Ancient Civilizations
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Transcript of Ancient Civilizations
Ancient Civilizations
SumeriansLocated in the Mesopotamia, or the Fertile Crescent, in what is now Iran/Iraq as early as 5,300 B.C.Fertile Crescent- River Valley of the Tigris and EuphratesEridu is believed to be the first cityMade of city states
AgricultureFirst to create a large irrigation system (bring water to fields)Accomplished through use of shaduf, canals, channels, dykes, weirs, and reservoirsGrew barley, chickpeas, lentils, wheat, dates, onions, garlic, lettuce, leeks, and mustard
Written LanguageCreated by the need to keep record of farmingCuneiform- Wedge shapes used to show syllablesFirst written language to do so
There was writing before, but mostly pictures to indicate things, not syllables
ReligionDue to Cuneiform we are able to know exactly what they believedCreated massive temples called Ziggurats
Polytheistic (many gods) religion, which included An, the god of “heaven” and Enki, the goddess of the Earth
Indus ValleyAlso known as the Harrapan CivilizationDates back to 3300 B.C.Located along the Indus River in what is now Pakistan and IndiaMajor cities are Harappa and Mojenjo-daroWritten language is still indecipherable
ReligionMany seals show signs of swastikasUses many animal symbols
Especially the bull- Jainism
Precursor to many Eastern ReligionsNo large temples
Ingenious IndusCity planning and sewage/drainageIndoor plumbingFirst evidence of dentistryBronze!!
DeclineThere is a theory that they were attacked and slowly destroyed by of group called the AryansMost people believe that their decline was due to droughts and tectonic activity
Egotistical EgyptiansOne of the most studied ancient civilizationsAlso very stereotyped
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgTPH5y1-ZI
Found along the Nile River
Divine DynastiesEgypt was split in two kingdoms at first
The Lower Kingdom in the North and the Upper Kingdom in the SouthBelieved to have been united by the pharaoh Narmer
The 3 PeriodsThe Old Kingdom 2686 – 2181B.C.
This was when the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx were built
The Middle Kingdom 2134 – 1690 B.C.Restoration of a unified stateExpansion
New Kingdom 1549 – 1069 B.C.Hatshepsut- Great ruler that grew trade during peaceRamesses II- Lead to greatest expansion of the empire
Language/ReligionWritten language- Hieroglyphics
A hieroglyph can represent a word or a sound and can serve different purposes in different situations
Believed that Pharaoh was a god kingBelieved in many gods who each had their own cult
Is it Halloween?Everyone is usually knowledgeable on their burial ritesMummies!Dissected the body and put organs into jarsBuried with many riches and things they would need for the next life
Why Are They Important?
Created massive monuments without cranesHuge advances in math, astronomy, and architecture, and medicineCreated first “paper” made out of strands of papyrusOne of the most well preserved
DeclineTheir huge expansion in the New Kingdom left the empire vulnerableThis mixed their reputation as wealth made them targets for several nations across Africa and the Mediterranean
Mellow Yellow RiverEarliest evidence of writing dates back to 13th century B.C.They are not talked about a lot because the things they accomplished happened earlier elsewhere in the worldWhy are they important?
This was the foundation in which China and most of Southeast Asia came from