1. *Do Now: Write your first and last name using Egyptian Hieroglyphics!`

2. Mesopotamia & Ancient Egypt

3. Ancient Civilizations
Mesopotamia & Ancient Egypt are the earliest known civilizations.

4. Mesopotamia
“The Land between the Rivers”

5. Mesopotamia “The Land between the Rivers”
Located between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
First cities & schools
Part of the Fertile Crescent
First irrigation systems and first plow
12 month calendar
Sumerians invented the sailboat
Practiced polytheism
Turned into a military state
First people to write down laws and keep written records
Wrote the first story (the “Epic of Gilgamesh”)
The ideas of 60-minutes = one hour, 60 seconds = one minute, & 360 degrees in a circle
Began the “Eye for an Eye” policy (Code of Hammurabi)
Legendary “Hanging Gardens”
FYI: Ziggurats were the most prominent structures in Mesopotamian cities. They were “stepped” with a temple at the very top. Some were as much as 150 feet tall. Ziggurats were religious centers and the community was proud of them.

6. Ancient Egypt
The Nile River Valley

7. Ancient Egypt Began in the Nile River Valley
The Nile is the world’s longest river (4,160 miles)
Depended on the river for survival
Ruled by pharaohs
Created mummies for the dead
Built large tombs called pyramids
Wrote in hieroglyphics
Created a number system based on 10
Used fractions in math
Developed geometry
Great advances in medicine (splints, bandages, compresses)
Taken over by Greece & Rome
FYI: Currently, there are 110 pyramids found in Egypt.

8. Similarities between Mesopotamia & Ancient Egypt
FYI: The Rosetta Stone is considered the key to modern deciphering of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was discovered in by Napoleon’s army but it was soon put in British hands when Napoleon was defeated in The stone is inscribed with a decree written three times: in hieroglyphic (suitable for a priestly decree), demotic (the native script used for daily purposes), and Greek (the language of the administration).
Developed near rivers
Had written languages
Worshipped many gods

9. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Three World Religions
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

10. Judaism Originated in Israel
Founded in B.C.
Originated in Israel
Abraham, Moses, & the Torah (the Hebrew bible)
Worship one God
Believe God knows everything and has complete power
Believe Israelites are God’s chosen people
Follow the Ten Commandments and the laws of the Torah

11. Islam Originated in modern-day Saudi Arabia Muhammed & the Quran
Founded in A.D. 622
Followers of the teachings of Muhammed became known as Muslims, which means “a person who submits”.
Originated in modern-day Saudi Arabia
Muhammed & the Quran
Worship one true god (Allah)
Believe all people are brothers & sisters in a community established by God
Follow laws of the Quran
Worship in Arabic

12. Christianity Originated in modern-day Israel Jesus & the Bible
Founded in A.D. 30
Originated in modern-day Israel
Jesus & the Bible
Worship only one God
Believe that the Messiah (Jesus) will bring salvation
Two most important rites:
Baptism
The Lord’s Supper

13. Similarities among these Religions
They all worship only one God
Debate about whether or not this is the same “god” for all three religions
Different Holy men represent each religion