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Notes: Foundations of Civilization
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What is a civilization?
o A complex ____________________ that has at least the following 3 MAIN characteristics:
1. Being able to produce surplus (extra) ___________________.
2. People establish large towns or cities with some form of _________________________.
3. People perform __________________________________ instead of each person doing
some of everything.
o Other characteristics of a civilization:
 Developed a ________________ – helped the people know when to plant and harvest
crops.
o They wanted to know when floods would stop and start.
o Their year was divided based on phases of the moon.
 Developed some form of ____________________________________________ – helped
with keeping records and passing on information.
o What we now call writing began around 3000 B.C.
o Developing writing allowed people to record information on their culture and
other societies – the beginning of written history!!!
River Valley Civilizations
o People in the valley of the ______________ River and the ____________________________
rivers used copper to make tools and jewelry.
o Eventually learned to make _________________ by mixing copper and tin.
o The development of bronze marked the end of the ______________________ and the
beginning of the __________________________________.
o _____________________ managed the family – cared for children, made clothing, and did
much of the farming when it was originally developed.
o Men became the primary food providers when the plow was developed and animals were used
to pull it.
o People believed in many gods and goddesses – ________________________________!
 Prayed to gods and goddesses; offered sacrifices; gave thanks when they believed their
prayers had been answered.
Ancient Egypt
o Civilization in Ancient Egypt developed around the Nile River – the longest river in the world
(about 4,160 miles).
o The Nile River provided a source of _____________________________ and provided water that
supported life.
o Also surrounded by fertile soil that was great for farming.
o Its warm and sunny climate allowed many types of crops to be grown.
o By 3000 B.C. the people had developed ___________________________________ – a form of
writing made up of 600 signs, pictures, and symbols to represent words and sounds.
o Wrote on _________________________ – strips cut from the papyrus plant that were
moistened and pressed together. Used soot, water and plant juice to make ink and wrote with
a brush.
o In 1798 A.D. The _____________________________________ was discovered. It was a stone
that was carved on in several languages. It helped people read eyewitness accounts of Egyptian
history.
o The Egyptian Kingdoms
 In the beginning Egypt had developed into 2 kingdoms:
o ________________ Egypt – in the Nile River delta
o ________________ Egypt – in the South away from the Mediterranean Sea
 After 3200 B.C., Menes, a king from Upper Egypt united both kingdoms and founded a
dynasty.
o A __________________ is a family of rulers who pass down the right to rule is
passed down from father to son or daughter.
o A dynasty ends when it is defeated, or when no one is left to become ruler.
 Founded the city of Memphis…NOT in Tennessee 
 Menes and future rulers gained new territory, improved irrigation and trade (making
Egypt wealthier), and built temples and tombs to honor the dead.
 These rulers later took the title of ________________________.
o Pharaohs were __________________ and ____________________ leaders.
o Had absolute (unlimited) power
o Led the government
o Served as judges, high priests, and generals of the armies
 Almost 30 dynasties ruled Egypt from the time of Menes to 300 B.C.
 Historians divide this time span into 3 kingdoms:
o The __________ Kingdom
o The _________________ Kingdom
o The __________ Kingdom
 The Old Kingdom ( about 2680 B.C. to 2180 B.C.)
o Many great developments in the arts and science – built the Great Sphinx and
the largest pyramids.
o Society split into 2 classes:
o Lower class – ______________________ & ____________________.
Served in armies & worked on building projects.
o Upper class – ___________________ & royal family; priests, scribes and
government officials. Over time this became a group of hereditary
nobles.
o Toward the end of the Old Kingdom pharaohs grew weaker and nobles grew
stronger.
o Civil wars divided Egypt as people battled for control of the land – took almost
100 years for a new kingdom to be established.
 The Middle Kingdom ( about 2050 B.C. to 1650 B.C.)
o A new line of pharaohs reunited Egypt.
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o This was the “__________________________” for Egypt because it was a time of
enormous stability and prosperity.
o The _______________________ people arrived around 1780 B.C. introducing
new tools like the chariot and compound bow.
o Stories say that the Hyksos brutalized the Egyptians and took over the land and
ruled until about ____________________.
The New Kingdom ( about 1570 B.C. to 1080 B.C.)
o It took Egyptians nearly 80 years to drive the Hyksos out of Egypt and regain
control of the land.
o A new group of pharaohs reunited Egypt and made __________________ the
capital city.
o These pharaohs created a strong army using the
____________________________________________ of the Hyksos.
o Territory was extended by gaining land on the eastern end of the
________________________________________ and south of ______________.
During the New Kingdom the pharaohs built and empire –
Hatshepsut
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o Ruled from 1503 B.C. to 1482 B.C.
o Kept Egypt’s borders secure and built _________________ with other lands.
 Thutmose III
o ____________________________ stepson
o Continued trend of Hatshepsut until his death in 1450 B.C.
 Amenhotep IV
o Ruled from 1380 B.C. to 1362 B.C.
o Pushed for a change from polytheism (________________________________)
to monotheism (________________________________________; the sun).
o The sun was represented by a disk called ______________. To honor Aton,
Amenhotep changed his name to ______________________________.
o He was unsuccessful in changing the beliefs of his people. Egyptian priests did
not want to give up their wealth and power.
o Priests regained power after his death and returned Egypt to polytheism.
o The Decline of Egypt
 After the death of Akhenaton, only a few strong pharaohs ruled over Egypt.
 ______________________ ruled from about 1279 B.C. to 1213 B.C.
o Kept the empire together
o Ordered the construction of many monuments and temples
 The pharaohs after Ramses II were not successful.
 A series of invasions by groups called the ________________________ weakened Egypt.
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Later several foreign empires like the _________________________,
______________________, and ______________________________ attacked Egypt.
 By the 300s B.C. Egypt was no longer ruled by Egyptians.
o Egyptian Culture & Life
 Architecture & the Arts
o Built the ________________________________ and the __________________ –
required great skill!
o Created small sculptures of their rulers
o Decorated building with paintings of everyday life
 Science, Math & Medicine
o Invented a ______________________ based on the movement of the moon –
realized that a bright star appeared before the Nile floods. The time between
each rising of this star was 365 days. Their calendar had 12 months; each month
had 30 days.
o Used a number system based on ____________.
o Made important medical discoveries. Treated illness using herbal
_________________________ and “magic spells”.
 Education
o Mostly focused on an elite group of _____________________ – or clerks.
o Scribes learned to read and write so they could work for the
_____________________________.
o Schools were usually attached to temples since _______________________ was
an important part of the Egyptian education.
 The gods
o In the early days of the Egyptian civilization, many villages had their own local
god or gods, usually represented by an animal symbol.
o Eventually these gods came to be worshiped by all Egyptians.
o The most important was ________________________ – considered the creator.
o Osiris –
o Iris – Osiris’s wife –
 The Afterlife
o At first, Egyptians believed that only _____________________ had an afterlife.
o Later believed that everyone, including animals, had an afterlife.
o Believed that a person was _________________ in the afterlife.
o A person’s heart (which would reveal if the person had lied, murdered, or been
too proud) was weighed on a scale against a sacred feather. If the scale
balanced the person could go on to a place of
________________________________________. If the scale did not balance
the heart was thrown to a monster called the ____________________________.
o Believed the body had to be __________________________ to make life after
death possible.
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o Developed the process of ______________________________ – organs
removed from the body, and then the body was treated with chemicals.
o The dead were placed in tombs full of ___________________, ______________,
___________________, and ________________________ for use in the afterlife.
o The number of items in the tomb indicated the importance of the dead person.
o Egyptian Society & Economy
 Social Classes
o Strictly divided!!!
o People from ________________________________ could improve their status,
but usually didn’t enter the upper class.
o ________________________ had many legal rights – ranked equally with
husbands in business and social life. Could own property on her own. Could
leave that property to her daughter when she died.
 Farming
o Farmland divided into large estates – ___________________ did most farming,
but could only keep part of the crops. The rest went to the ________________
who owned the land.
o __________________ and _____________________ were the main grains.
o Flax was grown and woven into linen.
o Cotton was grown and woven into cloth.
 Trade
o Tightly controlled by the ______________________.
o Peasants grew more food than the country needed so the ________________
was traded with other people.
o Growing trade led to the development of the
_________________________________________.
o _________________________ developed. These were groups of people who
traveled together in large groups for safety when trading.
o Traded with western ________________ and people deep in the heart of
_____________________.
o Egyptians were some of the first to develop ____________________ ships. This
allowed them to travel the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and on the African
coast in order to trade.
Mesopotamia
o The _____________________________________________ is an extremely fertile strip of land
that arcs up from just south of Jerusalem and extends over to the Persian Gulf.
o The _____________________ and _______________________________ Rivers are the main
physical feature of this area.
o Mesopotamia emerged as a center for the development of civilization because of the
_________________________________________- between the two rivers.
o The first people to settle in Mesopotamia were the ________________________.
o The Sumerians were most likely a ______________________ group of people who settled in
Mesopotamia because it offered fertile soil for farming.
o By 3000 B.C. they were using ___________________ tools and had developed a form of writing
called pictographs –
 Sumerians did not have papyrus like the Egyptians so they wrote by
__________________________________________________________________.
 Today their writing is called ______________________________.
 Cuneiform was composed of about 600 symbols.
o Sumerian Architecture and Science
 Created several important architectural designs including the ___________________ –
combined several arches to created domed roofs for buildings.
 Built temples called ___________________________ – made of baked brick placed in
layers.
 First society to develop the _____________________.
 Number system based on _________
o 1 hour = 60 minutes
o 1 minute = 60 seconds
 Developed a ________________ calendar
 Added a month every few years to keep it accurate.
o Sumerian Government and Society
 Developed a form of community called the ________________________ – included a
town or city and the land controlled by it.
o Major city-states:
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 People believed that the land in each city-state belonged to the _______________ so
they were rarely under the rule of a single government.
 ____________________ were very important because of their connection to the gods.
 Disputes between city-states arose over the use of _____________________.
 War leaders became important and eventually became kings that ruled the city-states.
o Sumerian Government and Society
 ________________, ______________________, and ____________________ were at
the top of Sumerian society.
 _____________________________, __________________________, and
_____________________ were on the next level.
 ______________________________ and _______________________ were on the
lowest level.
o Sumerian Farming and Trading
 Most Sumerians farmed – grew dates, grains, and vegetables.
 Raised _______________________ animals.
 Used sheep for wool and flax for linen.
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Grew enough food to be able to provide for the families and ________________ with
people in Asia.
 Some Sumerians had ____________________ who worked selling their goods in
faraway places.
 Other Sumerians traveled by land or boat to sell their own goods.
o Sumerian Education
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 Only ____________________________ boys (NO GIRLS) were allowed to be educated.
 Learned to write and spell by copying _______________________ books and songs.
 Also studied drawing and _____________________.
o Sumerian Religion
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 Gods associated with various forces of nature and heavenly bodies (sun, moon, etc.)
o Important gods
o __________________ (lord of heaven)
o __________________(god of air & storms)
o __________________ (god of water & wisdom)
 Buried food & tools with their dead, but did not imagine the afterlife in detail like the
Egyptians.
 Did not believe in _______________________ & ______________________ after death.
Babylon
o In 1792 B.C. a ruler named ________________________________ conquered the Sumerians
and came to power in the city of Babylon between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
 Outstanding _____________________ leader
 Great political leader and _________________________.
 Hammurabi is most famous for developing the Code of Hammurabi – 282 laws
developed by Hammurabi.
o Some laws dealt with _________________ and ______________________.
o Some laws regulated wages.
o Some laws established ________________________________.
o Punishments were severe – based on the idea of “an eye for an eye”.
o Many of the ideas from this law code are still founds in today’s laws.
o Babylonian Culture
 Resembled __________________________ culture in some ways – farming, keeping
domestic animals, and weaving cotton and wool.
 Babylonians were very active ____________________.
 Women had some legal and economic rights, including the right to own
__________________.
 Women could be ______________________, ____________________, and
_________________.
 Couples could not __________________________, but if a husband was cruel to his
wife she could leave and take her property with her.
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o Babylonian Religion
 Adopted many _______________________ religious beliefs.
 Made _____________________ to their gods in return for good harvests, or success in
business.
 Believed that ________________________ could see the future – so priests were very
wealthy and powerful in Babylon.
 Religious practices were directed at having a successful life on _________________
since they did not believe in reward & punishment in the afterlife.
The Persians
o Conquered ________________________ in 539 B.C. under rule of Cyrus and Medes.
 Cyrus rebelled against Medes in 550 B.C., captured Babylon and took over the rest of
the ___________________________.
 Under rulers like Cyrus, Darius I and Xerxex I, the Persian Empire continued to
___________________________.
 The Persian Empire eventually stretched from the ______________ River to southeast
_________________________.
o Persian Government
 Early Persian kings were effective rulers and great generals in their armies.
 Kings were ____________________________ and showed a great concern for justice.
 Collected __________________
 Administered the law fairly
 Allowed conquered people to keep their own ____________________ and
___________.
 Secret agents called “_____________________________________________” kept the
king informed.
 Built roads to connect cities within their empire.
 Mainly built to allow armies and postal riders to travel quickly.
 _________________________________________ stretched over 1,250 miles –
connected Sardis in western Asia Minor to Susa (the capital of the empire).
 Allowed for different cultures within the empire to exchange customs, goods, and ideas.
o Persian Religion
 Originally practiced polytheism.
 In 600 B.C. __________________________ – a great prophet – began teaching the
Persians a new religious outlook.
 Taught the Persians that people on Earth receive training for a future life.
 Said that the forces of good and evil battle each other on Earth, and that people must
choose between the two – people who chose good would receive eternal blessings –
people who chose evil would be punished.
 Said that in the future the forces of good would triumph over evil and the Earth would
disappear.
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Became known as _____________________________________ – the most important
contribution of the Persians.
 Supported an idea of good over evil, and a ___________________________________.
 Influenced ________________________ and _______________________________.
The Phoenicians
o Settled at the ____________________________ end of the Fertile Crescent.
o Consisted of a loose union of city-states
 Each city state governed by a different king.
o Phoenician Trade
 Did not have the fertile land that the other civilizations in the Fertile Crescent so they
depended on trade by __________________.
 Used ships that were highly developed for their times. Sailors were highly skilled.
 Traded in ports across the ______________________________________ – perhaps as
far as Britain.
 Established colonies in many areas where they traded.
o
o
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 Traded objects made of _________________________________________, and used
_____________________ (a shellfish) to make purple dye.
o A favorite color of royalty (“Royal Purple”)
o Also exported fish, linen, olive oil, and wine.
o Made exquisite glass objects.
 Phoenician Culture
o Imitated the cultures of other civilizations
o Government & customs resembled _________________ & __________________
 Phoenician Religion
o Believed in an _________________
o Focused on winning the favor of one of their many gods
o Would sometimes sacrifice their own _________________________ if it pleased
the gods
 Phoenician Alphabet
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o This alphabet became the model for the alphabet we use today.
o Used writing in more advanced ways than other societies
o Writing _________________________________
o Recording _______________________
o ________________________ adopted this alphabet and improved it by adding
symbols for vowel sounds.
o ________________________ adopted it and turned it in to the alphabet we use
now!
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The Hebrews
o Settled in a small strip of land south of Phoenicia called _____________________.
o Modern-day _________________
o Founder was _________________________ according to the Bible.
 Abraham once lived in ____________________.
 He left there and led his people through the desert to Canaan.
 Modern Jews trace their heritage to through Abraham’s grandson Jacob, whose 12 sons
each established a tribe – __________________________________________.
o The Exodus
 Descendants of Abraham left Canaan due to drought & famine and moved to
______________________.
 They were later made ___________________ in Egypt – held for 400 years.
 The Hebrews were led out of slavery to the _____________________________ by
Moses in an event called _____________________________.
o The Ten Commandments
 While living on the Sinai Peninsula, Moses climbed to the top of
_____________________________________. When he returned in carried a tablet that
listed the Ten Commandments.
 These were the _______________________ laws that the Hebrew god, Yahweh, had
revealed to Moses.
o The first 4 commandments established the Hebrews’ relationship with Yahweh.
o Thou shall have no other gods before me.
(______________________________________!!!!!!!)
o The other 6 commandments emphasize self-restraint and stress the importance
of family and human life.
o Honor thy father and mother.
o Thou shall not kill.
o Hebrew Religion – called __________________________.
 Early Hebrews worshiped ___________________ as their only god.
 Believed that Yahweh ______________________ them from enemies and provided
them with food and water.
 Believed those who __________________ against Yahweh would suffer – as would their
children and succeeding generations.
 View Yahweh as a god to fear.
 Hebrews continued to worship Yahweh as their only god, but their view of him changed
over time.
 Came to believe people had a choice between good and evil & Yahweh held them
_________________________________________________.
 Began to think of Yahweh as a god who lived in the ____________________ of
worshippers.
 People were to serve Yahweh out of love…not fear.
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Hebrews viewed Yahweh as a _______________________ force, not a glorified human
or a force of nature.
This religious system carried over to the founding of _________________________ –
important contribution to Western civilization!!!!
The Lydians
o Settled in what is now the nation of _________________________
o Did not create an empire
o The first people to use __________________________ – MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION!!!!
o Before the invention of coins, traders had to use a system of ___________________to get the
goods they needed.
 Barter –
o The use of money allowed values to be set for goods and services.
 Developed a __________________________________ – goods and services were
purchased with money.