History 1 History of World Civilizations Part 1 Week 2: Structure of the State, Part 2

Recap Last time we examined the creation of the state as a method to bring organization some of the earliest human civilizations, starting in Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt before moving on to other civilizations in Southwest Asia. Today we will continue our examination of the creation of the state as a method to bring organization some of the earliest human civilizations looking specifically and the Hebrews, Assyrians and Persians.

Big Questions of the Day What was it about early, complex civilizations that required the creation of state structures? Why can the early, complex civilizations be described as “pyramid-shaped?” Be prepared to explain how each society fits the description.

Ancient Egypt Three Eras: 1) The Old Kingdom 2) The Middle Kingdom 3) The New Kingdom Each period was followed by a break-down in order called the First, Second and Third Intermediate Periods, respectively Terms: Ma’at, Pharaoh

Egyptian Agriculture The “Red Land” The “Black Land”

Egyptian Writing Egyptians wrote on papyrus, created by drying reeds from the Nile River. Egyptian pictographs are known as Hieroglyphics, though there was a simpler script as well known as hieratic (priest writing)

Egyptian Religion Egyptians were polytheistic Pantheon of gods shifted as Egyptian history progressed Book of the Dead

Pyramid of the Pharaoh Khufu at Giza What type of labor force would be needed to construct this? What type of bureaucratic organization would be needed to organize its construction? Statue of the Pharoah Khufu, from the 4th dynasty, Egypt’s Old Kingdom

The Lives of Ordinary Egyptians

The Hebrews Moses (a prophet in all three Abrahamic religions) The Exodus Land of Canaan Fertility god Baal The Temple in Jerusalem Kingdoms of Israel/Samaria and Judah Yahweh The Covenant

Primary Source Exercise I will give you some instructions for this in-class assignment, after which please break up into groups of three or four. Please take out your copy of Sources of World Societies. The restrictions on cell phones, tablets and laptops is lifted for the remainder of the class session as long as you are on topic. Texting and accessing the web are still not permitted.

Next Up: “The Foundations of Indian Society” Next time we will turn our attention to early civilizations in the Indus River Valley, examining the societies of the Aryans as well as the creation of three major religions– Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.