EARLY RIVER CIVILIZATIONS AND COMPLEX SOCIETIES AIM What

EARLY RIVER CIVILIZATIONS AND COMPLEX SOCIETIES AIM: What are the characteristics of a complex society? Bell Work- Imagine that a new foreign exchange student has moved to Kings Park. What would you tell him or her about American culture? Homework:

Civilization - Official Definition: An organized social structure. The main features of early civilizations, according to some historians: • • cities central government religion job specialization (such as scribes, artisans, priests, etc. ) social classes arts and architecture public works a form of writing

MESOPOTAMIA • Means “between the rivers, ” (the Tigris and Euphrates) • Modern day Iraq • Sumerians were the earliest urban civilization, located in Mesopotamia. • Later, the Babylonians would build upon Sumerian civilization.

SUMERIAN CITY-STATES -Sumerians dominated the region from c. 3200 BCE to c. 2350 BCE -Monumental religious architecture – ziggurats -Created irrigation systems/ Irrigated crops -Created defensive walls and other strategies for defense against nomadic groups -Kings ruled with absolute power Priests were also powerful

WRITING IN MESOPOTAMIA • Cuneiform: “wedge shaped” • Used different pictures to represent objects • Scribes - trained writers • The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem originating from this period and is one of the earliest known literary writings.

BABYLONIANS The Babylonians were a Mesopotamian civilization descended from the Sumerians. The most famous Babylonian king was Hammurabi (c. 1728 – 1686 B. C. E. ) He created the first public, written law code and expanded Babylonian territory in Mesopotamia.

RELIGION IN MESOPOTAMIA • Polytheistic religion with over 3, 600 gods and goddesses • Kings ruled by divine right • Each city-state had a god/goddess • Kings and priests acted on behalf of the gods

EGYPT • Each September, the Nile floods • After the water retreats, soil is fertile and crops grow very well. • Egyptian civilization depended on the predictable flooding of the Nile. • The Nile also produced other natural resources (reeds, copper, stone, clay)

EGYPTIAN BELIEFS • Pharaohs (kings of Egypt) were considered to be gods living on earth. • Egyptians were polytheistic. • The Book of the Dead explained what happens after Egyptians died and called for mummification. • Allowed for detailed knowledge of the human body

EGYPTIAN WRITING • Two writing systems: • Hieroglyphics • Cursive script • Egyptians wrote on papyrus (made from reeds) and carved into stone. • Purposes: kept records, religious writing, secular writing.