Early CivilizationsNeolithic RevolutionCivilizationsRiver Valley Civilizations MesopotamiaPolytheismMonotheismJudaism

MESOPOTAMIA***Mesopotamia is the valley between the Tigris

and Euphrates Rivers.***

The land “between the rivers.”

Rich soil and abundance of crops.

***Civilization emerges in the Fertile Crescent because the rivers provided favorable conditions for farming.***

MesopotamiaFirst Mesopotamian civilization.

***Mesopotamian societies a theocracy (government based on religion) ruled by kings with divine power.***

Early Civilizations were polytheistic (many gods)

***Oldest writing system, cuneiform, is credited to the Sumerians.***

Code of HAMMURABIKingdom of Babylon

***First ever set of written laws***

Collection of 282 laws***

“If a son has struck his father, he shall cut off his hand.”

“If a house collapsed and caused the death of the owner, the builder was put to death.”

ISRAELThe Israelites were Semitic-speaking people from

Palestine.

***Their religion, Judaism, was the first monotheistic (one god) religion and it influenced Christianity and Islam.***

GEOGRAPHY• ***The Nile River is the

world’s longest river.***– Over 4,000 miles

• Yearly floods left rich soil to help farmers grow crops.

• Farming helped Egypt become a powerful and prosperous civilization.

• The Nile was also the easiest way to travel and communicate throughout the empire.

RELIGION and GOVERNMENT

***Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic.Believed in many gods***

Egyptians were ruled by Pharaohs (Monarchs) who were the political and religious leaders of their nation.

MUMMUFICATION

GEOGRAPHY***India is made up of large mountain

ranges, river valleys, and dry plateaus.monsoons, a seasonal wind pattern,

makes up India’s climate***The Himalayas are the highest mountains

in the world.Mount Everest

India’s two major river valleys are the Ganges and Indus.

***Like Egypt India depended on the flooding of rivers to maintain their civilization.***

SILK ROAD***Trade route between Roman Empire and

China.***Stretched about 4,000 miles from China to

Mesopotamia.Only luxury goods were carried on the Silk Road.Goods Included: silk, spices, teas, porcelain,

ivory, textiles, pepper, woolen and linen clothes, glass, and precious stones

GEOGRAPHYThe two major rivers in China are the Huang He

(Yellow River) and the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River).

Most of China is made up of mountains and desert.

The mountains in China served as an important barrier against outside forces like the Mongols.

ZHOU DYNASTY1045—256 BCE

The Zhou dynasty is the longest-lasting dynasty in Chinese history.almost 800 years

***The Zhou dynasty believed it could rule China because it possessed the Mandate of Heaven.(Emperors could rule as long as they had Heaven’s permission)*****

CHINESE PHILOSOPHIESThree Chinese philosophies emerged towards

the end of the Zhou dynasty:ConfucianismDaoismLegalism

These philosophies focused on helping people with the world they lived in rather than concerning themselves with the afterlife.

CONFUCIANISMConfucius is known as China’s First Teacher.The Confucian view of the Dao focused on two

things:Duty – Family and community came before self

goalsHumanity – “Do unto others as you would have

others do unto you.”***Chinese history was based on the Confucian

belief that the government should be open to all men of superior talent.***

DAOISMWhile Confucianists relied

on hard work to improve life, Daoists believed in letting nature take its course.

All people had to do was follow the Dao.Not action but inaction.

LEGALISMLegalism proposed that

human beings were evil by nature.

The only way for humans to follow the correct path was through harsh laws and stiff punishments.

River Valley CivilizationsFill out the map.

Make sure to locate the following rivers: Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, Indus, Yangtze, and Yellow.

Make sure to locate the following civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China.

Make sure to create a key.

Answer the following questions

1.Why did early civilizations begin next to rivers?

2.Why did the ability to grow food change the world?

Window PanesNeolithic RevolutionCivilizationsRiver Valley

Civilizations MesopotamiaPolytheismMonotheismJudaism

Definition Sentence

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