1. Early Civilizations
Chapter 2 and 3

2. City-states of Ancient Sumer
Fertile Crescent – region of the middle east between and around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
It has very rich soils and golden wheat fields
Mesopotamia – “between the rivers”

3. Ancient Sumer World’s first civilization The Epic of Gilgamesh
Poem of a great flood that destroys the world
Flooding control
Use of dikes and ditches
Construction
Lacked stone and wood
Use clay to make bricks
Ur and Uruk

4. Ancient Sumer cont. Rich from Trade Invented the wheel?
Egyptian and Indian goods

5. Sumerian Civilization
Multiple city-states and war = hereditary rule by war leaders
Gov’t
Maintains city walls and irrigation system
Led armies
Enforced laws
Employed scribes
Led religious ceremonies

6. Sumerian Civilization
Social Structure
Hierarchy – system of ranking groups
Top Class: ruling family, leading officials, high priests
Small middle class: lesser priests, scribes, merchants, artisans
Lower class: Peasants
Slaves from warfare or sale
Role of Women
Goddesses were highly honored
Never had legal rights
Some ruler’s wives had supervisory positions
Read, write, & play music

7. Sumerian Civilization
Religion
Polytheistic ??
Thought the gods acted like humans
Responsible for truth, justice, violence, & suffering
Ziggurat – a large, stepped platform thought to have been topped by a temple dedicated to the city’s chief god or goddess
Sumerian Afterlife: after dying, you live in a grim underworld with no escape and only dust to eat
7TH HOUR

8. Ziggurats

9. Sumerian Civilization
Writing
Invented by Sumerians
Cuneiform: wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets
Began as pictographs and later became complex symbols
Used for econ., myths, prayers, laws, and business contracts
Scribe school
Not talking
Poor writing was not tolerated
Caned as a punishment
Could gain high positions

10. Cuneiform

11. Sumerian Legacy
Cuneiform was used by Akkadians, Babylonians, & Assyrians
Astronomy, mathematics, number system based on 6, 60 minutes, 360º
Babylonians used Sumerian math to form algebra & geometry, accurate calendars, and prediction of eclipses
5th hour next slide

12. Mesopotamian Empires 2300 B.C.  Sargon, ruler of Akkad
Invaded & conquered Sumer
Builds first known empire
Appointed local rulers

13. Mesopotamian Empires 1790 B.C.  Hammurabi, king of Babylon
Conquered ancient Sumer after the death of Sargon
Hammurabi’s Code – publication of laws
300 laws on stone pillars
Codify: arrange and set down in writing
Civil law: private rights and matters
E.g. business contracts, property inheritance, taxes, marriage, divorce
Criminal law: deals with offenses against other such as robbery, assault, or murder
“eye for an eye”

14. Mesopotamian Empires Hammurabi’s improvements: Better irrigation
Well-trained army
Repaired temples
Encouraged religion by promoting Marduk, the patron god of Babylon

15. Mesopotamian Empires Hittites – 1400 B.C. Assyrians
Introduced ironworking
Assyrians
Known for their skill as warriors
Rich society
First to develop laws regulating royal families
Established one of the first libraries

16. Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon Reforms the Babylon empire
Rebuilds the city of Babylon
Built a defensive moat and wall
9 gates to enter the city in honor of the main Gods and Goddesses
Built the hanging gardens

17. Persians 539 B.C. Conquered Babylon Darius Largest empire EVER!!!!!
Set up a bureaucracy
Divided empire into two satrapy
Governor for each
Each paid taxes based on what they had
Supervision of governors

18. Darius cont. Written laws Built roads
Set up standards of weights and measures
Encouraged the use of coins
Barter economy : exchange one set of goods or services for another
Money economy: goods and services are paid for through the exchange of a token

19. Zoroaster Persian intellectual
Taught that a single god named Ahura Mazda was in control of the world
Also taught that Ahriman, the prince of lies and evil was fighting for Ahura Mazda’s power
Stressed a final judgement day

20. Phoenicians Sailors and traders in the Mediterranean
Made glass, “Tyrian purple”
Set up colonies
Colony: a territory settled & ruled by people from another land
“carriers of civilization”
Alphabet – symbols representative of certain sounds
22 Consonants
Greeks add vowels
3rd

21. Egyptian Empire about 1450 B.C

22. Geography of the Ancient Nile Valley
“Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile.” – Herodotus
People settled and established farming villages along the Nile.
Egyptians depended on annual floods to soak the land and deposit a layer of silt, or rich soil.
Egyptians had to cooperate to control the Nile, building dikes, reservoirs, and irrigation ditches.
Rulers used the Nile to link and unite Upper and Lower Egypt.
The Nile served as a trade route connecting Egypt to Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean world.

23. Three Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt
MIDDLE
KINGDOM
NEW KINGDOM
OLD KINGDOM
Powerful pharaohs created a large empire that reached the Euphrates River.
Hatshepsut- Queen of the New Kingdom who declared herself pharoah
Ramses II-Pharaoh who spread Egyptian rule northward to Syria, conquered Nubia, and wanted to be remembered above all others.
Pharaohs organized a strong central state, were absolute rulers, and were considered gods.
Egyptians built pyramids at Giza.
Large drainage project created arable farmland.
Traders had contacts with Middle East and Crete.
5th hour

24. 3 periods of Egypt Egypt is divided into 3 periods:
The Old, Middle, New Kingdoms
During this time power was passed down through different dynasties or ruling families.

25. Pyramids

26. Ramses II

27. Hatshepsut

28. Egypt and Nubia For centuries, Egypt traded or fought with Nubia.
During the New Kingdom, Egypt conquered Nubia.
Nubians served in Egyptian armies and influenced Egyptian culture.
Egyptian art from this period shows Nubian soldiers, musicians, or prisoners.
When Egypt declined, Nubia conquered Egypt.
Nubians did not see themselves as conquerors. They respected Egyptian traditions.

29. Egyptian Religious Beliefs
Belief that many gods and goddesses ruled the world and the afterlife. They were polytheistic Amon-Re was the sun god Osiris was the god of the underworld and of the Nile The pharaoh was believed to be a god as well as a monarch.
Belief in eternal life after death Relied on the Book of the Dead to help them through the afterworld Practiced mummification, the preservation of the body for use in the next life.

30. Mummification

31. Mummification

32. Egyptian afterlife
Heart gets weighed against the feather of truth. If heart is lighter than the feather go to Happy field of food.
If heart weighs more than the feather. Get heart eaten by the crocodile eater of the dead
4th

33. Tutankhamen
Only tomb that we have found intact was the tomb of King Tutankhamen.
It was found in 1922.
This reveals to us how great the riches of these tombs must have been.

34. King Tut

35. King Tut

36. Ancient Egypt: A Center of Learning & Culture
Advances in the Arts
Advances in Learning
Developed a form of picture writing called hieroglyphics.
They were written on papyrus-plant used to make a paper like material.
Know Hieroglyphics through the Rosetta Stone.
Doctors diagnosed and cured
illnesses, performed surgery, and developed medicines still used
today.
Developed 12-month calendar on
which modern calendar is based.
Developed practical geometry.
Skilled in design and engineering.
Statues, paintings, and writings tell
us about ancient Egyptian values
and attitudes.
Developed painting style that
remained unchanged for thousands
of years.
Wrote hymns and prayers to the
gods, proverbs, love poems, stories
of victory in battle, and folk tales.
Built pyramids and other great
buildings, such as temple of
Ramses II.

37. Rosetta Stone

38. Hieroglyphics

39. Class System in Ancient Egypt
PHARAOH
Earthly leader; considered a god
HIGH PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES
Served gods and goddesses
NOBLES
Fought pharaoh’s wars
MERCHANTS, SCRIBES, AND ARTISANS
Made furniture, jewelry, and fabrics for pharaohs and nobles, and provided for other needs
PEASANT FARMERS AND SLAVES
Worked in the fields and served the pharaoh