Early River Valley Civilizations

Mesopotamia Fertile Crescent-Curved Shaped, and rich soil Also called the “Cradle of civilization” Tigris and Euphrates river Mesopotamia means- Land Between the Rivers

Summerians Create City-States City-State-Functions much as an independent country does today i.e own government and rulers Power of the Priests-Earliest rulers were religious leaders Monarchs Take Control Dynasty-series of rulers from a single family

Cultural Diffusion The process of a new idea or product spreading from one culture to another

Polytheism The Belief in Many Gods Enlil-god of clouds and air Udugs- god of disease, misfortune

Hammurabi 1792 B.C to 1750 B.C. Hammurabi’s code Although applied to all, set different punishments for rich v. poor, and men v. women. Frequently applied the principle of retaliation (i.e. an eye for an eye)

The code’s greatest hits If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. [ An eye for an eye ] If he break another man's bone, his bone shall be broken. If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold mina. If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value. If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out. [ A tooth for a tooth ] If he knock out the teeth of a freed man, he shall pay one-third of a gold mina. If any one strike the body of a man higher in rank than he, he shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in public. If a free-born man strike the body of another free-born man or equal rank, he shall pay one gold mina. If a freed man strike the body of another freed man, he shall pay ten shekels in money. If the slave of a freed man strike the body of a freed man, his ear shall be cut off.

Egypt Unlike Mesopotamia Egypt was united into a single kingdom for over 3000 years Located along the Nile River Unlike Tigris and Euphrates, the Nile flooded predictably. This caused their world view to be very different from Meso.

Pharaohs Rule as Gods Polytheistic Pharaohs were Egyptian god-kings Ra the sun god Horus the god of light Isis the goddess of mothers and wives Pharaohs were Egyptian god-kings Was in charge of both government as well as its religion This type of government is called a Theocracy

1st Age of Empires

Assyria Dominates the Fertile Crescent Around 850 B.C Assyria conquers a large area through a sophisticated military and advanced weapons Look at pg 89.

Decline and Rebirth of Babylon In 612 B.C. Assyria had expanded so large that it begins to crumb. Nebuchadnezzar restored Babylon more than 1000 years after the reign of Hammurabi.

Persia Reading Activity Read pages 92-94 Then Create a Venn Diagram to show the similarities, and differences between Darius and Cyrus. Then explain which of the differences do you consider the most important and why. Answer: How did Darius’s methods of administration give stability to his empire. Consider how the structure of the empire, policy of tolerance, and the satrap system played a role