Transcript ancient civilizations

Before we begin…P-E-G-AS
Political: Who controls what? What type of
government is there? Anything to do with
laws or war.
Economic: What type of economy? How
do people make a living?
Geography: Where is it? Is the land
mountainous? Desert? Oceanic?
Advances/Social: Religious, intellectual,
artistic
Ancient River Valley
Civilizations
Early River Valley
Civilizations
Mesopotamia
Sumer
• Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable
• No natural barriers
• Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings
Egypt
• Flooding of the Nile predictable
• Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages
• Deserts were natural barriers
Indus Valley
• Indus flooding unpredictable
• Monsoon winds
• Mountains, deserts were natural barriers
China
• Huang He flooding unpredictable
• Mountains, deserts natural barriers
• Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations
ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA
Oldest known
civilization
Cradle of Human
Civilization
Old Testament
Nebuchadnezzar
Ziggurat (right)
Hanging gardens
Geography
This civilization rose
in the valleys between
the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers.
Some say this Fertile
Crescent was the real
Garden of Eden.
It has few natural
barriers.
In what modern day country
was the Fertile Crescent?
Iraq
Ur, the capital city of
Mesopotamia
Political: What was the earliest kingdom
in Mesopotamia? The second?
Social
The Sumerians
invented writing
called cuneiform.
Babylonians wrote
using this “wedgeshaped” writing on
clay tablets.
Number system
based on 60.
12 month calendar
wheel, plow ,
sailboat
More cuneiform writing
Ancient Mesopotamia Social Classes
Kings,
Priests,
Gov’t
officials
Artisans,
merchants,
farmers, and
fishers
Enslaved people
More ziggurats
Hanging Gardens of Babylonia
Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar II.
Herodotus (historian in 450 B.C.) was quoted as
saying the following: "In addition to its size,
Babylon surpasses in splendor any city in the
known world."
Outer walls were 56 miles in length, 80 feet thick
and 320 feet high. Wide enough to allow a fourhorse chariot to turn.
Inside the walls were fortresses and temples
containing immense statues of solid gold.
Rising above the city was the famous Tower of
Babel, a temple to the god Marduk, that seemed to
reach to the heavens
Economic: Trade and Farming
Traditional Economy
Sumerians
(Mesopotamians) were
known to trade with
the Egyptians and the
Indus Valley
civilizations.
In later years, these
trade routes became
Silk Road.
Sumerians Invented The Wheel
The wheel was
invented by 6000 BC
It helped military,
farming and trade.
At right, this is made
of wood.
Political: Mesopotamian Law
Code of Hammurabi
“eye for an eye
tooth for a tooth”
ANCIENT EGYPT
Nile River
Mummies
Pharaohs
Rameses
King Tutankhamen
Hieroglyphics
Egyptian Civilization
Egyptian
civilization arose
after
Mesopotamia.
Geography: It
was centered
around the Nile
River.
The Nile River
Nile River
Provided fish
Supported plants and animals
Two rivers, Blue Nile and White Nile, join
to make the Nile River.
World’s longest river
Flows south to north
Floods watered the land and provided fertile
soils for crops to grow.
The Sahara Desert.
Largest desert in
the world.
Egypt is naturally
protected from
enemies because
it was surrounded
by deserts, rivers,
deltas, and
cataracts (rapids).
Delta
Pyramids
Pyramids were tombs
for the kings.
The most famous are
the Giza pyramids
(shown to left).
These were built in
3500 B.C.E.
How old are they?
Political: Egyptian Pharaohs
Egyptians were led by
Pharaohs, who were
priest-kings.
The most famous pharaoh
is King Tut.
Using computers, this
image was reconstructed
using his remains.
Eventually, Egypt was
divided into 2 kingdoms
(Upper and Lower).
Tutankhamun
Abu Simbel was built by
Ramseses II
Egypt’s Religion
They believed in many gods and goddesses
and in life after death for the pharaohs.
Hapi – main god
Isis – main goddess
Book of the Dead
Mummies
Egyptians who could
afford to do so would
have themselves
mummified.
They believed in a
better afterlife if their
body was preserved.
Mummification
Process
Took out all of the internal organs, except the
heart because it was believed to be the intelligence
and emotion of the person.
Organs were put in canopic jars, that were put in
the tomb with the mummy.
Brain was taken out through the nose because it
had no significant value.
he body was packed and covered with natron (a
salty drying agent). Then the body was left
for 40-50 days.
Mummies
Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics
Made up of
sound and
picture
symbols
Only scribes
(men) were
taught to
write
Hieroglyphics
What did Egyptians write on?
Papyrus
Also used to
make baskets,
sandals and river
rafts
The Great Sphinx is
located on the Giza
plateau, about six
miles west of Cairo.
Egyptian Social Classes
Nubia
People around the
world have learned
about the glorious past
of the Egyptian empire,
but most have failed to
learn of the Nubia,
which was sometimes
even stronger than the
Egyptian empire. Nubia
rivaled Egypt in wealth
and power, and they
mutually influenced
each other.
Egyptian Economy
Although Egypt looks
really sophisticated, the
economy is a traditional
economy based on
farming and trade.
Egyptians traded up and
down the Nile, with
Mesopotamians and
sometimes with the Indus
Valley (in Pakistan)
Indus Valley Civilization
The Land of India
Subcontinent
Himalaya Mountains
Five nations of today:
India,
Pakistan in the NW,
Nepal,
Bhutan, and
Bangladesh in NE
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Fertile River Valleys
2 river valleys: Ganges and Indus
South is dry and hilly (Deccan Plateau)
Eastern and Western coasts are lush, fertile
plains.
Monsoons
Winter – cold, dry air from mts
Summer – warm, wet air from
the Arabian Sea
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Indus River Valley
This civilization is still
mysterious.
The writing has not
been translated.
Indus River Civilization
Cities sophisticated
enough to have brick
walls surrounding
them for protection
against flooding from
the Indus River.
Ancient India’s religions
Hinduism
Buddhism
Eightfold Path
1. Know and understand the Four Noble Truths.
2. Give up worldly things and don’t harm others.
3. Tell the truth, don’t gossip, and don’t speak badly of
others.
4. Don’t commit evil acts, like killing, stealing, or living
an unclean life.
5. Do rewarding work.
6. Work for good and oppose evil.
7. Make sure your mind keeps your senses under
control.
8. Practice meditation as a way of understanding reality.
Indus Economy
Just like the other river
valley civilizations, the
Indus river valley people
were mostly farmers.
Traditional economy
They traded with the
Chinese, with the
Sumerians
(Mesopotamians) and
sometimes with the
Egyptians.
ANCIENT CHINA
Great Wall
Began 2000 B.C.
Mandate of Heaven
Dynasties
Silk
Astronomy
As in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and along the Indus River,
Chinese civilization began within a major river valley.
Modern China itself is a huge geographical expanse.
Around 4000 BC, this huge area contained an almost
infinite number of ethnic groups and languages. This
history, in which a vast area populated by diverse ethnic
groups became, over time, a more or less single culture,
began in the Yellow River Valley.
Yellow River Civilization
G:Ancient China
was formed around
the Yellow River.
The color yellow
symbolized
“centrality”, as in
China is the center
of the world.
Huang He
(Yellow River)
Chinese Accomplishments
During the Shang and
Zhou periods
achievements in
astronomy and
bronze work
learned to make silk
create books
developed a complex
system of writing.
S:Chinese Astronomy
• 2137 BC- Chinese book 书经 records the earliest known
solar eclipse on October 22nd.
• ca. 2000 BC - Chinese determine that Jupiter needs 12 years
to complete one revolution of its orbit.
• ca. 1400 BC - Chinese record the regularity of solar and
lunar eclipses and the earliest known solar variation日珥.
• ca. 1200 BC - Chinese divide the sky into twenty eight
regions 二十八宿 for recognitions of the stars.
• ca. 1100 BC - Chinese first determine the spring equinox 黄
赤交角.
• 776 BC - Chinese make the earliest reliable record of solar
eclipse.
The Chinese Language
Pictographs
Ideographs – join together two or more
pictographs to form an idea
Most characters in their language
represent whole words and not sounds.
Ancient Chinese Social Classes
Landowning
aristocrats
Peasant
farmers
Merchants
E:Chinese Invented Silk
Silk was exotic and
expensive, so it was
good for trading with
the rest of the world.
It is made from silk
worms.
Silk also makes
“paper”
Silk worm
Ancient China Economy
•Farming and
trade
•Traditional
economy
•First to
develop terrace
farming
•This method is
still used today
for rice and
other crops.
Chinese Rice Terrace
Dynasty
Xia dynasty -1st dynasty
Shang dynasty – built first Chinese cities
1750 B.C. – 1045 B.C.
Zhou dynasty
Ancient Chinese Religion
Believed in gods and spirits
Had to keep them happy by offerings of
food and other goods
Angry gods and spirits may cause a poor
harvest or armies to lose a battle
Kings received power and wisdom from
them
Ancient China