Mesopotamia,Nile,Indus,and Yellow River civilizations a Mr. C Production

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia was where the world’s 1st civilization occurred in 3500 B.C. The region was located at the Fertile Crescent’s eastern region. The two rivers that flowed were the Euphrates and Tigris. In 3000 B.C. some city-states appeared in the region known as Sumer. Priest-kings managed the economy which was fueled off crop supply. Land and water were fought regularly over between city-states in Sumer. The Sumerians were known for the wedge-shaped style writing system called cuneiform. Mesopotamia means “the land between the rivers”. Soils were very fertile even though there was little rainfall. By using water from canals farmers were able to grow more crops than they could ever imagine. The crops included barley, wheat, and date palms. With animals and plows plus carts led to great success. Sumer was made up temples where government affairs were conducted. Extra crops were used to help finance the army and its weapons. Cuneiform was a way of keeping records whether it be battlefield victories or crop supply. There was interregional exchange to acquire goods and natural resources between Sumer and places such as the Indus River Valley and Anatolia.

Egypt Was known for its Nile River Valley where after 5000 B.C. agriculture appeared that was imported by the Fertile Crescent. Increased food production resulted in the population growing dramatically. Farm villages became into cities by the late 3000s B.C. Main cities would be in the lower Egypt region where the Nile was split into branches. It is upper Egypt where leaders competed for power. Menes would take control of the country in 3100 B.C. making united for the first time. Menes created Egypt’s 1st dynasty. Like the Sumerians, the Egyptians were able to grow wheat, barley and flax. Farmers raised goats, sheep, pigs, and cattle. A dynasty is a set of rulers who come from the same family.

More about Egypt When Menes took control of Egypt, the writing system of hieroglyphics (Created by priests) first surfaced. Scribes were the specialists of this form of writing. Hieroglyphics was written on papyrus. Egyptian kings were known as pharaohs. Pharaohs had absolute monarch power meaning their ruling power was unlimited. Crops from farmers were used as a form of taxes to officials and the surplus gains would be given to non-farmers and public-work projects. By the mid 2000s B.C. the first stone pyramids in Gaza appeared. Sacred carving is the name known for hieroglyphics. It was carved in tombs and temples. Papyrus is a paper like material. Pharaohs owned all the land in Egypt and managed the economy. There was enormous amount of forced labor for work projects.

Indus Valley It is present day Pakistan where in after 3000 B.C. the Indus River Civilization developed. It was surrounded by the Himalayan mountains and the Arabian Sea. The Indus River would flood each summer and it gave fertile silt that made it easy for the soil to till. The river floodplain made the civilization bigger than Egypt and Mesopotamia. Settlements were built on high ground and farmers planted barley and wheat. Cotton was also grown as well. Strangely the Indus River civilization’s writing system was so hard to decode that there is very little known about this civilization. Farmers were able to build villages and eventually cities due to amazing soil. Many animals were domesticated including elephants. There was over 100 villages and some walled cities. Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were the main cities. Both were walled. People lived in brick houses and streets were ordered. Nicer homes had drains and bathrooms for the city’s main sewer system.

China China had two major river systems. The first being Huang He in the north side. It is known as the Yellow River. The second being the Chang Jiang, which is known as the Yangtze River in the south side. The Yellow River was known for its yellow soil which was very fertile. The settlements started to appear around 2000 B.C. with defensive walls being built at the centers. These settlements would be known for revolving around hierarchy. Cereal grain was grown from the soil called millet. It was better to use this than irrigation. Artisans were known for their pottery and jade. The hierarchy would have its privileged upper class be able to obtain luxury goods through long-distance trade.

China In 1600 B.C. the Shang Dynasty were put into power at the Yellow River Valley. It was China’s 1st historical state. The Shang Dynasty used a formal writing system with pictographs, which showed ideas and objects. In the Yangtze River Valley, there were walled cities surrounded by an agricultural setting. Rice was cultivated in this south region and water from the rivers was used to irrigate the crops. The most notable city during this time was Sanxingdui. It had a huge market place where artisans crafted many objects made of bronze, jade, clay, ivory, and turquoise. Cattle bones and shells served as a special purpose. The Shang had diviners that claimed they could predict the future. They would heat up the bones and then would use the cracks in the bones to see the future. Questions and dates were written on the cracks on these bones. The artisans were known for creating an 8 feet statue of a man wearing a crown. There was another statue that was a sculpted tree that was 13 feet.

We will present our findings in class. Reflection Please discuss with a classmate which of these river civilizations you find the most interesting and which do you find the least interesting. We will present our findings in class.