2. Sumer  between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers  plain area called Mesopotamia  unpredictable floods  limited natural resources Ancient Egypt  along great Nile River  called “Gift of the Nile”  cataracts = rapids  delta: broad, marshy triangular area with deposits of soil

3.  polytheistic: many gods, about 3,000  gods were all powerful and immortal, humans were servants  souls of dead went to “land of no return”  kings were gods  pharaohs: god-kings  polytheistic: about 2,000  Ra = sun  Iris = ideal mother/wife  Orisis = chose afterlife

4.  Epic of Gilgamesh  epic myth about unsuccessful quest for immortality  crude pictographs  hieroglyphics (sacred carvings)  wrote on dried papyrus

5.  city-states: each city and the surrounding land it controlled  ziggurats at the center, where priests appealed to gods for well-being  warriors had control of armies  dynasties: when rules were from one family  divided into Upper and Lower Egypt  Menes united in 3000 B.C.E.  theocracy: ruler is a divine figure  pharaohs promoted truth and justices

7.  invented wheel, sail, and plow  first to use bronze  first system of writing: cuneiform  arches, number system base 60, geometry  creation of pyramids from limestone/granite  Mummification (to preserve the dead)  written numbers  medicine and surgery

9.  priests/kings were highest, then merchants, workers, slaves lowest  women had some rights, not education  royal families were highest, then government officials, priest and commanders  below them were the merchants/artisans, and the unskilled laborers  women equal to men

10.  When comparing and contrasting, consider using a few of these categories to help organize your essay and provide a solid comparison.  Political  Economic  Social  Cultural  Intellectual  Religious  Geographic

11.  Topic sentence – introduces the category or point; could be directly from introduction paragraph  Clincher sentence – sums up what you just said and is the main point to take away from that paragraph

12.  Each item listed is 1 point for a total of 18 points.  17 more points will come from my being able to read your essay, emailing me a copy if it is typed, signing the honor code somewhere on your essay, etc.  Essays will typically be worth 55 points, this first one will only be 35 points.