2. Ancient River Valley Civilizations Notes

3. Dawn of History Old Stone Age or Paleolithic Age
“Lucy” 1959 by Leakey's in Tanzania
First people were hunters and gatherers
Animism – spirits in everything
Neolithic Agricultural Revolution – farming and domestication of animals
Lead to cities and civilizations
Civilizations grew along rivers

4. Features of Civilization
Organized Government
Complex Religions
Job Specialization
Social Classes
Arts and Architecture
Public Works
Writing

5. 4 Oldest River Valley Civilizations
Ancient Egypt
Mesopotamia (Sumer and Babylon)
Ancient China
Ancient India

6. Egypt Along the Nile River with yearly floods
Pharaohs seen as gods, ruled in dynasties
Religion – polytheism, gods for nature
Afterlife – Osiris, mummification, tombs
Pyramids used as tombs
Hieroglyphics written on papyrus

7. Sumer and Babylon Fertile crescent – Tigris and Euphrates
City-states ruled by hierarchy
Built ziggurats for religion
Cuneiform – wedge writing
Sargon – 1st empire builder
Hammurabi – code, 1st written laws
Phoenicians create the alphabet

8. China Grew around Huang He (Yellow) River Dynasties – Shang, Zhou
Religion – polytheism, ancestor worship
Mandate of Heaven – divine right to rule
Feudal state
Silk making, first books

9. India Grew around Indus River Valley Polytheistic with mother goddess
Aryan society: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas
Vedas – story of early Indian civilizations
Priests, Warriors, everyone else