1. Warm-UP
What was the Primary difference between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods?
Name two technologies from the Paleolithic Period.
Why were the cities of Jericho and Aleppo Part of the Neolithic Revolution instead of the time of ancient civilizations? (think of what they did not have).
Create a test question for the Paleolithic Period and the Neolithic period ( can’t be one that uses the same info as above).

2. River Valley Civilizations

4. Characteristics of all River Valleys

5. Cities Center of trade for larger area
Farmers settled in fertile river valleys
Surplus of extra food increased population

6. Written Language/ Record Keeping
Pictograms: Earliest written symbols Written Language developed from pictures

7. Organized Central Governments
Power was often based on religious authority
Examples: City-States, Kingdoms, and Empires
Established written law’s to maintain order (Code of Hammurabi, Ten Commandments)

8. Job Specialization
Surplus of extra food, allowed individuals to become experts at jobs besides farming
Rise of Artisans

9. Social Classes
As jobs became specialized so did the status and need of certain individuals
Generally a very large lower class and a small upper class

10. The have some form of Religion
Polytheism: Belief in many gods
Practiced by most early civilizations
Worshiped gods to insure a bountiful harvest
Floods and droughts were blamed on the god’s anger

11. Technology Makes tasks easier
Create tools and techniques to solve problems that emerged
Bronze Age
Time period when people used bronze to create tools and weapons

12. Public Works
Government would order these to aid and benefit the community
Usually very costly
Example: Great Wall of China

13. Warm-Up
Name the four River Valley Civilizations from west to east….don’t forget to use your acronym.
Name 4 characteristics of a River Valley Civilization.
The type of metal is created by smelting tin and copper, it lends it’s name to the period of history that follows the Neolithic period….
(hint- The _____________________ age”
4. Create a pictograph sentence.
5. Name the symbol to the right.

15. Environmental Challenges Solutions Effects of the solution
Unpredictable Flooding Combined with Period of little or no rain.
Dug irrigation ditches that carried river water to their fields
Allowed Sumerians to produce a surplus of crops
Weak Natural Barriers for protections, Sumerian village was nearly defenseless
Built city walls with mud bricks
Sumerians established a defense system
Natural Resources, Building materials and other necessary items were limited and scarce.
Sumerians began to trade with other communities
Sumerians received goods they needed

16. Mesopotamia: Sumer
Located in the Fertile Crescent, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Present Day IRAQ
Natural Defenses: Mountains, deserts, and the Persian Gulf.
SUMER was the FIRST KNOWN CIVILIZATION.
Southern Mesopotamia

18. Sumer: Government Sumer was made up of 12 independent City States.
A city state is a city surrounded by land.
Each was ruled by a KING

19. Cuneiform:
The first written language.
Wedge language.

20. Achievements: Irrigation
They brought water from the rivers to the fields during the dry summer months.

21. Ziggurats a Temple used to worship the gods
They did sacrifices on the top of the ziggurats

22. Wheeled vehicles

23. Number system
System based on 60

24. Bronze
Smelted Tin and Copper

25. Hammurabi’s Code Hammurabi was the Babylonian King.
First Published laws
Based on “an eye for an eye.”
Laws differed based on social class

26. Warm-up:
List all eight characteristics of River Valley Civilizations and name an example from Mesopotamia if you can.
Create a simple and quick picture for each to help you remember them.

27. EGYPT

28. Positive effect on Egypt
Geographic Feature
Positive effect on Egypt
Negative Effect
Nile’s flood waters
Provide fresh silt
Too low and not enough silt and water for crops
Too high and would destroy homes
Deserts
Provided Natural barriers, or protection
Reduced interaction with others

29. EGYPT Located on the Nile River
The Nile Delta is a triangular area of marsh land where the river dumps into the sea. This area was rich in silt.
Silt is a nutrient rich soil, valued by river valley civilizations, that enables crops to grow well.
Egypt was protected by Deserts and Seas.

30. Egyptian: Government Pharaohs- rulers thought to be gods.
Had absolute POWER.
Rigid class system that accepted slavery.

32. Egyptian: Religion
Egyptian people were polytheistic. This means they believed in many gods. In fact most Early Civilizations are polytheistic, with one exception- the Hebrews.
The Hebrews were slaves of Egypt at one time. (We will discuss them in the next unit.)

33. Indus Valley

34. Environmental Challenges
Unpredictable flooding
Rivers changed course
Unpredictable monsoon winds

35. The Indus Valley: Government
The Indus Valley was made up of independent city-states.
Two examples were:
Monhenjo-Daro
Harappa

36. Indus Valley Achievements:
Plumbing: In this Indus city, all houses had their own private toilet, connected to a covered sewer network constructed of brickwork
Cotton
Writing

37. China

38. Negative Effect on Society
Geographic Feature
Negative Effect on Society
Hung He River floods
Floods devoured whole villages,
Geographic Isolation
Settlers had to supply their own goods
Natural boundaries
Invasions continued from the west and north

39. Chinese: Government
The Government in Ancient China was ruled by a succession of dynasties.
A dynasty cycle explains the rise and fall of a families rules.
Chinese rulers were considered god-like.
They served under a mandate of Heaven. (approval of the gods) As long as their rule was just.
Two examples of dynasties were Shang and Zhou.

40. Chinese Religion The Chinese practiced in Ancestor Worship.
They believed that the spirits of family ancestors could bring good fortune.
They paid respect to their family ancestors by making sacrifices in their honor.

41. Ancient Chinese Achievements
Silk
Writing- Chinese characters stood for ideas, not sounds.
Irrigation: Water wheels were used to bring river water to the fields.
Bronze

44. Bronze