Name __________________________ Day/Block ______

Mesopotamia & Egypt Notes Guide

SOL WHI.3 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of ancient river valley civilizations by... a) locating these civilizations in time and place

3500 to 500 BC 2000 to 500 BC

Mesopotamia = Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys (Southwest Asia)

Hebrews: between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River Valley (Fertile Crescent in Southwest Asia)

Egypt = Nile River Valley and Delta (Africa) Phoenicians: Mediterranean coast

India = Indus River Valley (South Asia) Nubia = Upper (southern) Nile River (Africa)

China = Huang He (Yellow) River Valley (East Asia)

River Valleys offer good soil and water for farming; easily protected from invasion b) describing the development of social, political, and economic patterns, including slavery;

Social Political Economic

Hereditary Rulers (kept it in the family) = kings and pharaohs

First states (city-states -> kingdoms -> empires)

Use of metal for tools and weapons = better tools and weapons

Rigid class structure Centralized government – often based on religious authority

Better tools = farming surplus

Slavery was accepted Written law codes Increased trade = development of cities and slavery

c/d) explaining the development of religious tradition, including the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Judaism

Most early civilizations were polytheistic (believed in many gods)

Only monotheistic group was the Hebrews (developed Judaism = Jews)

Origins Beliefs/Traditions/Customs Spread

Abraham = first leader Monotheistic (believed in one god) Exile = kicked out of places

Moses = second leader Torah = holy book (written records and beliefs of Jews)

Diaspora = scattering of Jews from their homeland

Jerusalem = holy land Ten Commandments = written law code (moral and religious conduct)

e) explaining the development of language and writing

Pictograms = earliest written symbols

Hieroglyphics = Egypt

Cuneiform = Sumer

Alphabet = Phoenicia

SOL WHI.4 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of ancient river valley civilizations by... a) describing Persia, including Zoroastrianism and the development of imperial bureaucracy

Treated the people they conquered fairly

Developed an imperial bureaucracy (broke the empire up into provinces)

Built a road system

Practiced religion of Zoroastrianism

Timeline

5000 BC

3100 BC

3000 BC

2340 BC

2000 BC

1800 BC

1100 BC

800 BC

600 BC

538 BC

1600 BC

1200 BC

332 BC

Importance of River Valleys

River Valley = low-lying land formed by flowing water

- Offered fresh water, a source of food, good soil, system of irrigation - Locations were easily defended - Stimulated agriculture => led to first civilizations

What were the four major river valleys were civilizations first began?

Why are river valleys great places to form settlements/civilizations?

Mesopotamia (The Fertile Crescent)

Sumer was located between what two rivers?

Sumerians:

How did Sumerians use the rivers to their advantage?

Polytheistic =

What were Sumer’s temples called?

Women had some rights – property and business ownership!

Rulers

Rulers

Nobles

Commoners

Slaves

1st Writing System

What were some Sumerian art and technology contributions?

Sargon

Akkadians:

What did the Akkadian army use that made them stronger than other armies?

Hammurabi

Babylonians:

Why was the Code of Hammurabi significant? What happened to Babylon after Hammurabi died?

When Hammurabi died, Babylon lost

its power and Mesopotamia

returned to little independent city-

states

Assryian Empire

Assyrians:

What was different about the Assyrian Army?

What was Assurbanipal’s lasting legacy?

How did they make it easier to govern their large empire?

Why did the Assyrian Empire fall?

Chaldeans (NeoBabylonians): ***Neo = New!!

How did Nebuchadnezzar make Babylon more beautiful?

Who does this remind us of?

How did the Persians manage

their large empire

The Persian Empire:

Cyrus the

Great

Used _________ for trade

Repleace __________ system

Made trade more

__________

How did the Persians treat the people they conquered?

Why would this make trade more fair?

Zoroastrianism

Official Reliiogn of:

Prophet =

Preached about:

Holy Book =

God =

Phoenicians: Instead of living in one place, the Phoenicians established _____________ around the Mediterranean

Phoenicians created the world’s first letter __________________. How did they spread their culture and alphabet?

Abraham

Hebrews:

Where did the Hebrews originate?

How did Moses help the Hebrews?

Which 2 Mesopotamian empires destroyed Israel/Judah?

Diaspora =

1st =

2nd =

Monotheistic

Torah = 10 Commandments =

Egypt and the Nile:

Egyptians believed their Pharaohs were descended from which god?

Nile

**Egyptian history is divided into: Old, Middle, and New

Kingdoms

Pyramids = _____________ = Places to bury someone

How did Egyptians preserve bodies for the afterlife? What did Egyptians believe the afterlife was like?

What area to the south did Egypt expand into? What areas did they try to expand into with their military?

What was significant about Hatshepsut?

How did Akhenaton try to change Egyptian religion?

What did Ramses try to do? Was he successful?

Egyptian writing =

Written on:

Who were the Egyptians finally defeated by?

Rosetta Stone

Math & Science

Architecture