Final Exam Review Day 1- Mesopotamia slides Front of worksheet (Mesopotamia questions only)

River Valley Civilizations 3500 to 500 BC The “Cradles of Civilization”

Where did the earliest civilizations develop? River valleys

Why did ancient civilizations develop in river valleys? They had rich soil for agriculture because periodic flooding left silt which made the soil rich in nutrients

They were protected by geographic barriers (mountains, deserts, seas, jungles, etc.)

Where were the earliest civilizations located and when did they exist? E MI C

River Valley Civilizations Mesopotamia in Southwest Asia Egypt in Northeast Africa India in South Asia China in East Asia From west to east “EMIC” (3500 BC to 500 BC)

Evidence of Early Civilizations Video

What were some characteristics of the Ancient River Valley civilizations?

Mesopotamia: Sumer Geography Mesopotamia was a region located in the part of the Fertile Crescent that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Mesopotamia

Present-day Iraq (Middle East).

Protected on three sides by mountains, deserts and the Persian Gulf (but vulnerable to invaders from the north)

Sumer was the first known civilization It arose in southern Mesopotamia Sumerian Government

Sumer Sumer was made up of 12 independent city- states each ruled by its own king. City-state: A city and the surrounding land

Cuneiform: the first written language (w edge writing)

Irrigation: brought water from the rivers to the fields during the dry summer months

Bronze Smelted from copper and tin

Other Sumerian Accomplishments Plow Ziggurats Wheeled vehicles Number system based on 60 “Epic of Gilgamesh”- was a legend or long story about a “superhero” named Gilgamesh (thought to be part human, part god). It is one of the oldest works of literature we know about.

Sumerian Inventions

Babylonian Empire The first empire to arise in Mesopotamia Empire: several peoples, nations, or previously independent states under the control of one ruler.

Code of Hammurabi First set of published laws Based on the principle of an “eye for an eye” Laws differed based on class

Mesopotamia Rap

Final Exam Review Day 2- Egypt and India slides Back of worksheet (Egypt & India questions only)

Egypt Geography Nile Delta and Nile River Valley (Northeast Africa) -Click map below for song

Nile Delta The delta was located in Lower Egypt (northern Egypt - lower in elevation) Delta: broad, marshy, triangular area of land formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of a river.

Protected by deserts and seas View from space shuttle

Egyptian Government Pharoahs were rulers thought to be gods. They had absolute power (complete control) over the Egyptian Empire. They were thought to be responsible for making the sun rise, the Nile flood, and crops grow.

Egypt, had a rigid class system and slavery was accepted.

Egyptian Religion Like other River Valley peoples, Egyptians were polytheistic (believed in many gods).

Egyptian Writing Hieroglyphics: Pictures stood for sounds as well as ideas

Egypt Video clips 3000 years of civilization Egypt and the Nile

India: Indus Valley Civilization

Geography Located on the Indus River in present-day Pakistan (Indian subcontinent).

Indus River Flood Plain

Natural Barriers The Himalayan and the Hindu Kush Mountains as well as the Indian Ocean protected the Indian subcontinent from invasion.

Indus Valley Government Made up of independent city-states including Harappa, and Mohenjo-Daro (and 2500 other sites)

Indus Valley Video

Indus Valley Achievements Plumbing The great bath at Mohenjo-Daro

Cotton Cloth first to cultivate cotton and weave its fibers into cloth (textiles)

Writing has not been deciphered

Ancient India Song

Final Exam Review Day 3- China slides Worksheet…

China Geography Huang He River

Also called the Yellow River and the River of Sorrows (yellow silt caused flooding)

Flooding of the Huang He Satellite images before after

Protected by the Gobi desert, Himalayan Mountains, Pacific Ocean, dense jungles

Chinese Government China was ruled by a succession of ruling families called dynasties (Early dynasties: Shang and Zhou)

China Song

Chinese rulers were considered divine (god- like).

They served under a mandate of heaven (approval of the gods) only as long as their rule was just

Dynastic Cycle: Explains the rise and fall of families of rulers

Ancestor Worship The Chinese believed that the spirits of family ancestors could bring good fortune or disaster They paid respect to family ancestors and made sacrifices in their honor

Silk cloth (made from the cocoons of silkworms). Early Chinese Achievements

Writing: The earliest evidence of Chinese writing is found on oracle bones. Characters stood for ideas, not sounds.

Irrigation: Water wheels were used to bring river water to the fields

Bronze Bronze vessel used for sacrificial food

Legend of Shang Dynasty Video Clip