Transcript Ancient Civilizations

Basic elements of civilization
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Political (territory-based) institutions
Organized religion
Urban/administrative centers
Hierarchical system of classes
Taxation (far from universal)
Division, specialization of labor
Further technological development
Trade (but note Paleolithic luxury trade)
Writing (a late step!)
Ancient Civilizations:
A comparative analysis of ancient
Egypt and Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
-Mesopotamia is a Greek word meaning
'between the rivers'.
- The rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates which
flow through modern Iraq. The Euphrates also
flows through much of Syria.
Where?
• Ancient Mesopotamia lay in what we know today
as Iraq, northeast Syria, and part of southeast
Turkey.
• It stretched from the Persian Gulf northwest
through the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers.
• It was part of an area known as the ‘Fertile
Crescent: Stretching from the Persian gulf
through Northeast Syria to the Mediterranean
Sea.
Modern Map of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamian Cities
• Mesopotamia is made up of
different regions, each with its
own geography.
• The geography of each area
and the natural resources
found there affected the ways
that people lived.
Northern Mesopotamia
• Northern Mesopotamia is made up
of hills and plains. The land is quite
fertile due to seasonal rains, and the
rivers and streams flowing from the
mountains. Early settlers farmed the
land and used timber, metals and
stone from the mountains nearby.
Southern Mesopotamia
• Southern Mesopotamia is made up of
marshy areas and wide, flat, barren
plains. Cities developed along the rivers
which flow through the region. Early
settlers had to irrigate the land along
the banks of the rivers in order for their
crops to grow. Since they did not have
many natural resources, contact with
neighbouring lands was important.
Farming/Irrigation
• Farmers in ancient Sumer grew
imported crops like barley in a land
without much rainfall and with a limited
water supply.
• One of the ways that they were able to
do this was through developing a
system for controlling the flow and
direction of water from the river.
Farming Irrigation
• Canals and irrigation ditches were
built for redirecting the water to the
fields used for farming.
• Regulators were then used to raise
and lower the water levels in the
canals and ditches so the water could
be used by the farmers.
Farming Irrigation
• During the growing season, each farmer was
allowed only a certain amount of water.
• When it was a farmer's turn to water his
fields the regulator was adjusted so that
water ran from the canal into an irrigation
ditch which ran alongside the farmer's fields.
The farmer could then water his fields.
Geo-Political Overview
• Four main Peoples dominated
Mesopotamia in turn: the
Sumerians, the Babylonians, the
Assyrians, and the Chaldeans.
Sumerian Map
Sumerians: 3500BCE to 1900BCE
• Sumerians came down the banks of the
Euphrates and Tigris rivers sometime around
3500 BCE from the mountains to the northeast.
• Small farming communities grew into the some of
the first great cities of the world.
• In the first 1000 years Sumerians lived in
independent city states, ruled by separate kings.
• Bronze age begins
Babylonians: 1900BCE to 1300BCE*
Babylonians:
• Amorites set up their capital in Babylonia
around 1900BCE
• Hammurabi Law Code is developed
• One of the first known uses of currency
• Hittites destroy empire 1595BCE
• Kassites conquer area and rule until 1555BCE
when they are displaced by Assyrians.
Assyrians: 1300BCE to 609BCE
Assyrians
• Placed importance on science and
mathematics
• Large empire expanded into Egypt
• Learned to make iron from the Hitties
Chaldeans: 609BCE to 530BCE
Chaldeans
• Babylon once again an important centre in
Mesopotamia
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon constructed
• King Nebuchanezzar
• Interests in astronomy leads to more efficient
calendars
Ancient Mesopotamian Map
Mesopotamian Natural Resources
Egypt
Egyptian Geography
• The ancient Egyptians thought
of Egypt as being divided into
two types of land, the 'black
land' and the 'red land'.
Egyptian geography: Black land
• The 'black land' was the fertile land
on the banks of the Nile. The ancient
Egyptians used this land for growing
their crops. This was the only land in
ancient Egypt that could be farmed
because a layer of rich, black silt was
deposited there every year after the
Nile flooded.
Egyptian Geography: Red land
• The 'red land' was the barren desert
that protected Egypt on two sides.
These deserts separated ancient
Egypt from neighbouring countries
and invading armies. They also
provided the ancient Egyptians with
a source for precious metals and
semi-precious stones.
Geographical Features
Natural Resources
Oasis
• An oasis is an area of land in the
middle of a desert with a natural
water source. Some of the oases in
ancient Egypt were large enough so
that people could settle there and
grow fruit and grain. One oasis was
actually the site of a vineyard which
produced wine for the pharaoh.
Quarries
• The ancient Egyptians quarried many
different types of stone. Limestone,
sandstone and granite were some of
the most common stones used in
making statues, and building temples
and pyramids.
Mines
The mines of the eastern desert
produced important natural resources
like gold and semi-precious stones.
• The ancient Egyptians used these
materials to make jewellery and special
objects for the pharaoh and his family,
members of the nobility, and temples.
Archaeological Sites
Egyptian Terrain Map