ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST & EGYPT(CH. 2 & 3)

*Make sure to take notes in your binders & in the order that they appear on the

slides

Geography Influences Fertile Crescent Civilization

Mesopotamia: “between the rivers”, area of land between the Tigris & Euphrates rivers.

Around 3300 B.C., the world’s first civilization developed in southeastern Mesopotamia, in a region called Sumer.

• Organizing for Floods & Irrigation– The Epic of Gilgamesh– Rivers had to be controlled in order to channel water to the fields.

• Sumerians Build Thriving Cities

Sumerian Civilization Takes Shape

• Complex Government Unfolds• Sumerians Structure Their Society

– Hierarchy: system of ranking groups.

• Sumerians Practice Religion– Ziggurat: large, stepped platform thought to have been topped by a temple dedicated to the city’s chief god or goddess.

• Sumerians Invent Writing– Cuneiform: Latin word cuneus for “wedge”, because scribes wrote by making wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets.

• Lasting Legacy of Sumer

Invaders, Traders, & Empire Builders

First Empires Arise in Mesopotamia• Sargon Builds the First Empire

– Sargon: ruler of Akkad. Invaded & conquered the neighboring city-states of Sumer about 2300 B.C.

• Hammurabi Brings Babylon to Power– Hammurabi: king of Babylon.– Codify: arrange & set down in writing.

• Establishing Civil Law– Civil Law: deals with private rights & matters.

• Defining Crime & Punishment– Criminal Law: deals with offenses against others.

• Other Accomplishments Made by Hammurabi– Improved irrigation, organized well-trained army, ordered many

temples to be repaired.

Conquests Bring New Empires & Ideas

• Hittites Learn the Secret of Ironworking– Pushed out of Asia Minor into Mesopotamia in about 1400

B.C.

• Assyrian Warriors Expand Ancient Knowledge– Lived on the upper Tigris– Learned to forge iron weapons– Established an empire by about 1350 B.C., & by 1100

B.C., they began expanding their empire across Mesopotamia.

• Nebuchadnezzar Revives Babylon– Nebuchadnezzar: aggressive & ruthless second king of

Babylon.

The Persians Establish a Huge Empire• Darius Unites Many Peoples

– Darius I: ruled from 522 B.C. to 486 B.C.– Adapted laws from the peoples he conquered.– To encourage unity, Darius had hundreds of miles of

roads built or repaired.

• Improving Economic Life– Barter Economy: exchanging one set of goods for another.– Money Economy: goods & services are paid for through the

exchange of some token of an agreed value, such as a coin or a bill.

• A New Religion Takes Hold– Zoroaster: rejected the old Persian gods & taught that a

single wise god, Ahura Mazda, ruled the world.

Contributions of Phoenician Sea Traders• Expanding Manufacturing & Trade

– Colony: a territory settled & ruled by people from another land.

• Establishing an Alphabet– Alphabet: a writing system in which each symbol

represents a single basic sound, such as a consonant or vowel.

Kingdom on the NileGeography Helps Shape Egypt• Yearly Floods Bring Benefits

– Annual floods soaked the lands with life-giving water & deposited a layer of rich soil.

– People cooperated together to built dikes, reservoirs, & irrigation ditches to channel the rising river & store water for their dry season.

• Uniting Two Regions– Upper Egypt= in the SOUTH– Lower Egypt= in the NORTH– Cataract: waterfall– Delta: a triangular area of marshland formed by deposits

of silt at the mouth of some rivers.

The Old Kingdom FormsDynasty: ruling family

• A Strong Government Takes Hold– Pharaohs: Egyptian kings; played key roles in

government & religion.– Bureaucracy: a system of government that includes

different job functions & levels of authority.– Vizier: chief minister; depended upon by a pharaoh.

• The Great Pyramids Are Built– Pharaohs built many cemeteries, or necropolises, that

contained pyramids around the area of Memphis.– Great Pyramids still stand at Gaza.– Tombs were built inside the pyramids.– Pharaohs would often begin to build their own tombs

once they came to power because of how long it took to build each of the pyramids.

The Turbulent Middle Kingdom

• Old Kingdom collapsed due to power struggles, crop failures, & the cost of building the pyramids.

• Middle Kingdom was a turbulent period.• The Nile did not rise as regularly as in past.• Corruption & rebellions were common.• Traders had greater contacts with the peoples of

the Middle East & the Mediterranean island of Crete.

New Kingdom Egypt Grows Strong• Powerful Rulers Control Egypt

– Hatshepsut: Egypt’s first female ruler; took charge during the New Kingdom.

– Thutmose III: Hatshepsut’s stepson; took over as pharaoh once he reached adulthood.

– Ramses II: ruled for 66 years, (1279 B.C. to 1213 B.C.), as pharaoh of the New Kingdom.• Pushed Egyptian control northward as far as Syria.• Used gold from Nubia to pay charioteers in his army.

• Egypt Battles With Its Neighbors– Under Ramses II, Egypt fought fierce battles against the Hittites of

Asia Minor.– Eventually, Egyptians & the Hittites signed a peace treaty (the first

such document in history known to have survived).– Egypt & the Hittites “shall be at peace & in brotherhood forever.”– Nubia: traded & fought with Egyptians; was conquered by Egypt under

Ramses II.

• Egypt Declines– After 1100 B.C., Egyptian power slowly declined to invaders such

as the Assyrians & the Persians (also conquered the Nile region).– 332 B.C: Greeks took control of last Egyptian dynasty.– 30 B.C: Roman armies displaced the Greeks.

Egypt CivilizationReligion Shapes Life in Ancient Egypt• Chief Gods & Goddesses

– Amon-Re: great lord of the gods.– Osiris: ruled Egypt until his jealous brother, Set,

killed him.• Set cut Osiris into pieces & spread him throughout Egypt.• Eventually became god of the dead & judge of souls seeking admission

to the afterlife.

– Isis: Osiris’ wife; saved him & brought him back to life.

• A Pharaoh Tries to Reshape Religion– Amenhotep IV: challenged the powerful priests of Amon-

Re (1380 B.C.)– Akhenation: meaning “he who serves Aton.”

• Amenhotep ordered his priests to only worship Aton & to remove the names of other gods from their temples.

How Egyptians Viewed the Afterlife• Proving Oneself to Osiris

– Book of the Dead: used by Egyptians to survive the dangerous journey through the underworld.• Contained spells, charms, & formulas for the dead to use in the afterlife.

– Egyptians believed that each soul had to pass a test to win eternal life.

• Preparing the Dead for the Afterlife– Mummification: the preservation of dead bodies by

embalming them & wrapping them in cloth.

• Evidence Found in the Tomb of Tutankhamen– Howard Carter: British archeologist who unearthed the

tomb of the young pharaoh Tutankhamen in 1922.• “King Tut”: 18 year-old king who is now in a solid-gold coffin on display along with his riches in several rooms in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Egyptians Organize Their Society• Most People Were Farmers

– Most Egyptians were peasant farmers– In the off-season, peasant men were expected to serve the

pharaoh• They labored to build palaces, temples, & tombs.

• Changes to Social Structure– Social classes became more fluid as trade & welfare

increased– Trade offered new opportunities to the growing merchant

class.

• Egyptian Women Enjoyed Higher Status– Greater independence than women elsewhere in the ancient

world.– Manufactured perfume & textiles, managed farming estates,

& served as doctors.– Could also enter priesthood, especially in the service of

goddesses.

Egyptians Make Advances in Learning• Keeping Written Records

– Hieroglyphics: a system in which symbols or pictures called hieroglyphs represent objects, concepts, or sounds.

• The Clues of the Rosetta Stone– Deciphering: figuring out the meaning of.– Rosetta Stone: flat, black stone presents the same passage

carved in hieroglyphics.

• Furthering Science & Mathematics– Egyptians accumulated a vast store of knowledge in fields

such as medicine, astronomy, & mathematics.– Doctors performed complex surgical operations.– Egyptian priest-astronomers studied the heavens

• They mapped constellations & charted the movements of the planets.– Egyptians developed mathematics in response to practical

problems they faced.• Scholars developed geometry in order to survey the land.• Engineers also used geometry to calculate the exact size &

location of each block of stone to be used in construction of a pyramid or temple.

Egyptians Develop Art & Literature• Egyptian Arts

– Painting & sculpture styles remained almost unchanged for thousands of years.

– Statues often showed people in stiff, standard poses.

• Egyptian Literature– The Tale of Sinuhe: helps us to see how Egyptians viewed

both themselves & the people of the surrounding desert.– Oldest Egyptian literature includes hymns & prayers to

gods, proverbs, & love poems.

Early Civilizations of India & PakistanGeography of the India Subcontinent

– Subcontinent: a large landmass that juts out from the continent.

– Towering, snow-covered mountain ranges mark the northern border of the subcontinent, including the Hindu Kush & the Himalayas.

• Natural Features Define Regions– The Gangetic Plain lies just south of the Himalayas– The Deccan plateau juts into the Indian Ocean– Plateau: raised area of level land– The costal plains are separated from the Deccan by low-

lying mountain ranges, the Eastern & Western Ghats.

• Monsoons Affect Climate– Monsoons: seasonal winds that regularly blow from a

certain direction for part of the year.– Monsoons have shaped Indian life.– Rains are welcomed to water the crops– If rains are late, famine & starvation will occur

Indus Civilization Rises & Falls• Well-Planned Cities Reveal Organized Government

– Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro: have been considered possible twin capitals of the civilization or cities that ruled in the area one after the other.

• Making a Living by Farming & Trading– Crops included wheat, barley, melons, & dates.– Merchant ships carried cargoes of cotton cloth, grain,

copper, pearls, & ivory combs to distant lands.

• Religious Beliefs Develop– Veneration: special regard for– Archeologists believe from discoveries in the Indus Valley

that people of the Indus were Polytheistic.

• Indus Civilization Declines– Scholars do not know for sure what happened to the Indus

civilization, but some say it was from a chain of events such as; invaders, damage to local environment, possible major flood, or possible earth quake.

Aryan Civilization Develops During the Vedic Age

• Aryans Migrate Into India– Vedas: a collection of hymns, chants, ritual

instructions, & other religious teachings.– In the Vedas, Aryans appear as warriors who fought in

chariots with bows & arrows.

• From Nomadic Life to Farming– Aryans mingled with the people they conquered,

gradually giving up their nomadic ways & settling into villages to cultivate crops & breed cattle.

– Learned to make tools out of iron around 800 B.C.– Aryan tribes were led by chiefs called rajahs.– Rajahs: often the most skilled war leader, who had

been elected to his position by an assembly of warriors.

Aryan Civilization Develops During the Vedic Age (Cont.)

• Aryans Structure Society– Aryans divided their society into ranked groups based on

occupation.• Highest group: Brahmins, or priests• Second highest: Kshatriyas, or warriors• Third highest: the Vaisyas (herders, farmers, artisans, & merchants)

• Fourth group: the Sudras (farmworkers, servants, & other laborers who occupied the lowest level of society)

• Aryans Religious Beliefs Develop– Polytheistic– Worshiped gods & goddesses who embodied natural forces such

as sky, sun, storm, & fire.– Indra: the god of war– Brahmen: a single spiritual power that existed beyond the

many gods of the Vedas & that resided in all things.– Mystics: people who seek direct communion with divine

forces.

Epic Literature Tells About Aryans Life

Acculturation: the blending of two or more cultures

• Mahabharata Tells of Warfare & Religion– Mahabharata: India’s greatest epic.– Bhagavad-Gita: reflects important Indian religious

beliefs about immortality of the soul & the value of performing one’s duty.

• Ramayana Teaches Values of Behavior– Ramayana: recounts the fantastic deeds of the daring hero

Rama & his beautiful bride Sita.

Powerful Empires of IndiaChandragupta Maurya: young adventurer who forged the first Indian empire in 321 B.C.

The Maurya Empire Creates a Strong Government• Chandragupta Forges an Empire

– From 321 B.C. to 185 B.C., the Maurya dynasty ruled over a vast, united empire.

– Dissent: ideas that oppose those of the government.

• Asoka Rules by Moral Example– Asoka: Chandragupta’s grandson; most honored Maurya

emperor.– Missionaries: people sent on a religious mission.

• Division & Disunity Set In– Maurya power declined after Asoka’s death.– By 185 B.C., the unity of the Maurya empire was

shattered as rival princes battled for power across the Gangetic Plain.

Kingdoms Arise Across the Deccan

• Deccan was divided into many kingdoms after the decline of Maurya power.

• Each kingdom has its own capital• Trade was important in the Tamil kingdoms• Tamil kingdoms left rich & diverse literature– Tamil poets described fierce wars, heroic deeds, & festive occasions.

The Guptas Bring About a Golden AgeGolden Age: period of great cultural achievement.

• Peace & Prosperity Abound– Gupta rule was looser than Mauryas rule.– Faxian, a Chinese Buddhist monk, visited India in the 400s &

reported on the mild nature of the Gupta rule.– Trade & farming flourished across the Gupta empire.

• Indians Make Advances in Learning– Under Gupta rule, students were educated in religious

schools.– Buddhist monastery-university at Nalanda taught mathematics,

medicine, physics, languages, literature, & other subjects.– Decimal System: numbers based on ten digits.

• Expanding India’s Literature– Kalidasa: Gupta poet & playwright– Shakauntala: famous play written by Kalidasa

• The Gupta Empire Declines– Declined under the pressure of weak rulers, civil war, &

foreign invaders.

Family & Villages Life Shape Indians Society

• Joint Family Structure– Joint family: parents, children, & their offspring shared a

common dwelling.• The father or oldest male in the family headed the household.• Adult sons continued to live with their parents even after they

married & had children.• Property belonged to the whole family.

• The Family Performs Certain Duties– Children worked with older relatives in the fields or at family

trade.– Parents arranged good marriage for their children.– Dowry: payment to the bridegroom.

• Role of Women Changes Over Time– In early Aryan society, women seemed to have enjoyed a higher

status than in later times.

Family & Villages Life Shape Indians Society (Cont.)

• Typical Village Structure– Village sizes varied– Each village included people of different castes who

performed the necessary tasks of daily life.– Village headman & council made decisions.

• Agriculture & Trade Shape Life– Farming depended on the rains brought by the summer

monsoons.– Villages usually produced most of the food & goods that

they needed.

Rise of Civilization in ChinaGeography Influence Civilization• Geographic Barriers Set China Apart

– Brutal deserts & high mountain ranges blocked the easy movement of people.• The Tian Shan & the Himalayas

– Thick rainforests divided China from southeast Asia

• China Includes Varied Regions– The valleys of the Huang, or Yellow, River & the Chang River.– Beyond the heartland are the outlying regions of Xinjiang &

Mongolia• Harsh climates & rugged terrain

• Settling Along the “River of Sorrows”– Chinese history began in the Huang River valley, where

Neolithic people learned to farm.– Huang River got its name from the loess.– Loess: fine, windblown yellow soil.

China Begins to Take Shape Under the Shang Dynasty

• Formation of Government– Shang rulers; formed a walled capital city at Anyang.– Clans: groups of families who claim a common ancestor.

• Social Classes Develop– Shang society included the royal family & a class of

noble warriors.– Early Chinese cities supported a class of artisans &

merchants.– The majority of people in Shang China were peasants

clustering together in farming villages.

The Zhou Dynasty Further Defines China

• Receiving the Mandate of Heaven– The Zhou promoted the idea of the Mandate of Heaven, or

the divine right to rule, to justify the rebellion against the Shang.

– Dynastic Cycle: the rise & fall of dynasties

• Establishing a Feudal State– The Zhou rewarded their supporters by granting them

control over different regions.– Feudalism: a system of government in which local lords

governed their own lands but owed military service & other forms of support to the ruler.

The Zhou Dynasty Further Defines China (Cont.)

• Spurring Economic Growth– Knowledge of ironworking reached China in the 600s B.C.– The Chinese began using money for the first time.– Economic expansion led to an increase in China’s

population.

• Zhou Dynasty Ends– By 256 B.C., China was large, wealthy, & highly developed

center of civilization.– Zhou dynasty was too weak to control feudal lords who

ignored the emperor.– Qin dynasty brought an end to Zhou dynasty

Two Major Belief Systems Take Root in Zhou China

Thinkers such as Confucius & Laozi put forward ideas on how to restore social order & maintain harmony with nature.

• Confucius Spreads His Wisdom– Philosophy: system of ideas

• Five Relationships Shape Behavior– Filial piety: respect for parents– Confucius also taught that was a ruler’s

responsibility to provide good government.

• Confucianism Has Great Influence• Daoism Teaches Harmony with Nature

Achievements Abound in Early China• Discovering the Secret of Silk-making

– Learned how to make silk thread from the cocoons of silkworms by 2640 B.C.

– Only royalty & nobles could afford robes made from this luxurious silk.

– In time, silk became China’s most valuable export.

• Establishing a Complex System of Writing– Oracle Bones: animal bones or turtle shells on which Shang

priests wrote questions addressed to the gods or to the spirit of an ancestor.

– Characters: written symbols– Calligraphy: elegant art form of writing created by

Chinese scholars.

• Creating the First Books– Bound thin strips of wood or bamboo– Carefully drawn characters on the flat surface using a

brush & ink.– Book of Songs: poems, tender or sad love songs

Strong Rulers Unite ChinaShi Huangdi: “First Emperor”

Shi Huangdi Unifies China• Legalism Establishes Harsh Rule

– Legalism was based on the teachings of Hanfeizi, who died in 233 B.C.

– Strength, not goodness, was a ruler’s greatest virtue.

• Unity Imposed– The First Emperor standardized weights & measurements &

replaced the diverse coins of the Zhou states with Qin coins.

• Constructing the Great Wall– Remarkable & costly achievement for Shi Huangdi– Snakes for thousands of miles across northern China– Rebuilt many times over the centuries.

• Qin Dynasty Collapses– Shi Huangdi died in 210 B.C.– Anger over heavy taxes, forced labor, & cruel polices

exploded into revolts.

The Han Dynasty Strengthens China• Emperor Wudi Makes Improvements

– Wudi: most famous Han emperor who took China to new heights.

– Monopoly: complete control of a product or business by one person or group.

– Expansion: expanding a country’s territory

• Silk Road Links China to the West– Stretched for 4,000 miles, linking China to the Fertile

Crescent in the Middle East.

• China Selects Scholar-Officials– Confucianism official belief system of the state– Well-educated scholars run the bureaucratic government

• Founding the Civil Service System– Civil Servants: officials in the government– Remained in use until 1912

• Han Empire Overthrown– Warlords: local military rulers

Achievements of the Han Golden Age• Advancing Science & Medicine

– Acupuncture: developed around 2500 B.C., doctors insert needles into the skin at specific points to relieve pain or treat various illnesses.

• Forging Ahead With Technology & Engineering– Invented the method of making paper out of wood pulp– Practical inventions included bronze & iron stirrups,

fishing reels, wheelbarrows, & suspension bridges.

• Expanding the Arts– Lessons for Women: carefully spells out proper behavior

for women & men; by Ban Zhao