Download Unit One - Fall Creek High School

Unit One
Prehistory
•Time before the invention of writing, about 5,000
years ago
Scientific Clues
•Archaeologists study bones and artifacts—human-made
objects
•Anthropologists study culture—a group’s way of life
•Paleontologists study fossils—plant or animal remains
preserved in rock
• Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age) lasted from about 2.5 million to 8000B.C.
• cold temperatures and large Glaciers (Ice Age)
• Use of tools, fire, and language develops during the Stone Age
Tools Needed to Survive
• Paleolithic humans were nomads—moved in search of food
• Hunted animals, collected plant foods—hunter-gatherers
Types of Tools
Spears, bow and arrow, early shovels for digging up plants or cleaning
animal hides, and bone needles for making clothes
Neolithic Revolution— “agricultural revolution” began about 10,000
years ago
• Nomadic women scattered seeds, then discovered crops growing
• Shift from food-gathering to food-production great breakthrough!!
Causes of the Agricultural Revolution
• Rising temperatures was the key reason
• Longer growing season, drier land for wild grasses
• Constant supply of food led to population growth
Agriculture Causes Change
• Farming success leads to larger communities…less people starve 
Economic Changes
• Ancient people build irrigation systems to increase food production
• Food surpluses free some people to develop new skills
• Craftspeople make cloth, objects; traders profit from exchange of
goods
• Invention of wheel and sail enable traders to travel longer
distances
Social Changes
• Social classes develop; religion becomes more organized
Sumer
• Located in Mesopotamia, now part of modern Iraq
• One of the first civilizations—a complex culture:
- advanced cities
- specialized workers
- complex institutions
- record keeping
- advanced technology
Advanced Cities
• Cities with larger populations arise, become
centers of trade
Specialized Workers
• Labor becomes specialized—specific skills of
workers developed
• Artisans make goods that show skill and artistic
ability
Complex Institutions
• Institutions—(governments, religion, the economy) are
established
• Governments establish laws, maintain order
• Temples are centers for religion, government, and
trade
Record Keeping
• Professional record keepers, scribes, record taxes
and laws
• Scribes invent cuneiform, a system of writing about
3000 B.C.
• People begin to write about city events
Mesopotamia
 Sargon 2350 B.C.
 Conquered the Northern and
Southern parts of Mesopotamia
creating the first empire
 Hammurabi 1792 B.C.
 Made the city of Babylon the
capitol = Babylonian Empire
 Created the Code of Hammurabi
 Had all of the laws written in stone
and posted in city centers
Egypt
 Menes 3100 B.C.
 Also known as the Scorpion King
 Unified Upper and Lower Egypt
 Was seen as a God
 Hyksos 1630-1523 B.C.
 “the rulers of foreign lands”
 Hatshepsut (1485-1470 B.C.)
 One of the first women pharaohs
 Known for diplomacy not war
 Akhenaten (1364-1347 B.C.)
 Removed polytheism (many gods)
made self only god
Egypt
 Tutankhamen “Tut” (1347 B.C.)
 Boy King, brought back all gods
 Viewed as less important, which is
largely why his tomb is believed to not
be robed
 Ramses II (1279-1213 B.C.)
 Took control of Palestine
 Commissioned the building of the
Valley of the Kings
 Cleopatra VII 1st century B.C
 Tried to gain full independence for
Egypt from Rome, not successful
 Involved with Julius Caesar
Indus River Valley
•
No known leaders
•
Believe it was a theocracy
•
Domestication of animals: 7000 B.C.
•
Planned cities along Indus River 3200 B.C.
•
Little known because we have not
broken their language code yet
•
1750 B.C. fell apart and people
disappeared
China
 Emperor Yu
 Shang (Xia Dynasty) 2000 B.C.
 Tamed the Yellow River (Huang He)
 Irrigation purposes and controlled
flooding
 Engineer and mathematician
 Zhou Dynasty 1045-256 B.C.
 Longest ruling Dynasty
 Mandate of Heaven: Divine approval
 Introduced feudalism
 Coin money
 Process to cast iron
Mesopotamia
•
Theocracy
•
Priests and rules share control
•
Ziggurat
•
Priests controlled irrigation system
•
Collected Taxes
•
Culture
•
Has social classes
•
Kings, landholders and priests
•
Wealthy merchants
•
Workers
•
Slaves


Egypt
Theocracy
 Pharaoh was the god and king
 Built pyramids at tombs for the
pharaoh
 Mummification
 Hieroglyphics: system of writing
 Continual preparation for the afterlife
 Created calendar: 365 days, 12
months, 30 days per month
Indus River Valley
•
Harappan People
•
Well planned cities
•
Oven baked bricks of uniform sizes
•
Plumbing and sewage systems
•
Strong central government
•
Zoning
•
Written language…can’t
understand it though 
•
May have all been of the same
social class
•
Few weapons = no/limited conflict
•
Traded with many people
(maker/shipment seals)
China
 Family is central as is respect for elders
 Very distinct divide of classes
 Warrior-nobles were the ruling class
 Peasants were like slaves
 Religion was tied to elders
 Spirits of the elders brought +/- things
 Communicated through use of Oracle
bones (animal or tortoise shells)
 Writing System
 Made-up of several “characters”
each represents an idea
 Can read it without being able to
speak it.
Assyrians 700 B.C.
 Empire included areas of Mesopotamia, Iran, Asia
Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Israel
 Ruled by Kings
 King Sennacherib brutally destroys enemies
 Glorified armies wear metal armor, copper helmets,
leather protection
 Efficient messenger system, one week to send message
anywhere in the empire
 King Ashurbanipal
 Established library in Nineveh 20,000 tablets
including Epic of Gilgamesh
 Empire fell in 612 B.C. to the Medes and Chaldeans
(from the East)
 King Nebuchadnezzar took over and made
Babylon the center of empire
 Hanging Gardens were commissioned by him
Persian
Empire
Persians 539 B.C.
 Ruled by Kings
 Cyrus The Great
 Force only when required
 Loved by his people
 Allowed the captive Jews to return to homeland
 Cultural and religious tolerance
Persian
Empire