Describe the geography of each civilization Identify the five characteristics for each civ. Compare and contrast each civ.
The 1 st Civilization on Earth
Located between and around the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers Unpredictable rain! Rivers flood at least once per year Unpredictable floods! Mostly flat No barriers for protection! Limited natural resources
How could they battle unpredictable rains and floods? How could they protect themselves? How could they get the resources they need? Solution? Create a CIVILIZATION
T-R-I-C-S: ALL civilizations need ALL 5 of these things! Technology that is advanced Record Keeping (think writing) Institutions that are complex Cities that are advanced Specialized Workers/Labor
WHEEL invented in Sumer! Irrigation system of artificially watering crops (farming 1 st began in Sumer!) Architectural inventions arches, columns, ramps, the ziggurat Metals: Plows, weapons, tools Invented 60-second minute, 360 degrees in a circle
Created cuneiform- World s 1 st system of writing! Clay tablets Records kept: taxes Laws Rituals Debts and payments Dramatic events Scientific discoveries Astronomy, chemistry, medicine
Code of Hammurabi (from Babylon, inspired by Sumer) 1 st written Law Code: a single, uniform code of laws across the empire Engraved in stone
If a person causes the eye of another to be put out, he himself shall lose an eye. If a person has broken a hole into a house with the intent to rob it, that person shall be killed and buried outside the house. If a son has struck his father, the son s hand shall be cut off.
Code applied to everyone BUT Different punishments for rich & poor Different punishments for men & women
Earliest gov ts were combination of religion and politics- -controlled by temple priests Demanded a portion of crops as taxes A) Government: created world s 1 st gov t! Needed to: Create, and enforce, laws Collect, and spend, taxes Protect city from invasion During wars, control went to the military Eventually, the military leaders stayed in control. Dynasty- control was repeatedly passed down from father to son (You will see this term again and again!)
B) Religion Ancient Peoples believed Gods controlled nature and ALL aspects of life: Fires, floods, storms, crop success/failure, war, death, births Polytheism- belief in many gods Monotheism belief in one god
Government needed record keepers (scribes) MAINLY nobility, religious figures, and wealthy were educated Schools were created to fill this need
Large (5000+) The center of all cities: walled temple with the ziggurat (place of worship & city hall) Surrounded by fields of barley and wheat
Each city had: own government own rulers Similar culture City-state (when a city and its surrounding areas are an independent political unit)
Early humans were hunters and gatherers (nomadic: constantly moving to survive ) When farming began, humans were forced to settle down to tend to crops Farming led to a surplus of food More food = less farmers = other jobs had to be created (potters, police, scribes )
96% desert, 96% people live on 4% of land (along Nile) Nile is the longest river in the world Fertile land is very thin along the river Unpredictable flooding: Too much: destroys houses To little: people starve
Nile Delta: triangular shaped broad, marshy area formed by deposits of silt
Network of irrigation ditches to be used all fall and winter A positive: the desert kept out invaders.
Pyramids = tombs for the pharaohs They believed that kings ruled forever, even after death!
Developed a calendar based on the stars Architecture and geometry used to build the pyramids Medicine: heart rate, splints for broken bones Used the sail to travel down the Nile (Sumerians probably invented it)
Hieroglyphicsancient Egyptian writing First written on stone and clay Invented papyrus- a paper-like substance made from plants (reeds)
Egyptians were polytheistic Believed in an important after-life People of all classes planned for their burial Royal and elite people were mummified (embalming and drying the corpse to stop decay)
Leaders called pharaohs Both God and King Controlled all things Ruled by dynasties Theocracygovernment where rule is based on religious authority
Instead of city-states, Egypt had kingdoms 1. Lower Egypt- in the delta region 2. Upper Egypt- south, down the Nile Eventually united
Doctors advanced for their time Surgeons stitching cuts, setting broken bones Architects crucial for building the large pyramids and other structures Papyrus Growers became very important for records Scribes important record keepers
Important to know: Chinese believed China to be the center of the world. Thought outsiders to be barbarians!
Two rivers (where civilization began): 1. Huang He (Yellow)- named for the color of its silt 2. Chang Jiang (Yangtze) Some mountains and seas for protection, but Chinese settlements were often invaded
Coined money- improved trade Cast iron Blast furnaces Weapons Farming tools
Written language was different from spoken language Think: a Spanish speaker and an English speaker would both understand 2+5=7, but they might not understand each other when the equation is spoken aloud Huge advantage: people all over China could learn the same system of writing! Huge disadvantage: one must memorize 10,000 characters to be truly educated!
Governments were dynasties Required the mandate of heaven- belief that rulers had divine approval heaven would send signals when the ruler had lost the mandate, like floods and famines Any rebellion to overthrow ruler would be justified
Bigger than Middle Eastern cities Often strongly fortified Surrounded by rice fields Very strong community ties
Professional warriors Craftspeople: silk & porcelain workers potters, metal workers, glassmakers Peasants