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World History I
SOL Review
Ancient Civilizations
Ancient civilizations appeared in the river valleys and along the Fertile Crescent about
3500 to 500 BC. River valleys had the following advantages:
 Richer soil for agriculture
 Physical features that provided natural defenses against nomadic people
 Water for irrigation
Do you know where these civilizations were located?
 Egypt was located in Africa on a narrow strip of land along the Nile River (delta)
 Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (SW Asia)
 India was located on the Indus and Ganges Rivers in South Asia
 China was located on the Huang He River in Northern China
 The Fertile Crescent was a crescent shaped area that went from the Persian Gulf
to the Mediterranean Coast
 The Hebrews left Ur and settled in Palestine
 Phoenicians settled the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
 Persians dominated the Plateau of Iran around 500 BC
 Kush was located in Africa on the Upper Nile River
Social Characteristics of Early Civilizations:
The early civilizations had hereditary rulers with dynasties of pharaohs and kings.
There was a rigid class system where slavery was accepted.
Political Characteristics of Early Civilizations
The world’s first political states were city-state kingdoms and empires. The political
leaders were often the religious leaders, often believed to be descendents of gods. Early
civilizations had written laws such as Hammurabi’s Code – the written laws of
Babylon. The Hebrew code of laws was called the Ten Commandments.
Economic Characteristics of Early Civilizations
Tools and weapons were made of metal – first bronze then iron. There was an increase
in food supplies because of irrigation and the plow. Increased trade was along the rivers
and by the sea. The world’s first cities developed with hundreds of inhabitants. Since
everyone did not need to farm to raise enough food, specialization of labor developed.
Early governments controlled economic life. Pharaohs owned all the land of Egypt.
Phoenicians were great traders that spread culture and civilization along the
Mediterranean Sea.
Religion of Early Civilizations
Ancient people practiced polytheism, the worship of many gods. Hebrews, however,
practiced monotheism, the worship of one god. The founder of Judaism was Abraham
and the prophet that led the Hebrews from Egypt was Moses. The holy book of the
Hebrews is the Torah, which contains written records and beliefs of Hebrews. The Ten
Commandments state the moral and religious rules of conduct or laws.
In 586 BC the kingdom of Judea was conquered by the Babylonian armies and
many Hebrews were forced into exile in Babylon. Years later they were released from
captivity and returned to Palestine, their homeland. However, in 135 AD the Hews
rebelled against Roman rule and were forced from Palestine in the “scattering of the
Jews” known as the diaspora.
Language and writing of Early Civilizations
Early civilizations also had a written language. The written language of the Sumerians
was wedge-shaped cuneiform. The written language of the Egyptians was
hieroglyphics. The Phoenicians will develop the alphabet (without vowels).
Mathematics in ancient civilizations involved the development of calendar and geometry
for surveying land after flooding.
Persia
The Persian Empire was located on the Plateau of Iran. The Persians were able to
govern the world’s largest empire at that time by
1. tolerating conquered peoples
2. developing bureaucracy
3. extensive road system
The Persian developed Zoroastrianism with a belief in a constant battle between good
and evil.