the earth and its peoples 3 rd edition chapter 2 the first river- valley civilizations, 3500-1500...

The Earth and Its Peoples

3rd edition

Chapter 2

The First River-Valley Civilizations, 3500-1500 B.C.E.

Cover Slide

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Akkadian bronze of SargonThis stern-faced, life-size cast-bronze head, with its stylized ringleted beard and carefully arranged hair, shows Mesopotamian craftsmanship at its finest. It is thought to be either Sargon (2371-2316 B.C.E.) or Naram-sin (ca. 2250-2220 B.C.E.). (Claus Hansmann)

Akkadian bronze of Sargon


Bronze statue from Indus ValleyThis small bronze statue from the Indus Valley was found in a house in Mohenjo-daro. It represents a young woman whose only apparel is a necklace and an armful of bracelets. Appearing relaxed and confident, she has been identified by some scholars as a dancer. (National Museum, New Delhi)

Bronze statue from Indus Valley


Figurine from Mohenjo-daroThis small stone figure from Mohenjo-daro is thought to depict a priest-king. The man's beard is carefully trimmed and his upper lip shaved. The headband and armband have circular ornaments, probably once filled with colored paste. His robe with its trefoil designs was probably also filled with colors to suggest the fabric more vividly. (National Museum, Karachi)

Figurine from Mohenjo-daro


Gilgamesh (detail of soundbox)In the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh--king of Uruk and considered a hero-king and god--and his friend Endiku set out to attain immortality and join the ranks of gods. They attempt wondrous feats against fearsome agents of the gods. This top section of the front panel of this soundbox from a Sumerian harp, found in the tomb of the queen of Ur, depicts Gilgamesh with two man-faced bulls. (University of Pennsylvania Museum)

Gilgamesh (detail of soundbox)


GudeaKing Gudea was one of the powerful kings responsible for the creation of public works and temples created in honor of Sumerian deities in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash. This statue bears an inscription that describes a temple dedicated to the goddess Geshtin-anna. (Reunion des Musees Nationaux/Art Resource, NY)

Gudea


Harappan jeweleryAmong the small objects found in the Indus Valley are these pieces of jewelry--made of gold and precious stones--which give some insight into the daily life of the time. (J.M. Kenoyer/Courtesy Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan)

Harappan jewelery


Harappan sealThe Bronze Age urban culture of the Indus Valley is known today, alternatively, as the Harappan civilization, from the modern name of a major city. Archaeologists have discovered some three hundred Harappan cities in both Pakistan and India. It was a literate civilization, but no one has been able to decipher the more than four hundred symbols inscribed on stone seals and copper tablets. The Indus civilization extended over nearly 500,000 square miles in the Indus Valley, making it more than twice as large as the territories of the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations. This molded tablet, discovered among the many small objects at Harappan sites, depicts a female deity battling two tigers. It provides a glimpse of early Indian religious imagination and daily life. (J.M. Kenoyer/Courtesy Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan)

Harappan seal


Law Code of HammurabiThe principal collection of laws in ancient Mesopotamia was the code of Hammurabi, the Babylonian ruler. Unearthed by French archaeologists in 1901-1902, this stele contained the code, which Hammurabi claimed rested on the authority of the gods. (Hirmer Verlag Munich)

Law Code of Hammurabi


Mohenjo DaroMohenjo-daro, in southern Pakistan, was one of the best-known cities of the Harappan--or Indus--civilization. It was a planned city, built of fired mud bricks. Its streets were straight, and covered drainpipes were installed to carry away waste. From sites like this we know that the early Indian political elite had the power and technical expertise to organize large, coordinated building projects. (Josephine Powell)

Mohenjo Daro


Overview of UrThis photograph gives a good idea of the size and complexity of Ur, one of the most powerful cities in Mesopotamia (present Iraq). In the lower right-hand corner stands the massive ziggurat of Umammu. (Georg Gerster/Photo Researchers, Inc.)

Overview of Ur


PyramidsThe best-known pyramids of the Old Kingdom are those built for Khufu, Khafre, and Menkure, better known by their Greek names, Cheops, Chephren, amd Myerinus. Cheops's pyramid is 480 feet high; Chephren's is 470 feet high, and Myerinus's is 203 feet high. (John Ross)

Pyramids


Tomb model of cattle presentationThis series of small wooden figures comes from the tomb of Meket Ra at Deir el Bahari (Thebes, ca. 2000 B.C.E.). Scenes of this type were intended to show how rich the occupant of the tomb was and how his wealth procured him offerings even after his death. (Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY)

Tomb model of cattle presentation


Two sides of Narmer PaletteThis palette comes from Hierakonpolis, the sacred city of the prehistoric kingdom of Upper Egypt. It records the victory (over Delta) of King Narmer, who is shown on one side wearing the crown of Upper Egypt and on the other that of Lower Egypt. This monument commemorates the union of the two halves of Egypt. (Jean Vertut)

Two sides of Narmer Palette


Map: River-Valley Civilizations, 3500-1500 B.C.E.

River-Valley Civilizations, 3500-1500 B.C.E.The earliest complex societies arose in the flood plains of large rivers: in the fourth millennium B.C.E. in the valley of the Indus River in Pakistan, and in the second millennium B.C.E. in the valley of the Yellow River in China. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)


Map: Spread of Cultures in the Ancient Near East

Spread of Cultures in the Ancient Near EastThis map illustrates the spread of the Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures through a semicircular stretch of land often called the Fertile Crescent. From this area knowledge and use of agriculture spread throughout the western part of Asia Minor. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)


the earth and its peoples 3 rd edition chapter 2 the first river- valley civilizations, 3500-1500...

Documents

small bronze statue

mohenjo daro

harappan civilization

sumerian epic of gilgamesh

indus civilization extende

gudea king gudea

new delhi bronze statue

harappan cities