Download The River Valley Civilizations

Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Bell Ringer: Introduction to Packet 2
Agenda
1. Bell Ringer
2. Map 2 – the RVCs
3. Source Analyses: Mesopotamia
Homework
1. Review your map!
2. Watch “CrashCourse” on
Mesopotamia
The River Valley
Civilizations
Part 1: Quick Intro the RVCs/
Topic 2, Part 1: Intro to RVCs
I. 1st Civilizations were in River Valleys
A. 4 RVCS
1. Mesopotamia – Tigris and Euphrates
2. Egypt and Nubia – Along the Nile River
3. India – Indus River (Also called the Harrapan
Civilization)
4. China – the Huang-He/Yellow River/River of
Sorrows
B. Why? – Fertile soil, easily defendable, access to
water for drinking, irrigating, and transportation
Topic 2, Part 1: Introduction to RVCs
Lecture Notes and Discussion
River Valleys provided water, fertile soil
and natural defenses.
Topic 2, Part 1: Intro to RVCs
II. In general, the following are elements shared by most of the
first civilizations
A. Cities – concentrated around farming centers
B. Central Government
1. Began as City States – an independent city and the land around it
2. Strong centralized government w/ justification from religion
C. Writing/Record Keeping – began as method of tracking taxation
D. Specialized Jobs – Artisans, Merchants, Etc.
E. Social Classes/Social hierarchy
1.
Rulers – Nobles/Warriors – Priests – Artisans/Merchents – Peasant
Farmers – Slaves (Slavery not based on race)
2. Rigid class structure
F. New/Complex Technologies
G. Complex Religions – Polythesitic – many gods – help give
legitimacy to government
Introduction to Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia: Meso (between) potoi
(Rivers) – The Land Between Two Rivers
In the area where modern Iraq and parts
of Syria are located
Environmental challenges
Mesopotamia was a civilization made up of
many independent city states
Looking at the Evidence:
Mesopotamia
 5 written documents to think about
 2.1 A – The Sumerian Goddess Inanna looks after the City Agade
(about 2000 BCE)
 2.1 B – A Sumerian Father Gives Advance to his Son (About 2300
BCE)
 2.1 C – A Teacher’s math Examination Question to Students (about
1700 BCE)
 2.2 A – Hammurabi’s Laws Seek to Uphold the Social Order in
Babylon (About 1700 BCE)
 2.2 B – A Sumerian Father Wants his Teenager to be a Scribe (2000
BCE)
Topic 2, Part 1: Tigris and Euphrates RVC:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
Other Evidence: Ziggurats
Record Keeping
Topic 2, Part 1: Tigris and Euphrates RVC:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
Complex
Government
“Then [the gods] called by name me,
Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who
feared God, to bring about the rule of
righteousness in the land, to destroy
the wicked and evildoers, so that the
strong should not rule the weak…”
Topic 2, Part 1: Tigris and Euphrates
RVC:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
Specialized Workers
Intro to Egypt
 Like Mesopotamia, Egypt has to deal
with geographic challenges, namely
flooding
 At first, Egypt existed as several small
villages, organized loosely into two
kingdoms: Upper and Lower Egypt
 In 3100s BCE, Egypt’s two kingdoms
were united under one rule by Menes
(aka Narmer)
 Like Mesopotamia, geography was a key
consideration
Looking at the Evidence:
Egypt
•
2.3 A: Praise for Pharaoh’s New City (1300 BCE)
•
2.3 B: Instructions of the Vizier Ptah-hotep to his
Son (about 2450 BCE)
•
2.3 C: A Selection of Math Problems (about 1850
BCE)
•
2.4A: An Egyptian Father Wants His Son to be a
Scribe (2000 BCE)
•
2.4B: Negative Confession by the Deceased in the
Underworld, Aflterlife Depending on Its Truth, from
The Book of the Dead (About 1500 BCE)
•
Religion
(And Geography!)
“If the Nile smiles, the Earth is
joyous
Every stomach is full of rejoicing
Every spine is happy,
Every jawbone crushes its food.”
- “Hymn to the Nile,” quoted in The
Literature of the Ancient
Egyptians”
Religion– (and Social Hierarchy? And Job
Specialization?)
The Great Pyramid at Giza
Djoser’s Step Pyramid
Record Keeping
And Job Specialization?
1
10 100 1000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000
Government
(and social hierarchy? And Religion?)
Thutmose III
1504-1450 B. C. E.
Job Specialization
(And new tech)
Hierarchy!
Topic 1: RVCs
Part 3: The Indus RVC
Topic 2, Part 3: Indus RVC:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
I.
Background on the
Indus (Harrapan) RVC
A.
Located on India - a
subcontinent of Asia
B.
Impact of Geography
A.
Monsoons - Season winds
which bring rainy and dry
seasons
B.
Separated from other areas
by Himalayan and HinduKush Mtn rangers
Topic 2, Part 3: Indus RVC:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
II. More Background
A. Emerged in Pakistan,
about 2500 B.C.; then
disappeared about
1500 B.C.
B. Few written records –
no way of translating
C. Harappa and Mohenjo
Daro – Twin capital
cities
Topic 2, Part 3: Indus RVC:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
Topic 2, Part 3: Indus RVC:
Lecture Notes and DiscussionTopic 2, Part 3: Indus RVC:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
Looking at the Evidence
Topic 2: RVCs
Part 4 - Huang He RVC
Topic 2, Part 4: Huang-He RVC:
Introduction to the Huang-He/Shang Civilization
I.
Significant geographical
barriers- Pacific, Gobi desert,
Himalaya Mountains
A. This helped them develop
a unique culture
B.
Still, they traded with nomads
from the M.E.
C.
First civilization along HuangHe river (also known as River
of Sorrows or Yellow River)
Looking at the Evidence
The
Dynastic Cycle
Old Dynasty
New Dynasty
•High taxes
•Peace.
•Builds roads, bridges, etc.
•Gives land to peasants
Years Go By
•Corruption
New becomes old •Can’t protect people
•Roads fall apart
•Provides for defense
•Unfair treatment of people
New Dynasty claims
Mandate of Heaven
Problems
•Natural disasters
•Riots and Revolts
•Invasion
Old Dynasty loses
Mandate of Heaven
Topic 2: RVCs
Part 5: Traders and
Wanderers
Topic 2, Part 5: Traders and Wanderers:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
I.
The Phoenicians
A.
Did not settle in a
RVC
B. Based in modern
Lebanon
C. Small city states
(small independent
political units)
D. Great ship builders
Topic 2, Part 5: Traders and Wanderers:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
II. Phoenician Impact
A.
Established a colonies in North Africa (Carthage),
Sicily and Spain
B. Spread Mesopotamian culture throughout the Med. Sea
C. Known for purple dye
D. Developed an alphabet
More about Carthage…
 Watch the video clip
 Be sure to jot down anything you find interesting.
 Remember Carthage – we will meet this city again in a
few weeks!!
Topic 2, Part 5: Traders and Wanderers:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
III. The Hebrews
A. Neighbors of the
Phoenicians – Modern
Day Israel in Jordan
River Valley
B. Abraham – The Father
of Israel
C. The Exodus: Jews led
out of slavery in Egypt
to freedom in Israel
D. Monotheism!
Topic 2, Part 5: Traders and Wanderers:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
IV.
God’s Chosen Ones
A.
B.
Israelites believed in a covenant with God
Moses renewed this, saying for faithful obedience God would lead
the Jews to the “Promised Land” (Canaan)
God’s Covenant
(you don’t need to write this)
“I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from
you…And I will establish My covenant between Me and
you and your descendants after you throughout their
generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to
you.”
Topic 2, Part 5: Traders and Wanderers:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
C. Religious Change
1.
Law a central theme in
Hebrew culture
2.
Israel was a patriarchal
society
3.
The Ten Commandments
were the set of laws given
to Jews by God through
Moses
4.
Jewish prophets taught
that disobedience to God
would lead to disaster
5.
Holy book was the Torah
Topic 2, Part 5: Traders and
Wanderers:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
V.
Ethics
A.
Prophets preached
code of ethics,
morality and social
justice
B.
Asked for rich and
powerful to protect
poor and weak
because “all people
are equal before God”
C.
Jews saw leaders as
fully human--they had
to obey God
Read the 10 Commandments
 Please, if you can avoid it, do not write on the handout
 In a journal entry, address the following questions
 1) How would you describe the 10 Commandments when
compared to other ancient law codes? Would you say they
are concerned more about the individual or society as a
whole? Are they more about morality or order in society?
Are they merciful or harsh?
Topic 2, Part 5: Traders and
Wanderers:
Lecture Notes and Discussion
VI.
The First Jewish Diaspora
A.
Diaspora - The dispersion of any people from their original
homeland
B.
Jews leave Israel
1.
First time, forced out under King Nebuchadnezzar
2.
In Roman times Jews left to avoid persecution