1. FIRST RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS
CHAPTER 1
FIRST RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

2. CIVILIZATION Civilization as Advanced Culture
Population dependent on cities
From Latin civitas
Permanent institutions
Politics, Religion; ability to make war
Social, labor, gender divisions, inequality
Clearly defined sense of other: barbarian, nomad
Artisan, intellectual classes favoring technology
Form of record keeping, specifically writing
Do not confuse with “good” or “superior”

3. THE MAP OF 1ST CIVILIZATIONS

4. ANCIENT HUMOR

5. ENVIRONMENT AS CATALYST
Mesopotamia (land between rivers)
Harsh heat, drought; unpredictable floods
Few natural resources short of mud; no wood
No natural defensive areas such as hills
Area open to invasion by migrating nomads
People in area must
Provide permanent food supply
Regulate, provide permanent water supply
Provide defense against invaders
Acquire materials such as timber, minerals

6. TIGRIS-EUPHRATES “Necessity is the mother of invention”
Sumer in S. Iraq was first civilization
Cuneiform, sciences, math aided farming
Polytheistic religion
Religion was to appease gods, control nature
Art, architecture dedicated to gods, religion
Priests, later kings rule city-states
Land owning aristocracy dominate
Warlike society with slavery
Trade for needed materials

7. LATER MESOPOTAMIANS Cycle of Civilization Akkad “First”
Nomads come in and conquer sedentary people
Conquerors assimilate local sedentary culture
New civilization blends cultures, thrives for a while
“New” civilization grows old, invaded by nomads
Akkad “First”
First Empire
Sargon conquered all of Sumer
Babylonian “First”
City at junction of Tigris-Euphrates
Hammurabi’s Law Code
Laws included in Jewish Torah

8. MESOPOTAMIA AS A CHART

9. THE NILE RIVER Society very different from Sumer Achievements
Nile flooded regularly, predictably
Provided rich soil, Easy soil to farm
Civilization regulated flooding, surveying
Location isolated
Pharaoh was considered god-king
Theocracy, almost absolute
Built pyramid tombs for dead
Egypt unified for most of history
Achievements
Mathematics especially geometry; architecture
Sciences, Medicine
Art was both secular and sacred
Religion was positive, egalitarian in many ways

10. INDUS VALLEY Arose around 2,500 BCE
Mohenjo Daro, Harappa main cities
Independent city-states, strong government
Extremely well-planned, coordinated cities
Elaborate writing system (undeciphered)
Religion worshipped mother goddess
Little evidence of warfare until end
Devastated by environmental upheavals
Destroyed by Indo-European (Aryan) nomads

11. HUANG-HE (YELLOW) RIVER
Developed in isolation
Compare with ancient Egypt
Xia Dynasty (Mythical?)
God-like kings
Taught irrigation, sericulture
Shang Dynasty
Warlike kings, landed aristocracy; few priests
Most people worked land as peasants
Elaborate bronze workings; naturalistic art

12. CHINESE WRITING Ideographic Elitist technique = scholar-bureaucrats
Writing denotes ideas
First used on Oracle Bones
Priests asked gods questions
Wrote questions on bones
Tossed into fire; cracks read by priests (divination)
Elitist technique = scholar-bureaucrats
Extremely difficult to read
Required well-educated class to use
Only elite had time to learn
Cuneiform, hieroglyphs had similar effects

13. DYNASTIC CYCLE One ruling family replaces another Stages in Cycle
The Dynasty Changes
Due to the loss of the Mandate of Heaven
Stages in Cycle
New dynasty arises, takes control of China
Strengthens rule, reestablishes prosperity, peace
Weakens, becomes lazy, problems arise
Invasions, revolts toss out reigning dynasty
Shang replaces Xia, Zhou replaces Shang

14. MANDATE OF HEAVEN Chinese political idea Indicators of a Lost Mandate
Rulers exercise power given by heaven
Rulers continue to rule if heaven pleased
Heaven will take back mandate to rule
Heaven will replace ruling dynasty
Indicators of a Lost Mandate
Wars, invasions, military disasters
Over-taxation, disgruntled peasants
Social, moral decline of elite classes
Increased crime, banditry

15. HOW THE CYCLE AND MANDATE WORK TOGETHER

16. HERITAGES First heritages passed on
Writing systems inherited
Intellectual systems, art copied
Religious, philosophical systems copied
Useful inventions rarely forgotten, easily spread
River valley civilizations decline by 1000BCE
All subject to nomadic invasions
Indo-Europeans and Semites were strongest
Geographical centers shifted (all except China)
Political Structures often not continued

17. CIVILIZATION SPREADS Phoenician Sailors in Lebanon
City-states traded across Mediterranean
Invented alphabet
Lydians, Hittites in Asia Minor
Introduced Iron, coinage to area
Hebrews in Palestine
Large Semitic migration in area
Ethical monotheism
Conduct determines salvation
There is only one God speaking through prophets, priests
God made a covenant with the Jews, his Chosen people

18. NOMADS: BARBARIANS? Pastoral herding on fringes Seen as savages
Interaction vs. conflict
Nomads traded, coexisted with settled areas
Nomads warred on, conquered settled areas
Often protected merchants, allowed trade
Prior to 1500 BCE little major threat
Chariot Peoples (Central Asian Indo-Europeans)
Domesticated horse, invented chariot, iron weapons
Pushed into SW Asia, S. Asia, E. Asia, Europe
Responsible for spread of ideas, trade