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Unit 2
First Civilizations & the Need for Social Order
Mesopotamia
“The land between the rivers.”
Mesopotamia
We witness a shift from nomadic hunting and gathering to
farming and herding. Now humans can settle into permanent
villages.
Also, with such a food surplus, early societies can now focus
on skills associated with civilization.
Religion, education, government, economy, etc.
First Civilizations
Sumerians
Babylonians
Assyrians
Persians
Phoenicians
Sumerians
Area in Mesopotamia where the first city-states emerged around 3200 B.C.
Each city-state had it’s own ruler. (Priest King)
Sumerians were polytheistic.
A civilization of many firsts, they set the tone for a number of societies that
followed.
Farming
Irrigation
Plow
First written language = Cunieform based on pictographs.
Clay tablets & stylus pens
“Epic of Gilgamesh”
Calendar
Numerical System
Babylonians
King Sargon led the conquering of Sumer around 2300 B.C.
Under his reign, city-states fought constantly for power and
influence.
King Hammurabi unites and creates the First Empire.
(Babylonians)
First the first time, laws were codified and put into writing.
Hammurabi’s Code
King Nebuchadnezzar takes over in 604 B.C.
Under his watch temples, roads, & canal systems were built.
Hanging gardens
Hammurabi’s Code
The Code of Hammurabi is an ancient code of laws created in 1790
B.C.
282 laws written on a stone pillar.
It was used as a tool to unify the expanding empire and allowed
everyone to know the rules.
The laws were grouped together.
Prologue (Intro)
Legal Procedures
Household laws
Slavery
Trade & Business
Religion
Epilogue (Outro)
Assyrians
The Assyrians are tied closely to the Babylonians. The
worshipped the same Gods and spoke the same languages.
However, they were rivals for influence and power.
Assyrians are most well known for their military and
weaponry.
Persians
Persians
In 539 B.C., Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonian Empire.
Cyrus, along with the later kings pursued a policy of tolerance. He
allowed the captive Hebrews to return to Jerusalem as well as their
sacred items.
Imposed taxes, standardized weights, developed official coinage
and a mail system, and implemented laws.
The empire organized into 20 provinces, managed by governors.
The empire fell under King Xerxes when they attempted to expand
into Greece.
Zoroastrianism
Developed by Zoroaster.
The Persians developed religion based on Monotheism called
Zoroastrianism.
Belief in one creator god, Ahura Mazda
He believed that people were training for a future life.
Humans would have to chose between good and evil in
preparation for a final judgment.
Ancient Hebrews
Believed that God had power over all people and that he
would protect them. (God’s chosen people)
God gave them the laws (Ten Commandments) to obey
The history of the Hebrews is written in the Torah.
Abraham
Hebrews believe God made a covenant with Abraham and that
he renewed the covenant with Moses.
Phoenicians
Known for being expert sailors. Establishing trade routes and
trading colonies throughout the Mediterranean.
“The carriers of civilization”
Highly skilled shipbuilders known for building the fastest
ships of their time.
They built trading outposts that became great cities
themselves. Carthage was the most famous.
Also known for being great artists.
Phoenicians
They are best known for creating the alphabet, organizing a
system of 22 consonants that eventually made up the
alphabet that we still use today.
They wanted something that was easy to learn and would be
quick and easy to use.
Mainly for business purposes.
Their alphabet spread rapidly through their trading network.
Crash Course
Mesopotamia
Egypt
“Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile” - Herodotus
Unification of Egypt
Around 3100 BC King Menes Unified
Upper and Lower Egypt
Egypt became the world’s first unified
state.
Egyptian Culture
In order to know when to plant, the Egyptians invented the
365 day calendar.
Gods were at the top of social pyramid.
They controlled everything.
Pharaohs were Gods in human form.
King Tut is the most talked about.
He was king as a 10 yrs old, but died at
19.
Tut’s Tomb
Egyptian Culture
The Egyptians were polytheistic and believed in many gods and goddesses,
or deities
Sun god = Re
Hapi = Controlled the Nile
Believed one had to pass a test to win eternal life.
Osiris- King of the dead
Mummification
Egyptian Hieroglyphics
They used a type of writing called Hieroglyphics to record their
history.
Pictographs
Rosetta Stone- the key to the modern understanding of Egyptian
hieroglyphics.
Mumab the Mummy
Pyramids
Built for religious purposes, these were grand tombs built for
powerful pharaohs.
The three at Giza are the most prominent.
The tallest is almost 500 feet tall and spans over 13 acres.
They are protected by the Sphinx
Women of Egypt
Women, in Egypt, were ahead of their time.
They could rule the country and had many of the same rights as
men.
They could own property
Buy and sell goods
Make wills
Get a divorce
The first woman pharaoh was Hatshepsut
She married her half brother.
Others were Nefertiti and Cleopatra who ruled over Egypt at age
18.
Cleopatra killed herself by letting a snake bite her.
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Egypt
Hinduism
Vedas- a set of beliefs written down around 1300 BC.
Dharma- righteous and moral conducts.
Karma- result of one’s actions through out life.
Samsara- constant cycle of birth and rebirth.
The goal in life is to achieve Moksha.
Enlightenment
It is based on behaviors rather than beliefs. Followers are
given the right to chose their own personal path to live by.
Hinduism Caste System
Buddhism
Based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama.
Buddha
“Awakened One”
Major beliefs
Four noble truths
Eightfold path
Buddhism
The Spread of Buddhism
Missionaries and traders took the religion all over Asia.
Eventually we see a split into two main branches.
Theravada: Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia
Mahayana: China, Tibet, Korea, and Japan
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The Spread of Buddhism
Maurya Empire
Maurya Empire
Founded by Chandragupta Maurya
One of the largest empire, of its time, in the world.
Most famously led by Ashoka
Converted to Buddhism after a devastating war.
Responsible for helping spread Buddhism across Asia.
Brought peace and prosperity to his empire by providing for his
people.
After his rule ended, the empire began to slowly crumble
Gupta Empire
A “Golden Age,” defined by their creativity in art, literature,
and education.
Chandragupta I took over around 320 B.C.
Revived many of the Mauryan principles.
Paved the way for his son Samudragupta to take over.
Samudragupta’s leadership
Great leader = Great conquests
“Golden Age”
Fell to the Huns around 550 B.C.
Zhou Dynasty
Known for the “Mandate of Heaven”
The emperor’s right to rule came from the Gods.
Zhou Dynasty
Famous leaders
Confucius
Lao-tzu
Inventions & Discoveries
Iron
Written laws
Money
Feudalism
Ended with the Warring States Period
Chinese states fighting for control
Qin Dynasty
After centuries of war (Warring states), the Qin dynasty
established itself as the supreme leader.
Cheng took the title of first emperor.
Died from eating mercury.
Known for their belief in Legalism.
Started the Great Wall of China.
Han Dynasty
Known for a time of peace, invention, and expansion.
Wheelbarrow
Porcelain
Paper
Silk Road
Added Manchuria, Korea, parts of SE & Central Asia.
Civil Service: systems that run day to day process of the government.
Examination System
Recruit based on merit, rather than family.
Test the knowledge of Confucian texts and Chinese history.
Only around 7% passed the exams.
Confucianism
“The Superior men are sparing in their words and profuse in
their deeds.” – Confucius
Concerned primarily with restoring social stability and order.
System of social and ethical philosophy.
Crash Course China