government
► The king was all powerful, but fair
► Taxes and laws collected/administered fairly to all citizens
► ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
► King had secret agents in the empire to make sure
governors and gov’t officials remained loyal
► Government built roads to connect cities in the empire and for
military purposes
► Royal Road stretched over 1,250 miles
 Persian religion
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► Zoroaster taught that the forces of good (Ahura Mazda) and
evil (Angra Mainyu) battle in the world & people must
choose a side
► Those who choose good received eternal blessings, while
those who chose evil face punishment
► Influences on Judaism and Christianity?
 The decline of the Persians
► With weak rulers, in 331 BC the empire began to lose strength and
was crushed by the Greek forces under general Alexander the
Great
Section 2.5: Phoenicians and the Lydians
► Phoenicians
 With little fertile farmland, these people turned to trading using sea travel
in particular
► ______________________________________________________
 Phoenician trade
► They became the greatest traders in the world
► They traded all over the Mediterranean and even as far as Britain
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
► They exported lumber, murex (which became a purple dye), and
many others
 Phoenician culture
► Imitated the cultures of other like the Egyptians and Babylonians
► Major contribution was a written alphabet that became the model
for the Western world
 ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
► The Phoenicians eventually conquered by the Assyrians
► Lydians
 Lived in Lydia, the western part of Asia Minor
 First people to use coin money
► Before coins traders used to barter (exchange one good or service
for another)
 Goods that have value are called commodities
 Bartering limited trade
► The use of money allowed traders to set prices for goods and
services
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Section 2.6: Origins of Judaism
► The Hebrews
 South of the Phoenician homeland is a strip of land called Canaan
► One group that lived their were the Hebrews, the ancestors of
present day Jews
 ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
► Modern Jews also trace their ancestry to Abraham's
grandson Jacob, whose 12 sons established the
Twelve Tribes of Israel
 The Exodus
► The descendents of Abraham left Canaan for Egypt due to famine
as guest of the pharaoh but fell out of favor with the next few
pharaohs and were enslaved for 400 years
► Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt (the Exodus) into the desert
of the Sinai , where they wandered in the wilderness
 The Ten Commandments
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
 These tablets contain the Ten Commandments
► The 1st four establish the Hebrews relationship w/
God
► The rest emphasize self-restraint and underscore the
importance of family and human life
► When the Hebrews agreed to these commandments
they entered a covenant (solemn) with God
► Moses tells the Hebrews that Canaan is their promised land where
the Hebrews will create a nation
 The founding of Israel
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
 Occasionally prophets came to warn the Hebrews to return
to the teachings of God
► With their enemies around them, the Canaanites, Philistines, the
Hebrews spent over 200 years taking more land from each group
► Eventually, the 12 tribes united under a king, Saul, who was
succeeded by David & the new dynasty David began
 David made the city of Jerusalem his capital
► David is succeeded by his son, Solomon, who brought Israel to its
height and used the nation’s wealth to make a grand temple to God
in Jerusalem
► Israel unity collapsed with Solomon’s death and the 10 northern
tribes revolted and remained the Kingdom of Israel in the late
900s, while the lower 2 tribes began the kingdom of Judah
 A divided Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC
 In 527 BC, the Chaldeans destroyed Jerusalem and the
temple and took the Southern Hebrews captive
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
► The Development of Judaism
 The Hebrew Scriptures tell of the creation of the world and the special
mission the Hebrews have
► One third of these scriptures (known to Christians as the Old
Testament) are history, the rest is law for the Hebrews to live by
 Law and ethics
► 1st five books of the Old Testament are called the torah
 ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
► Mosaic law said “an eye for an eye” but gave
human life more value, demanded kindness to the
poor and slaves, and reserved the death penalty for
severe crimes


Name:______________________
World History: Pre-History and 1st Civilizations
Notes Packet: Ch. 1 and 2
The prophets as messengers from God formed the basis for
Jewish moral and ethical behavior
Religion
► Hebrew worship only one god, Yahweh, who protected them and
provided for them
 Yahweh would cause suffer for a whole family if He was
sinned against making him a god to fear at first
► ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
 Man had free will and God wanted them to love him by
choice
► Unlike other religions, the Hebrew God was a spiritual force and
no earthly rulers were divine
► The Hebrew religion is ethical monotheism (a belief in one god
and emphasized ethics and proper conduct) and this idea carried
over into Christianity
 Thus people refer to these values today as Judeo-Christian
ethics, the most important contribution of the Hebrew to
Western Civilization