Bell Work

1. Bell Work While watching the video clip, answer the following: How did domesticating animals create more inequalities? Why did the Middle East have an advantage over other world areas?

2. The Four River Valley Civilizations Daily Objective: 1. Compare and Contrast the 4 Early River Civilizations in terms of Politics, Economy, Social Class, and Religion

3. I. General Civilization Characteristics • 1. Organized Farming and Village Life • 2. Food Surplus (Iron Tools/Beasts of Burden) led to clear specialization of labor • 4. Clear Social Class Distinctions • 5. Growth in Population in new Urban areas • Increased immunities led to better health • 7. Complex formal government institutions which governed large projects • Irrigation • Road Building • Taxation • 8. Increased trade routes/cultural connections • 9. Writing systems/ Uniform Coinage and Weights

4. The Ancient Fertile Crescent Area The Middle East: “The Cradle of Civilization”

5. II. Tigris-Euphrates Rivers (Fertile Crescent) • Located in the Middle East (modern-day Iraq) • Often called Mesopotamia (“land between the rivers”) • First example of human civilization • By 4000 - 3500 B.C.E. • Farmers were working with some metals, invented the wheel • Irrigation systems, dykes, and canals for farming • Flourishing culture • Written language – cuneiform, developed by the Sumerians- also made advances in Algebra and Geometry • Complex religious beliefs (Polytheistic) • Sumerians erected shrines/massive monuments, called ziggurats, to honor gods • Some ideas (gods’ creation of earth, floods) can be found in various religions • Negative view of gods and afterlife due to unpredictable flooding

6. Sumerians invented: • Brick technology • Wheel • Sail • Base 60 – using the circle . . . 360 degrees • Time – 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute • 12 month lunar calendar • arch • ramp • ziggurat

7. Cuneiform: “Wedge-Shaped” Writing

8. Ziggurat – Holy Mountain

9. II. continued… • Highly organized • Relied on city-states – small, autonomous regions ruled by a king (decentralized government) • Later groups developed larger empires • Developed strict class systems – kings, priests, and nobles controlled most land; then merchants, scribes, artisans, farmers, and slaves • Regulated system of laws and courts • Babylonian leader, Hammurabi, set early code of law in stone • Lasting belief systems • Judaism – earliest monotheistic religion

10. Hammurabi’s [r. 1792-1750 B. C. E.] Code

11. II. continued…. • Other Civilizations in Fertile Crescent • Sumerians • 1st wheel, cuneiform, city-states • Babylonians • Hammurabi’s Code of Law • Hittites • 1st to mine Iron (began Iron Age) • Assyrians • Improved military equipment, chariot • Persians • Built large empire divided into provinces; Royal Roads, common set of weights & measurements; single coinage • Phoenicians • Colonized Mediterranean; phonetic alphabet with 22 letters • Hebrews/ Semitic • Judaism- oldest monotheistic religion

12. III. Nile River • Located in northern Africa, modern-day Egypt • 3000 B.C.E. • Ruled by a pharaoh, or king (Monarchy) • Considered to be directly descended from the gods • Complex religious and political rituals (Polytheistic) • Book of the Dead – guided the soul to the afterlife (more positive view) • Mummification of bodies – preserved those with elite status for eternity • Theocracy – ruled through laws based on religion • Development of writing • Hieroglyphics – comes from Greek words meaning “sacred carving” • More complex than cuneiform • Used papyrus reeds to make a paper-like writing surface

13. III. continued • Social Class Structure: • Pharaoh, Priest/Nobles, Merchants/Artisans/Scribes (Middle Class), Peasant Farmers, Slaves • Cultural Advances • Medicine/Surgery, Math, Calendars, Irrigation, Cosmetics, Architecture, Jewelry, Metal Work, Pyramids, Papyrus Giza Pyramid Complex

14. Egyptian Social Hierarchy

15. An Egyptian Woman’s “Must-Haves” Mirror Perfume Whigs

16. IV. Indus River • Located in modern-day Pakistan, near India’s border • 2500 B.C.E.-1500 B.C.E. (abruptly ends) • Advanced cities • Sophisticated city planning, running water, two-storied and spacious buildings; drainage systems to brick-lined sewers • Harappa, MohenjoDaro • Traded with Mesopotamia, but developed independently • Developed Pictographic system of writing, but never been translated • Thought to be a theocracy (Polytheistic), religion a precursor to Hinduism • Environment and invasions a factor in disappearance • Monsoons, floods • Nomadic invaders (Aryan tribes)

17. IV. Continued… • Built ships; Traded overseas and overland • Social Class System (not fully sure): • Priests • Warriors • Traders and Agriculturists • Workers

18. V. Huanghe (Yellow River) • Located in northern half of modern-day China • Flows from central China to east coast • About 2000 B.C.E.- 1029 B.C.E (Shang) • Developed independently from other civilizations • Largely cut off from contact with outside world by geography (desert, mountains, ocean) • Developed sophisticated irrigations systems • Controlled flooding of Yellow River • Early pioneers in science and weapon/tool-making • Developed unique written language based on ideographic symbols • Early religious beliefs based on spirits, centered around family • Social classes divided society • Nobles and peasants • Established system of feudalism – nobles owned all the land that peasants worked • Rigid political system develops – paves way for dynastic system • Shang dynasty was earliest – 1500 B.C.E.

19. VI. Legacies of River Valleys • Expanded populations & urbanization • New networks – roads & trade routes lined, sea routes • Established systems of government, laws, & religion • Established patterns of culture & cultural diffusion

20. Early River Valley Civilizations Environment • Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable • No natural barriers • Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings Sumer • Flooding of the Nile predictable • Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages • Deserts were natural barriers Egypt Indus Valley • Indus flooding unpredictable • Monsoon winds • Mountains, deserts were natural barriers • Huang He flooding unpredictable • Mountains, deserts natural barriers • Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations China

21. VII. Mesoamerica and the Andes • General Characteristics • 1st humans arrived from land bridge from Asia • Separated by vast oceans • No contact with Eastern Hemisphere until 15th c. CE • Developed agriculture independently

22. VII. continued • The Olmec (1200-400 BCE) of Mesoamerica (Central Am.) • Agriculture by 3000 BCE • Grew beans, peppers, squash, and maize; had plenty of rain (no irrigation) • Fewer domesticated animals than Eastern civ.; no LARGE animals (horse, cattle, goats or sheep) • Cities were religious and trade centers • Hierarchal society with elite group of priests (performed elaborate rituals at large temples in the city) • Ruler and his family also lived elaborately • Number system based on 30; 365 day yearly calendar • Abandoned cities due to internal conflict

23. VII. continued • The Chavin (900-250 BCE) of South America • Peru coastline and Andes Mountains foothills • No river valley; dry coastline and rugged mnts. • Capital in highlands to connect trade between regions • Grew maize, potatoes, fruits, cotton, and coca leaves • Domesticated the Llama • Craftsmen used silver and gold for decorative and ceremonial items • Politically well organized; culture spread over large area • Jaguar god with human/animal features important symbol of their religion

24. Key Vocabulary – Chapter 1 (Part 2) • Shang • Monotheism • Olmec • Chavin • Mesopotamia • Sumerians • City-states • Hammurabi • Pharaoh • Pyramids • Indus Valley • Harappa/Mohenjo Daro • Huanghe (Yellow River) • Ideographic