Chapter 2 First Civilizations: Africa & Asia 3200 B.C.-500 B.C. Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile Section 2: Egyptian Civilization Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Section 5: The Roots of Judaism

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile Summary: Historians split ancient Egyptian history into 3 periods 1.) The Old Kingdom 2.) The Middle Kingdom 3.) The New Kingdom

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile One of the earliest civilizations arose in Egypt about 5,000 years ago Since most of Egypt is desert, people settled along the Nile River

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile The fertile soil of the Nile Valley produced good crops Yearly floods soaked the land and deposited rich soil The river also served as a highway for travel by boat

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile The Egyptian ruler was called a Pharaoh After the death of a Pharaoh, power usually passed to another member of his family These ruling families were called dynasties

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile The 3 periods of Egyptian history are the: 1.) Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.-2200 B.C.) 2.) Middle Kingdom (2050 B.C.-1800 B.C.) 3.) New Kingdom (1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.)

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile During the Old Kingdom, the Pharaohs created a strong government They also built giant pyramids Pyramids are massive burial tombs that took many years and millions of stone blocks to build

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile The Middle Kingdom was a troubled period The Nile did not flood regularly, so in many years crops did not grow Although, Egypt conquered many lands, rebellion was common

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile Then invaders called the Hyksos [HIHK sohs], defeated the Pharaoh’s army and gained control of Egypt

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile The New Kingdom began over a hundred years later when the Egyptians drove out the Hyksos Powerful Pharaoh’s created a large empire that reached the Euphrates river

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile Egypt traded with Asia and Africa Trade and warfare spread Egyptian culture to other countries In return, those places gave Egyptians new ideas

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.-2200 B.C.) ﻕ Pharaoh’s organize strong government ﻷ Egyptians believe Pharaoh is a god ﻳ Old Kingdom is known as Pyramid Age ﻎ Egyptians build giant pyramids at Giza

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile Middle Kingdom (2050 B.C.-1800 B.C.) ﻕ Egyptians suffer food shortages ﻷ People rebel ﻳ Hyksos conquer Egypt

Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile New Kingdom (1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.) ﻕ Powerful Pharaoh’s build large empire ﻷ Queen Hatshepsut becomes Pharaoh; Encourages trade ﻳ Ramese II conquers Palestine & Syria ﻎ Egyptian power begins to decline

Section 2: Egyptian Civilization Summary: Ancient Egypt was an advanced society where people were divided into classes

Section 2: Egyptian Civilization Religion was an important part of everyday life in Egypt Egyptians believed and many gods and goddesses They also believed in life after death

Section 2: Egyptian Civilization They prepared their dead for the afterlife through a preservation process called mummification The mummies of some Pharaoh’s were buried in pyramids

Section 2: Egyptian Civilization Egyptian society had its own class system Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was both god and a king He had the highest position in society

Section 2: Egyptian Civilization Next where the priests, who served the gods and the goddesses Near the bottom was the biggest group, the peasant farmers Beneath the peasants were the slaves

Section 2: Egyptian Civilization Women in ancient Egyptian society had more freedom than in any other ancient civilization For example, at different times Egypt was ruled by women: 1.) Hatshepsut 2.) Cleopatra

Section 2: Egyptian Civilization The Egyptians made many advances in learning and art In medicine, they learned to cure many illnesses and to perform surgery Egyptians developed a calendar very similar to the one we use today They also created picture writing called Hieroglyphics

Section 2: Egyptian Civilization Egyptian temples and monuments have survived thousands of years Egyptian statues and paintings show daily life, ceremonies, and military victories

Section 2: Egyptian Civilization

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Summary: The fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers supported the development of Sumerian civilization

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Geography helps explain the rise of civilization in the Middle East Like the Nile River in Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers made the land around them fertile

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Tigris & Euphrates

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer This region was called the Fertile Crescent because of the good farmland curved in the shape of a crescent The land between the rivers was called Mesopotamia

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer By 5,000 years ago, villages along the Tigris and Euphrates had grown into busy cities These city-states made up the civilization of Sumer

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Different city-states fought each other for land and water During the fighting, people turned to powerful war leaders to protect them Over time, leadership passed down within the war leaders families, and social classes developed

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Like Egyptians, the Sumerians made important contributions to the world They built the first wheeled vehicles Systems of ditches and canals provided flood protection and water for crops

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer The Sumerians were the first people to write They used wedge-shaped writing called Cuneiform to record information as early as 3200 B.C.

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Sumerians developed algebra and geometry By studying the sun and the moon, the Sumerians invented an accurate calendar

Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer Later on, invaders conquered the Sumerians The conquerors adopted many of the Sumerian ideas and passed them on to later civilizations

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Summary: Strong rulers united the lands of the Fertile Crescent into well-organized empires

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Many groups invaded and conquered the civilizations of the Fertile Crescent Some invaders destroyed the city-states Others stayed to rule

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Some of these rulers created large, well-organized empires Empires are a group of territories under the control of one ruler or government

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders One powerful ruler was King Hammurabi of Babylon Around 1790 B.C., Hammurabi put together a set of laws, called the Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi was the first major collection of laws in history

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Another important ruler was Darius of Persia In 522 B.C., Darius controlled an empire that stretched from Asia Minor to India

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Empire of Darius of Persia

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Darius divided his empire into provinces, or locally controlled regions Later rulers used his ideas about government

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Different groups of people met in the crossroads of the Fertile Crescent Many groups made advances in technology and ideas For example, Phoenicians developed the first real alphabet to record their trades

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Through warfare and trade, ideas and technology spread As time passed, the contributions of people who lived in the Fertile Crescent reached all the way to India and Europe

Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders Civilization: Dates: Achievements: Babylonians 1790 B.C. Code of Hammurabi Hittites 1400 B.C. Forged iron tools and weapons Assyrians 1100 B.C. First libraries Persians 539 B.C. -Conquered large empire -Improved trade by using coins & standard measures Phoenicians 600 B.C. Created first alphabet

Section 5: The Roots of Judaism Summary: The Jewish religion was unique in the ancient world because it was monotheistic (belief in 1 God)

Section 5: The Roots of Judaism The Hebrews were one of the groups that lived in the Fertile Crescent The Hebrews recorded their history in a sacred book called the Torah

Section 5: The Roots of Judaism According to the Torah, God made a covenant, or binding agreement, with Abraham to be the God of the Hebrews

Section 5: The Roots of Judaism Later the Egyptian Pharaoh made slaves of the Hebrews Moses helped the Hebrews escape For forty years they wandered in the desert Finally they set up the kingdom of Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital The Hebrews believed that God had promised them this land Later the kingdom split apart, and both sections were conquered

Section 5: The Roots of Judaism In time, Hebrew beliefs evolved into the religion we know today as Judaism Judaism was different from the other ancient religions Other religions believed in many gods Judaism was monotheistic, teaching a belief in one God

Section 5: The Roots of Judaism The Hebrews also believed that God had chosen them as His people The laws of Judaism are called the Ten Commandments They describe how people should behave toward God and toward each other

Section 5: The Roots of Judaism Often in Jewish history, there were prophets, or spiritual leaders, who explained God’s will The prophets taught about moral standards and justice For example, powerful people should protect the weak Prophets also taught that all people were equal before God

Section 5: The Roots of Judaism