The Four River Valley Civilizations

I. Tigris-Euphrates Rivers Located in the Middle East (modern-day Iraq) Often called Mesopotamia (“land between the rivers”) First example of human civilization By 4000 - 3500 B.C.E. Farmers were working with some metals, invented the wheel Flourishing culture Written language – cuneiform, developed by the Sumerians Complex religious beliefs Sumerians erected shrines and massive monuments, called ziggurats, to honor gods Some ideas (gods’ creation of earth, floods) can be found in various religions

I. continued… Highly organized Lasting belief systems Relied on city-states – small, autonomous regions ruled by a king Developed strict class systems – kings, noble class, priests controlled most land Regulated system of laws and courts Babylonian leader, Hammurabi, set early code of law in stone Lasting belief systems Judaism – earliest monotheistic religion

II. Nile River Located in northern Africa, modern-day Egypt 3000 B.C.E. Ruled by a pharaoh, or king Considered to be directly descended from the gods Complex religious and political rituals Book of the Dead – guided the soul to the afterlife Mummification of bodies – preserved those with elite status for eternity Theocracy – ruled through laws based on religion Development of writing Hieroglyphics – comes from Greek words meaning “sacred carving” More complex than cuneiform Used papyrus reeds to make a paper-like writing surface

III. Indus River Located in modern-day Pakistan, near India’s border 2500 B.C.E. Advanced cities Sophisticated city planning, running water Harappa, Mohenjo Daro Traded with Mesopotamia, but developed independently Developed system of writing, but never been translated Thought to be a theocracy, religion a precursor to Hinduism Environment and invasions a factor in disappearance Monsoons, floods Nomadic invaders (Aryan tribes)

IV. Huanghe (Yellow River) Located in northern half of modern-day China Flows from central China to east coast About 2000 B.C.E. Developed independently from other civilizations Largely cut off from contact with outside world by geography (desert, mountains, ocean) Developed sophisticated irrigations systems Controlled flooding of Yellow River Early pioneers in science and weapon/tool-making Developed unique written language based on ideographic symbols Early religious beliefs based on spirits, centered around family Social classes divided society Nobles and peasants Established system of feudalism – nobles owned all the land that peasants worked Rigid political system develops – paves way for dynastic system Shang dynasty was earliest – 1500 B.C.E.

Key Vocabulary – Chapter 1 (Part 2) Mesopotamia Sumerians City-states Hammurabi Pharaoh Pyramids Indus Valley Harappa/Mohenjo Daro Huanghe (Yellow River) Ideographic Shang Monotheism