Transcript File
Ch. 1 Foundations of
Civilization
I.
II.
Peopling of the World
Neolithic Revolution
Some hunters & gatherers were advanced, but
Early humans were nomadic hunters & gatherers
were never able to develop complex societies
& had to move around to find their food
because they had to migrate to find food
Farming
changed
the
way
humans
lived:
Around 8,000 B.C., the Neolithic Revolution
Fooddiscovered
surpluses led
People
no&longer
occurred
early humans
howto
population
increases
had toto
befarm
nomads
& domesticate
animals
Farming villages became established along
river valleys for their good soil & irrigation
Around 3,000 B.C., some farming villages
became complex civilizations.
Brainstorm: What characteristics are needed
to makes people a “civilization”?
?
• Advanced cities
Characteristics of Civilizations
?
?
?
?
?
Civilizations must have cities that are
centers of trade for large areas
Civilizations must have technologies
that make their lives easier
Civilizations must have writing in order
to keep records of taxes, laws, or trade
Civilizations must have specialized workers
that create a class system
Civilizations must have complex institutions
like government & religion to keep order
Closure Activity
■Now that we have defined
“civilization”:
–Is the United States a civilization?
Give evidence to support your
answer.
THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS
I. Fertile crescent
II. Lasting contributions
The discovery of farming during the
Neolithic Revolution allowed nomadic
people to settle into civilizations
The world’s first civilizations
all began in river valleys
The first civilization
began in an area known
as Mesopotamia
Included Sumer and the
Akkadian, Babylonian, and
Assyrian empires
Mesopotamia means
The the
Tigris
and Euphrates
Rivers
“land between
rivers”
& is
flooded
once
per year, leaving
often called the
“Fertile
Crescent”
behindof
fertile
soil ideal for farming
or as the “Cradle
Civilization”
The first civilization developed
in the Fertile Crescent: Sumer
But, surrounding deserts & the lack of natural
barriers attracted outsiders to Mesopotamia &
made the Sumerians vulnerable to attack
■ Advanced cities:
–Sumerian city-states were
protected by high walls
–At the city center was a
temple called a ziggurat
■ Specialized Workers:
–At the top of society were
priests, and then kings
–In the middle were skilled
workers, like merchants
–At the bottom, were
common farmers & slaves
■ Religion:
–Sumerians & Babylonians
were polytheistic
–The Hebrews in Palestine
were the 1st monotheistic
faith in history (Judaism)
–The holy book of Judaism is
the Torah; God gave Moses
the Ten Commandments
which serve as moral laws
■ Government:
–Babylonian King Hammurabi
created the first legal code
–Hammurabi’s Code had 282
laws based on justice &
retaliation (an eye for an eye)
–The code had different
punishments for the various
levels of society
■ Writing:
–Sumerians made the world’s
1st writing called cuneiform
–Phoenicians simplified
cuneiform to a 22 letter
alphabet
–Phoenician merchants spread
the alphabet throughout the
Mediterranean world
–The alphabet influenced
Greek, Latin, & English
■ Technology:
–Sumerians inventions
include the wheel, sail,
plow, & bronze metalwork
Closure Activity
■Develop a “Hammurabi’s Code” for
Limestone High School:
–Your code should include at least
5 laws and consequences
–Think about things that are
important to keep order in a
school
CHAPTER 2 - EGYPT
I.
II.
TRAITS OF EGYPT
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
I.
TRAITS OF EGYPT
Egypt began along
the Nile River in
North Africa
Egypt was
bordered on both
sides
by
desert
The Nile River’s
which
isolated
annual floods
& protected
were
predictable
The
Nile flooded
Egyptians
from
&
provided
fertile
so predictably
that
outsiders
soil
farming
thefor
Egyptians
designed their
calendar around it
I.
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
■ Advanced Cities:
–Cities
developed
along the
Nile River
in “Upper
Egypt” &
“Lower
Egypt”
i. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
■ Specialized Workers:
–?
i. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
■ Government :
–Pharaohs ruled Egypt as
“king-gods” & were thought
to control nature
–Egyptians constructed
pyramids & elaborate tombs
for the pharoahs
i. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
■ Religion:
–Egyptians were polytheistic
& believed the gods
controlled all aspects of life
i. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
■ Writing:
–Egyptian hieroglyphics
was both pictograms &
a phonetic alphabet
–Hieroglyphics were translated
using the Rosetta Stone
i. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
■ Technology:
–Egyptian ideas included a
365-day calendar, geometry,
astronomy, & pyramids
Class Activity #1
■Overview: You & your team are members
of an ancient tribe known as “Patrioti”
■Working with your tribe, complete the
following activities in order:
–Step 1: Collect at least 4 food tokens
& 1 water token
–Step 2: Gather resources & build a
temple to honor the “food god”
■Your grade will be based on completing
these tasks & the creativity of your temple
Class Activity #2
New discovery: FARMING!
■Working with your tribe, complete the
following activities in order:
–Step 1: Collect at least 4 food tokens
& 1 water token
–Step 2: Gather resources & build a
temple to honor the “food god”
■Your grade will be based on completing
these tasks & the creativity of your temple
Debriefing Questions
■Discuss with your team & write down
your answers to the following questions:
–What were your experiences like
during Round 1 of this activity?
–How did the discovery of “farming”
change your experiences in Round 2?
–How do you think these activities
relate to early human beings?
–What advantages do you think farming
gave to early humans?