Download Unit 2: First Civilizations

Unit 2: First Civilizations
“Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile”
-Herodotus
http://www.
history.
com/topics/a
ncienthistory/ancie
ntegypt/videos/
reading-thenile
Unification of Egypt
● About 3100 BC King Menes unified Upper and
Lower Egypt.
● Egypt became the world’s first unified state.
Ancient Egyptian History
● Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.)
● Middle Kingdom (2050-1800 B.C.)
● New Kingdom (1550-1100 B.C.)
Egyptian Culture
● Pharaoh had absolute power and was believed to be a
god.
● Egyptians were polytheistic and they believed one had
to pass a test to win eternal life.
● Egyptians recorded their history using Hieroglyphics.
The Pyramids
Rosetta Stone
King Tut
http://www.premierexhibitions.
com/exhibitions/13/13/discovery-king-tut
Social Structure of Ancient Egypt
Mesopotamia
“Land between the
Rivers”
Sumer
● Area in Mesopotamia where the first cities emerged
about 3200 BC.
● Each city-state had a ruler
● Sumerians were polytheistic
● Each city-state built a Ziggurat
● Developed a system of writing now called
“cuneiform”
Early Empires
● Sumer was conquered by Sargon around 2300 BC.
● Hammurabi king of Babylon created an empire around
1790 BC.
Spread of Ideas
● Hittites created iron tools and weapons and soon
this knowledge spread.
● The Assyrians conquered Mesopotamia and built a
large library.
Babylonian Empire
● Nebuchadnezzar revived the Babylonian Empire.
● He rebuilt canals, temples, walls, and palaces.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Persian Empire
● In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great conquered the
Babylonian Empire.
● Kings pursued a policy of tolerance
● Empire was organized into provinces.
Phoenicians
•Lived
in along the coast of modern day Lebanon
•Mountainous terrain made it difficult to farm
•They became expert sailors
•Established trade routes and trading colonies throughout the
Mediterranean
–Carthage in North Africa was one of the largest colonies
Tyrian Purple
Phoenicians
•“The Carriers of Civilization”
–Spread ideas, technology, customs from the Middle East
through the Mediterranean as they traded
Phoenician Alphabet
● 22 letters that represented spoken consonant sounds.
● Needed an easier system of writing to record business deals.
● Alphabet later adapted by the Greeks
Zoroastrianism
•Monotheism: the belief in one god
•Zoroastrianism: a monotheistic religion founded in ancient
Persia (modern day Iran)
-Believed in good and evil, and a final judgment based on
how well a person fought for goodness
Zoroastrianism
●
●
●
●
●
Founded by Zoroaster
Lived around 600 B.C.
Received a vision at age 30.
Believed in one creator god, Ahura Mazda.
Ahura Mazda would triumph in the end.
Ancient Hebrews
•Believed that God had power over all people and that he
would protect them
•God gave them laws or commandments to obey (Ten
Commandments)
•The history of the Hebrews is written in the Torah.
Abraham
● Hebrews believe God made a covenant with
Abraham.
● God renewed the covenant with Moses.
Major Beliefs
● Monotheism
● Believed they were God’s chosen people.
● Ten Commandments
Hinduism
● No single founder
● Goal of life is to achieve moksha
● Try to achieve moksha by following the law of
karma and dharma.
Buddhism
● Based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama.
● Major beliefs
○ Four noble truths
○ Eightfold Path
Spread of Buddhism
● Missionaries and traders took the religion all over
Asia.
● Split into two main branches
○ Theravada: Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia
○ Mahayana: China, Tibet, Korea and Japan
Maurya Empire (321 B.C.-185 B.C.)
Asoka
● Converted to Buddhism after a devastating war
● Helped to spread Buddhism across Asia
● Brought peace and prosperity to his empire by
providing for his people.
Golden Age under the Guptas
● Power was left in the hands of many local officials.
● Considered a golden age because it was a time of
great cultural achievement.
Shang Dynasty
● Ruled from 1500-1050 B.C.
Zhou Dynasty
•Ruled 1050-256 B.C.
•Mandate of Heaven: the
emperor’s right to rule came
from the Gods
•Ends with Warring States
Period: Chinese states fight
for control
Mandate of Heaven
Warring States Period
Qin Dynasty
● Ruled 221-206 B.C.
● Cheng took title of first
emperor.
● Believed in the
philosophy of Legalism.
● Died from eating
Mercury
Han Dynasty
● Ruled 206 B.C.- 220 A.D.
● Territories added to China: Manchuria,
Korea, parts of SE & Central Asia
● Civil service: systems that run the day to day
business of government.
Examination System
● Recruit based on merit rather than family.
● Test the knowledge of Confucian texts and
Chinese history.
● Only 7% passed the exams
Confucianism
● Confucius(551-479 B.C.)
● Concerned primarily with restoring social
stability and order
● a system of social and ethical philosophy