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River Valley
Civilizations
Egypt
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Favorable Geography
 Benefits of Nile
 Rich soil
 Water
 Transportation
 Natural Boundaries
Egyptian History
 Early gov’ts to control Nile
 Eventually combined:
 Lower Egypt (north)
 Upper Egypt (south)
 Old Kingdom
 3,100-2,200 BC
 Pyramids built as tombs
Egyptian History
 Middle Kingdom
 2,200-1,730 BC
 Age of Nobles
 Canal from Nile to Red Sea
 Ended by Hyksos with
horses/chariots
Egyptian History
 New Kingdom
 1,570-1100 BC
 The Empire
 Ramses II
 Tutankhamen
Egyptian Life
 Pharaoh=absolute monarch
 Privileged aristocracy
 Pharaoh & his family
 Nobles
 Priests
 Unprivileged masses
 Peasants
 Slaves
Egyptian Life
 Economic activities
 Depended chiefly on agriculture
 Glassblowing
 Imported timber and
copper
 Religious beliefs
 Polytheistic
 Mummification
Egyptian Contributions
 Math
 Surveyed land
 Art
 Huge stone statues
 Carved/painted various scenes
 Architecture & engineering
 Pyramids and temples
 Dams and irrigation canals
Egyptian Contributions
 Hieroglyphs on papyrus
 History
 Scientific/Math knowledge
 Government/Business records
 Science
 Solar-year calendar (365 days)
 Prepared mummies
 Recognized/Treated diseases
Mesopotamia
Fertile Crescent
 Divided into:
East
Tigris and Euphrates river
valleys (Mesopotamia)
West
Eastern Mediterranean coast
Influence of Geography
 Rivers/Coastline
 Seaports/trade developed
 Lack of stone
 Clay for construction & writing
 Low, level plains
 No natural barriers to
invasion
Peoples
 Sumerians
 Babylonians
 Hebrews
 Phoenicians
 Lydians
 Hittites
 Assyrians
 Chaldeans
 Persians
Sumerians
 4,000BC-Independent city-states
 Contributions
 Cuneiform on clay tablets
 System of numbers based on 60
Basis of time and rotation units
 Architecture
Invented arch
Built ziggurats
Babylonians
 1750 BC led by
Hammurabi
 Conquered other citystates
 Contributions
 Code of Hammurabi
 Astronomy
Led to astrology
Hebrews
 1400-1200 BC-moved from SE tip
of Fertile Crescent to SW
Conquered by various
Mesopotamian peoples
 Contributions
Monotheism
Old Testament
Emphasis on high
moral principles
Phoenicians
 1200-800 BC-north of Palestine on
Mediterranean coast
 Traded throughout Mediterranean
 Established colonies
 Specialized in purple (royal color)
 Contributions
 Missionaries of civilization
 Alphabet
Lydians
 After 1000 BC lived in Asia Minor
 Contribution
 Coinage of money
Hittites
 About 2000 BC
appeared in northern
Asia Minor (area rich
in iron)
 Contribution
 Iron
Assyrians
 After 800 BC built an empire
 Learned about iron from Hittites
 Conquered Fertile Crescent/Egypt
 Terrorized enemies and subjects
 Contributions
 Government
 Divided empire into provinces
 Built military roads
 Library
 Art
Chaldeans
 612 BC overthrew
Assyrians
 Gained control of Fertile Crescent
 Established 2nd Babylonian Empire
 Contributions
 Architecture
Nebuchadnezzar-Hanging Gardens of
Babylon
 Astronomy
Persians
 6th century BC expanded from Plateau
of Iran
 Largest empire yet seen
 Contributions
 Government
 Provinces ruled by satrap
 Eyes and Ears of the King
 Roads for military and trade
 Coined money
Persians (cont’d.)
 Contributions
 Spread of culture
Treated subject peoples humanely
Adopted ideas and practices from their
conquered peoples
Stimulated interchange among peoples
 Religion
Good and evil
River Valley
Civilizations
Egypt
Mesopotamia