Download River Civilizations

Questions that need to be answered.
(essential questions)
Why would people move around rivers?
 What did they consider technology?
 Why do some civilizations fail?
 What would have happened if the Chinese
didn’t invent things?
 What made religion spread?
 Why did people shape their lives around
religion?

River Civilizations
Cornell notes
Essential Question

Why did the worlds 1st civilization develop
around River Valley’s.
geography
the study of the earth and its inhabitants
 physical geography had a major impact on
the world’s early settlements
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prehistory
time period before writing
 important developments that led to the
forming of small villages:
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agriculture
domestication of animals
Why rivers are important
Human survival Human body can’t last
longer than 3 days without it
 Agriculture – rivers flood during wet
seasons and deposit silt or fertile soil in
region
 Development of irrigation system to allow
crop growth to sustain life
 Reliable food sources allows for
advancement and civilization to grow
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civilization
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a complex culture with
five characteristics:
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advanced cities
advanced technology
complex institutions
 government
 organized
religion
 education
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record keeping
specialized workers
Mesopotamia
land near the Tigris
and Euphrates
Rivers (mostly
modern-day Iraq)
 includes the land of
Sumer
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site of the world’s
1st civilization
invented writing
(cuneiform)
empire

a political unit in which a number of
different peoples or nations are controlled
by a single nation
Hammurabi (c. 1810 - c. 1750 BC)
king of Babylon
(Mesopotamian
city)
 developed one
of the world’s
first law codes
 Eye for an eye
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Egypt
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civilization that
developed along the
Nile River in North
Africa
Used symbols to
write- Hieroglyphics
ruler was a god-king
called a pharaoh
some early pharaohs
were buried in giant
pyramids
Egyptian civilization
lasted about 3000
Indus River Valley (India)
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India’s 1st civilization developed along the Indus
and Ganges Rivers
Has grown to over 1 billion people
Modern day India, Pakistan,Nepal
Large Mountains separate from the rest of AsiaHindu kush(west) and Himalayas (east)
Seasonal monsoons Brought rainfall
2500bc cities develop (Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro)
City planning indoor plumbing to bring fresh water
and remove waste.
Written language not yet deciphered
Indus River Valley decline
1750bc cities grew less prosperous (not
sure why) overuse of land, river changed
course.
 1500bc Aryans from the north invaded
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China
China’s 1st
civilization
developed along
the Huang
(Yellow) River
 Chinese
government
became
dominated by
dynasties
 Has grown to over
1 billion people

dynasty
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a series of rulers from a single family
Qin Dynasty

unified Chinese culture
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currency
roads
measurement
language
The people weren't treated well

overtaxed
Han Dynasty
China’s longest
dynasty
 created a highly
structured society
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Han Dynasty
Also gave us:
 Iron technology
 The Plow
 Wheelbarrow
 Seismograph
 Compass
 ships rudder
 Hot air balloon
 Embroidery
 and the…
Silk Road
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ancient interconnected trade routes across and
around Asia
trade along the Silk Road was a major factor in
the development of most of the great ancient
civilizations of Asia, Africa, and Europe
Cultural diffusion-sharing between cultures
Phoenicia (1500-500 BC)
located along the
Mediterranean
coast (modern-day
Lebanon)
 expert sailors
 developed a large
trading network
 developed the
alphabet
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World Religions
Monotheism
belief in one god
Most religions today believe this way
Polytheism
belief in many gods
Hinduism
 India’s
major religion
 no known founder
 main beliefs:
polytheism
 caste system - hereditary
social system
 karma - action and reaction
 reincarnation - literally "to
be made flesh again"

Vedas
 Hinduism’s oldest holy
texts
Siddhartha Gautama - Buddha
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Indian born in warrior caste
attained enlightenment & given the title of
Buddha
founder of Buddhism
religion that broke away from Hinduism
main beliefs:
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polytheism
reincarnation
the Four Noble Truths - how to obtain
happiness and enlightenment
Eightfold Path - instrument of discovery
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Middle Way - practice of non-extremism
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nirvana - state of perfect peace
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Sutras
 holy texts in Buddhism
Confucius (Confucianism)
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Chinese philosopher
ethical system based on the
teachings of Confucius
main beliefs:
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social and civic responsibility
Five Relationships
Analects
 text that contains the words
and acts of Confucius
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religion of the Jews
founded by Abraham
main beliefs:
 monotheism (world’s 1st)
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Jews are God’s chosen people
Ten Commandments
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a list of religious and moral
guidelines
foundation of Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam
Abraham
 Middle Eastern prophet
 founder of Judaism
Jerusalem
 Judaism’s, Christianity, and Islam’s
holy city
Torah
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Judaism’s holy book
written by Moses
Judaism
Jesus (Christianity)
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founder of Christianity
executed by the Jewish leadership for
creating the split between Christianity
and Judaism
religion that broke away from Judaism
main beliefs:
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Ten Commandments
monotheism
Jesus is the son of God
resurrection of the dead
Bible
 Christianity’s holy book
 made up of 2 parts:
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Old Testament (Jewish text)
New Testament (lives and teachings of
Jesus and his followers)
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Jerusalem
Paul
Jew who converted to Christianity
 Roman citizen
 brought Christianity to Europe through
missionary travels ( missionary)
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Muhammad (Islam)
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Arab warrior and prophet
founder of Islam
religion that began in
modern-day Saudi Arabia
followers of Islam are called
Muslims
main beliefs:
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monotheism
Muhammad is God’s greatest
and last prophet
believe that Jesus was a
prophet, not as the son of
God)
Five Pillars
Qur’an
 Islam’s holy book
 contains the teachings of
Muhammad
Mecca
 Muhammad’s birthplace
 Islam’s holiest city
 Ka’bah- temple of Abraham
Big Ideas
The environment caused the early
civilizations to settle around rivers.
 The Chinese were inventive and were
responsible for major technological
advancements that influenced civilizations
other than their own.
 Each world religion had specific
foundations and affected different areas of
the world.
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