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Download Chapter 2 - River Valley Civilizations
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Chapter 2: Ancient River Valley Civilizations 4 Regions! • • • • City-States in Mesopotamia Egypt & Nile River Indus Valley China Common Characteristics ?? • Water!! – Deserts of river cultures short on resources – River Valley Civilizations • Opportunity to adapt environment • Suitable for domesticated plants/animals • Relatively stable (a bit hot) climate GEOGRAPHY influenced the development of river valley civilizations. Mesopotamia The Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia – Fertile Crescent • Sumer – The Earliest of the River Valley Civilizations • Sumerian Civilization grew up along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Kuwait. Sumerians: City-States • City-State: a city and it’s surrounding land becomes an independent political unit • Priests were rulers, then came WAR • Cultural diffusion: spreading of a new idea or product from one culture to another Sumerian Culture • Polytheism: belief in many gods • Class structures • INVENTIONS! Sumerians invented: • • • • • Wheel, sail, plow Bronze! Brick technology Arches, ramps and pyramids (ziggurat) First writing system, called…. Ziggurat – Holy Mountain Click on the pictures for more information on ziggurats. Babylon Empire: a political unit where peoples or countries are controlled by a single ruler Babylon – 2000BCE First know written law code “Rule of Law” Hammurabi’s Code - 1792 BCE Code of Hammurabi #175: If a man has struck the cheek of a man who is superior to him, he shall be beaten 60 times with an oxtail whip in the assembly. #205: If a man has struck the cheek of a member of the aristocracy, they shall cut off his ear. Early River Valley Civilizations Environment Mesopotamia Egypt Indus River Valley China • Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable • No natural barriers • Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings EGYPT “The Gift of the Nile” Hieroglyphics Pyramids Geometry Advances in medicine and surgery Nile River Sahara Desert Egypt Favorable Geography • Benefits of Nile –Rich soil –Water –Transportation • Natural Boundaries Egyptian History • Early gov’ts to control Nile • Eventually combined: –Lower Egypt (north) –Upper Egypt (south) • Old Kingdom –3,100-2,200 BC –Pyramids built as tombs Egyptian History • New Kingdom – 1,570-1100 BC – The Empire – Ramses II – Tutankhamen Egyptian Life & Culture • Pharaoh: god-kings, rulers of the Old Kingdom • Privileged aristocracy – Pharaoh & his family – Nobles – Priests • Unprivileged masses – Peasants – Slaves – FLEXIBLE CLASS STRUCTURE! Egyptian Life • Economic activities –Depended chiefly on agriculture –Glassblowing –Imported timber and copper • Religious beliefs –Polytheistic –Mummification Egyptian Contributions • Math – Surveyed land • Art – Huge stone statues – Carved/painted various scenes • Architecture & engineering – Pyramids and temples – Dams and irrigation canals Egyptian Contributions • Hieroglyphs on papyrus – “sacred writing” or pictures to Represent ideas and sounds • Science – Solar-year calendar (365 days) – Prepared mummies – Recognized/Treated diseases Early River Valley Civilizations Environment Mesopotamia Egypt Indus River Valley China • Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable • No natural barriers • Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings • Flooding of the Nile predictable • Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages • Deserts were natural barriers Indus Valley Geography of South Asia • Indus & Ganges Rivers • Monsoons: seasonal winds • Wet & dry seasons Indus River Valley 2500 BC – 1500 BC Harappan culture Trade Well planned cities Grid pattern Modern plumbing Built on mud brick platforms Protected against seasonal floods Larger cities Houses built of baked brick Smaller towns Houses built of sun-dried mud brick What we DON’T know: • Language?? Huh? • Religion?? • Where did they go? Aryan Migration Early River Valley Civilizations Environment Mesopotamia Egypt Indus River Valley China • Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable • No natural barriers • Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings • Flooding of the Nile predictable • Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages • Deserts were natural barriers • Indus flooding unpredictable • Monsoon winds • Mountains, deserts were natural barriers China River Dynasties Geography of China • Isolation • 2 major river systems • Loess: yellowish silt deposited by Huang He River • 1887 CE flood killed approx 1 million people Shang China 1600 BCE – 1027 BCE Written records Palaces with protection! Class structures! Origins of Chinese Culture Written language vs. Spoken language FAMILY Family & Ancestors Class Structure Zhou China 1122 BC – 256 BC Bronze, jade, silver, gold Mandate of Heaven Power to rule came from heaven Power could be lost and passed on to Another family Dynastic Cycle Feudalism in China Coined money leads to: - Roads - Canals - TRADE Now they have IRON! - Weapons - Farm tools Feudalism in China Feudalism: nobles are granted use of lands that legally belong to the king King owes the nobles protection FIGHTING! Early River Valley Civilizations Environment Mesopotamia Egypt Indus River Valley China • Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable • No natural barriers • Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings • Flooding of the Nile predictable • Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages • Deserts were natural barriers • Indus flooding unpredictable • Monsoon winds • Mountains, deserts were natural barriers • Huang He flooding unpredictable • Mountains, deserts natural barriers • Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations
