Unit 3 Lesson 2 River Valley Civilizations… the beginnings of a new era

Mohenjo-Daro in modern Pakistan

Lower Town: VS area 13 A view of the houses and streets in VS area, with the citadel and stupa mound in the background. The tops of eroding buildings have been capped with a protective layer of mud brick that will help to soak up the efflorescent salts and protect the underlying fired brick from fragmentation.

Lower Town: Main Street HR/VS area and stupa view 16 Standing in HR area and looking northwest at the juncture of Last Street (east west) and First Street (north south). VS area is seen on the other side of the street and the stupa mound rises in the background. Stacks of mud bricks are waiting to be used for conservation of the fired brick structures (see Slide 13).

Great Bath and Granary, SD Area 23 The Great Bath is situated along a north-south street with a drain covered with limestone blocks. In the background is the so-called Granary, while in the foreground are the walls of several domestic structures

? Granary

? Great Bath

emptying down slope on major street leading to the Great Bath. ? Covered Drain emptying down slope on major street leading to the Great Bath.

? House

? Well

? Toilet

ACTIVITY

River Valley Civilizations… the beginnings of a new era

By what time in Era 2 were all four river valley civilizations in existence? 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?

As communities grew, new problems emerged. Over thousands of years, human communities slowly grew and became more complex. As communities grew, new problems emerged. People came up with new technological innovations and creative solutions to solve the problems. These innovations allowed people to produce more surpluses. More surpluses led to more people. More people led to more problems. People came up with new technological innovations and creative solutions to solve the problems. Civilization resulted from these innovations.

creativity, technology More people New problems New solutions – creativity, technology More production, More resources

Stop and Jot- Why rivers? Food Fertile soil for farming Water for farming Transportation http://www.mrsk.net/wh06as_c03map004aa.jpg

Stop and Jot- Why these rivers? Tigris River Nile River Indus River Yellow River Stop and Jot- Why these rivers?

Tigris River Nile River Indus River Yellow River All of these rivers are surrounded by highlands or mountains that drain their waters into these rivers and thus provide them with a steadier water supply.

Tigris River Nile River Indus River Yellow River All of these rivers have large flat areas (like plains) along the shore. These provide space for farming.

What kind of picture do you think this is? What clues can you use? What does it show? What do you think the green and tan areas are? Where do you think most people live in this area?

a low lying, watery area formed at the mouth of a river DELTA a low lying, watery area formed at the mouth of a river often triangular in shape and form where a river spreads out as it enters the sea, ocean, or a large lake often have lots of soil deposited by the river and can be good farming areas can also experience a lot of flooding resource rich areas full of plant and animal life

Turn and Talk: What geographic features might have prevented this river valley from spreading northwest? How about to the southeast?

What modern country developed out of this civilization over centuries? Look at all the rivers in the middle. Why do you think civilization didn’t develop along one of these rivers?

Chongqing, Sichuan, China Cairo, Egypt… on the Nile River BTW…. People still live near these rivers… the cities have gotten a little bigger though! Chongqing, Sichuan, China on the Yellow River Cairo, Egypt… on the Nile River

Ongoing development resulted in larger groups of people living in cities with social hierarchies and intensified agriculture. The first known examples of these were the river valley civilizations. Tigris/Euphrates Nile Indus Yellow (Huang He)