1. Ancient River Valley Civilizations
Global 2R
Spring 2009

2. Pre-history Pre-historic = before written records
Two periods of pre-history to know
Paleolithic
Neolithic

3. Pre-history Paleolithic (Old) Stone age period
Stone primary material for tools
Hunter-gathers
Nomadic lifestyle

4. Pre-history Neolithic Age (New) stone age
Stone still primary tool material
Agriculture
Domestication of animals
Some settlement
Some nomadic groups

5. Farming
1st Agricultural Revolution
Neolithic
Age
Paleolithic
Age

6. Surplus Food
Neolithic
Age
People Start to Settle
Develop Civilization

7. Civilization
A form of culture, characterized by cities,specialized workers, complex institutions, record-keeping and advanced technology

8. Civilization
To be a civilization, society must have a majority of these:
Cities Specialized labor
Government Science & tech
Religion Art
Taxes Social classes
Written language

9. River valley Civilizations
Helpful Hint:
Know one of these cold
Be very familiar with a second
Have heard of a third

10. Tigris & Euphrates Located in modern Iraq
Known as Mesopotamia (land between 2 rivers)
Known as Fertile Crescent
Look for the only green in the brownish Middle east on the map
Rivers empty into Persian Gulf

12. Tigris & Euphrates The geography does not help Unpredictable flooding
No natural barriers to invasion
Plenty of fresh water for farming and drinking
Access to trade/travel & cultural diffusion
Silt deposited by rivers

13. Tigris & Euphrates Geography does not help, but problems solved
For defense, walls of mud bricks were built
Trade of grain, cloth and tools brought in natural raw materials like stone, wood and metal

14. Tigris & Euphrates Main crops grown were barley & wheat
Surpluses produced led to development of different civilizations in the region

15. Tigris & Euphrates Cities associated with Mesopotamia Sumer Akkad
Babylon Ur

16. Tigris & Euphrates Sumer Polytheism Run by soldiers
Temples called Ziggurats
Invented sail, plow, wheel & 1st to use bronze
Developed geometry & arithmetic

17. Tigris & Euphrates Sumer Developed arches, columns, ramps
Developed cuneiform (wedge writing in wet mud which was allowed to dry)

18. Tigris & Euphrates Akkad Sargon of Akkad conquered Sumer
Created world’s first empire
Dynasty lasted 200 years

19. Tigris & Euphrates Babylon Based on Euphrates river
Empire hit peak under Hammurabi
Hammurabi’s Code

20. Tigris & Euphrates Hammurabi’s Code
Needed single, unified code of law to unify people
Written in stone
Placed throughout the empire
“eye for an eye”
Law applied to everyone, but applied differently to men/women & rich/poor

21. Page 33

23. Written Law Codes 10 Commandments Hammurabi’s Code Draco’s Code
12 Tables
Justinian’s Code
Napoleonic Code

24. Nile River Valley Geographic Issues
Floods predictably (develop calendar)
River deposits silt on banks
Access to travel/trade
Grow papyrus (turn into paper)
River flows north into Mediterranean Sea
Egyptians forced to live close to river (little cultural diffusion)

26. Nile River Valley Egypt = “gift of the Nile”
Without the river there is no Egyptian civilization
Silt very fertile
Desert very harsh
Irrigation ditches to water crops
Surpluses led to civilization

27. Nile River Valley Egypt Polytheism Kings (pharaohs were god-kings)
Egyptian government was theocracy (based on religious teaching/rules)

28. Nile River Valley Egypt Pyramids were actually tombs for pharaohs
Pharaohs were mummified
Bodies dried and preserved for use in the afterlife

29. Nile River Valley Egypt Writing developed called hieroglyphics
Glyphs are symbols/pictures
First written on stone
Hieroglyphics written on early paper made from papyrus

30. Nile River Valley Egypt Developed very accurate calendar
Developed arithmetic & geometry
First to use stone columns
Developed early medical procedures for broken bones, wounds & fevers

31. Indus River Valley Indus = India (you cannot forget this!!)
Indus River starts in Himalaya mountains & flows to Arabian Sea
Himalayas natural boundary
Unpredictable flooding

33. Indus River Valley Indus sites not fully discovered yet
No kings/queens known
Few available records
Was largest empire until Persia develops 1000 years later

34. Indus River Valley Two main cities of the Indus Valley Harappa
Mohenjo-Daro
Both carefully planned & laid out in a grid pattern
Structures built of oven-fired bricks
Homes had indoor plumbing

35. Indus River Valley
Archaeologists believe the 2 cities had strong organized government
Food seemed to be in good supply
City planning indicates development of mathematical skills
Indus first to cultivate cotton
Polytheistic religious beliefs

36. Huang He River Valley China’s geography has isolated it
Chinese developed belief that China was the center of the Earth & source of all civilization
China to south & southwest hemmed in by Tien Shan & Himalaya mountains

37. Huang He River Valley China’s history began in Huang He Valley
People learned to farm during the Neolithic Age
The yellow soil particles in the river give it its name “Yellow”
Also known as “China’s Sorrow” because of the unpredictable flooding

38. Huang He River Valley
The flooding is due in part to the loess in the water that raises the level of the river
Flooding has often been disastrous
First Chinese in the valley to develop were the Shang
Zhou overthrew the Shang
Developed Mandate of Heaven idea

39. Huang He River Valley
Mandate of Heaven says that the gods allowed a dynasty to rule until that dynasty got old & corrupt
New dynasty was given new Mandate of Heaven to over throw old
This changing of dynasties is called the Dynastic Cycle

40. Time goes by; new becomes old
Dynastic Cycle
New Dynasty
Problems
Old Dynasty
Brings peace
Builds roads
Land to peasants
Protects people
Floods
Quakes
Revolts
Invaders
Too many taxes
No protection
Unfair treatment
No building

41. Huang He River Valley By 1000 BC Chinese had develop silk production
Chinese also produced first books under the Zhou
Also produced porcelain, writing, coined money and cast iron

42. Other Civilizations to Consider
Indo-European Civilizations
Aryans
Hittites

43. Aryans Developed Caste System Lighter skin, higher caste
Aryans blended cultures
Brought in Hinduism
Believed in reincarnation
Karma & dharma
Cows are sacred

44. Hittites Centered in Anatolia (modern Turkey, Asia Minor)
Developed iron technology
Developed the chariot which changed warfare dramatically

45. Other Civilizations to Consider
Fertile Crescent
Phoenicians
Coast of eastern Mediterranean Sea
“Pop-Eyes” of the ancient world
Carriers of civilization
Created alphabet (“Hooked on Phonics”)

46. Hebrews Centered in the area of modern Israel/Palestine
Hebrews are first monotheistic people
Torah is holy book (same as Old Testament of Christian Bible)
Abraham starts religion
God is Yahweh
Hebrews are God’s “chosen people”
Hebrews have a covenant with God

47. Hebrews Enslaved in Egypt Led out of Egypt by Moses
Moses presents Hebrews with God’s rules known as 10 Commandments
Settled in modern Israel

48. Hebrews Romans show up in Middle East
Jews forced out between 75 & 135 AD
Known as period of Diaspora (dispersal)
Jews spread from Palestine to eastern Europe

49. Final Thoughts How are these groups similar? How are they different?
What did they contribute to the world?
What impact did geography have on each society?