Download Unit 1: Ancient Civilizations

Unit 1: Ancient Civilizations
Pre-history, Ancient Middle East &
Egypt, Ancient Greece, & Ancient
Rome
Egypt & The Fertile Crescent: City
States of Ancient Sumer
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A region in the Middle East in between the
Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea
Very fertile soil
Various groups (nomads, invaders, traders)
came and influenced the area over time
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Mesopotamia – an area within Fertile Crescent
that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers
World’s 1st civilization developed in
southeastern Mesopotamia region called Sumer
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Control/access/use of river was key to
development in the area
Rivers and unprotected land led to major
flooding
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Destroyed villages
Used mix of clay/water to build
Rivers brought trade
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Eventually made up of 12 city-states
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A political unit that includes a city and it’s
surrounding land and villages
Rivals fought over land/water & were led by
military leaders
Government:
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Leader to maintain city walls & irrigation; led
armies; enforced laws; had ppl to collect taxes
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Society:
Used social hierarchy (system of ranking groups)
 High class = ruling fam, lead officials, high priests
 Mid class = lesser priests, scribes, merchants, artisans
 Low class = majority of people; peasant farmers
 Women’s roles changed with time; never equal to
men
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Religion:
Polytheistic (worshiped many gods)
 Gods controlled of life & could cause
violence/suffering
 Ziggurats built in each city state for worship
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 Large temples dedicated to the city’s main
god/goddess
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Afterlife in underworld with no escape
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Writing:
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Earliest known form called cuneiform, was invented
by Sumerians by 3200 BC
Wedge-shaped marks were made on clay tablets
Later developed symbols
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2500 BC: armies came through the area and
took over
Sumerian civilizations were replaced by new
ones
Sumerian cuneiform adapted by new people
Sumerians studied astronomy & developed a
number system
Impacted development of western world
Unit 1: Middle East & Egypt
Egypt: Invaders, Traders, & Empire
Builders
First Empires In Mesopotamia
• What is an empire?
– A group of states/territories controlled by one
ruler
• Different ppl/groups settled in Fertile Crescent
• Powerful leaders created large empires
First Empires in Mesopotamia
• Sargon – ruler of Akkad (next to Sumer)
– Invaded & conquered Sumer ~ 2300 BC
– Continued to expand / built 1st empire in history
– Empire ruined after his death
• Sumerian city-states came back but
were soon invaded again
Hammurabi & His Code
• Hammurabi – King of Babylon; his empire
gained control of most of Mesopotamia ~
1790 BC
• Created set of laws: Hammurabi’s Code
– ~300 laws carved on stone pillars for the ppl to
see
• codify (arrange & write all laws that govern a state)
Hammurabi & His Code
• What the code did:
– Established civil law – branch of law that focuses
on private rights/issues
• Designed to protect the poor and/or powerless
(women, slaves)
• Supported belief that orderly household was part of
stable empire
– Dealt with criminal law – branch of law that deals
with offenses against others
• Set specific punishments for specific offenses
• “an eye for an eye and a life for a life”
Hammurabi’s Code
Close up of the written laws
Stone pillar with code/laws
New Empires, New Ideas
• Hittites: 1400 BC – 1200 BC
– Used iron to make tools/weapons
• Assyrians: 1350 BC – 612 BC
– Became feared warriors
– 1st rulers to make laws
controlling life in royal
house
Babylon & The Persian Empire
• Babylon: reestablished as a power in 625 BC
– One of largest/loved cities in history of the area
– Hanging Gardens: 1 of 7 wonders of ancient world
• Babylon fell to Persian armies in 539 BC
• Persian Empire became largest ever seen
Persian Empire
Persian Empire
• Empire made up of many diverse groups of
people
– Persian kings wanted acceptance of different
groups they conquered
• Real unification under emperor Darius I (522486 BC)
– Created provinces called satrapies; led by
governor called satrap
Persian Empire
• Unification under Darius I
– Improved economic life
• barter economy – exchanged goods/services for
goods/services
• He encouraged use of coins / created early money
economy
• New religion taught by Persian thinker Zoroaster
• Rejected Persian gods; thought 1 god (Ahura Mazda)
ruled the world; ideas of heaven/hell & judgment day
The Phoenicians
• People of a small state along eastern
Mediterranean coast: Sailors & traders
• Expanded manufacturing & trade
– Set up colonies all over (territories settled and
ruled by ppl from another land)
• Established alphabet - led to our current
alphabet
Unit 1: Middle East &
Egypt
Egypt: The Kingdom on
the Nile
Egypt & The Nile River
Egypt & The Nile River
 Farmers
migrated there from the
Mediterranean area, Africa, and
lands around the Nile
 Land very fertile and valuable
 Egypt became powerful civilization
very dependent on the river
Egypt Shaped by Geography
 Egypt
surrounded by desert
 Thought it wouldn’t have survived
without the Nile
– Needed rich, fertile land to farm: “black
land” on banks of the river
– Couldn’t survive off “red land” of the
desert
Egypt Shaped by Geography
Nile flooded every
spring / brought
rich silt and excess
water for land &
crops
 Ppl worked
together to
manage the water
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– Designed ways to
channel and store
the water for dry
season
Egypt Shaped by Geography
 Had
2 distinct regions
– Upper Egypt (south) / Lower Egypt
(north)
 United
by Menes, King of Upper
Egypt, ~ 3100 BC
– Nile linked the north/south making
Egypt one of world’s 1st united states
 Nile
used as trade route
Egypt’s Kingdoms
 Ancient
Egypt divided in 3 main time
periods:
– Old Kingdom: ~2575-2130 BC
– Middle Kingdom: ~1938-1630 BC
– New Kingdom: ~1539-1075 BC
 Power
passed from one dynasty to
another over time while staying
united
The Old Kingdom
 Pharaohs,
Egyptian kings, built
strong/centralized govt
 Pharaohs thought to be humans AND
gods w/absolute power to own/rule
all the land
 Wanted justice and order
– Preserved through bureaucracy, system
of govt with different job functions and
levels of authority
The Old Kingdom
 Pharaohs
depended on a chief
minister called a vizier to watch over
the business of govt
 Pharaohs had cemeteries/tombs built
inside pyramids as homes for
eternity
– Most famous are Great Pyramids at Giza
The Middle Kingdom
 Old
Kingdom collapsed bc of
problems
 After 100+ yrs new pharaohs
reunited land
 MK was turbulent time
 ~ 1700 BC Hyksos, invaders, took
over delta region of Nile & governed
Egypt
– Brought new military technique of horse
drawn war chariots
The New Kingdom
 Many
powerful/ambitious pharaohs;
created large empire
 At its peak ~ 1450 BC – gained
territory north to Euphrates River
 Powerful Rulers:
– 1st female ruler Hatshepsut: 1472-1458
BC
– Thutmose III: Hatshepsut stepson
expanded territory; great military
general
The New Kingdom
 Powerful
Rulers:
– Ramses II: ruled 60 years (1279-1213
BC); best known
 Battles
with Neighbors:
– Many against Hittites of Asia Minor
during Ramses II
– Eventually signed peace treaty – 1st
known in history
– Fighting & trading with Nubia to the
south
Decline of Egypt
 Egyptian
power declined after 1100
BC
 Assyrians & Persians
invaded/conquered Nile
 332 BC: last Egyptian dynasty ended
– Greeks took control
– Romans took from Greeks in 30 BC
Unit 1: Middle East & Egypt
Egypt: Roots of Judaism
Ancient Israelites & Judaism
• Ancient Israelites developed Judaism ~ 4000
years ago
– Today one of largest faiths in world
• Israelites were monotheistic – believed in one
god
• Thought every event reflected Gods plan
– Recorded events and laws in Torah, most sacred
text of Israelites (Jews)
Ancient Israelites
• ~ 2000 yrs ago Abraham & family moved to a
region called Canaan
– Abraham called the father of the Israelites
• Believed God made a covenant with Abraham
(a binding agreement)
• Israelites forced to Egypt & became slaves
• Moses led their exodus
(departure) from Egypt
back to Canaan (much
later on)
Ancient Israelites
• Kingdom of Israel established in Canaan ~
1000 BC
– Feuding 12 tribes of Israel united under 2nd King,
David
• David’s son, Solomon, turned Jerusalem into
impressive capital city
• Kingdom split when he died and fell to
Assyrians & Babylonians
Israelite Society & Judaism
• Patriarchal society – men had greatest
authority
• Law was central – Torah had laws about most
things (cleanliness, food, crime)
• 10 Commandments in Torah
– Moral conduct & religious duty:
• Keeping the Sabbath, holy day of rest & worship
Israelite Society & Judaism
• Prophets, spiritual leaders, part of
history/society
– Urged social justice; taught strong code of ethics
(moral standards of behavior)
• During time period called Diaspora, Jews
left/were exiled from Israel
– Spread around world
• Christianity & Islam grew out of Judaism
UNIT 1: MIDDLE EAST &
EGYPT
Ancient Egyptian Civilization
Religion & Life
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Religion a part of daily life
Sun god was main god
Osiris was important
 God
of the dead & Nile
Afterlife
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Promised eternal life after death by Osiris &
goddess Isis
All had to pass test for eternal afterlife
 Judged
by Osiris
 Sinners fed to Eater of the Dead
 Worthy ppl entered Happy Field of Food
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Relied on Book of the Dead to survive journey
through underworld
Preparing for the Afterlife
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Dead buried with earthly possessions
Mummification preserved the body
 Embalmed
& wrapped in cloth
 Process took 90 days (3 months)
Tombs
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Pharaohs buried in tombs with their treasures
 Bodies
placed in solid gold coffins called sarcophagus
 Often robbed
King Tut
Society
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Egypt had a class system (hierarchy)
Society
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Most ppl were peasant farmers or slaves
Ppl able to move up more easily during New
Kingdom bc of trade & warfare
Women had more opportunity than in other places
 Could
get property, divorce, do business deals…
 Not confined to home
 Still below men
Advances
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Developed diff writing systems
 Hieroglyphics
– carved in stone by priests/scribes
 Hieratic & demotic – everyday use
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Made kind of paper from papyrus plant
Rosetta Stone – black stone w/ diff writings on it
used to figure out meanings of hieroglyphics\
Medicine – cures, symptoms, diagnosis, ops
Astronomy – made calendar
Developed geometry
Arts & Literature
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Arts:
 Buildings
(pyramids), statues, tomb paintings… gods/pharaohs shown larger…WHY???
 Showed everyday life or ppl w/ animal heads
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Literature:
 Poems,
hymns, prayers, folk tales