1. Ancient Civilizations
Egypt, Indus Valley, China, and Mesopotamia
Resource: World History Encyclopedia Millennium Edition
Clip art source: Broderbund’s PrintMaster Platinum 10

2. The Ancient World 4 million years ago to 500 AD
B.C. or B.C.E.- before Christ or before the Christian Era
A.D.- Anno Domini, in the year of the Lord
2.5 million years ago man’s earliest ancestors appeared in Africa
5000 B.C.- the world’s first civilizations began to appear

3. Big Advances 2.5-2 million years BC- tools are made
8000 BC- farming begins and first towns appear
5000 BC- world’s first civilizations appear
Civilization Characteristics: cities, government, religion, social structure, writing and art/technology.

4. Location

5. Sequence of Civilizations
B.C.- different cultures appear along the Nile River
3000 B.C.- farming settlements appear around the Indus River valley
2205 B.C.- families called dynasties rule China: Yellow River; Yangtze River
2000 B.C.- settlements along Indus River and the Ganges River.

6. Ancient Egypt Gift of the Nile Lower and Upper Egypt
3100 BC- King Menes united the two kingdoms
1554 BC- Pharaoh title is used.

7. Ancient Egypt Government
Viziers- two appointed officials to help rule and collect taxes
42 nomes- governed by nomarchs
Officials headed state departments like Royal Works

8. Egyptian Beliefs Life after death
The soul had to pass several ordeals to make it to a better world.
Body had to be intact for after world.

9. Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was larger than Egypt.
Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were major cities.
Highly organized trade system
Cities were laid out on a grid system.
The houses were made of mud brick and had bathrooms and a drainage system.

10. Ancient China
Located among three major rivers- Chang Jiang, Xi Jiang, and Huang He
Irrigation was used.
Ruled by a series of families (dynasties)
221 BC Shi Huangdi unites China and forms Qin dynasty
Shi Huangdi is the first emperor of China.

11. Ancient China
Shi Huangdi changed the government and standardized money, weights, and measures.
The Great Wall of China was built between 214 and 204 BC in the north to keep out the Huns.
The Wall areas more than 1,400 miles long.

12. Ancient Chinese Culture
Chinese nobles watched the Great Wall being constructed.
Convicted criminals and peasants constructed the wall.
Chinese civil service was based on the beliefs of Confucius.

13. Mesopotamia Tigris River Euphrates River
Fertile Crescent (land between two rivers)
Theocracy
City-States