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SPICE Organizer
Civilization: Mesopotamia
S
P
I
C
E
AP World Region: Middle East
(Fertile Crescent)
Social—Development and
transformation of social
structures
 Gender roles and
relations
 Family and kinship
 Racial and ethnic
interactions
 Social and economic
classes
Political—State-building,
expansion, and conflict
 Political structures and
forms of government
 Empires
 Nations and
nationalism
 Revolts and revolutions
 Regional, transregional,
and global structures
and organizations
Interaction between humans
and the environment
 Surrounding
environment/geography
 Demography
(population make-up)
 Disease
 Patterns of migration
and/or settlement
 Effects of environment
on societies
Cultural—Development and
interaction of cultures
 Religions
 Belief systems,
philosophies, ideologies
 Science and technology
 Literature/writing
 Arts and architecture
Economic—Creation,
expansion, and interaction of
economic systems
 Agricultural or pastoral
lifestyles
 Trade and commerce
 Labor systems
 Industrialization
When: 3200BCE-1154BCE
Class divisions, with kings/priests at top, peasants at bottom
Patriarchal—males superior over females
Autonomous, often competing, city-states, ruled by autocratic king
apparently approved by gods
Competing city-states made unifying entire Mesopotamian region
difficult
Unified under Babylonian kings for a time
Hammurabi’s Code
Situated along Tigris/Euphrates Rivers, which enabled fertile and
productive agriculture
Irrigation/flood control systems
Little natural barriers, open to raids and invasions by outsiders
Technological inventions (wheeled vehicles, potter wheel, animal-drawn
plows, sailboat)
Discovery of bronze, astrology, astronomy
Cuneiform writing with professional scribes (writers) ; scribal schools as
centers of learning
Polytheistic religion controlled by priests with many gods who humans
had to serve
Epic of Gilgamesh ; Hammurabi’s code
Agricultural lifestyle, cities as centers of trade/economic activity
City-states were self-sufficient, but missing some necessary materials 
international trade with other regions via land/sea routes
Craft specializations (people performing different jobs)
SPICE Organizer
Civilization: Ancient Egypt
S
P
I
C
E
AP World Region: N. Africa, Nile
River Valley
When: 3100BCE-332BCE
Social—Development and
transformation of social
structures
 Gender roles and
relations
 Family and kinship
 Racial and ethnic
interactions
 Social and economic
classes
Political—State-building,
expansion, and conflict
 Political structures and
forms of government
 Empires
 Nations and
nationalism
 Revolts and revolutions
 Regional, transregional,
and global structures
and organizations
Class divisions, with pharaoh/religious leaders at top, peasants (serfs) at
bottom
Interaction between humans
and the environment
 Surrounding
environment/geography
 Demography
(population make-up)
 Disease
 Patterns of migration
and/or settlement
 Effects of environment
on societies
Cultural—Development and
interaction of cultures
 Religions
 Belief systems,
philosophies, ideologies
 Science and technology
 Literature/writing
 Arts and architecture
Situated within immensely fertile Nile River Valley; learned to work with
Nile flooding to maintain highly productive agriculture
Economic—Creation,
expansion, and interaction of
economic systems
 Agricultural or pastoral
lifestyles
 Trade and commerce
 Labor systems
 Industrialization
Patriarchal—males superior over females
Central location  unique mixture of African, Middle Eastern and
European cultures/ethnic groups
Originally loose political units t/o Upper/Lower Egypt, unified by Menes
of Upper Egypt around 3100 BCE
Theocratic government—pharaohs hold all political and religious
control, serving as high priests/directing economy
Elaborate bureaucracy with royal viziers/local governors
State monopoly over domestic/foreign trade, taxed the people
Pharaohs at times faced competition/powe
Nile as main communication link throughout civilization, allowing for
extensive trade/commerce along banks
Surrounding mountains/deserts protect Egypt from outside
invaders/unfriendly neighbors
Central location  unique mixture of African, Middle Eastern and
European cultures/ethnic groups
World’s first solar calendar
Hieroglyphic system of writing, papyrus paper
Polytheistic religion controlled by Pharoah, who is seen as a god ; beliefs
in afterlife drive Egyptians to mummify bodies in preparation
Monumental pyramids, organized by pharaohs and built by lower classes
Writings: Book of Dead, Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts
Agricultural lifestyle, cities/Nile as centers of trade/economic activity
State monopoly over domestic/foreign trade