River Valley Civilizations… the beginnings of a new era The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers The Nile River The Indus River The Yellow River

Turn and Talk: What do you think was going on in each of these places before their civilizations developed? For example, do you think there were people living in the Indus River Valley in 3000 BCE? If so, why wasn’t it considered a civilization yet?

Why 4,000 BCE? Farming, in one form or another, had been around for between 5 and 6 thousand years. So why did civilization develop in 4,000 BCE (give or take a couple of centuries!)? How does this feedback loop help answer the question above?

Flashback… What do you notice about the latitude of these civilizations? Why does this matter?

Tigris River Nile River Indus River Yellow River Study these modern photographs of the four river valleys. List the similarities you see.

Crops and Animal Domestication in the Fertile Crescent Map of the Near East indicating the Fertile Crescent (according to ref. 23). Shaded areas indicate the approximate areas of domestication of pig, cattle, sheep, and goats with dates of initial domestication in calibrated years B.P. (after ref. 3). Colored lines enclose the wild ranges of Einkorn wheat, emmer wheat, and barley (after ref. 21). Green-shaded area in southern Levant indicates the region where all 3 grains were first domesticated 12,000 years B.P. Driscoll C A et al. PNAS 2009;106:9971-9978 ©2009 by National Academy of Sciences

What does it show? What do you think the green and yellow areas are? Where do you think most people live in this area? A delta is the area at the mouth of a river where the river flows into a larger body of water. Due to erosion, the river carries dirt and material to the delta, where they are deposited, resulting in rich, fertile soil.

Which civilization is shown on this map? Stop and Jot: Which civilization is shown on this map? What geographic features might have prevented this river valley from spreading northwest? How about to the southeast? http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cfford/342worldhistoryearly.html

Find the Yellow River on this map. What do the different colors mean on this map? Why did civilization develop along the Yellow River and not some of the others? http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/geo/proper.htm

Defining and Describing Civilization: The term “civilization” is used to describe larger groups of people living together in one place in more complex societies with social hierarchies and specialization of labor. During this era, between 4000 and 1000 BCE, this new way of living began to develop in different parts of the world. A type of society characterized by all or most of the following features: dense population, agricultural economy, cities, complex social hierarchy, complex occupational specialization, centralized state, monumental building, a writing system, and a dominant belief system http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/shared/glossary.htm

Spiritual Beliefs and Laws Characteristics of Civilizations What this looked like in river valley civilizations: Cities Cities supported large populations of over 30,000 people Specialization Some people living in cities took full-time specialized jobs (artisan, merchant, soldier, priest) because they were supported by farmers from the surrounding community. Hierarchy A class system emerged where certain men (and sometimes women) held all the power. They were called elites. Men began to dominate in politics and women became more responsible for the life at home. This system is called patriarchy. The State One city usually ruled over all others in a civilization. A king or pharaoh with a small group of officials controlled the rest of society. Networks of Trade Many civilizations traded within and outside of their borders. Technology, food, and language spread from Mesopotamia outward to Egypt, India, and China. Technology Technology changed much more rapidly than before. People developed metals like bronze and use those build things like wheeled carriages. Monuments Large buildings were constructed like city walls, temples, palaces, and tombs for powerful rulers. Spiritual Beliefs and Laws Spiritual beliefs and laws became richer and more complex. Creativity Individuals worked with the ruling class to study astronomy, mathematics, sciences, and engineering.

Pattern 1: Hierarchy/Specialization Kingdoms of this period had these in common: A monarch (a single, powerful leader) Central control Power through force and military leadership Social hierarchy Rigid (not easy to move up in) Military leaders and elites at the top Religious leaders (priests) also at the top and powerful Workers and slaves at the bottom Conflict with nomadic groups, especially in border areas Growth of large cities as centers of power Why do you think they all had this in common, despite differences in language/religion/etc?

Pattern 1: Hierarchy/Specialization All 4 river valley civilizations had distinct different jobs and social class systems: Mesopotamia had kings rule over city-states. These kings had absolute power and also were religious leaders. Scribes assisted kings by keeping records The Indus Valley also had kings We don’t know the exact nature of their government though, due to not translating their writing Their social structure eventually became the rigid caste system of India (we’ll learn more about it later) Yellow River Valley developed “Dynasties” A dynasty is the long-lasting rule by a single family of kings Yellow River leadership revolved around different dynasties

Pattern 1: Hierarchy/Specialization Egypt’s hierarchy is best known Due to our knowledge of hieroglyphics At the top was the Pharaoh Absolute ruler and religious leader, also viewed as a living god Mostly men, but some women were Pharaohs too Next most important were scribes and other skilled craftsmen Made things instead of farming, often were hired by the Pharaoh Common farmers were the largest group Lastly, slaves were used for a lot of manual labor Temple construction, as well as pyramids Treaty poorly, no rights

Pattern 1: Hierarchy/Specialization The hierarchy allowed for and supported the creation of central governments Egypt was most centralized, but all 4 had strong governmental systems China would later be unified during the “Classical Age” and remains “unified” today (with some changes) Also created patriarchy Men began to have more power, leaving women with fewer rights and less of a voice in decisions Question: Does patriarchy still exist today?

Pattern 2: Architecture All 4 civilizations left behind massive architectural works Egypt has the most remaining Examples: Pyramids, the Sphinx, temples Due to fewer environmental hazards Less pollution, few earthquakes or floods, etc Indus River cities are discovered occasionally Often buried under mud, suggesting they were lost over time to floods and landslides Mesopotamian ruins include ziggurats and ancient cities Some have been lost to rising water levels Yellow River has fewest ancient ruins Due to many earthquakes and devastating floods

Sumer, in Mesopotamia, Tigris and Euphrates Ancient Egypt, Nile River Yellow River, current day China Mohenjo Daro, Indus River

Pattern 2: Architecture Different architectural pieces had different purposes Ziggurats Pyramids Found in Mesopotamia Usually the center of cities Had mythological origins Said to be the home of each city’s most important god Used as temples and symbols of a king’s power Sometimes art, as with Hanging Gardens Found in Egypt Usually near, but not in, ancient cities Used as tombs for pharaohs Pharaohs oversaw the creation of their own pyramids Not for all pharaohs Many buried in “Valley of the Kings” in desert tombs

Pattern 3: Spirituality All 4 civilizations had clear religious beliefs Unfortunately, we don’t know a lot about the Indus River or Yellow River religions Indus: Unable to translate their writing system Yellow: Writing system not fully developed until later Egypt and Mesopotamia provide a good chance to compare religions within these civilizations

Pattern 3: Spirituality Mesopotamia Egypt Polytheistic Means many gods Each city-state had one key god Other city-state gods were respected Systems of gods changed over time Sumerian different than Babylonia Later religious beliefs borrowed heavily from earlier Religion supported systems of government and kings Kings served as religious leaders Polytheistic Means many gods System of gods remained relatively unchanged over time Minor tweaks at different periods One pharaoh tried to make a monotheistic religion Didn’t work, but his ideas were made a part of the overall religion Religion supported system of government and pharaohs Pharaoh seen as a living god, also highest priest in Egypt

Pattern 3: Spirituality Mesopotamia Egypt Marduk: god of water and plants, #1 Babylonian god Nergal: god of plague, war, destructiveness of the sun Ishtar: goddess of love, fertility, and war Ereshkrigal: goddess of the underworld Osiris: god of plants and the underworld, green Isis: goddess of motherhood, funerals Horus: god of the sky, protection, kings, head of a falcon Set: god of chaos, deserts, murderer of Osiris, head of a donkey Hathor: goddess of agriculture and fertility, head of a cow

Pattern 3: Spirituality Similar stories are found across different religions of the time Focus on worship of deities that represent similar aspects of life Plant, water, sky, sun, and fertility gods/goddesses are most important Why do you think there was a focus on those deities?