1. River Valleys Mesopotamia & Egypt

2. Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is the land between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers, present day Iraq It is also part of the Fertile Crescent Sumerian City-states began to develop around 3000 B.C.E. (after the Neolithic Revolution)

3. Geographic Challenges Unpredictable flooding and periods of drought No natural protection from invasion Scarce building resources

4. Solutions Government developed to build large public projects like irrigation system & city walls Trade-Sumerians traded for the resources they needed

5. Culture Rigid social structure led by a warrior-king and priests Polytheistic religion, mean (not nice) gods Each city-state had a ziggurat for worship Cuneiform- pictograph writing to keep records

6. Contributions Cuneiform (writing) Wheel (transportation) Arch (construction) Potter’s Wheel (manufacturing) Sun Dial (time & record keeping) 12 month calendar (time & record keeping) Number System (math+) Gilgamesh(literature)

7. Laws Hammurabi unifies Mesopotamia under one government to create the Babylonian Empire 1700 B.C.E. 1 st Written Code of Law (MAJOR TURNING POINT!) Government protects people in return for loyalty, service, & taxes Laws carved into pillars so everyone knew Laws covered daily life: marriage, property, inheritance, vandalism, negligence, etc.

8. Egypt-Nile River Valley Located in NE Africa First settled circa 5000 B.C.E. during the Neolithic Revolution Annual Flooding of the Nile deposits dark rich silt making the Valley one of the most fertile places on the earth Nile River is the key to Egyptian development Nile is the longest river in the world, 4,160 miles & flows north from the mountains of Ethiopia

9. Egyptian Culture Rigid social structure Religion focused on the after-life where you judged for your actions & bodies were mummified for life in the Other World Theocracy led by a god-king called a pharaoh Polytheistic religion based on nature with nice gods Architecture still standing and amazing in modern times

10. Egyptian Contributions Hieroglyphics- a pictograph writing deciphered after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in the 19 th century Papyrus- a better writing surface than clay, similar to paper 365 day calendar, only 6 hours short of the solar year Geometry- used to survey land for taxes Stone Columns in buildings Medicine-checked pulses, splinted broken bones, & conducted surgeries

11. 1 st Nation State A nation state is a country united by a common culture, language, & history It is believed King Narmer united Upper & Lower Egypt into a single country around 3000 B.C.E The red & white crown symbolized the united nation