Transcript Ancient-Inda-China-Mesoamerica-Africa

Chapter 3, Section 1
Geography of the Indian Subcontinent
The Indus Valley is located
on the subcontinent of
India.
Chapter 3, Section 1
Indus Valley Civilization
The earliest Indian civilization flourished for about 1,000
years, then vanished without a trace. Archaeologists
have only recently begun to uncover evidence of these
early people, whose civilization included the following
characteristics:
Well-organized government
Modern plumbing and sewer system
Carefully planned cities
Most people were farmers
First people to cultivate cotton
Covered largest area of any civilization until the rise of Persia 1,000
years later
Traded with distant lands, including Sumer
Polytheistic; honored mother goddess; worship of sacred animals
influenced the later veneration of cattle
Chapter 3, Section 1
Decline and Disappearance of Indus Valley
Civilization
No one knows for certain why the cities were abandoned
and forgotten. Scholars have proposed a number of
theories:
• Too many trees were cut down.
• A devastating earthquake destroyed the region.
• A volcanic eruption caused the Indus to flood the city.
• Aryan invaders overran the region.
Chapter 3, Section
Video Clip of Ancient Indian Civilizations
Chapter 3, Section 3
The Geography of China
China was the most isolated of the civilizations studied thus
far.
Long distances and physical barriers separated China from
Egypt, the Middle East, and India.
Isolation contributed to the Chinese belief that China was the
center of the earth and the only civilization.
As in Egypt and Mesopotamia, Chinese civilization began in
a river valley, the Huang He.
Chapter 3, Section 3
Chinese civilization took shape under the Shang and Zhou.
Shang Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty
(1650 B.C.–1027 B.C.)
(1027 B.C.–256 B.C.)
Gained control of corner of
northern China along Huang
He.
Drove off nomads from
northern steppes and
deserts.
Held complex religious
beliefs.
Developed written language
used by all Chinese people.
Overthrew the Shang.
Promoted idea of Mandate
of Heaven.
Set up feudal state.
Economy and commerce
grew.
Population increased.
Chapter 3, Section 3
The Dynastic Cycle in China
The dynastic cycle refers to the rise and fall of dynasties.
Chapter 3, Section 3
Cultural Achievements
The Chinese made progress in many areas during the Shang
and Zhou periods.
Discovered how to make silk thread. Silk became China’s most
valuable export. Trade route to the Middle East became known as
Silk Road.
Made the first books from wood or bamboo.
Studied the movement of planets and recorded eclipses of the sun.
Developed accurate calendar with 365 1/4 days.
Made remarkable achievements in the art of bronzemaking.
Chapter 3, Section
Chapter 3, Section 1
Geography of the Americas
Chapter 3, Section 1
Settling the Americas
Some 30,000 years ago, Paleolithic hunters crossed
a land bridge to reach North America from Asia.
About 10,000 B.C., global warming killed off game
animals and forced the nomadic hunter-gatherers to
migrate eastward and southward across the
Americas.
The first Americans adapted to a variety of climates
and resources, ranging from the hot, wet climate
near the Equator to icy, treeless lands in the far
north.
Chapter 3, Section 1
The Olmecs and the Mayas
OLMECS
MAYAS
Were the earliest American
civilization
Developed complex irrigation
methods for farming
Had powerful priests and
aristocrats at the top of society
Built towering pyramid temples
in Tikal
Built ceremonial centers
Traded extensively across
Middle America
Spread influence through trade
Developed calendar
Introduced tradition of priestly
leadership and religious
devotion
Developed hieroglyphic writing
system
Developed accurate calendar
and numbering system
Abandoned cities around A.D.
900
Chapter 3, Section
Mayan Civilization Video
Chapter 3, Section 1
Arrival of the Aztecs
• In the late 1200s, nomadic ancestors of the Aztecs
migrated into the Valley of Mexico.
• The Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlán.
• In the 1400s, the Aztecs greatly expanded their
territory through conquests and alliances.
By 1500, the Aztec empire spread from the Gulf of
Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and numbered 30
million people.
Chapter 3, Section 1
Aztec Society
GOVERNMENT &
SOCIETY
The empire had a single
ruler.
RELIGION
Priests were a special
class.
Slaves could own and buy The sun god was the chief
freedom.
Aztec god.
Long-distance traders
traveled around the
empire and beyond.
Aztecs practiced human
sacrifice on a massive
scale.
LEARNING
Priests recorded Aztec
knowledge and ran
schools for sons of
nobles.
Some priests were
astronomers or
mathematicians.
Chapter 3, Section
Aztec Civilization Video
Chapter 3, Section 2
Early Peoples of Peru
CHAVIN
Built huge temple
complex
Worshiped ferociouslooking god
Chavin art and religion
influenced later
peoples of Peru
MOCHICA
Were skilled farmers who
developed methods of
terracing, irrigation, and
fertilization of the soil
Organized relay-runners
to carry messages
Perfected skills in textile
production, goldwork, and
woodcarving
NAZCA
Etched glyphs in the
desert. A glyph is a
pictograph or symbol
carved into a surface.
Chapter 3, Section 2
The Incan Empire
The Incas built a complex civilization that relied on
order and absolute authority.
• They ran an efficient government with a chain of
command reaching to every village.
• They imposed their own language and religion on the
people.
• They created one of the great road systems in history,
allowing armies and news to travel rapidly around the
empire.
• They posted runners throughout the empire to carry
news of revolts and soldiers to quickly crush them.
• They prohibited ordinary people from using the roads
at all.
Chapter 3, Section 2
Incan Government
Chapter 3, Section 2
Daily Life
• The Incas strictly regulated the lives of millions of people
within their empire
• Government officials arranged marriages.
• Community leaders assigned jobs to each family and organized
the community to work the land.
• Farmers had to spend part of each year working land for the
emperor and the temples.
• Government officials controlled the harvest.
Chapter 3, Section
Incan Video
Chapter 3, Section 1
Geography and Climates of Africa
Africa’s many
climate zones and
landforms have
encouraged the
development of a
wide variety of
cultures.
Chapter 3, Section 1
The Bantu Migrations
About 2500 B.C., the Sahara
began to dry out.
Through the process of
desertification, the land became dry
and the desert spread. Desertification
encouraged migration, as people were
forced to seek new places to live.
Over thousands of years, migration has
contributed to the rich diversity of
people and cultures in Africa.
Chapter 3, Section 1
The Kingdom of Nubia
Rulers adopted many
Egyptian traditions.
Nubians worshiped their own god.
Artistic styles reflected a sense of
freedom.
The Nubian capital, Meroë,
commanded important northsouth & east-west trade routes.
Nubians created their own system of
writing.
Meroë had a booming iron industry.
Chapter 3, Section 1
North Africa
Through warfare and trade, many outside influences
helped to shape North Africa.
• Under Roman rule, Christianity spread to the
cities of North Africa. The Romans also built
roads, dams, aqueducts, and cities across the
region.
• Camels brought from Asia revolutionized trade
across the Sahara.
• In the 600s, Arab armies carried Islam to North
Africa. Islam replaced Christianity as the dominant
religion of the region, and Arabic became the
primary language.
Chapter 3, Section 2
West African Kingdoms and Trading States
Chapter 3, Section 2
Trading Gold and Salt
Two products, gold and salt, dominated the Sahara trade
route.
• Gold was plentiful in the West African savanna.
• Salt, which people need in their diet, was scarce in
the savanna but abundant in the Sahara.
• West Africans sent gold across the Sahara to
markets in North Africa and Europe. In return for
gold, they received salt.
Chapter 3, Section 2
Ghana, Mali, and Songhai
As farming and trade prospered, several strong monarchs gained
control of the most profitable trade routes and built powerful
kingdoms.
GHANA
Strong rulers united many
farming villages to create
the kingdom of Ghana.
The king controlled gold-salt
trade routes across West
Africa and collected tolls on
all goods entering and
leaving Ghana.
MALI
Mansas, or kings, expanded
their influence over goldmining regions and salt
supplies.
Mansa Musa pushed Mali’s
borders westward and
northward.
SONGHAI
Sonni Ali forged the largest
state that had ever existed in
West Africa.
The kingdom gained control
of trade routes and wealthy
cities like Timbuktu.
Chapter 3, Section 2
Other Kingdoms of West Africa
In the period from 500 to 1500, other kingdoms
flourished in various parts of West Africa.
THE HAUSA
Built a number of clay-walled
cities, which expanded into
thriving commercial centers
BENIN
Built farming villages in the
rain forests
Traded pepper, ivory, and
Traded with merchants as far
slaves to their neighbors in
away as North Africa and
the savanna
southern Europe
Developed a written
language based on Arabic
Had many women rulers
Created unique sculptures
out of bronze and brass