ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS THE RIVER VALLEYS

Areas to focus on when comparing civilizations. Political: Who controls what? What type of government is there? Anything to do with laws or war. Economic: What type of economy? How do people make a living? What technology was created? Cultural: Religion, Education, Way of Life Social: Relationships, Gender Roles, Classes Geography: Where is it? Is the land mountainous? Desert? Oceanic?

Ancient River Valley Civs

Early River Valley Civilizations Environment Sumer/ Fertile Crescent Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable No natural barriers Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings Egypt Flooding of the Nile predictable Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages Deserts were natural barriers Indus Valley Indus flooding unpredictable Monsoon winds Mountains, deserts were natural barriers China Huang He flooding unpredictable Mountains, deserts natural barriers Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA Oldest known civilization Cradle of Human Civilization Old Testament Nebuchadnezzar Ziggurat (right) Hanging gardens

Define Fertile Crescent.

A well-watered and fertile area, the fertile crescent arcs across the northern part of the Syrian desert. It is flanked on the west by the Mediterranean and on the east by the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and includes all or parts of Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. From antiquity this region was the site of sophisticated settlements.

Geography This civilization initial rose in the valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

This area between the Tigris and Euphrates is found in what is present day Iraq.

Areas of the Fertile Crescent Greeks called the Northern Part of the Fertile Crescent – Mesopotamia which means “Between Two Rivers” (the Tigris and Euphrates) The Southern Part of Mesopotamia was called Babylonia, originally Sumer.

Sumer - Sumerians (Kuwait) ~ 3500 to 3000 BCE Sumer gave us the city-state. Define city-state Political unit made up of a city and the surrounding lands. Each city state has its own government, even when it shares a culture with neighboring city states.

TECHNOLOGICAL Sumerian Writing: cuneiform Cuneiform is created by pressing a pointed stylus into a clay tablet. Sumerians invented writing

More cuneiform writing

Other Sumerian Inventions: Brick technologyBrick technology WheelWheel Base 60 – using the circle degreesBase 60 – using the circle degrees Time – 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in minuteTime – 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in minute 12 month lunar calendar12 month lunar calendar archarch rampramp zigguratziggurat

Sumerians invented the wheel! The wheel was invented by 6000 BC! It helped military, farming and trade. At right, this is made of wood.

Ziggurats

Religion Early, priests were probably more powerful than kings “Gloomy gods” due to the geography

Political:Mesopotamian Law Babylon Gave us the first know written law code and was the first civilization where the citizens live by the “Rule of Law” Define “rule of law” Government by law. The rule of law implies that government authority may only be exercised in accordance with written laws, which were adopted through an established procedure.

Political:Mesopotamian Law Hammurabi’s Code BC Hammurabi’s Code was this law code. Hammurabi ruled the Babylonian Empire for 42 years. At the end of his long reign, Hammurabi’s legal decisions were collected and inscribed on a stone tablet in a Babylonian temple. The 282 laws of the Code of Hammurabi represent one of the earliest known legal systems.

“If a man stole the property of church or state, that man shall be put to death; also the one who received the stolen goods from his hand shall be put to death.” The laws governed such things as lying, stealing, assault, debt, business partnerships, marriage, and divorce. In seeking protection for all members of Babylonian society, Hammurabi relied on the philosophy of equal retaliation, otherwise known as “an eye for an eye.”

Economic Trade and Farming Sumerians (Mesopotamians) were known to trade with the Egyptians and the Indus Valley civilizations. In later years, these trade routes became the Silk Road.

Education Like most ancient societies, most education was vocational instruction Mesopotamia had formal education for some that focused on reading and writing

Social Classes Ruling Class Kings Nobles - Early they won their positions as warriors or were elected. Later, royal status was hereditary. Nobles - Royal Family members and close supporters of the kings.

Social Classes Religious Class Closely allied with the Ruling Class Often younger members of the royal family Purpose was to intervene with the gods on behalf of the people In return, they received offerings from the people

Social Classes Free Commoners Owned property – worked as farmers, builders, craftsmen, or professionals Dependent Clients Didn’t own property – worked on other’s land and paid a portion of their production to land owners Slaves Come from three sources: prisoners of war, convicted criminals, and those who sold themselves into slavery

Social Issues Patriarchal Society Men decide the work family members would perform Made marriage arrangements Hammurabi’s law shows obvious preferential treatment to men over women Men could sell wives and children into slavery Women were to be drowned for adultery, as well as their partners, whereas men could engage in consensual relations with concubines and such without penalty

Social Issues Women’s Roles Women sometimes advised kings Served as priestess Some had a formal education Later, men tightened control of society and women Married women could not socialize with men outside their family Started wearing veils when going outside of their own household

That concludes Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamia Quiz Political:What law system did Sumerians use? Hint: It can be summed: eye for eye; tooth for tooth. Economic: How did Mesopotamians earn a living? Geography:Between what 2 rivers did the Fertile Crescent appear? Social:What type of writing did they use?

ANCIENT EGYPT Look at the map and answer the following question: What did Herodotus mean when he said that Egypt is the “gift of the Nile?” Because of the geography of the area, without the Nile River, there would be no Egypt.

Egyptian civilization Egyptian civilization arose a bit after Mesopotamia. Geography: It was centered around the Nile River.

The Nile River The Nile River

Technology Hieroglyphics Papyrus Pyramids Geometry Advances in medicine and surgery

Hieroglyphics Early Egyptian writing found on tombs was indecipherable. Early Egyptian writing found on tombs was indecipherable. Hieroglyphics Sacred Carving No one could read these sacred carvings until Napoleon invaded Egypt and his archaeologists found the Rosetta Stone.

Hieroglyphics

Hieroglyphics

Papyrus Papyrus is one of the first examples of paper. It is created from reeds growing along the Nile River.

Pyramids

Political:Egyptian Pharaohs Egyptians were led by Pharaohs. They were priest-kings Pharaohs were all powerful

Religion MORE OPTIMISTIC RELIGION Security Triumph of life over death Pharaohs were living gods People worked for the gods because of this as opposed to fearing the gods

Social Classes Pharaoh – absolute ruler, therefore no real “noble class” Military/Government Class – Commoners could attain high position through government service Peasants/Slaves – similar to Mesopotamia

Social Issues Patriarchal Society/Women’s Role Men governed their households and dominated public life Government decisions were mostly in men’s hands There is an example of a woman pharaoh, but it seems to be unsettling to Egyptian society In Nubia, by contrast, there seems to have been a number of female rulers as well as serving as priestess.

Nubia People around the world have learnt about the glorious past of the Egyptian empire, but most have failed to learn of the Nubia, which was sometimes even stronger than the Egyptian empire. Nubia rivaled Egypt in wealth and power, and mutually influenced each other.

The Egyptians called them the Kush. The Kush was comparable with Egypt, and both states communicated with each other constantly. Today we do not hear of Nubia nor Kush. In its place is northern Sudan. With the construction of the Aswan high dam in the 1960s, Nubian land was flooded and that forced some 100,000 Nubians to seek new homes in Egyptian and Sudanese cities. Nubia's glorious past is now under water.

Egyptian economy Although Egypt looks really sophisticated, the economy is a traditional economy based on farming and trade. Egyptians traded up and down the Nile, with Mesopotamians and sometimes with Indus Valley (in Pakistan)

That concludes Egypt.

Egypt Quiz 1.What river is the basis for Egyptian civilization? 2.What “paper” did Egyptians write on? 3. What is an Egyptian ruler called? 4.What writing system did Egyptians use? 5.What other African kingdom did Egypt trade and interact with? 6. What type of economic system did Egypt have?

Indus Valley Civilization ~ 2500 BC – 1500 BC Around 2600 B.C. the various regional cultures were united in what is called the Indus Valley Civilization. It is also commonly referred to as the Harappan culture after the town of Harappa (where it was first discovered.)

Indus River Valley This civilization is still mysterious. The writing has not been translated.

Indus River civilization We do know the cities were sophisticated enough to have brick walls surrounding them for protection against flooding from the Indus River.

Various artifacts found

Indus Economy Just like the other river valley civilizations, the Indus river valley people were mostly farmers. Traditional economy They did trade with Chinese and with Sumerians (Mesopotamians).

That concludes Indus River Valley Civilization.

Indus River Quiz P: Why do we know so little of the power structure in the Indus Valley? E: How did the Indus make a living? G:In what modern day country are the settlements of the Indus River Valley civilization? G:Why did the cities have so many walls? S: How do Indus artifacts demonstrate that the the the Indus Valley was sophisticated?

ANCIENT CHINA Great Wall Began 2000 B.C. Mandate of Heaven Dynasties Silk astronomy

As in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and along the Indus River, Chinese civilization began within a major river valley. Modern China itself is a huge geographical expanse. Around 4000 BC, this huge area contained an almost infinite number of ethnic groups and languages. This history, in which a vast area populated by diverse ethnic groups became, over time, a more or less single culture, began in the Yellow River Valley.

Yellow River Civilization G:Ancient China was formed around the Yellow River. The color yellow symbolized “centrality”, as in China is the center of the world.

Chinese accomplishments During the Zhou and Shang periods, the Chinese made remarkable achievements in astronomy and bronzework, learned to make silk and create books, and developed a complex system of writing

E:Chinese invented silk Silk was exotic and expensive, so it was good for trading with the rest of the world. It is made from silk worms. Silk also makes “paper”

S:Chinese astronomy 2137 BC - Chinese book 书经 records the earliest known solar eclipse on October BCsolar eclipseOctober 22 ca BC - Chinese determine that Jupiter needs 12 years to complete one revolution of its orbit.2000 BCJupiter ca BC - Chinese record the regularity of solar and lunar eclipses and the earliest known solar variation 日珥.1400 BClunar eclipsessolar variation ca BC - Chinese divide the sky into twenty eight regions 二十八宿 for recognitions of the stars.1200 BC ca BC - Chinese first determine the spring equinox 黄赤 交角.1100 BCspring equinox 776 BC - Chinese make the earliest reliably record of solar eclipse.776 BCsolar eclipse

Silk worm

Chinese Dynastic Cycle Prosperity Nomadic Raids Conscription and Increased Taxes Peasant Revolts Warring States Natural Disaster Disease Famine Dynasty Falls Leader Emerges

The Great Wall of China was built to keep the Mongols out.

Many died building it, and their bodies were used as filler for it.

That concludes China. Any questions before we take the quiz?

Ancient China Quiz P: In China, according to the dynastic cycle, what happened to “bad kings”? E: Other than agriculture, how did the Chinese earn a living? G: What river was the earliest Chinese civilization centered around? S: What technological advancements did the Chinese have?