1. The Ancient River Valley Civilizations of
Mesopotamia and Egypt

2. Geography: Mesopotamia means “Land between two rivers”
The Tigris
and Euphrates
Rivers provided
rich soil and
water for farming.
Flooding was
Unpredictable.
The Zagros
Mountains and
the Syrian Desert
provided protection
from invaders.
The Fertile Crescent is the arc of fertile land between the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf.

3. Tigris River

4. Along the Euphrates River

5. Geography - Egypt
The Nile flows north and empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
The fertile marshy land of lower Egypt is called the Nile River Delta. This area of rich soil was good for farming.
Flooding was predictable.
The deserts provided protection from invaders.
The lower part of the river became known as Lower Egypt.

6. The Nile: The longest river in the world at 4,100 miles long.

7. A NASA Satellite
Image of
the Nile
River Delta

9. Geography
Hail to thee, O Nile! Who manifests thyself over this land, and comes to give life to Egypt!
Excerpt from Hymn to the Nile
Talk to your partner for 30 seconds about this excerpt. Why is the Nile the most important geographic feature to Egyptian civilization?

10. The river valleys were the “Cradles of Civilization.”
What do you think that means?
They provided the baby civilizations what they needed to grow.
Each civilization made major contributions to social, political and economic
progress.

11. Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
Political
Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent

12. What were the functions of these ancient governments?
Mesopotamia- Political
First ruled by kings as independent city states, later, Mesopotamia would be ruled as empires. What is an empire? What factors would lead one civilization to conquer another?
These empires would develop from within Mesopotamia.
Akkadian
Babylonian
Assyrian
Neobabylonian
What were the functions of these ancient governments?

13. Around 3100 BCE, the first dynasty arose when upper
Political - Egypt
Around 3100 BCE, the first dynasty arose when upper
and lower Egypt were united into a single kingdom. The capital was Memphis.
Upper Lower United
Egypt Egypt dynasty

14. Political - Egypt, Continued
Strong kings or pharaohs and bureaucratic governments continued a period of continuity and unity.
Dynasties or
hereditary rule was
common.

15. What is the impact of a strong ruler and government on a civilization?
Brainstorm this with your neighbor.

16. Egypt - Political, continued
Strong Centralized Government = Bureaucracy
Peace and prosperity, strong economy, and a stable, ordered society followed.
Features of Egypt’s Political system:
Divine rule: Pharaohs were god-kings
Pharaohs were absolute rulers.
The bureaucracy consisted of many departments to carry out the functions of government.
Religious rule = theocracy

17. Economy of Mesopotamia
Based primarily on agriculture – 90 percent of the people were farmers.
But, evidence of trade along rivers, and with Egypt.
Artifacts revealed metal work in bronze, gold and copper

18. Economic- Egypt Egyptians
farmed along the narrow strips of land bordering the Nile River
traded along the Nile (Nubia) and into Mesopotamia
Paid taxes to the Pharaoh in the form of crops and forced labor on building projects
Made paper from papyrus
Linen clothing

19. Economic
Trade goods included gold, ivory, cattle, granite blocks, paper and linen

20. Religion - Mesopotamia
They were POLYTHEISTIC. What does this mean?
Constructed huge pyramids, called Ziggurats.
Sumerians had a negative view of the afterlife where their souls would wander
in the land of no return.

21. Religion – continued - Mesopotamia
Rulers were believed to be chosen by gods. Theocracy - rule by a religious authority.
Earliest rulers in Mesopotamia were priests.
Can you name a modern-day theocracy?

22. Afterlife was important – soul needed to be judged and then reconnected with the body.
Wonderful afterlife awaited filled with pleasures of life.
The body had to be recognized so it was mummified.
Worldly goods such as jewelry, pottery and gold were buried with the body to be enjoyed in the afterlife.
Religion- Egypt

23. Religion - Egypt
The Egyptians were polytheistic – there were 2,000 gods and goddesses
Sun god Re was very important as were river and land deities, Osiris (god of the dead), Isis and Horus.
Isis
Osiris
Horus

24. Pyramids were built as the final resting place for
Religion - Egypt
Pyramids were built as the final resting place for
Pharaohs who, according to Egyptian beliefs, would rule again through their spirit in the afterlife.

25. Sumerian Society ( Mesopotamia)
Priests and Kings
Scribes
Wealthy merchants
Commoners
Slaves

26. Mesopotamian Society - Continued
Why were priests in the upper classes of society?
Priests communicated and made offerings to the gods. Since the gods controlled the people’s fate, priests, were very important.
Sumerian women had more rights than women in later civilizations but it is believed that they were not educated.

27. Egyptian Society
Pharaoh, queen, royal family
Vizier, landowners, government officials
priests, army commanders, scribes
Merchants, artisans
Peasant farmers
Unskilled laborers
later, slaves. The largest
group of people fell
into this category.
Egyptians could move up or down in society and slaves could buy their freedom. To win the highest positions, one needed to be able to read and write.

28. Egyptian Society continued
Women had almost as many rights as men.
They could own and trade property, were allowed to divorce and there were one or two women who served as Pharaohs.
It is believed that women could not read or write.
Hatsepshut

29. Egyptian society enjoyed stability and cultural
continuity because the kingdom was united and
because of its political stability over long
periods of time.

30. Intellectual - Mesopotamia
Cuneiform was the first written language.
It was made using clay and a stylus, and has wedge-shaped characters
Its characters are based on pictograms

31. Intellectual – Continued - Mesopotamia
More Cuneiform:

32. Intellectual – Continued - Mesopotamia
Two important written documents come from Mesopotamia:
1. The Epic of Gilgamesh
2. Hammurabi’s Code
Both were written in Cuneiform
and translated.

33. Intellectual - Mesopotamia
The Epic of Gilgamesh is possibly the oldest story ever written. It was found
on clay tablets and tells the story of a king (Gilgamesh) and a man (Enkidu) who
fight an evil God named Humbaba. The man is mortally wounded and Gilgamesh realizes that men are not immortal.

34. is the code of laws established By Hammurabi of Babylon
Intellectual - Mesopotamia
The Code of Hammurabi
is the code of laws established
By Hammurabi of Babylon
When he conquered all
Of Mesopotamia.
What might we learn about
Mesopotamia by looking
at its laws? Think P.E.R.S.I.A. G. ?

35. Hammurabi’s Code The laws were carved onto a
Intellectual - Mesopotamia
Hammurabi’s Code
The laws were carved onto a
basalt (stone) slab called a stele.
It included laws for commerce
Harsh punishments including, “an eye for an eye”
It contained different rules for different social classes
It even set forth rules and punishments for marriage

36. Intellectual - Egypt
The Egyptians developed a pictographic language called hieroglyphics. First written on stone or clay, the Egyptians later developed a paper-like product
called Papyrus. It came from reeds that grew in the Nile River delta.

37. Intellectual - Egypt
Papyrus

38. Wheel, sail, plow, irrigation systems
Achievements - Mesopotamia
Agricultural
Surpluses
Job Specialization
Invention of
Wheel, sail, plow, irrigation systems
Bronze tools

39. Achievements - Mesopotamia

40. Achievements - Mesopotamia
Plow
Bronze Weapons
Irrigation System

41. Accurate measurement of angles would be necessary for
Achievements - Egypt
Egyptians were skilled mathematicians. They used a number system and
geometry. Why would these be useful to the Egyptians?
Accurate measurement of angles would be necessary for
building the pyramids

42. Achievements - Egypt - continued
The Egyptians would develop a 365-day calendar that was comprised of 12 months, each comprised of 30 days with one 5-day celebration.
Why would the Egyptians need a calendar?
They needed to know when to plant crops which was based on regular flooding of the Nile. The floods came each year at the same time. As the floods receded, rich silt was left behind which made the soil very fertile –the perfect time for planting crops.

43. Other Achievements - Egypt:
Medicine – The Egyptians were advanced in developing medicines, performing surgery and in setting broken bones.

44. Photo Credits
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45. Slide 12: http://etc. usf. edu/clipart/19200/19279/cuneiform_19279_lg
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