1. MESOPOTAMIA (3500 B.C.E.-1700 B.C.E.)
The Land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Also called The Fertile Crescent
First civilization was SUMER

2. GOVERNMENT City-states
Each had its own ruler (also head of religion – theocracy)
Were eventually united under
single rulers
King Hammurabi created a written law code
Pertained to all aspects of life
Did not apply to all people equally

3. ECONOMY Farming – basis for economy
Grew grains, vegetables, dates, flax
Domesticated sheep, goats, cows, oxen, and donkeys
Evidence shows they traded with other civilizations
Merchants
Artisans
Three social classes
King and nobles
Merchants and artisans
Peasants and slaves
Women had few legal rights in Sumerian society

4. RELIGION King was the head of the religion, as well as the government
Each city-state had its own chief deity
Like most ancient religions, Sumer was polytheistic (believed in as many as 2000 gods)
Built amazing temples (ziggurats) to honor gods)

5. INNOVATIONS (Technology)
Developed the first writing – cuneiform
Built clay brick structures – ziggurats (temples)
Developed the arch, ramps, sewers, and the wheel
Number system based
on 60 and algebra
Had a lunar calendar

6. ANCIENT EGYPT Gift of the Nile
Located in the Nile River Valley in North Africa
Fertile soil
Yearly floods
Building resources
Natural protection from invasion

7. POLITICS Ruled by dynasties (ruling families)
King was called “pharaoh”, (monarchy)
Considered as gods.
Had absolute power but also could be blamed for wars, floods, and disease
Controlled army & defended Egypt from invasion
Owned all the land and made all the laws
Eventually created empires by uniting sections of Egypt
There were even some women
Pharaohs (Hatshepsut was the
1st woman ruler in the world)

8. ECONOMY
Pharaoh was at the center of Egyptian society & controlled the economy
Social classes
Nobles- officials and priests who helped run the government and temples
Soldiers, professions like doctors and accountants . Scribes wrote and craftspeople produced goods.
Most Egyptians were peasants- farmers and unskilled workers Below them were servants and slaves.
Women had some legal rights, but were still considered less than equal to men
Trade was prominent throughout the kingdom and with other civilizations

9. RELIGION Polytheistic Believed in a specific afterlife
Mummified bodies
Believed pharaoh was a “god-king”

10. The Arts Built huge temples and pyramids Sphinx, obelisks
Decorated tombs and temples with drawings and hieroglyphics that recorded history and depicted everyday life, as well as the pharaohs and their families

11. The Indus River Valley Civilization
Geography
Located in the Indus River Valley on the Indian subcontinent
This area of Asia is separated from the rest of the continent by the highest mountains in the world
The Kyber Pass thru the Hindu Kush mountains allow people to cross into the Indus River Valley
Mountains to north and desert to the east protect from invasion
Indus and Ganges Rivers provide fertile land
Yearly floods deposit fertile soil in the region- unpredictable
Weather is influenced by yearly monsoons which were also unpredictable
Much is unknown about the civilization- its language is not understood today
Seem to be peaceful people who did not worry about war

13. POLITICAL STRUCTURE
The center of government was the citadel (def: the core fortified area of a town or city)
The main citadel in Indus Valley was almost 12 meters tall
The purpose of these structures, however, remains debated. 
Several large buildings and structures on the Citadel mound suggest that this area may have been used for public gatherings, religious activities or important administrative activities.
Theocracy,- civilization run by religious leaders- Exact political structure structure unknown
Eventually, the Arayans took control
Cities used a grid like system of roads
Homes made of standard size bricks
Early plumbing and drainage system

15. ECONOMY
People who lived in the towns and cities were mostly merchants and craftsmen
More people involved in trade and craftsmanship than other civilizations
They traded as far away as ancient Sumer where they imported textiles and food in exchange for copper, lumber, precious stones, cotton, and luxury goods
People who lived in areas outside the cities were farmers and herders
The Harappans invented the first system of weights and measures for trade
seems like Little division of social classes
Women had no legal rights and were considered the property of their husbands
As the Arayan influence spread, a caste system developed

16. RELIGION A lot is still unknown about religion Polytheistic
Originally, probably Religion was closely tied to animals (an animistic religion)
Rulers probably ruled by divine right
Individuals often prayed for good harvests, and moderate monsoons
Eventually developed the Hindu religion when the Arayans brought their ideas

17. Yellow River Valley Civilizations
GEOGRAPHY
Located in the Huang He River Valley
Also called the Yellow River (silt yellowish color)
Also called China’s Sorrow (unpredictable devastating floods)
Isolated to rest of world by Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Pacific Ocean, and large mountains and deserts to the west
Little influence from other civilizations and had to rely on their own resources

19. POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Known for its Dynasties, or ruling families ruled over ancient China
Shang Dynasty was first Chinese rulers to leave written records
Built China’s first cities
Shang Dynasty were constantly waging war
Zhou Dynasty did not change culture of Shang
Feudalism- Consist of Small kingdoms, less centralized than civilizations like Egypt
Dynasty gave power to family and noble to govern different regions
Would grant use of land in return for protection of king and people
Regions became more powerful and began fighting, leading to end of Zhou Dynasty
Emperors were military leaders who ruled with the help of powerful nobles
Believed in Mandate of Heaven which meant ruler had divine approval, but if he was evil or foolish, he would lose the right to rule
When an emperor lost “Mandate of Heaven” there was an uprising and often a new dynasty would take control

20. Dynastic Cycle

21. ECONOMY: Job Specialization & Social Classes
Based on agriculture
Used mostly barter system of trade
Though skilled at many crafts, trade was discouraged outside the empire
Social structure was strict and wealth was determined by how much land you had.
Three social classes
Emperor/Royal Family/Nobility/ Noble Warriors- owned land
Merchants and craftspeople earned a living in the middle class.
Most people were peasants and lived in small farming villages.
Family was key social unit
Women had no legal rights
Arranged marriages
Extended families lived together

22. RELIGION
The Shang people prayed to many gods and nature spirits (polytheistic and animistic).
The Chinese looked to their dead ancestors to communicate with the gods.
It was thought that the ancestors would convince the gods to help the living by offering sacrifices of food and other objects.
Chinese also believed that the universe was held in delicate balance between two forces, the yin and the yang.
When these two forces were in balance, peace and prosperity would result.