Transcript Early Civilizations

Early Civilizations:
China
Geography
 Natural
Barriers:
 Surrounded by three of the
most imposing barriers.
 1.
Gobi Desert
 2.
Pacific Ocean
 3.
Himalaya Mountains
 Because
of their geography,
China developed with little
influence from others – unique
culture.
 Saw themselves as special and
at the center of the civilized
world.
 They named China the MIDDLE
KINGDOM.
Dynasties
 Chinese
governments consisted
of different family dynasties.
 Huang
He and Yangtze Rivers:
 Most suitable land for farming
between these.
 Flooding
could be beneficial or
destructive and devour entire
villages.
 The
Huang He is
called the Yellow
River because of
the color of its
silt.
Shang Dynasty
 Most
important city was
Anyang.
 Strict
division between nobles
(professional warriors) and
peasants.
 Women were inferior.
 Religion
based
on spirits of
family ancestors
and consulting
gods through
oracle bones.
 Written
language
has over 40,000
characters.
 Use
of bronze, silk.
Zhou Dynasty
 More
cities.
 Use of iron weapons and tools.
 Coined money.
 Roads
and canals.
 Civil servants.
 Constant warfare among
warlords.
 New ideas.
 feudalism-a
political system in
which nobles are granted the
use of lands that legally belong
to their king in exchange for
their loyalty, military service,
and protection of the people
who live on the land.
 dynastic
cycle-the historical
pattern of the rise, decline, and
replacement of dynasties.
 Mandate of Heaven-in Chinese
history, the divine approval
thought to be the basis of royal
authority.
Qin Dynasty
 Harsh
government
control.
 Unified China.
 Began
the Great Wall.
Dynastic Cycle: Mandate of
Heaven
 Strong
dynasty establishes peace
and has the Mandate of Heaven.
 Over
time, the dynasty declines
and becomes corrupt; taxes are
raised.
 Disasters
strike; floods, famines,
peasant revolts, and invasions
occur.
 The
old dynasty had
lost the Mandate of
Heaven; therefore
rebellion is justified.
 Old dynasty is
overthrown through
rebellion and new
dynasty emerges.
 New
dynasty restores peace and
now claims to have the Mandate of
Heaven.