ancient civilizations - dbalmshistory civilizations ... needed blessings for ... man for the gods...
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Ancient Civilizations
70’s Dance Party! • We need 2 Big Groups and 2 small groups (The
Movers & the Shakers) within the big group.
• Form 2 lines that face each other.
• Movers share ONE question from their list and
discuss the answer with their partner across the isle.
Repeat this process with the Shakers. (3.5 Mins)
• When time is up, the movers slide down one
position or (boogie down one position). Shakers stay
in place or Shake your groove thang!
• The Mover at the end of the line should boogie
down between the rows to the other end.
Copyright © Clara Kim 2007. All rights reserved.
Why River Valleys?
1. Offered rich soils for agriculture
2. Tended to be located in places that could offer protection from nomadic invaders
The Fertile Crescent
• Arc of land
between the
Persian Gulf
and the
Mediterranean
Sea in
Southwest
Asia
One land…Two Rivers • Mesopotamia means =
“land between the rivers”
–Tigris River and Euphrates River
• Both rivers flooded once a year and left thick bed of silt.
–Silt: rich, new soil farmers could plant and harvest enormous quantities of wheat and barley
Religion & Politics Power of the Priests
• Sumer’s earliest governments were controlled by temple priests
– Farmers believed they needed blessings for success of their crops
– Priests were the middle man for the Gods
– Priests demanded portion of farmer crops as tax
Political Systems
• Later followed
Hereditary rulers:
when the power is
passed down to
family members
Sargon
City-state- an independent city and it’s
surrounding land.
• For example Washington D. C. or Vatican City in
Rome.
Political Systems
MESOPOTAMIAN CITY STATES
LOCATION TITLES IMPORTANT LEADERS
SUMER SOUTHERN PART OF
MESOPOTAMIA
FIRST CIVILIZATION
OF THE WORLD
UR – NAMMU
AKKAD SOUTHERN PART OF
MESOPOTAMIA
FIRST EMPIRE OF THE WORLD
SARGON I
BABYLONIA CENTRAL PART OF
MESOPOTAMIA
OLD BABYLONIAN
EMPIRE
HAMMURABI
ASSYRIA NORTHERN PART OF
MESOPOTAMIA
SCOURGE OF GODS
ASSURNASIRPAL ASHURBANIPAL
CHALDEA CENTRAL PART OF
MESOPOTAMIA
NEW BABYLONIAN
EMPIRE
NEBUCHADNEZZAR
Sargon of Akkad: The World’s First Empire
[Akkadians]
Sargon of Akkad: The World’s First Empire
[Akkadians]
Babylonian Empire
They overtook Sumerians around 2000 B.C.
And they built capital, Babylon, on Euphrates river
The Babylonian Empires The Babylonian Empires
The most famous king of Babylonian Empire was Hammurabi [1792-1750 B.C.]
Famous Code of Law “the punishment
fits the crime” and “eye for an eye”
He took all the laws of the region’s city-states and unified them into one code. This helped unify the region.
Hammurabi’s [r. 1792-1750 B. C. E.]
Code
Hammurabi’s [r. 1792-1750 B. C. E.]
Code
Economy • Metal tools and weapons (bronze, iron came later…)
• Increasing agricultural surplus (better tools, plows, irrigation)
• Increasing trade along rivers – traded with Egypt
• Development of the world’s first cities
• Specialization of labor
Religion • Polytheistic: Belief in Many
Gods (3,000!!!)
• Gods could be angered at any moment and to keep them happy Sumerians:
– Built impressive ziggurats or temples to sacrifice food, wine and animals
– Souls of the dead wandered in the land of no return
MORE
ZIGGURATS!!!
Social Structure
Kings and Priests
Wealthy merchants
Ordinary Sumerian people
Slaves
Social Structure - Women
• Could hold property
• Join lower ranks of priesthood
• There were few women scribes
– Scholars think that girls were not allowed to attend schools
Achievements - Intellectual
Epic of Gilgamesh
• Myths and
legends recorded
in this long poem
• One of the
earliest works of
literature in the
world
Gilgamesh Gilgamesh
•The Mesopotamians
believed that the dead
descended to a
gloomy underworld.
•This Epic contains a
different account of
the “Great Flood”.
Achievements Science and
Technology
• Invented the wheel, the sail, the plow
• First to use bronze.
• Developed system of writing
• Built irrigation systems, buildings, surveyed flooded fields.
Achievements Science and
Technology
• Invented the wheel, the sail, the plow
• First to use bronze.
• Developed system of writing
• Built irrigation systems, buildings, surveyed flooded fields.
Egypt
Copyright © Clara Kim 2007. All rights reserved.
Geography - Egypt Unites
• In the
beginning,
Egypt was
separated into
two kingdoms:
–1. Lower Egypt
–2. Upper Egypt
Lower Egypt
Upper Egypt
King Menes
• Established a capital,
Memphis
• Established first
Egyptian Dynasty
• Unites Upper and
Lower Egypt
United United lower and upper Egypt and wore a
crown that symbolized its united kingdom
Political Structure - Pharaohs
• Egyptian kings = pharaohs
• The Egyptians viewed their
pharaohs the same as the gods
–KINGS WERE GODS
• Stood as center of religion as well
as government and army
• Type of Government = Theocracy
Trade • By 3200 BC, Egyptians were
trading with the Mesopotamians
• Also traded up and down the Nile
–Gold
–Ivory
–Cattle
–Granite blocks
Religion • Polytheistic
• 2,000 gods and goddesses
• Built huge temples to honor gods
• Believed in afterlife
–Osiris – god of the dead
Social Structure
• Very different from the city-states of Mesopotamia
• Egypt’s united kingdom allowed
–High degree of unity
–Stability
–Cultural continuity (staying the same)
Life in Egyptian Society
Pharaoh
Royal Advisor
Priests
Traders/Merchants
Slaves
Ordinary Citizens
Advancements - Intellectual
• Developed writing = hieroglyphics
–Pictographic writing system
• Developed written numbers for recording taxes
–Addition, subtraction
Achievements • Knowledge in math = skillful engineers
– Pyramids
– Palaces
• Egyptian Architects first to use stone columns in homes, palaces and temples
• 12 month, 365 day calendar from studying the stars
– So accurate it was only 6 hours off from today’s calendar year
Calendar/
Time
Piece
Geography • Nile River – 4,132 miles long, flows
northward
• Every year in July the river flooded REGULARLY leaving behind rich soil.
• The Nile is the longest river in the world!
• Forbidden Deserts on either side of the Nile = Natural barriers
Desert = Dry
Water = Fertile/Green