Download HANDOUT for students - Unit 2 - River valley civilizations

Unit 2 – River Valley Civilizations
Humans began to develop more complex cultures, and over time, four great river valley civilizations developed. These
four river valley civilizations are:
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_________________________________ - along the __________________ and ________________________
Rivers in what is now called the Middle East.
___________________ - along the ___________ River in Africa.
___________________ - along the ___________ River in Asia.
___________________ - along the Huang He River in Asia
All of these civilizations share similar characteristics:
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They all developed ___________ and formed _____________________________. In these early civilizations, the
first governments were ________________________. A monarchy is a type of government led by a __________
or _______________. They formed governments to keep order, appoint jobs, defend against enemies, supervise
building projects, and manage food supplies.
They all developed a _____________________. Early humans believed that gods were responsible for their
____________________. In many of these civilizations, ________________ were at the top of society.
They all developed a ___________________________________ structure. Groups were defined by the type of
_____________ they performed and the amount of ________________ and ______________ they had.
They all developed a form of ______________________________________________ to keep accurate records
and preserve their civilizations stories. They also all developed their own way of __________.
Fill in the notes below for each category as I present the material for each river valley civilization.
GEOGRAPHY:
MESOPOTAMIA – Mesopotamia means “___________________________________________” in Greek. It is the larger
area of rich farmland called the ________________________________. The ________________ and ________________
Rivers are the physical features that define the location of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia had no natural barriers to
protect them from _______________ neighbors. The rivers facilitated ______________ and allowed some of the cities
to grow wealthy.
EGYPT – Egypt was called the ________________________________________ because the Nile River gave life to the
__________________. The Nile is the ____________________ river in the world, with a distance of over _____________
miles. It runs from the _______________ to the _______________. Ancient Egypt included 2 regions based on the flow
of the Nile. The southern region is called ____________________________ and the northern region is called _________
___________________. At several points on the Nile, the rough terrain caused ___________________, or rapids, to
form. The Nile divided into several branches, forming a _______________, a triangular area of land made from soil
deposited by the river. This land was very ______________ and perfect for ____________________. Egypt was
protected by natural barriers on all sides and the Nile provided the perfect waterway for _______________.
INDIA – India developed along the _______________ River in Asia. The Indus River flows through the present-day
countries of _______________________ and _____________. The people who lived in this area were known as
__________________________ because their civilization was called Harappa. They settled in this area around
_________________ BC. Their civilization was about ______________ the size of Mesopotamia.
CHINA – China developed along the __________________________ River in Asia. The Huang He flooded every year
depositing a rich fertile _____________ that was ______________________. The floods in China were very
________________________________________ and caused a great deal of damage. These floods were harder to
___________________ than those of the other river valley civilizations. China is surrounded by ___________________
and ___________________________, making them ___________________ from the rest of the world.
MAP ACTIVITY – On the map below, create a map that identifies the four river valley civilizations and the rivers that they
were located around. Be sure to label the rivers and label and draw in the civilizations around those rivers. Use the map
on the board to help you locate these items. Be sure to color each civilization a different color and create a key that
shows this information.
IRRIGATION SYSTEMS – In all of these civilizations, farmers used ___________________ to control the river flow and
water their crops. By creating and using irrigation systems, these civilizations were able to have _________________
____________________, which meant that there were increased amounts of food available for people to eat. Food
Surpluses meant that fewer people needed to farm. As a result, new ___________________________, or jobs,
developed within these societies. Fill in the blanks below for each civilization and how they irrigated their crops.
MESOPOTAMIA – In Mesopotamia, the water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates would ___________________________,
depending on the amount of ____________________. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flooded _____________________
and __________________________ without much warning. The Mesopotamian’s built ___________________________
that helped solve the flooding and drought problems. The canals took water to ditches that were connected to fields.
The farmers built up the banks of the rivers to hold back the floodwaters with walls of dirt called __________________.
EGYPT – The Nile flooded each year at about the ______________ time, a fact that gave them a distinct sense of each
year’s passing (they created a calendar to predict this). It also naturally ________________________ the land and
provided for abundant agriculture. In Egypt, a system of _____________________ and _____________________ were
developed for irrigation. Basins were deep bowl shaped areas that stored water. The canals took water from the basins
to the fields. A ____________________ was also invented to help with irrigation. A shadoof is a tool that could be used
to _______________ water from the basins.
INDIA – Along the Indus River, the people were successful with ______________________ and
_____________________ and their cities began to grow. Seasonal winds, called _______________________________,
brought summer rains that allowed farmers to grow large amounts of food.
CHINA – In China, the river would flood and deposit _____________, but the floods were very destructive. It was harder
for the people to __________________ the river. Their land was fertile and supported a surplus of agriculture without
complex ___________________________________________________. Over time, the people of China moved south
and settled along the Chang Jiang, or Yangtze River, which is the 3rd longest river in the world.
Annual floods of all of these rivers brought ___________________, which is a mixture of rich _________________ and
tiny _________________. Without this silt, people of these ancient river valleys would not have been able to farm.
Irrigation increased the amount of _________________ farmers produced, which led to __________________________.
A surplus is when you have more than enough. As a result, fewer people were needed to farm and new
_____________________________, or jobs, developed. People started to take on other roles and jobs in society. When
workers _____________________________ in a particular task, a ____________________________________________
is created. Large projects were undertaken in these civilizations, which led to the need for more
_________________________ and ___________________. These civilizations handled this by creating
_______________________________ and __________________________________________ systems.
WRITTEN LANGUAGE - All of the four river valley civilizations created a written language for communication, record
keeping, writing down stories and poems, and for preserving their history. Fill in the blanks below as I present
information about each civilization and their written language.
Early writing systems used __________________________ to represent syllables and words. People, known as
____________________, were in charge of writing things down. Most people in society did not know how to write their
written language. Scribes were ________________________________________________ for their jobs. Scribes kept
track of items people traded and wrote down _________________________________________. They also wrote
_______________ about the gods and military victories. During this time, ____________________ were written down
as well. Epics are long poems that tell the story of a __________________.
MESOPOTAMIA
EGYPT
The ___________________________________, or the people of Mesopotamia, invented the
world’s first writing system, called _____________________________. They wrote their
language down on _________________________________ with a _____________________,
a sharp tool used to make marks on the wet clay.
Egyptians created a form of writing known as __________________________________. They
wrote it on _______________________, a long-lasting paper-like material made from reeds.
INDIA
CHINA
Historians learned how to read hieroglyphics after discovering the
_______________________, which was written in 3 languages: hieroglyphics, a later form of
Egyptian writing, and Greek.
In India, the people developed a written language called _________________________.
In ancient China, the people created ________________________________ and
____________________________ to write down their language. Pictographs are characters
that represent ___________________. Ideographs are another kind of character used in
Chinese writing. They link _______ or more ________________________ together to express
an idea.
POLITICAL SYSTEMS (GOVERNMENT) – All of the river valley civilizations created political systems, or
_______________________, to make laws and keep order. When large amounts of people live together, it is important
for a civilization to create a _____________________ for society. A _______________________________________ was
created to divide society by ranks or classes. _______________ generally held the political power and made laws, and
__________________ generally took care of the home and children.
The Social Order of the city was usually:
Fill in the Chart below with information about each civilizations government.
MESOPOTAMIA
Mesopotamia had political units called ____________________________. Each
city-state consisted of a city and the countryside around it. The city-states built
_______________ cities for protection from enemies and invaders, and had
strong _______________. The more land a city controlled, the more powerful
they were. _______________ of Mesopotamia established the world’s first
______________. An empire is when one land takes over different territories and
________________ them. (different people under one single ruler) As the cities
grew, there became a need for ______________. Rulers began to make laws for
the people to obey. The first ruler to write down laws was
_____________________________, the king of Babylon in Mesopotamia.
Hammurabi was the _______________________, or king, and oversaw building
and irrigation projects and improved a tax system. Hammurabi wrote down
__________________________, which contained some ideas still found in laws
today. This document is known as the _________________
_____________________________. Specific crimes brought specific
______________________. Social class was taken into account. (it was a
greater crime to injure a rich man than a poor man). The Code of Hammurabi is
EGYPT
INDIA
CHINA
unique because it was very ____________________________ and written down
for _____ to see.
In Egypt, the leaders or rulers were called __________________________. The
pharaohs had ________________________ power
(________________________) over the land and people. This meant that they
controlled everything, but they were also blamed for any problems as well. The
pharaohs hired government officials to carry out _________________.
Along the Indus River in India, a strict _____________________________ was
set up to control the people. This was known as a
_____________________________. The development of the Caste System
during this time helped provide __________ and ________________ to society
and gave expression to basic Hindu beliefs such as reincarnation, karma, and
dharma. People’s place in society was based on _______________,
___________________, and __________________________. Individuals could
rarely change castes. ___________________ (guides) listed all the rules for the
Caste System.
Along the Huang He in China, _____________________________ ruled the
area. Dynasties were series of __________________ from the same
_______________. Like the other river valleys, the _________________ was in
charge with nobles helping him.
TRADE SYSTEMS – The rivers of the 4 river valley civilizations made trade possible. Merchants often traveled down the
rivers to trade with other cities. During this time, merchants used the Barter System to trade. Bartering is the trade of
one product or service for another without the use of money. The word barter comes from the French word, barater,
meaning to "trade." Early civilizations used this type of exchange before there was money. People would trade things
that they had for something that they wanted or needed.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS – Fill in the chart below by using information from your textbook.
Use pp. 77, 80-85(Mesopotamia), pp. 104-105, 111-116, 121 (Egypt), pp. 269-271 (India), 283, 285, 295-296(China) You
will also fill in this chart as I present the information to you.
Mesopotamia
Technical
Advancements
Architecture
Egypt
India
China
Math &
Science
Art &
Literature
RELIGION – Religions can be Polytheistic (belief in many gods) or Monotheistic (belief in one god).
Religion is either monotheistic or polytheistic. It cannot be both.
In the columns below, I want you to make a drawing of Monotheism and Polytheism. Label one side Monotheism and
create a drawing that represents this type of religion. Write a summary sentence about Monotheism at the bottom.
Label the other side Polytheism and create a drawing that represents this type of religion. Write a summary sentence
about Polytheism at the bottom.
MONOTHEISTIC
POLYTHEISTIC
MESOPOTAMIA
The people of Mesopotamia (the Sumerians) were __________________________ . They
built _____________________________ to honor their gods. Each city-state had a specific
god that it believed lived in the top of the ziggurat and they worshipped it. One group in
Mesopotamia started Judaism. __________________________ was the world’s first
monotheistic religion. The people believed that there was only one god who was in control.
Judaism started near the river valley of ____________________________________. It was
started by the _____________ people.
EGYPT
In Egypt, most of the religion focused on the __________________________. They believed
each person had a ______. The ka, or a person’s life force, needed the same things as a
person when they were living. To fulfill these needs, the living would put
________________, _____________________, _______________________,
___________________, and things in the tomb where they were buried.
Egyptians believed that the body had to be ___________________________________ so
the ka could recognize it to have a happy afterlife. To keep the ka from suffering, the
Egyptians created a technique called ____________________. Their burial practices became
known as __________________________________________.
Mummification is a complex process that took several weeks. First, the body was placed in a
_____________ and a chemical called _____________________ was poured on it. The
_____________________ were removed and put in a _____________. When finished, the
bodies were wrapped in _______________________ and placed in a
__________________________________________. Only the rich and pharaohs could afford
this process. The poor were buried in ___________________ or in the
____________________.
INDIA
The people of the Indus valley (India) practiced _____________________ different religions.
In India, the religion of _________________________________ started. Hinduism is
__________________________ religion. This eventually spread to other parts of
______________. Another religion in India that started was called
___________________________________. This religion does NOT worship a god. It is a
____________________________________________________________.
CHINA
The people of the Huang He (China) practiced __________ different religious philosophies.
They are known as ______________________________ and _________________________.
Taoism or Daoism, began in _________________ by a philosopher known as Lao-Tse. His
book is Dao de Ching, which means _____________________________________. Daoism
practices ______________________________________________________. (Balance). They
do not believe in trying to change the world, and they believe the government should stay
out of people’s lives. The _______________________________________ symbol is often
used to show the balance and harmony of Daoism.
Religion
Founder
Principles
Hinduism
Religions of the Ancient River Valley Civilizations
Buddhism
Judaism
Origin/Diffusion
Monotheistic,
Polytheistic, or
Philosophy
Religion
Founder
Confucianism
Taoism or Daoism
Principles
Origin/Diffusion
Monotheistic,
Polytheistic, or
Philosophy
Write a 4 sentence summary of this unit and all the River Valley Civilizations. You can write on the back of this page.