1. CHARACTERISTICS OF CIVILIZATION

2. Rise of Developed Cities – Cities served as: political and economic centers for surrounding areas Organized Government – Gov’t served as a set of rules and laws that people would live by – Different types of government = theocracy and monarchy Theocracy = a gov’t ruled by religious leaders who claim God’s authority Monarchy = gov’t by a king or queen

3. Role of Religion – Wanted to gain: the favor of the gods – Priests were so powerful bc they were the only ones who could communicate with the gods – Religion and gov’t were closely connected – Many leaders claimed to rule by the will of the gods Specialization of Labor – Division of labor increased and many new jobs became available Social Structure – Based on people’s occupations, wealth, and influence

4. Use of Writing – First writings used pictographs – Developed calendars which were important to farming Trade – Many civilizations traded with one another to gain goods and resources that their territory lacked – Often led the spread of new ideas and technology

5. Babylonian Empire Main king was Hammurabi – Honored Sumerian gods and united all of Mesopotamia He also instituted a legal system known as the Code of Hammurabi – Consisted of 282 laws based on eye for an eye

8. Phoenicians Greatest achievement was the Phoenician alphabet – Developed one of the world’s first alphabets – Consisted of 22 letters, adopted by many through trade, foundation for modern English alphabet

11. Hebrews/Israelites Located in modern day Israel Hebrews are ancestors of people called Jews Founded the religion of Judaism – It was the first monotheistic religion – The Torah is the most sacred text – The Hebrew Bible is called the Old Testament in the Christian Bible All Hebrews can be traced back to what ancestor, Abraham – Hebrews became known as the Children of Israel or Israelites

13. Hebrews/Israelites con’t Teachings of Judaism – Monotheistic – Beliefs of justice and righteousness – Most important laws Ten Commandments – Mosaic Law guides many areas of Jewish law Food prepared according to Mosaic law is called Kosher – Sacred text: Torah and the Hebrew Bible

14. Persians Located modern-day Iran Established one of the largest empires of the ancient world Built numerous roads, the longest one was named the Royal Road – World’s first long highway, 1,500 miles