Early River Civilizations

Mesopotamia (Tigris and Euphrates) Egypt (Nile) India (Indus and Ganges) China (Yellow and Yangtze)

Civilization Contributions Geography

BELLWORK (Entry 6) In notebook, write down the question and answer: List three reasons why early civilizations settled near rivers. Also, send one person from your group to get two pieces of paper for each person (on front table)

Neolithic Revolution The first agricultural revolution – the shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement.

Civilization Advanced cities Specialized workers Complex institutions Record keeping Improved technology

Mesopotamia Also known as the Fertile Crescent or the Cradle of Civilization. People settled here in 4500 BCE.

There were LOTS of disadvantages to living here… Unpredictable flooding and droughts No natural barriers for protection, defenseless against attack Limited natural resources, building materials were scarce

…but, they were problem solvers! Dug irrigation ditches that brought water to crops Built city walls with mud bricks Traded their grain, cloth and crafted tools with people of the mountains and deserts and as a result, got the raw materials that they needed: stone, wood and metal

Mesopotamia - CIVILIZATION 1st Civilization – advanced cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and technology. 4500 BCE

Mesopotamia - CONTRIBUTIONS Hammurabi’s Code, Wheel, Sail, Plow, geometry, 60 seconds in a minute (units to measure time), 360 degrees in a circle, cuneiform (written language), architecture (arches, columns, ramps) CHOOSE THREE TO WRITE DOWN

Mesopotamia - GEOGRAPHY Present day Iraq Awesome farming Limited natural resources Flooding and drought No natural barriers

Nile River Yearly floods made the land surrounding the river fertile, predictable However, there were still risks Low river – crops reduced and thousands of people starve High river – floods destroyed homes, granaries, and seeds Deserts surrounding region isolated people, reduced interaction with other people

Egyptian Culture Polytheistic – belief in many gods Believed in ka, or eternal life Theocracy – Pharoahs were rulers and were thought to be almost as powerful as gods themselves Social classes

Nile - CIVILIZATION Theocracy Pyramids Social Classes

Nile - CONTRIBUTIONS Hieroglyphics, papyrus, 365 day calendar, system of numbers used for counting, adding and subtracting, pyramids, measuring heart rate, first surgeries, set bones CHOOSE THREE TO WRITE DOWN

Nile - GEOGRAPHY Egypt Predictable weather isolated

Bellwork: Please take out your foldable from Friday. Review the major contributions made by the Mesopotamian and Nile River civilizations. If you were absent, come to the front table to get two pieces of paper and set your foldable up by looking on with a neighbor.

Indus and Ganges Rivers Area between Himalayas and Arabian Sea Mountains in the north and desert in the east help prevent invasion

Annual monsoons – June-October - winds blow eastward from the southwest carrying massive amounts of rain Environmental challenges existed Yearly floods deposit rich soil, but unpredictable Rivers changed course Cycle of wet and dry seasons unpredictable

Indus and Ganges - CIVILIZATION Indus River was key trade route Theocracy – links to modern Hinduism No social divisions Had excess Peaceful Written language – has not been deciphered

Indus and Ganges - CONTRIBUTIONS Domesticated sheep and goats, bricks were oven-baked and uniform in size, plumbing and sewage systems, strong central government, three-story buildings. CHOOSE THREE TO WRITE DOWN

Indus and Ganges - GEOGRAPHY Indian subcontinent Natural barriers for protection – mountains and deserts Monsoons

Yellow and Yangtze Rivers Huang He (Yellow River) and Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) Like all of the other river civilizations, they faced challenges as well Flooding Geographic isolation – had to provide everything for themselves Consistent invasions from the west and north

Dynasties Family was the center of culture – respect for elders Women were considered inferior, but could boost their status by bearing sons Social divisions Believed in spirits of ancestors, a supreme God, and lesser gods Written language – characters – consistent throughout China Feudalism

Yellow and Yangtze - CIVILIZATION Dynasties Feudalism Social divisions

Yellow and Yangtze - CONTRIBUTIONS Horse drawn chariot, coined money, blast furnaces produced cast iron and the emergence of weapons – daggers, swords, farm tools, etc. Construction of roads and canals to stimulate trade. CHOOSE THREE TO WRITE DOWN

Yellow and Yangtze - GEOGRAPHY China 10% China suitable for farming Geographic isolation Susceptible to attack

Map Use an atlas to complete the following: Label the seven rivers we discussed Indus Ganges Tigris Euphrates Nile Yellow Yangtze Highlight/shade the four ancient river civilization regions and label them. Pages 90-91 and page 18