River Valley Civilizations

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River Valley Civilizations

• Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, and China

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Fertile Crescent River Valley
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Mesopotamia

• Mesopotamia is from the Greek
• MesoLand between
• PotamiaThe rivers
• The Tigris and the Euphrates are the primary
  rivers flowing into the Persian Gulf
• They flooded once a year
• This gave farmers silt to plant in
• Silt allowed for large crop yields

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Geography of the Fertile Crescent

• The fertile crescent is located between the
  Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea in
  Southwest Asia

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Disadvantages and Solutions in Mesopotamia

• Unpredictable flooding/Drought at other times
• Developed irrigation
• No natural barriers for defense
• Built walls around villages
• Limited resources
• Trade for raw materials

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Sumerians Create City States

• By 3000 BCE Sumerians had built cities
• Shared their culture
• Developed their own governments
• Each city and the surrounding land formed a
  city-state
• Functioned like independent countries

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The Role of Priests and Rulers

• Early government was controlled by the priests
• The temple and priests had important functions in
  everyday life
• During war the strongest fighter was chosen to
  lead the military
• Power ended when the war ended
• As war became more common they took total control
  of the military
• Eventually took control of the city-state

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The Spread of Cities

• Sumerians engaged in long distance trade
• 2500 BCE city-states were all over the Fertile
  Crescent (Syria, Iraq, and Turkey)
• Resulted in Cultural Diffusion
• The transfer of an idea or product from one
  culture to another

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Sumerian Culture

• Religion was polytheistic made up of many gods
• Creation myth is in the Epic of Gilgamesh
• First social classes are established
• Invented the wheel, sail, and plow
• Architecture known for use of columns and arches
• Sumerian writing known as cuneiform

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The First Empire Builders

• From 3000 to 2000 BCE the Sumerians were in
  constant wars
• This weakened the city-states
• Neighboring civilizations attacked and conquered
• Sumerian civilization was adapted to these
  conquerors needs

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Sargon of Akkad

• 2350 BCE Sargon defeated the city-states of Sumer
• The Akkadians adopted most Sumerian culture
• Spread Sumerian culture beyond Mesopotamia
• Sargons dynasty lasted 200 years before it
  declined

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The Babylonian Empire

• 2000 BCE the Amorites invaded Mesopotamia and
  took the capital at Babylon
• The Babylonian empire reached its height under
  the ruler Hammurabi
• 1792 to 1750 BCE

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Hammurabis Code

• Hammurabi knew that a single code of laws would
  unify his empire
• The existing rules were combined into the Code of
  Hammurabi
• Relied on the eye for an eye principle
• Government had a responsibility for what occurred
  in society

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Nile River Valley
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The Geography of Egypt

• The Nile flows northward across Africa
• It floods annually and was used for
  transportation
• Egypt is divided into upper and lower
• Southern portion is upper Egypt
• Northern portion is lower Egypt
• Egypt is divided by the cataracts rapids on the
  Nile

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Egypt Unites Into a Kingdom

• 3200 BCE Egypt is divided into two kingdoms
• King Narmer united the two kingdoms
• Resulted in the double crown
• Capital located at Memphis where upper and lower
  Egypt met
• Began the period known as the Old Kingdom

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Pharaohs Rule as Gods

• Egyptians believed their pharaohs were gods
• Government based on religious authority is known
  as a theocracy
• Pharaohs made the sun rise, the Nile flood, and
  crops grow
• Promoted truth and justice
• Pharaoh ruled even after death
• The ka (life force) never died

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Why Build Pyramids

• Since the ka continued to live its needs must be
  met
• This is why Egyptians built pyramids
• The Great Pyramid is more than 2 million cut
  stone blocks
• Height is 481 feet
• Covers more than 13 acres

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Egyptian Culture

• Polytheistic believe in more than one god
• Re - The sun god
• Osiris - The god of the dead
• Isis - Mother goddess
• Egyptians believed in an afterlife
• Judged for their deeds after death
• Mummification was for the royal and elite

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Life in Egyptian Society

• Society was governed by a class structure
• Could marry into a higher class
• Could work their way into a higher class
• To earn highest position they had to be able to
  read and write
• Army
• Royal treasury
• Priesthood
• Pharaohs Court

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Egyptian Writing

• The development of writing was the key to the
  development of Egyptian society
• Hieroglyphics Greek for Hieros and Gulph,
  meaning sacred writing
• Originally written in clay tablets
• Later written on papyrus paper from papyrus
  reeds

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Egyptian Science and Technology

• Calendar based on 365 days, 12 months of 30 days,
  5 extra days for feasting and holidays
• System of written numbers for counting, adding,
  and subtracting
• Medicine
• Check pulse
• Set broken bones
• Treat wounds
• Treat fevers
• Surgery

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Indus River Valley
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Geography of the Indian Subcontinent

• Indian subcontinent India, Pakistan, and
  Bangladesh
• Separated from Asia by the Hindu Kush, Karakorum,
  and Himalayan ranges
• Indus and Ganges rivers made it a good place to
  settle
• Monsoons from mid-July to October brought rain
• Sometimes caused flooding
• If the monsoons failed, drought threatened crops

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Environmental Challenges

• The yearly floods were unpredictable
• The rivers sometimes changed course
• Monsoons were unpredictable

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Civilization Emerges on the Indus

• Consisted of over 100 planned cities
• Most are in present day Pakistan
• Called Harappan civilization
• Cities laid out on grid system
• Buildings were uniform in size
• Plumbing a sewage systems were built

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Harappan Culture

• Language
• Modern linguists have not deciphered it yet
• Consists of about 400 symbols
• The symbols have dual purpose
• Phonetic sounds
• Direct objects

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• Culture
• Few weapons have been found indicating peaceful
  civilization
• Toys indicate prosperity
• Animals were important in culture
• Religion is like modern day Hinduism

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Indus River Civilization Ends

• 1750 BCE building quality decreases
• A 1970 satellite photo revealed evidence of
  earthquakes
• Probably accompanied by flooding and changes in
  the rivers course
• Trade became impossible and people left the
  cities
• 1500 BCE the Aryans (nomads from the north)
  invaded the valley.
• Indian civilization continued under the Aryans

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Ancient China
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Geography of China

• Natural barriers isolated China from other river
  civilizations
• To the east - Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and
  the Pacific Ocean
• To the west - deserts and the icy Plateau of
  Tibet
• In the southwest - Himalayan Mountains
• In the north - The Gobi Desert and Mongolian
  Plateau

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The River Valleys of China

• The Yellow River (Huang He) and Yangtze River
  (Chang Jiang) provided early Chinese civilization
  with the water needed for development
• Huang He often flooded destroying villages
• Due to isolation China did not trade.
• They had to produce everything themselves.
• Natural boundaries did not totally protect China
  from invasion

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Civilization Emerges in Shang Times

• The Chinese civilizations were thriving before
  Mesopotamian
• 2000 BCE the first Chinese cities emerge
• Mythical first dynasty called the Xia Dynasty
• Led by a mathematician named Yu
• Created flood control and irrigation to control
  the Huang He
• Shang Dynasty emerged in 1700 BCE and lasted
  until 1027 BCE
• They were the first to leave written records

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Shang Dynasty
Fought Many Wars
Northern China
Shang Dynasty 1700 BCE-1027 BCE
Left Written Records
Lived in walled Cities
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Development of Chinese Culture

• Family
• The group is more important than the individual
• Chief loyalty is to the family
• Filial Piety respect for elders
• Women were inferior to men
• Marriages are arranged

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Social Classes

• The ruling class was made up of the warrior
  nobles
• They owned the land
• They governed scattered villages
• Sent tribute (payment) to the Shang king

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Religious Beliefs

• The family ancestors (spirits) held power over
  the family
• Could bring good and bad fortune to living family
  members
• The spirits were not gods
• The family made sacrifices to ancestors to keep
  them happy

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Development of Writing

• Each character stood for one syllable or unit of
  language
• No connection between written and spoken Chinese
• The writing system was unified throughout China
• Spoken Chinese varied by region
• People needed to know 1,500 characters to be
  barley literate
• Scholars had to know 10,000 characters
• Limited the education of the Chinese

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Zhou and the Dynastic Cycle

• Around 1027 BCE a people called the Zhou
  overthrew the Shang
• The Zhou adopted much of the Shang culture
• The mandate of heaven the ruler was given
  divine approval
• Good kings were supported by the gods and poor
  kings were removed from power

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Dynastic Cycle
disasters such as floods, famines, peasant
revolts, and invasions occur
in time, dynasty declines and becomes corrupt
taxes are raised power grows weaker
Strong Dynasty establishes peace and prosperity,
it is considered to have mandate of heaven
old dynasty is seen as having lost Mandate of
Heaven rebellion is justified
dynasty is overthrown through rebellion and
bloodshed new dynasty emerges
new dynasty gains power, restores peace and
order, and claims to have mandate of heaven
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Zhou Government

• Controlled through Feudalism
• Feudalism a political system in which nobles,
  or lords, are granted the use of land legally
  belonging to the king. The nobles owe loyalty
  and military service to the king and protection
  to the people who live on their estates
• At first the lords submitted to the Zhou
• Gradually the lords grew stronger and the towns
  expanded
• Local lords became less dependent on the Zhou and
  began to war between themselves

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Improvements in Technology and Trade

• Built roads and canals
• Coined money
• Built blast furnaces
• Allowed for iron production

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III. Seafaring Traders
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A. The Minoans

• Lived on the island of Crete in the Aegean Sea
• Traded in the eastern Mediterranean
• Their culture influences the early Greeks

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B. Culture

• They were a peaceful society
• Their civilization ended about 1200 BCE
• Possibly due to earthquakes and volcanoes

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C. The Phoenicians

• 1100 BCE the Phoenicians control Mediterranean
  trade
• Known for their shipbuilding and ability to sail
• Based out of modern day Lebanon

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D. Trade in the Mediterranean

• Various cities produced different trade goods
• Colonies were built all over the Mediterranean
• 814 BCE Carthage is settled
• It becomes the greatest of the colonies

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E. The Alphabet

• The Phoenician alphabet used symbols to represent
  sound
• Phonetic - one sign for one sound
• The alphabet spread through trade