1. Early River Valley Civilizations
Table of Contents
Mesopotamia (Slides 4-13)
Egypt (Slides 14-28)
Indus Valley (Slides 29-41)
China (Slides 42-54)
Summary (Slide 55)
Glossary (Slides 56-58)

2. Mesopotamia: Present-Day Syria, Northern Iraq, Turkey
Irrigation Led to an Abundance of Crops
“Cradle of Civilization”
The First Civilization in Human History Sprang Up Next to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Mesopotamians Learned How to Supply Fields with Water Through Irrigation
The first history of human civilization took place in Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates River (modern day Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran). Mesopotamia has been called the 'cradle of civilization’ because agriculture, animal herding and domestication developed there earlier than anywhere else, almost 8,000 years ago. Though the early Mesopotamian people lived in a complex, unpredictable and frequently hostile environment here, their civilization came into existence because; instead of hunting and gathering their food, they began relied heavily on agriculture. It was the development of irrigation agriculture that allowed their civilization to take root. Irrigation ditches allowed for water to be delivered to fields which led to an abundance of crops that could feed a large number of people.
Can a civilization exist purely on hunting and gathering? Why not? Do you need agriculture in order to have a civilization? Would there be any limitations to the development of the civilization without agriculture?
Mesopotamia was the First Place that Agriculture and Domestication of Animals Occurred

3. Mesopotamia: Between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
Mesopotamia=Land Between Two Rivers
Both Rivers Flooded Mesopotamia Once a Year
Rich, New Soil Every Year After Floods
Irrigation Ditches Carried Water to Fields (Modifying the Environment)
Wheat & Barley Harvested Each Year (Surpluses)
Mesopotamia developed in an unstable physical environment. It was the development of irrigation agriculture that would enable a permanent settlement to develop in this dry region. They were able to grow a surplus of wheat and barley every year because the rivers would flood once a year. The problem however, was that they couldn’t predict when the rivers would flood. Another problem was that the rivers in the region sometimes changed course taking precious water away from settlements. To solve these problems, irrigation ditches were dug that would bring water to their fields and water the crops. Flood plains allowed for fertilization of crops when new sediment was deposited from higher elevations.
Why do countries trade with each other? How would a surplus of crops impact their ability to trade with others? What technological advances allowed the people to develop this surplus?

4. Mesopotamia: The Fertile Crescent
Flooding Leaves Behind Rich Soil for Farming
Dry Region, but Very Rich Soil (Hence: Fertile)
Farmland Covered with Silt After Floods
Located Between Persian Gulf & Mediterranean Sea
The land in Northern Mesopotamia is filled with plains and hills whereas in Southern Mesopotamia the physical environment is flat, wet and marshy. The climate, landforms, soil and vegetation are physical features that determine whether a civilization is able to emerge and expand or struggle to maintain itself and decline. What was the climate, landforms, soil, and vegetation like in Mesopotamia?

5. Mesopotamia: Technological Advances
Advanced Architecture (Ramps, Arches, Columns, Ziggurats)
Oldest Wheel Ever Found
Record Keeping (Cuneiform-Clay Writing Tablets)
Math (Base 60 and Standard Operations)
Improved Technology (Bronze=Tools and Weapons)
Invented Sail, Plow, the Screw (Simple Machine)
Mesopotamia developed Cuneiform which was a system of writing performed on clay writing tablets. The first written texts were for economic purposes. For example, lists were written that identified the amounts of crops harvested in certain fields and by certain field workers, as were lists that kept track of payments for crops. Most reading and writing centered around the training of priests, but education was a big part across all of Mesopotamian society. Reading, writing, religion, law, medicine and astrology were important educational fields and many city-states had a library at the center of their village. These libraries were very simple, but the it allowed the first people a place to create laws, study the stars, and keep written records. Large civilizations can be created and expand much easier if it has a writing system that prevails across their boundaries.
They created a number system, 12 month lunar calendar, 60 minute hour, and advanced multiplication tables. They also worked with metal and developed the wheel, and found many uses for it. For example, Assyria conquered Babylon through the use of chariots, battering rams made of bronze and horses covered in bronze armor.
Why would a system of writing make governing large civilization much easier?

6. Mesopotamia: Government (Priests then Military Rulers)
At the Start of Civilization, Temple Priests Were in Control
Time of War: Military Leaders took Control Temporarily
As Civilization Evolved, Military Leaders Assumed Control Permanently…and Eventually Popular Leaders Would Pass Power
Down to Their Sons
Ziggurat
City-States were ruled by individual kings who established alliances with other city-states inside of Mesopotamia. At first priests served as these kings, but leadership evolved in Mesopotamia over time as power transitioned from priests to military leaders. The wealth and power that these kings held can be seen today in the elaborate burials that have been unearthed. Some of these burials include human sacrifice as well as objects such as gold and silver. Leadership would often stay in the hands of a particular family as power would be passed down to the king’s son or another popular family member.
As civilization evolved, a system of government developed under each ruler which relied on governors and tax collectors to manage the economy of each city-state. They formed the skeleton of a huge government structure that could manage and control a large population. Why do you think priests were the government leaders at the beginning?
Human Sacrifice was a part of Mesopotamian Culture

7. Mesopotamia: Religion
Polytheistic (Human-Like, Immortal, All-Powerful)
Epic Of Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian Myths, Legends)
Worked to Earn Gods Protection
Ziggurats Built for Sacrifices to Gods (Wine, Animals, etc.)
Mesopotamians believed the world was a flat disc that was surrounded by space and above them was the heavens. They were polytheistic meaning that they believed that there were many gods. They had 4 main gods: the god of heaven, god of earth, god of water, and the god of air. Each city-state in Mesopotamia had their own god and that god owned everything inside the city. They believed that their kings and queens descended from the gods, but they did not believe that they were actually gods. Kings were expected to look after the people and they often gave themselves prestigious names like “great king.” King Sargon is regarded as the greatest ruler and he was called “Sargon the Great”.
Gilgamesh is a long narrative poem that describes the deeds of a hero in his quest for identity and the meaning of life. Part man and part god, Gilgamesh deals with such universal themes as the meaning of friendship; fear of sickness, death, and the forces of evil; and the search for immortality.
Ziggurats were built of mud or clay bricks and were very high to help them establish a connection between heaven and earth. It served as the place of worship and a training facility for priests. Religious events were also held here. As the religious leaders, only priests and priestesses had the ability to talk to the gods and constant communication was important because Mesopotamians felt like the gods were often angry at them. Thus, it was important to lavish the gods with gifts. Ziggurats and other religious structures became bigger and more elaborate as time went on.
Mesopotamia had no natural boundaries to separate them from the rest of the world. How would this effect the spread of their culture? How would this impact their ability to improve agricultural practices?

8. Early River Valley Civilization: Cloze Passages
Slides 4-6
Fill in the blanks using the words provided: fields, plains, landforms, Agricultural, culture, organized, civilizations, environment, region, unstable, predict, cradle, classes, populations, parts, Nile surplus, hills, government, physical, wet, sediment, bring, dug, barley, changed, flood, permanent, earlier, unpredictable, ditches, gathering, animal, hunting people, China, collect, villages, harvested.
The first history of human civilization took place in Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates River, is modern-day Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. Mesopotamia has been called the _______ of civilization’ because agriculture, __________ herding and domestication developed there ________ than anywhere else, almost 8,000 years ago. Though the early ___________ people lived in a complex, _________ and frequently hostile ________ here, their civilization came into existence because; instead of ______ and ______ their food, they began to rely heavily on agriculture. It was the development of irrigation agriculture that allowed their civilization to take root. Irrigation _______ allowed for water to be delivered to ______ which led to an abundance of crops that could feed a large number of ______.
Mesopotamia developed in an ______ physical environment. It was the development of irrigation agriculture that would enable a _______ settlement to develop in this dry ______ . They were able to grow a ______ of wheat and _______ every year because the rivers would __________ once a year. The problem however, was that they couldn’t _________ when the rivers would flood. Another problem was that the rivers in the region sometimes ________ course taking precious ______ (water) away from settlements. To solve these problems, irrigation ditches were _______ that would _______ water to their fields and water the crops. Flood ________ allowed for fertilization of crops when new ___________ is deposited from higher elevations.
The land in Northern Mesopotamia is filled with plains and ______ whereas in Southern Mesopotamia the _______ environment is flat, _____ and marshy. The climate, _______ , soil and vegetation are physical features that either allow civilizations to emerge and expand, cause them to decline.

9. Early River Valley Civilization: Cloze Passages
Answer Key Slides 4-6
The first history of human civilization took place in Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates River, which is modern-day Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. Mesopotamia has been called the _______ (cradle) of civilization’ because agriculture, __________ (animal) herding and domestication developed there ________ (earlier) than anywhere else, almost 8,000 years ago. Though the early ___________ (Mesopotamian) people lived in a complex, _________ (unpredictable) and frequently hostile ________ (environment) here, their civilization came into existence because; instead of ______ (hunting) and ______ (gathering) their food, they began to rely heavily on agriculture. It was the development of irrigation agriculture that allowed their civilization to take root. Irrigation _______ (ditches) allowed for water to be delivered to ______ (fields) which led to an abundance of crops that could feed a large number of ______ (people).
Mesopotamia developed in an ______ (unstable) physical environment. It was the development of irrigation agriculture that would enable a _______ (permanent) settlement to develop in this dry ______ (region). They were able to grow a ______ (surplus) of wheat and _______ (barley) every year because the rivers would __________ (flood) once a year. The problem however, was that they couldn’t _________ (predict) when the rivers would flood. Another problem was that the rivers in the region sometimes ________ (changed) course taking precious ______ (water) away from settlements. To solve these problems, irrigation ditches were _______ (dug) that would _______ (bring) water to their fields and water the crops. Flood ________ (plains) allowed for fertilization of crops when new ___________ (sediment) is deposited from higher elevations.
The land in Northern Mesopotamia is filled with plains and ______ (hills) whereas in Southern Mesopotamia the _______ (physical) environment is flat, _____ (wet) and marshy. The climate, _______ (landforms), soil and vegetation are physical features that either allow civilizations to emerge and expand, cause them to decline.

10. Early River Valley Civilization: Cloze Passages
Slides 7-8
Fill in the blanks using the words provided: evolved, manage, wheel, calendar, family, burials, City-States, multiplication, bronze, population, kings, family, king, human, collectors, Priests, silver, wealth, Mesopotamia, metal, boundaries, laws, medicine, records, education, fields, tablets, workers, cuneiform, payments, purposes.
Mesopotamia developed ________ which was a system of ________ performed on clay writing _____ . The first written texts were for economic _______ . For example, lists were written that identified the ________ of crops harvested in certain ______ and by certain field ________ , as were lists that kept track of ________ for crops. Most reading and writing centered around the training of priests but __________ was a big part of Mesopotamian ________ (society). Reading, writing, religion, law, _______ and astrology were important educational fields and many city-states had a library at the center of their educational pursuits. They were among the first people to create ______ work with metals, study the stars, and keep written ________ . Large civilizations can be created and expand much easier if it has a writing system that prevails across their _________ .
They created a number system, 12 month lunar _________ , 60 minute hour, and advanced ___________ tables. They also worked with _______ and developed the _______ , and found many uses for it. For example, Assyria conquered Babylon through the use of chariots, battering rams made of _______ and horses covered in bronze armor.
_________ were ruled by individual _______ who established alliances with other city-states inside of ________ . At first priests served as these kings, but leadership evolved in Mesopotamia over time as power transitioned from ______ to military leaders. The _______ and power that these kings held can be seen today in the elaborate ________ that have been unearthed. Some of these burials include ________ sacrifice as well as objects such as gold and ______ . Leadership would often stay in the hands of a particular _______ as power would be passed down to the king’s son or another popular _______ family member.
As civilization ________ , a system of government developed under each ruler which relied on governors and tax ________ to manage the economy of each city-state. They formed the skeleton of a huge government structure that could _______ and control a large ________ .

11. Early River Valley Civilization: Cloze Passages
Answer Key: Slides 7-8
Mesopotamia developed ________ (Cuneiform) which was a system of ________ (writing) performed on clay writing _____ (tablets). The first written texts were for economic _______ (purposes). For example, lists were written that identified the ________ (amounts) of crops harvested in certain ______ (fields) and by certain field ________ (workers), as were lists that kept track of ________ (payments) for crops. Most reading and writing centered around the training of priests but __________ (education) was a big part of Mesopotamian ________ (society). Reading, writing, religion, law, _______ (medicine) and astrology were important educational fields and many city-states had a library at the center of their village. They were among the first people to create ______ (laws), study the stars, and keep written ________ (records). Large civilizations can be created and expand much easier if it has a writing system that prevails across their _________ (boundaries).
They created a number system, 12 month lunar _________ (calendar), 60 minute hour, and advanced ___________ (multiplication) tables. They also worked with _______ (metal) and developed the _______ (wheel), and found many uses for it. For example, Assyria conquered Babylon through the use of chariots, battering rams made of _______ (bronze) and horses covered in bronze armor.
_________ (City-States) were ruled by individual _______ (kings) who established alliances with other city-states inside of ________ (Mesopotamia). At first priests served as these kings, but leadership evolved in Mesopotamia over time as power transitioned from ______ (priests) to military leaders. The _______ (wealth) and power that these kings held can be seen today in the elaborate ________ (burials) that have been unearthed. Some of these burials include ________ (human) sacrifice as well as objects such as gold and ______ (silver). Leadership would often stay in the hands of a particular _______ (family) as power would be passed down to the king’s son or another popular _______ (family) member.
As civilization ________ (evolved), a system of government developed under each ruler which relied on governors and tax ________ (collectors) to manage the economy of each city-state. They formed the skeleton of a huge government structure that could _______ (manage) and control a large ________ (population).

12. Early River Valley Civilization: Cloze Passages
Fill in the blanks using the words provided: Religious, communication, gifts, friendship, hero, ruler, city, angry, Gilgamesh, own, many, disc, earth, heavens, death, connection, structures, actually, bricks, worship, ability, leaders, life, evil, air, descended, mud, Sargon.
Slide 9
Mesopotamians believed the world was a flat ______ that was surrounded by space and above them was the ________ . They were polytheistic meaning that they believed that there were ______ gods. They had 4 main gods: the god of heaven, god of ______, god of water, and the god of ____. Each city-state in Mesopotamia had their _____ god and that god owned everything inside the ______ . They believed that their kings and queens ______ from the gods, but they did not believe that they were _______ gods. Kings were expected to look after the people and they often gave themselves prestigious names like “great king.” King _______ is regarded as the greatest ________ and he was called “Sargon the Great”.
_________ is a long narrative poem that describes the deeds of a _______ in his quest for identity and the meaning of _____. Part man and part god, Gilgamesh deals with such universal themes as the meaning of _________ ; fear of sickness, ______ , and the forces of ______ ;and the search for immortality.
Ziggurats were built of ______ or clay ______ and were very high to help them establish a __________ between heaven and earth. It served as the place of ______ and a training facility for priests. ______ events were also held here. As the religious ________ , only priests and priestesses had the _____ to talk to the gods and constant __________ was important because Mesopotamians felt like the gods were often ________ at them. Thus, it was important to lavish the gods with ______. Ziggurats and other religious _________ became bigger and more elaborate as time went on.

13. Early River Valley Civilization: Cloze Passages
Answer Key Slide 9
Mesopotamians believed the world was a flat ______ (disc) that was surrounded by space and above them was the ________ (heavens). They were polytheistic meaning that they believed that there were ______ (many) gods. They had 4 main gods: the god of heaven, god of ______ (earth), god of water, and the god of ____ (air). Each city-state in Mesopotamia had their _____ (own) god and that god owned everything inside the ______ (city). They believed that their kings and queens ______ (descended) from the gods, but they did not believe that they were _______ (actually) gods. Kings were expected to look after the people and they often gave themselves prestigious names like “great king.” King _______ (Sargon) is regarded as the greatest ________ (ruler) and he was called “Sargon the Great”.
_________ (Gilgamesh) is a long narrative poem that describes the deeds of a _______ (hero) in his quest for identity and the meaning of _____ (life). Part man and part god, Gilgamesh deals with such universal themes as the meaning of _________ (friendship); fear of sickness, ______ (death), and the forces of ______ (evil); and the search for immortality.
Ziggurats were built of ______ (mud) or clay ______ (bricks) and were very high to help them establish a __________ (connection) between heaven and earth. It served as the place of ______ (worship) and a training facility for priests. ______ (Religious) events were also held here. As the religious ________ (leaders), only priests and priestesses had the _____ (ability) to talk to the gods and constant __________ (communication) was important because Mesopotamians felt like the gods were often ________ (angry) at them. Thus, it was important to lavish the gods with ______ (gifts). Ziggurats and other religious _________ (structures) became bigger and more elaborate as time went on.