ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS CRADLES OF CIVILIZATIONS MESOPOTAMIA ANCIENT SUMER

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS (CRADLES OF CIVILIZATIONS) • MESOPOTAMIA = ANCIENT SUMER AND BABYLON = TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVER VALLEY (MIDDLE EAST/MODERN DAY IRAQ) • ANCIENT EGYPT = NILE RIVER VALLEY = NILE RIVER (EGYPT) • HARRAPANS = INDUS RIVER VALLEY = INDUS RIVER (PAKISTAN/INDIA) • SHANG DYNASTY = YELLOW RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION = HUANG HE/YELLOW RIVER (CHINA)

MESOPOTAMIA = ANCIENT SUMER & BABYLON • Geography: = Tigris Euphrates River (Modern Iraq) Unpredictable flooding • Irrigation & used levees to control floods • Religion: Polytheistic: Hundreds of gods, goddesses, demons & monsters, bulls ; Gods were based and revolved around nature. • Ziggurats: - temples that had three functions: to hold grain, religious ceremonies governmental purposes • Achievements: * King Priests Nobles • Political Structure: Monarchy: kings or Ensi of each city • Economy: Trade with Indus: ivory, lapis, timber, gold WARRIORS • Social Hierarchy: Monarchs, priests and nobles, warriors, artisans and merchants, then peasants, slaves at the bottom Artisans, merchants, peasant farmers, herders SLAVES

SUMER CON’T. ……. Achievements (brain pop link): • • Cuneiform -wedge shaped writing Ziggurats -temples Math: No. System based on 60 = Sun dried bricks for constructing buildings Literature: Epic of Gilgamesh First written laws = Hammurabi’s Code/Code of Hammurabi (Babylon) Bronze making & wheeled carts

ANCIENT EGYPT • Geography: “gift of the Nile” = silt, annual, predictable floods • Delta: fan shaped mouth of a river • Religion: Polytheistic: believed in many gods. Ra, Horace, Osiris, • Achievements: * • Political Structure: Pharaoh’s ruled as God kings • Theocracy: religion and political leader same person • Dynasty- family rule over time • Economy: • Social Hierarchy:

SOCIAL STRUCTURE Egypt: Pharaohs held the highest position in society, Vizier: advisor to pharaoh, then priests, nobles, artisans (skilled workers) and merchants, peasants (farmers), and slaves had no rights. Artisans Workers - Farmers Slaves

ANCIENT EGYPT ACHIEVEMENTS • Egyptians built Pyramids: tombs for the Pharaohs; believed in an afterlife • Hieroglyphics: pictogram writing • Papyrus: rough form of paper made from river reeds • Rosetta Stone: Key to deciphering or translating hieroglyphics using Greek and demotic - abbreviated hieroglyphics for everyday use

ROSETTA STONE • Hieroglyphs • Demotic • Greek

EGYPTIAN TECHNOLOGY/ADVANCEMENTS (BRAIN POP LINK): • Advancements in astronomy • Calendar: 365 days long. The year consisted of 12 months of 30 days each, plus five extra days at the end of the year. • The process of mummification helped Egyptians learn about the human body, which led to diagnosing illnesses and performing surgeries. • Mummification: wrapping a human body in order to preserve it for the afterlife. • Monuments, temples, statues and paintings

INDUS/HARAPAN CIVILIZATION Geography: Indus river valley; monsoon climate Religion: Polytheistic: believed in many gods. Mother goddess Achievements: • • Grid patterned cities Sundried bricks for constructing buildings Sanskrit spoken & Seals: Written clay tablets we’re unable to read First indoor plumbing, baths & city sewers Political Structure: organized but unknown Economy: Trade w Sumer; Ships & docks; Every city had granaries (storage areas for grain) in the center. Social Hierarchy: unknown

SHANG DYNASTY Geography: Yellow river valley; Huang He; loess soil Religion: Polytheistic: believed in many gods. Di Achievements: Political Structure: Emperor & Dynasty- family rule - Dynastic cycle: explains the rise and fall of ruling families in China - Mandate of Heaven: The right to rule from the God’s - Families must have the Mandate of Heaven in order to rule. Economy: Social Hierarchy:

SHANG Technology/advancements DYNASTY ACHIEVEMENT (Crash Course Link -) APSummary S • Chinese characters (symbols) • Bronze metal work such as: bells, urns, axe heads, pots, and jewelry • Jade carvings • Oracle bones: Use to ask the gods or ancestors for help or prophesize the future • Answers came from the gods by priests’ interpretation of the cracks.