1. FIRST RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS
CHAPTER 1
FIRST RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS
No warm-up today. Take out your 5 themes of geo. Polytheism religions chart.

2. PRE-CIVILIZATION Small groups could not irrigate rivers or defend
Predecessors to civilizations
Small farming villages 1st appeared in S.W. Asia (Turkey)
Catal Huyuk as example
Self-sufficient agricultural village in Turkey
Evidence of trade, tool making, artisans
Evidence of complex religion
Specialized occupations: politics, military, religious
Evidence of metal working (Copper Age)

3. CIVILIZATION Civilization as Advanced Culture
Cities as political, economic, culture centers
From Latin civitas = cities
Permanent institutions
Government, Religion, military = War
Social, labor, gender divisions, slavery
Clearly defined sense of other: barbarian, nomad
Technology becomes more important
Form of record keeping, specifically writing

4. THE MAP OF 1ST CIVILIZATIONS

5. ANCIENT HUMOR

6. Warm-up 9/3 A-3
Take out your Hammurabi’s Code papers
Pick 1 law that is economic
Pick one that is religious
Pick one that is social
Pick one that is political
Bonus: Pick one that is geographic

7. Warm-up 9/8
You have a few more minutes to answer the questions from your reading. Gilgamesh epic and Egyptian hymn.
After warm-up – 20 minutes to work with partner to finish AP study guide.

8. Partner quiz over AP study guide questions
What system did the Zhou use to rule China? Briefly explain how this system worked?
What were 2 challenges people faced living in Mesopotamia?
In what part of the World did the Olmec and Chavin Civilizations develop? What is something unique about each civilization?
Name 3 areas of the World where civilizations developed. Areas not cities!!!
What important religious beliefs did the Aryans bring?
How would you describe Women’s status in Egypt? What evidence can you use to support that statement?

9. ENVIRONMENT AS CATALYST
Mesopotamia (land between rivers)
Harsh heat, drought; unpredictable floods
Few natural resources short of mud; no wood
No natural defensive areas such as Mountains
Area open to invasion by migrating nomads
People in area must join together to
Provide permanent food supply
Regulate water supply. Irrigate crops.
Provide defense against invaders. Build walls
Trade for materials such as timber and metal

10. TIGRIS-EUPHRATES “Necessity is the mother of invention”
Sumer in S. Iraq was first civilization
Cuneiform writing, sciences, math aided farming
Polytheistic religion
Religion was to appease gods, control nature
Art, architecture dedicated to gods (Ziggurats), religion
Priests, later kings rule city-states
Land owning aristocracy dominate
Warlike society with slavery
Trade for needed materials

11. LATER MESOPOTAMIANS Cycle of Civilization Akkad “First”
Nomads come in and conquer sedentary people
Conquerors assimilate local sedentary culture
New civilization blends cultures, thrives for a while
“New” civilization grows old, invaded by nomads
Akkad “First”
First Empire
Sargon conquered all of Sumer
Babylonian “First”
City at junction of Tigris-Euphrates
Hammurabi’s Law Code
Laws included in Jewish Torah

12. MESOPOTAMIA AS A CHART

13. THE NILE RIVER Society very different from Sumer Achievements
Nile flooded regularly, predictably
Provided rich soil, Easy soil to farm
Civilization regulated by flooding, surveying by
geometry
Location isolated – deserts and seas protected
Pharaoh was considered god-king
Theocracy, almost absolute
pyramid tombs for dead
Egypt unified for most of long history
Achievements
Mathematics especially geometry; architecture
Sciences, Medicine (mummification)
Art was both secular and sacred
Religion was positive, egalitarian in many ways – all citizens might enjoy paradise.

14. INDUS VALLEY Arose around 2,500 BCE
Mohenjo Daro, Harappa main cities
Independent city-states, strong government
Extremely well-planned, coordinated cities
Elaborate writing system (not yet deciphered)
Religion worshipped mother goddess
Little evidence of warfare until end
Devastated by environmental upheavals
Destroyed by Indo-European (Aryan) nomads

15. HUANG-HE (YELLOW) RIVER
Developed in isolation
Compare with ancient Egypt
Xia Dynasty (Mythical?)
God-like kings
Taught irrigation, sericulture
Shang Dynasty
Warlike kings, landed aristocracy; few priests
Most people worked land as peasants
Elaborate bronze workings; naturalistic art

16. CHINESE WRITING Ideographic Elitist technique = scholar-bureaucrats
Writing denotes ideas
First used on Oracle Bones
Priests asked gods questions
Wrote questions on bones
Tossed into fire; cracks read by priests (divination)
Elitist technique = scholar-bureaucrats
Extremely difficult to read
Required well-educated class to use
Only elite had time to learn
Cuneiform, hieroglyphs had similar effects

17. DYNASTIC CYCLE One ruling family replaces another Stages in Cycle
The Dynasty Changes
Due to the loss of the Mandate of Heaven
Stages in Cycle
New dynasty arises, takes control of China
Strengthens rule, reestablishes prosperity, peace
Weakens, becomes lazy, problems arise
Invasions, revolts toss out reigning dynasty
Shang replaces Xia, Zhou replaces Shang

18. MANDATE OF HEAVEN Chinese political idea Indicators of a Lost Mandate
Rulers exercise power given by heaven
Rulers continue to rule if heaven pleased
Heaven will take back mandate to rule
Heaven will replace ruling dynasty
Indicators of a Lost Mandate
Wars, invasions, military disasters
Over-taxation, disgruntled peasants
Social, moral decline of elite classes
Increased crime, banditry

19. HOW THE CYCLE AND MANDATE WORK TOGETHER

20. HERITAGES First heritages passed on
Writing systems inherited
Intellectual systems, art copied
Religious, philosophical systems copied
Useful inventions rarely forgotten, easily spread
River valley civilizations decline by 1000BCE
All subject to nomadic invasions
Indo-Europeans and Semites were strongest
Geographical centers shifted (all except China)
Political Structures often not continued

21. CIVILIZATION SPREADS Phoenician Sailors in Lebanon
City-states traded across Mediterranean
Invented alphabet
Lydians, Hittites in Asia Minor
Introduced Iron, coinage to area
Hebrews in Palestine
Large Semitic migration in area
Ethical monotheism
Conduct determines salvation
There is only one God speaking through prophets, priests
God made a covenant with the Jews, his Chosen people

22. NOMADS: BARBARIANS? Pastoral herding on fringes Seen as savages
Interaction vs. conflict
Nomads traded, coexisted with settled areas
Nomads warred on, conquered settled areas
Often protected merchants, allowed trade
Prior to 1500 BCE little major threat
Chariot Peoples (Central Asian Indo-Europeans)
Domesticated horse, invented chariot, iron weapons
Pushed into SW Asia, S. Asia, E. Asia, Europe
Responsible for spread of ideas, trade

23. Warm-up 9/11 Dear Ancient Chinese mystic philosopher,
I’m angry that the city counsel voted not to fund the new homeless shelter. I am thinking about organizing a protest and march to disrupt the city’s traffic. What do you think I should do?
What advice would Lao Tze and Confucius give to this person?