Download Early River Valley Civilizations

Early River Valley Civilizations
3500 B.C.-450 B.C.
What is the fertile crescent?
• Between Persian Gulf and
Mediterranean sea in
Southwest Asia
• Region is curved shaped
and the land is rich
• Provided some of the best
farming in Southwest
Asia.
• Became known as
Mesopotamia
Means “land between the rivers”
The Tigris and Euphrates frame Mesopotamia
Flow to the Persian Gulf
What environmental challenges
existed in the area?
• Unpredictable flooding
• Long periods of little to no rain
• No natural barriers for protection
• Limited natural resources
• Building materials were scarce
How were these problems solved?
• Dug irrigation ditches that
carried river water to their
fields and allowed them to
produce a surplus of crops.
• Built city walls with mud
bricks for defense
• Traded with peoples of
mountain an deserts to receive
raw materials.
• KEY: ORGANIZATION,
COOPERATION AND
LEADERSHIP
Sumerian City-States
• Functioned like an independent country
• Center of all Sumerian cities was walled temple with
a ziggurat (city hall) in the middle
• Priests had most control over the cities, because
citizens wanted the blessings of the Gods
• City-states grew, because crop production facilitated
trade
• Advanced cities, specialized workers, complex
institutions, record keeping and improved
technology set Sumer apart from other city-states.
Sumerian Religion
• Polytheistic: Believed in
many different Gods
• Gods did many of the
same things that humans
did-fell in love, had
children, argued
• Gods were also immortal
• Humans were servants to
the Gods
• Built alters to the Gods
and made sacrifices
Life in Sumerian Society
• Social classes existed
• Women had many rights that
did not exist in other
civilizations
• Technology greatly increased
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Invented wheel, sail, plow
Used bronze
Developed measuring system
Created their own system of
writing
What was Mesopotamia’s first empire?
• Led by Sargon from Akkad
• Conquests helped spread
culture of Sumer
• Brought together people from
across the Mediterranean
Coast
• Lasted only about 200 years
• Declined because of internal
fighting, invasions and famine
What was the most lasting empire?
• The Babylonian Empire
• Reached its peak during the
reign of Hammurabi
• Developed his own code of
laws
▫ Helped unify diverse groups
▫ Affected everything within
the community
▫ Tells about beliefs of
Mesopotamians
▫ Different punishments for
rich and poor
• Lasted for two centuries
• Fell to neighboring Kassites
What were the geographical features
of Egypt?
• Africa
• Most settlements were along
the Nile River, the longest
River in the World
• When the Nile flooded, it left
rich, fertile silt which was
beneficial to farming
• Egyptians built irrigation
ditches, from which to water
crops year-round
• The desert was advantageous
because it kept invaders from
Egypt
Early Egyptian Villages
• Farming villages
• Each had its own rituals, gods
and chieftain
• Under the rule of two separate
kingdoms, Lower and Upper
Egypt
• Two kingdoms were eventually
united
When was Egypt unified?
• Around 3000 BC
• Ruled by one Kingdom
• Kings were representative of
the Gods and were called
Pharaohs
• Government was a theocracy
• Believed that King ruled, even
after death
• Pyramids were constructed to
serve as “palaces” for dead
kings
▫ Reflected the strength of
Egyptian civilization and
technology
Egyptian Culture and Life
• Religion: Polytheistic
▫ Mummification, items used in
afterlife.
• Class Structure: King, upper
class, middle class, lower class,
slaves
▫ Not locked into social class
▫ Women had same rights as
men
• Writing: Hieroglyphics-Picture
stood for an idea
▫ Also invented papyrus, a form
of paper
• Science and Technology:
Calendar(kept track of seasons),
written numbers, geometry,
medicine
Power of Pharaohs declined
Group from Palestine, called the Hyksos moved into Egypt and
began their rule.
What was the geography of the Indian
Subcontinent?
• World’s tallest mountains to
the north
• Largest desert to the east
• Helped protect from invasion
• Two significant rivers: Ganges
and Indus
▫ Carried water for irrigation
and silt for rich agriculture
• Southern part thrusts south
into the Indian Ocean
• Monsoons dominated climate
How did civilization emerge on the
Indus?
• Not really sure, because
historical evidence is lacking
• Inhabitants did construct
planned cities, with strong
levees to keep out flooding
• Cities were laid out on a
precise grid system, inside
fortifications
• Had sophisticated plumbing
and sewage systems
• Harappa was one of the more
famous cities.
Harappan Culture
• Language: Written language,
but impossible to decipherover 400 symbols
• Religion: Theocracy-Gods and
Goddesses
• Trade: Thriving trade due to
location along the Indus river
Indus Valley Culture Ends
• Fate of cities remained a
mystery until 1970
• Satellite images revealed that
tectonic plates had shifted,
possibly causing earthquakes
and floods
• Many cities were destroyed
• Over-farming may have led to
the destruction of other cities.
What was the geography of early
China?
• Natural barriers (oceans, seas,
mountains, deserts) isolated
China from other parts of the
world & limited trade
• Two major river systems
(Yellow River & Chang Jiang)
flow through China
• Only about 10% of China’s
land was suitable for farming
Chinese Civilization Emerges
• 2000 BC early Chinese
settlements grew into cities
• During the first dynasty, flood
control and irrigation projects
helped tame rivers so that
settlements could grow.
• Shang Dynasty came to power
in 1700 BC.
▫ First to have written records
▫ Built elaborate palaces,
walled cities and tombs
▫ Anyang was most important
cities
Chinese Culture
• Family: Central to society,
respect for parents, greater
rights for males, arranged
marriages
• Social Classes: Sharply divided
between nobles and peasants
• Religion: Believed spirits of
ancestors could bring good or
evil
• Writing: No links between
written and spoken language,
but did help unify the Chinese
Zhou and the Dynastic Cycle
• 1027 BC Zhou overthrew Shang and created their
own dynasty
• Said that their authority to do this came from a
“Mandate from Heaven”
• Established feudalism, a political system in which
nobles could use the land of the king, in return for
loyalty and military service
• During the dynasty, roads and canals were built,
money was introduced and improved trade
• Towards the end of the Zhou reign chaos and
defiance was commonplace in China