Tristan Akong

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Chapter 2
First Civilizations Africa and Asia

• Tristan Akong

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Section 1 Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile

• The desert in Egypt protected them from invasion.
• The narrow band of land located along the Nile
  were dotted with farming villages. Farmers took
  advantage of the fertile soil of the Nile Valley
  to grow wheat and flax, a plant whose fibers were
  used for clothing
• Yearly floods were waited upon desperately by the
  villages of the Nile Valley. It soaked the land
  with life giving water and deposited a layer of
  rich soil called silt.
• Upper Egypt in the South and lower Egypt in the
  north. Upper Egypt stretched from the first
  waterfall of the Nile to within 100 miles of the
  Mediterranean. Lower Egypt covered the delta
  region where the Nile empties into the
  Mediterranean. Menes the king of the Upper Egypt
  united the two region using the Nile as a highway
  linking the North and South. The Nile helped make
  Egypt the First Unified State

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Old Kingdom

• Egypt was divided into three main periods Old
  Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom. (from
  about 2700 b.c.- 1100 b.c.)
• In the Old kingdom, Egyptian rulers called
  Pharaohs organized a strong, centralized state.
  Egyptians believed the pharaoh was a God.
  Therefore pharaohs had absolute power, owning and
  ruling all the land in the kingdom.
• In the Old Kingdom Great Pyramids were built as
  tombs for eternity, because Egyptians believed in
  an afterlife the bodies were preserved of their
  dead rulers and provided them with everything
  they would need in their new lives.
• Building Pyramids took so long that often a
  Pharaoh would being to build his tomb as soon as
  he inherited the throne.

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Middle Kingdom

• The Middle Kingdom was a turbulent period
• The Nile did not rise as regularly as it did
• Corruption and rebellions were common
• Irrigation was weak
• Invaders (Hyksos) took over the delta region with
  their horse drawn chariots.
• But finally after more than 100 years new
  Egyptian leaders arose and drove out the Hyksos
  and set up the New Kingdom

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New Kingdom

• Powerful and Ambitious Pharaohs created a large
  empire. Stretching to the Euphrates River it
  connected contact with western Asia as well as
  Africa.
• Monarch Hatshepsut was the first female ruler
  known to History she encouraged trade.
• But the most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom
  was Ramses II. He pushed Egyptian Rule Northward
  to Syria.
• After Ramses II died Egyptian rule declined
  letting in Invaders such as the Assyrians and
  Persians.

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Section 2Egyptian Civilization

• Egyptian Religion was very important in Egyptian
  civilization. Chief Gods and Goddesses control
  the everyday life of the Egyptian civilization.
• Gods like Amon-Re (sun god) and Osiris (ruler of
  the underworld) and Isis.
• Egyptians believed the soul had to pass a test in
  order to win eternal life. That test was
  determined upon by Osiris and Isis.
• Book of the Dead was relied upon by the
  Egyptians which contains spells, charms and
  formulas for the dead to use in the afterlife.
• To give the soul use of the body in the
  afterlife, Egyptians preserved the body in strips
  of linen. This process is known as mummification.

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Egyptian Society

• Egypt had its own class system. At the top was
  the one and only pharaoh under him was high
  priest and priestesses, who served the gods and
  goddesses. Next came the Nobles who fought for
  the pharaoh.
• Majority of Egyptians were farmers. Many were
  slaves who served the pharaoh and built temples,
  palaces and tombs for him.
• Women of Egypt raised children and prepared food.
  But under Egyptian law women could inherit
  property, enter business deals, buy and sell
  goods and work was not only confined to the home.
  But women were excluded from becoming scribes or
  holding other government jobs

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Written Records

• Hieroglyphics a form of picture writing were used
  to keep important records.
• Ideograms, pictures that symbolized an idea or
  action.
• Paper like writing material was formed from
  papyrus. (Paper was not invented until 100 A.D.
  in China).
• Jean Champollion, French scholar deciphered the
  Rosetta Stone which unraveled the mysterious
  writings on Egypts great monuments. Champollion
  was then able to decode many hieroglyphic
  symbols. Which helped historians read the
  thousands of surviving records from ancient Egypt.

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Art and Literature

• Art of ancient Egypt included statues, paintings
  in tombs, and carvings on temples.
• Oldest Literature of Egypt includes hymns and
  prayers to the gods, proverbs and love-poems.
  Others tell of famous wars and royal victories

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Section 3City-States of Ancient Sumer

• Mesopotamia (between the rivers) was uncovered
  between the two rivers the Euphrates River and
  Tigris River. Floods washed away topsoil and
  destroyed mud-brick villages.
• The First Sumerian Cities were emerged in
  Mesopotamia.
• Sumerian Civilization hierarchy, or system of
  ranks formed the society of the Sumerian
  civilization. Highest class included the ruling
  family, leading officials, and high priest. Small
  class was made up of lesser priest and scribes.
  The middle class included merchants and artisans.
  Then came peasants and farmers who tended the
  land of the ruling family.

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Sumerian Culture

• Sumerians were polytheistic, worshiping many
  gods. These gods were thought to control every
  aspect of life and forces of nature.
• To Sumerians, their highest duty was to keep
  these divine beings happy and thereby ensure the
  safety of their city state. Each city built a
  Ziggurat, a pyramid temple that soared toward the
  heavens.
• Advances in Learning Sumerian invented what may
  be the earliest known form of writing. Called
  cuneiform (kyoo Nee uh form), from the Latin word
  cuneus for wedge, because it involved using a
  reed pen to make wedge-shaped marks on clay
  tablets. Cuneiform originated from pictographs.
  They based their number system on six, dividing
  the hour into 60 minutes and a circle into 360
  degrees like we do still do today

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Section 4Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders

• Sargon invaded and conquered the city-state of
  Sumer and built the first empire known to
  History. Which fell after his death.
• Hammurabi, king of Babylon, established a
  remarkable set of laws known as the Code of
  Hammurabi which let his empire know the legal
  principles his government would follow.
  Hammurabis Code was the first important attempt
  by a ruler to codify (set down in writing) all of
  the laws that would govern his state
• Under Hammurabis Code, criminal law was
  controlled by setting up specific punishments for
  specific offenses.
• Although his Code paved way for major reform
  Hammurabi improved irrigation, organized a
  well-trained army, and had temples repaired.

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Warfare and the Spread of Ideas

• The Hittites pushed out of Asia Minor into
  Mesopotamia, they had learned to extract iron
  from ore. Heating iron ore and pounded out
  impurities before plunging into cold water.
• The tools and weapons they created from iron were
  harder and had sharper edges than those made out
  of bronze or copper. Hittites tried to keep this
  technology a secret. When the empire collapsed
  Hittite ironsmiths migrated west to serve
  customers elsewhere. Therefore spreading the new
  knowledge across Asia, Africa and Europe,
  ushering into the Iron Age.
• Assyrians who lived on the upper Tigris, learned
  to forge iron weapons. For 500 years, they earned
  a reputation for being among the most feared
  warriors in history

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Persian Empire

• Babylon fell to the Persian armies of Cyrus the
  Great. Cyrus went on to conquer the largest army
  seen.
• But unification of this empire is credited to
  Persian emperor Darius. Darius set up a
  government that became model to later rulers,
  divided the Persian empire into provinces headed
  by a governor. Built roadways which made
  communication easier and to encourage unity.
• Darius encouraged the use of coins which the
  Lydian's of Asia Minor had first introduced, but
  the barter economy was still used by many.
  (Exchanging one set of goods or services for
  another)

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Phoenician Sea Trader

• Phoenicians gained fame as sailors and traders.
  They occupied cities along the eastern
  Mediterranean coast.
• Phoenicians became best known for manufacturing
  and trade.
• Historians called the Phoenicians carriers of
  civilization because they spread Middle Eastern
  civilization around the Mediterranean. The
  Phoenicians brought about the alphabet, which
  contains letters that represent a sound.

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Section 5Roots of Judaism

• The Israelites had set up a kingdom called
  Israel. Solomon, King Davids son split the
  kingdom having Israel in the north and Judah in
  the South.
• Israelites could not fight off invasion and fell
  to the Assyrians. Babylonian armies capture Judah
  and forced many Israelites into exile in Babylon.
  During this period, called Babylonian Captivity,
  the Israelites became known as the Jews.

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Covenant with God

• Unlike the Sumerians the Israelites were
  monotheistic (belief in one true God)
• Israelites believed that God has made a covenant
  with Abraham. To lead the Israelites out of
  bondage and into the Promised Land of Canaan.
  So thus, the Jews saw themselves as Gods chosen
  people.

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Teaching of Law and Morality

• Israelite society was patriarchal, that is,
  fathers and husbands held great legal and moral
  authority. Fathers arranged marriages for his
  daughters.
• Women had few legal rights, although some laws
  protected them.
• The heart of Judaism are the Ten Commandments, a
  set of laws that Jews believe God gave them
  through Moses.
• In Jewish history, spiritual leaders emerged to
  interpret Gods will known as Prophets, such as
  Isaiah and Jeremiah. These Prophets warned that
  failure to obey Gods law would lead their people
  to disaster and a code of ethics or moral
  standards of behavior.
• Judaism is considered a major world religion for
  its unique contribution to religious though

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Chapter Review

• By means of the various peoples who conquered the
  Middle East, Sumerian Knowledge passed on to the
  Greeks and Romans. They, in turn, had a powerful
  impact on the development of the western world.
• The Middle East remained a region where diverse
  peoples came into close contact. Though these
  people lived thousands of years ago, some of
  their beliefs and ideas survived to shape our
  modern world.
• The Israelites came to believe that God was
  taking a hand in their lives. As a result, they
  recorded events and laws in the Torah, their most
  sacred text.
• Today, Jews, Christians and other Muslims all
  honor the prophets and all their teachings. In
  the west, this shared heritage of Jews and
  Christians is known as the Judeo-Christian
  tradition

• Pyramids suggest the strength of ancient Egyptian
  civilization
• Power struggles, crop failures, and the cost of
  pyramids contributed to the collapse of the Old
  Kingdom.
• The Egyptians and Hittites signed a peace treaty,
  the first such document known to have survived in
  history. Declared that there shall be at peace
  and in brotherhood forever.
• Inscriptions on monuments and wall paintings in
  tombs reveal how Egyptians appealed to the divine
  forces that they believed ruled this world and
  the afterlife.

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Questions

• The Code of Hammurabi and the Twelve Tables were
  designed to
• (1.) create a stable society
• (2.) promote peaceful relation with other
  cultures
• (3.) provide a framework for the development of
  democracy
• (4.) Emphasize the importance of life after
  death
• Which heading best completes this partial
  outline?
• 1.___________________________.
• A. Natural boundaries of desert, mountains, and
  the sea
• B. Yearly flooding to enrich farmlands
• C. Old and Middle Kingdoms
• D. Production of papyrus plant
• (1.) Egypt- Gift of the Nile
• (2.) Mesopotamia- Land Between the Rivers
• (3.) Chinas Sorrow- Huang He River
• (4.) Harappa- City on the Indus
• Hammurabis code of laws and Qin dynasty legalism
  are similar in that both promoted the idea that
• (1) worship of leaders will maintain the power
  of an empire

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Dates Answers

1. January 2003
2. January 2005
3. August 2003
4. June 2004
5. August 2004

1. 1
2. 1
3. 4
4. 3
5. 4