1. Civilizations

2. Civilizations…
After the Neolithic Revolution, the Urban Revolution resulted in settlements that were socially and economically diverse
People began to specialize in various roles and trades
All early civilizations had differences, but had common characteristics that defined them as civilizations:

3. Characteristics of Civilizations
1. Agricultural Intensification
2. Centralized Government
3. Class Structure
4. Development of Science and Writing
5. Merchants and Trade
6. Specialization in Occupations
7. State Religion  

4. Development of Civilizations
Between 4500 and 1000 B.C.E. civilizations develop independently in many parts of the world
1st civilizations developed in distinct locations
Oldest civilization: Mesopotamia
Closely followed by Ancient Egypt around the Nile River
3rd civilization flourished in India around the Indus River Valley, overlapped with early Greeks: Mediterranean island of Crete.
Chinese civilization emerged from the Yellow River
Mayan civilization developed in Central America

5. Mesopotamia Considered the “Cradle of Civilization”
Emerged around the Tigris/Euphrates River Valley
Meso = “middle” potamos = “river”  Land Between Two Rivers
Ruled by 4 groups of peoples: Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans
*Complete the map of Mesopotamia and questions about their development p

6. Mesopotamia: The Cradle of Civilization
Use the multiple maps from pages to complete the Mesopotamia map
Map: Label the map of Mesopotamia with the following:
Tigris river, Euphrates river, Arabian Desert, Zagros Mountains, Mediterranean sea, Persian Gulf, Nile River, Babylon, Ur, Nineveh, Akkad, Egypt
*Shade in the area of the Fertile Crescent
*Outline area of land ruled by the 4 (four) different peoples. Include a legend and the dates of their rule.
Answer the following questions about Mesopotamia from the text:
Identify and record the years each group ruled Mesopotamia
What were two major achievements of both the Sumerians and Babylonians (refer to the chart on pg 34-35)?
2. What factors contributed to the military strength of the Assyrians?
b) Why did the Assyrian empire collapse? Which reason do you consider the most significant?
3. Suggest why Mesopotamia was invaded by so many different groups through its history
b) How do you think these invasions affected the development of Mesopotamian civilization?
4. What is a theocracy? b) How did the approach to government differ between the Sumerians and Assyrians?