Transcript Early Ancient Civilizations

Do Now
Get a textbook and answer question 2
on p. 28. Use both the map and picture
on page 27 to describe some
characteristics of this valley.
Use the Do Now Log
Early Ancient Civilizations
Mesopotamia and Egypt
Mesopotamia
Located between
Tigris +
Euphrates
AKA- Fertile
Crescent – rich
soils from rivers +
Sea make this
land great for
farming.
Picture From:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/campaigns/iraq/cresma
p.gif
Sumer
Sumer – earliest known civilization formed
in southern Mesopotamia around 3500 BC
Depended on rivers + rich soil.
Sumerians lived in small, separate cities
that developed into city-states.
Sumer, Ur, and Uruk among 1st city states.
Religion in Mesopotamia
Each city-state had own god.
Temple in center of city-state called,
ziggurat.
Sumerians – polytheistic.
Picture From:
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kjoll
y/151/images/ziggurat.jpeg
Social Strata
Males head of household.
Females had limited rights.
Priests usually top of social hierarchy.
Later, Kings become top.
Kingship becomes hereditary.
So what’d they give us?!
Cuneiform – first written language
12 month calendar
Plow
Sail
Wheel
Picture From:
http://graphics.stanford.edu/projects/cuneiform/image
s/front.weathered.lit-cssh.jpg
Important Kings: Hammurabi!
Conquered several city-states to
become King.
Improved canals + tax system.
Changed religion so all people in
kingdom worshipped God of Babylon.
Also created:
HAMMURABI’S CODE
Hammurabi’s Code
Created laws to govern all parts of life.
Two major ideas:
1. Innocent until proven guilty.
2. Guilty can be punished using “eye
for an eye” idea.
Picture From:
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~john/publication
s/ger-prototypes/code.gif
Hammurabi ruled for 40 years – known
as “Golden Age of Babylon”
Became major trade center.
After his death, Mesopotamia went back
to city-states.
Picture From:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/images/hammu
rabi.jpg
Law 5
If a judge try a case, reach a decision,
and present his judgment in writing; if
later error shall appear in his decision,
and it be through his own fault, then he
shall pay twelve times the fine set by
him in the case, and he shall be publicly
removed from the judge's bench, and
never again shall he sit there to render
judgment.
In your own words, what does this
Law 6
If any one steal the property of a
temple or of the court, he shall be put
to death, and also the one who receives
the stolen thing from him shall be put
to death.
In your own words, what does this
mean?
Law 22
If any one is committing a robbery and
is caught, then he shall be put to death.
Law 23
If the robber is not caught, then shall
he who was robbed claim under oath
the amount of his loss; then shall the
community, and . . . on whose ground
and territory and in whose domain it
was compensate him for the goods
stolen.
What does this sound like?
Laws 196-199
If a man has knocked out the eye
of a patrician, his eye shall be
knocked out.
If he has broken the limb of a
patrician, his limb shall be broken.
If he has knocked out the eye of a
plebian, or broken the limb or a
patrician’s servant, he shall pay
one mina of silver.
If he has knocked out the eye of a
patrician’s servant, or broken the
limb of a patrician’s servant, he
shall pay half his value.
After reading
this, what do you
think the
difference is in a
patrician and a
plebian and a
patrician’s
servant?
Who is more
valuable in
society?
Reflection
What evidence do Mesopotamians leave
behind that people from the Neolithic
and Paleolithic Era do not?
Do Now
What factors made the Mesopotamians
pessimistic?
On To Egypt!!!
Centered on Nile River
– rich silt deposited
made good farm land.
People here call area
“Gift of the Nile”
King Menes Gets Hitched!
Menes King of Upper Egypt – conquers
Lower Egypt by marrying its princess.
From here, divided into three periods:
- Old Kingdom (2700 BC)
- Middle Kingdom (2050 BC)
- New Kingdom (1550 BC)
Pharaohs, Tombs, and
Mummies, OH MY!!!
Most important Egyptian = Pharaoh
Served as ruler, priest, and god.
Large tombs (pyramids) built for these
pharaohs.
Personal belongings placed in tomb for
afterlife.
Giza Pyramids
Picture From:
http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/images/africa/giza-pyramids.jpg
Embalming
Egyptians believed the
soul couldn’t live without
a body in the afterlife.
Priests would use
embalming process to
preserve and then
mummify bodies.
Picture From:
http://www.worsleyschool.net/sociala
rts/mummy/page.html
Contributions from the
Egyptians
Number system
365 day calendar based on Nile flooding
Hieroglyphics\
Picture From:
http://www.nku.edu/~anthro/hieroglyphic
s.jpg
Reflection
What factors made the Egyptians more
positive?