1. River Valley Civilizations

2. Characteristics of Civilizations
Cities
Centralized government, law codes, organized religion
System of writing
Specialized jobs – Division of Labor
Social Class Structure
Advanced Technology

3. Four Early River Valleys

4. How did they become civilizations?
Neolithic Revolution – domestication of plants & animals
Organized Farming & village life
Food Surplus was created led to specialization of labor
Growth in population
Creation of complex socieites requiring complex institutions which governed large scale projects like irrigation

5. Population Growth & Development of Civilizations
Iron Age = new farms tools = food surplus
Farming and Pastoral Nomads replaced hunter-gatherers
Domesticated animals = beasts of burden = food surplus
Increased, healthier population living closer together in new urban areas
Increased immunities based on close proximity & better health

6. Population Growth & Development of Civilizations
Cultural connections increased through new trade routes
Developments of empires
Development of Writing systems to record taxes to pay for expanded governments
Development of great road building projects to encourage trade, uniform coinage, uniform weights & measurements
(Lydian's & Persians)

7. Introducing Mesopotamia: (foundations)
Jereme Monette
Plant City High School
Hillsborough County, Florida.

8. Mesopotamia - Persia For early Civilizations “Rivers Deliver”…
Why are rivers essential for them?

9. Mesopotamia: “Land between the rivers”
Technology helps Mesopotamian societies thrive (How?)
Dikes and canals help tame floods
Agricultural technologies lead to food surplus

10. The Sumerian Civilization - the beginning of the whole “Mess”
Develop cuneiform as a system of writing (Impact?)
Record laws, treaties, social & political customs…
Via trade, written language spreads to other Civs.
Develop 12 month calendar and use geometry to develop arches and columns.
Polytheistic religion using Ziggurats to worship Gods.
Fell to invaders, but the culture did not die (why?)

11. cuneiform

12. Ziggurats

13. Akkadians, then Babylonians, then Hitties, then… bla bla bla.
The Akkadians develop the first known code of laws using Sumerian Cuneiform.
The Babylonian King Hammurabi developed the Code of Hammurabi (impact?)
Babylonian bronze weapons fall to the Hittite’s iron weapons that fall to the Assyrian’s stronger iron that fall to the Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar who rebuilds Babylon and falls to the Persains.

14. Code of Hammurabi
What language would the code of Hammurabi be in?

15. Persians: Biggest and Best of the “Mess”
The Great Royal Road connects Persia to the word (why?)
The Lydians (coin money), Phoenicians (alphabet), and Hebrews (Judaism).

16. Name 6 major contributions of the early Mesopotamian civs.
Describe how each society changes and cultures are preserved.

17. Early River Civilizations: EGYPT 3000BCE
Egyptian Science and Technology
1. Irrigation – water from Nile River (god) to grow wheat & other foods
2. Preserving the human body after death through mummification
3. Physicians diagnose illness & perform brain & body surgery

18. Egyptian Science and Technology
Accurate calendar
Hieroglyphics: system of writing called
Advanced mathematical geometry & engineering skills in the creation of the pyramids
irrigation
systems

19. EGYPT Monarchy – Kingdom/Empire Pharaoh God/King
Dynasty – ruling family
Polytheistic
Advances in medicine, math, calendars, irrigation, cosmetics, mummification, building & architecture, pyramids, jewelry,
metal work
Social Class Structure: Pharaoh, Priest/Nobles, merchants/artisans (Middle Class), peasants, slaves
obles

20. Ancient Egypt

21. MESOPOTAMIA – FERTILE CRESCENT
Sumerians 1st Civilization: 1st to build wheeled vehicles BCE
built irrigation systems, dykes, and canals for better farming
Cuneiform system of writing – 1st
Sumerian- algebra and geometry
Sumerian: - city-states, Preist/Kings polytheistic,

22. India 2500BCE: First cultivation of rice, cotton and tea
built ships, navigated seas, international commerce (Indian Ocean & overland)
well-planned towns, rectangular patterns
Art -copper, bronze, and pottery, including a large collection of terra-cotta toys
two-storied and spacious, lined the town streets; they had drainage systems that led into brick-lined sewers

23. Ancient India
Social Class Structure: Caste System: Brahmana (priests), Kshatriya (warriors), Vaishya (traders and agriculturists), and Shudra (workers). Person's occupation or group depended upon birth
Sanskrit: writing system

24. Early China
Shang Dynasty: 2000BCE system of writing pictographs - drawings of objects ideographs – thought or idea
Oracle Bone early writing:
Zhou Dynasty:
Mandate of Heaven
rise & fall of dynasties
Qin Dynasty: Shi huangdi -
new technologies warfare, cavalry, Legalism – you will obey orders!
Burned Confucian books

25. Ancient China
Qin China: standardized the language and writing of China
currency became standardized circular copper coin
Great Wall built
in north to
protect China
Roads and
irrigation canals
built –Burned books

26. Legacies of River Valleys
Expanded populations & urbanization
New networks – roads & trade routes lined, sea routes
Established systems of government, laws, & religion
Established patterns of culture & cultural diffusion