Chapter 2 First Civilizations: Africa & Asia 3200 B.C.-500 B.C.

1. Chapter 2 First Civilizations: Africa & Asia3200 B.C.-500 B.C. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile Section 2: Egyptian Civilization Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Section 5: The Roots of Judaism

2. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • Summary: • Historians split ancient Egyptian history into 3 periods • 1.) The Old Kingdom • 2.) The Middle Kingdom • 3.) The New Kingdom

3. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • One of the earliest civilizations arose in Egypt about 5,000 years ago • Since most of Egypt is desert, people settled along the Nile River

4. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • The fertile soil of the Nile Valley produced good crops • Yearly floods soaked the land and deposited rich soil • The river also served as a highway for travel by boat

5. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • The Egyptian ruler was called a Pharaoh • After the death of a Pharaoh, power usually passed to another member of his family • These ruling families were called dynasties

6. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • The 3 periods of Egyptian history are the: • 1.) Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.-2200 B.C.) • 2.) Middle Kingdom (2050 B.C.-1800 B.C.) • 3.) New Kingdom (1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.)

7. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • During the Old Kingdom, the Pharaohs created a strong government • They also built giant pyramids • Pyramids are massive burial tombs that took many years and millions of stone blocks to build

8. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • The Middle Kingdom was a troubled period • The Nile did not flood regularly, so in many years crops did not grow • Although, Egypt conquered many lands, rebellion was common

9. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • Then invaders called the Hyksos [HIHK sohs], defeated the Pharaoh’s army and gained control of Egypt

10. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • The New Kingdom began over a hundred years later when the Egyptians drove out the Hyksos • Powerful Pharaoh’s created a large empire that reached the Euphrates river

11. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • Egypt traded with Asia and Africa • Trade and warfare spread Egyptian culture to other countries • In return, those places gave Egyptians new ideas

12. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile

13. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile

14. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile

15. Section 2: Egyptian Civilization • Summary: • Ancient Egypt was an advanced society where people were divided into classes

16. Section 2: Egyptian Civilization • Religion was an important part of everyday life in Egypt • Egyptians believed and many gods and goddesses • They also believed in life after death

17. Section 2: Egyptian Civilization • They prepared their dead for the afterlife through a preservation process called mummification • The mummies of some Pharaoh’s were buried in pyramids

18. Section 2: Egyptian Civilization • Egyptian society had its own class system • Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was both god and a king • He had the highest position in society

19. Section 2: Egyptian Civilization • Next where the priests, who served the gods and the goddesses • Near the bottom was the biggest group, the peasant farmers • Beneath the peasants were the slaves

20. Section 2: Egyptian Civilization • Women in ancient Egyptian society had more freedom than in any other ancient civilization • For example, at different times Egypt was ruled by women: • 1.) Hatshepsut • 2.) Cleopatra

21. Section 2: Egyptian Civilization • The Egyptians made many advances in learning and art • In medicine, they learned to cure many illnesses and to perform surgery • Egyptians developed a calendar very similar to the one we use today • They also created picture writing called Hieroglyphics

22. Section 2: Egyptian Civilization • Egyptian temples and monuments have survived thousands of years • Egyptian statues and paintings show daily life, ceremonies, and military victories

23. Section 2: Egyptian Civilization

24. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer • Summary: • The fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers supported the development of Sumerian civilization

25. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer • Geography helps explain the rise of civilization in the Middle East • Like the Nile River in Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers made the land around them fertile

26. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Tigris & Euphrates

27. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer • This region was called the FertileCrescent because of the good farmland curved in the shape of a crescent • The land between the rivers was called Mesopotamia

28. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer • By 5,000 years ago, villages along the Tigris and Euphrates had grown into busy cities • These city-states made up the civilization of Sumer

29. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer • Different city-states fought each other for land and water • During the fighting, people turned to powerful war leaders to protect them • Over time, leadership passed down within the war leaders families, and social classes developed

30. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer • Like Egyptians, the Sumerians made important contributions to the world • They built the first wheeled vehicles • Systems of ditches and canals provided flood protection and water for crops

31. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer • The Sumerians were the first people to write • They used wedge-shaped writing called Cuneiform to record information as early as 3200 B.C.

32. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer • Sumerians developed algebra and geometry • By studying the sun and the moon, the Sumerians invented an accurate calendar

33. Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer • Later on, invaders conquered the Sumerians • The conquerors adopted many of the Sumerian ideas and passed them on to later civilizations

34. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders • Summary: • Strong rulers united the lands of the Fertile Crescent into well-organized empires

35. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders • Many groups invaded and conquered the civilizations of the Fertile Crescent • Some invaders destroyed the city-states • Others stayed to rule

36. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders • Some of these rulers created large, well-organized empires • Empires are a group of territories under the control of one ruler or government

37. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders • One powerful ruler was King Hammurabi of Babylon • Around 1790 B.C., Hammurabi put together a set of laws, called the Code of Hammurabi • The Code of Hammurabi was the first major collection of laws in history

38. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders • Another important ruler was Darius of Persia • In 522 B.C., Darius controlled an empire that stretched from Asia Minor to India

39. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Empire of Darius of Persia

40. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders • Darius divided his empire into provinces, or locally controlled regions • Later rulers used his ideas about government

41. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders • Different groups of people met in the crossroads of the Fertile Crescent • Many groups made advances in technology and ideas • For example, Phoenicians developed the first real alphabet to record their trades

42. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders • Through warfare and trade, ideas and technology spread • As time passed, the contributions of people who lived in the Fertile Crescent reached all the way to India and Europe

43. Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders

44. Section 5: The Roots of Judaism • Summary: • The Jewish religion was unique in the ancient world because it was monotheistic (belief in 1 God)

45. Section 5: The Roots of Judaism • The Hebrews were one of the groups that lived in the Fertile Crescent • The Hebrews recorded their history in a sacred book called the Torah

46. Section 5: The Roots of Judaism • According to the Torah, God made a covenant, or binding agreement, with Abraham to be the God of the Hebrews

47. Section 5: The Roots of Judaism • Later the Egyptian Pharaoh made slaves of the Hebrews • Moses helped the Hebrews escape • For forty years they wandered in the desert • Finally they set up the kingdom of Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital • The Hebrews believed that God had promised them this land • Later the kingdom split apart, and both sections were conquered

48. Section 5: The Roots of Judaism • In time, Hebrew beliefs evolved into the religion we know today as Judaism • Judaism was different from the other ancient religions • Other religions believed in many gods • Judaism was monotheistic, teaching a belief in one God

49. Section 5: The Roots of Judaism • The Hebrews also believed that God had chosen them as His people • The laws of Judaism are called the Ten Commandments • They describe how people should behave toward God and toward each other

50. Section 5: The Roots of Judaism • Often in Jewish history, there were prophets, or spiritual leaders, who explained God’s will • The prophets taught about moral standards and justice • For example, powerful people should protect the weak • Prophets also taught that all people were equal before God