Ancient River Valley Civilizations

Pre-history

• Pre-historic = before written records

• Two periods of pre-history to know

– Paleolithic

– Neolithic

Pre-history

• Paleolithic

– (Old) Stone age period

• Stone primary material for tools

– Hunter-gathers

– Nomadic lifestyle

Pre-history

• Neolithic Age

– (New) stone age

• Stone still primary tool material

• Agriculture

• Domestication of animals

• Some settlement

• Some nomadic groups

Paleolithic

Age

Neolithic

Age

1st Agricultural Revolution

Neolithic

Age

DevelopCivilization

PeopleStart toSettle

Civilization

• A form of culture, characterized by cities,specialized workers, complex institutions, record-keeping and advanced technology

Civilization

• To be a civilization, society must have a majority of these:

– Cities Specialized labor

– Government Science & tech

– Religion Art

– Taxes Social classes

– Written language

River valley Civilizations

• Helpful Hint:

– Know one of these like the back of your hand

– Be very familiar with a second

– Keep the others in minds

Tigris & Euphrates

• Located in modern Iraq

• Known as Mesopotamia (land between 2 rivers)

• Known as Fertile Crescent

• Look for the only green in the brownish Middle east on the map

• Rivers empty into Persian Gulf

Tigris & Euphrates

• The geography does not help

– Unpredictable flooding

– No natural barriers to invasion

– Plenty of fresh water for farming and drinking

– Access to trade/travel & cultural diffusion

– Silt deposited by rivers

Tigris & Euphrates

• Geography does not help, but problems solved– For defense, walls of mud bricks

were built– Trade of grain, cloth and tools

brought in natural raw materials like stone, wood and metal

Tigris & Euphrates

• Main crops grown were barley & wheat

• Surpluses produced led to development of different civilizations in the region

Tigris & Euphrates

• Cities associated with Mesopotamia– Sumer

– Akkad

– Babylon

– Ur

Tigris & Euphrates• Sumer

– Polytheism

– Run by soldiers

– Temples called Ziggurats

– Invented sail, plow, wheel & 1st to use bronze

– Developed geometry & arithmetic

Tigris & Euphrates

• Sumer

– Developed arches, columns, ramps

– Developed cuneiform (wedge writing in wet mud which was allowed to dry)

Tigris & Euphrates

• Akkad

– Sargon of Akkad conquered Sumer

– Created world’s first empire

– Dynasty lasted 200 years

Tigris & Euphrates

• Babylon

– Based on Euphrates river

– Empire hit peak under Hammurabi

– Hammurabi’s Code

Tigris & Euphrates

• Hammurabi’s Code– Needed single, unified code of law to

unify people– Written in stone – Placed throughout the empire–“eye for an eye”– Law applied to everyone, but applied

differently to men/women & rich/poor

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Written Law Codes

• Hammurabi’s Code– Arguably the first important one in history

• 10 Commandments

• Draco’s Code

• 12 Tables

• Justinian’s Code

• Napoleonic Code

Nile River Valley• Geographic Issues

– Floods predictably (develop calendar)– River deposits silt on banks– Access to travel/trade– Grow papyrus (turn into paper)– River flows north into Mediterranean

Sea– Egyptians forced to live close to river

(little cultural diffusion)

Nile River Valley

• Egypt = “gift of the Nile”• Without the river there is no Egyptian

civilization

• Silt very fertile

• Desert very harsh

• Irrigation ditches to water crops

• Surpluses led to civilization

Nile River Valley

• Egypt

– Polytheism

• Kings (pharaohs were god-kings)

• Egyptian government was a monarchy and theocracy (based on religious teaching/rules)

Nile River Valley

• Egypt

– Pyramids were actually tombs for pharaohs

– Pharaohs were mummified

– Bodies dried and preserved for use in the afterlife

Nile River Valley

• Egypt

– Writing developed called hieroglyphics

• Glyphs are symbols/pictures

• First written on stone

• Hieroglyphics written on early paper made from papyrus

Nile River Valley

• Egypt

– Developed very accurate calendar

– Developed arithmetic & geometry

– First to use stone columns

– Developed early medical procedures for broken bones, wounds & fevers

Indus River Valley

• Indus = India (you cannot forget this!!)

• Indus River starts in Himalaya mountains & flows to Arabian Sea

• Himalayas natural boundary

• Unpredictable flooding

Indus River Valley

• Indus sites not fully discovered yet

• No kings/queens known

• Few available records

• Was largest empire until Persia develops 1000 years later

Indus River Valley

• Two main cities of the Indus Valley

• Harappa

• Mohenjo-Daro

• Both carefully planned & laid out in a grid pattern

• Structures built of oven-fired bricks

• Homes had indoor plumbing

Indus River Valley

• Archaeologists believe the 2 cities had strong organized government

• Food seemed to be in good supply

• City planning indicates development of mathematical skills

• Indus first to cultivate cotton

• Polytheistic religious beliefs

Huang He River Valley• China’s history began in Huang He Valley• People learned to farm during the Neolithic Age• The yellow soil particles in the river give it its name “Yellow”

• Also known as “China’s Sorrow” because of the unpredictable flooding

Huang He River Valley• The flooding is due in part to the loess in the water that

raises the level of the river

• Flooding has often been disastrous

• First major dynasty in the valley to develop were the Shang (1750 to 1045 BCE)

• Zhou Dynast overthrew the Shang (1045 to 250 BCE)

• Developed Mandate of Heaven idea– Idea that ajust ruler’s power is bestowed upon them by the

gods.

– Zhou rulers used this to justify their overthrow of the Shang

Huang He River Valley

• Mandate of Heaven says that the gods allowed a dynasty to rule until that dynasty got old & corrupt

• New dynasty was given new Mandate of Heaven to over throw old

• This changing of dynasties is called the Dynastic Cycle

Huang He River Valley

• During Shang Dynasty: – Polytheistic religion– Ancestor Veneration: spirits of past ancestors could

communicate with the gods. Need to worship ancestors– Oracle Bones: a way to communicate with gods.

• Write questions on a turtle shell or other animal bone. Then poke the bone with a hot point. The different cracks that formed were interpreted to be the gods’ answer to the questions.

Dynastic Cycle

New Dynasty

•Brings peace

•Builds roads

•Land to peasants

•Protects people

•Too many taxes

•No protection

•Unfair treatment

•No building

Old Dynasty

• Floods

• Quakes

• Revolts

• Invaders

Problems

Huang He River Valley

• By 1000 BC Chinese had develop silk production

• Chinese also produced first books under the Zhou

• Also produced porcelain, writing, coined money and cast iron

Other Civilizations to Consider

• Indo-European Civilizations

– Aryans

– Hittites

Aryans

• Developed Caste System

– Lighter skin, higher caste

– Aryans blended cultures

– Brought in Hinduism

• Believed in reincarnation

• Karma & dharma

• Cows are sacred

Hittites

• Centered in Anatolia (modern Turkey, Asia Minor)

• Developed iron technology

• Developed the chariot which changed warfare dramatically

Other Civilizations to Consider

• Fertile Crescent

– Phoenicians

– Coast of eastern Mediterranean Sea

– Carriers of civilization

– Created alphabet

Hebrews

• Centered in the area of modern Israel/Palestine

• Hebrews are first monotheistic people

– Torah is holy book (same as Old Testament of Christian Bible)

– Abraham starts a religion

– Yahweh (god)

– Hebrews are God’s “chosen people”– Hebrews have a covenant with God

Hebrews

• Enslaved in Egypt

– Led out of Egypt by Moses

– Moses presents Hebrews with God’s rules known as 10 Commandments

– Settled in modern Israel

Hebrews

• Romans show up in Middle East

– Jews forced out between 75 & 135 AD

– Known as period of Diaspora (dispersal)

– Jews spread from Palestine to eastern Europe