Chapter 2:Ancient River Valley Civilizations

4 Regions!

• City-States in Mesopotamia• Egypt & Nile River• Indus Valley• China

Common Characteristics ??

• Water!!– Deserts of river cultures short on resources– River Valley Civilizations

• Opportunity to adapt environment• Suitable for domesticated plants/animals• Relatively stable (a bit hot) climate

GEOGRAPHY influenced the development of river valley civilizations.

Mesopotamia

The Fertile Crescent

Mesopotamia – Fertile Crescent

• Sumer – The Earliest of the River Valley Civilizations

• Sumerian Civilization grew up along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Kuwait.

Sumerians: City-States

• City-State: a city and it’s surrounding land becomes an independent political unit

• Priests were rulers, then came WAR• Cultural diffusion: spreading of a new idea or

product from one culture to another

Sumerian Culture

• Polytheism: belief in many gods• Class structures• INVENTIONS!

Sumerians invented:

• Wheel, sail, plow• Bronze!• Brick technology• Arches, ramps and pyramids (ziggurat)• First writing system, called….

Ziggurat – Holy Mountain

Click on the pictures for more information on ziggurats.

BabylonEmpire: a political unit where peoples or

countries are controlled by a single ruler

Babylon – 2000BCE

First know written law code “Rule of Law”

Hammurabi’s Code - 1792 BCE

Code of Hammurabi

#175: If a man has struck the cheek of a man who is superior to him, he shall be beaten 60 times with an oxtail whip in the assembly.

#205: If a man has struck the cheek of a member of the aristocracy, they shall cut off his ear.

Early River Valley Civilizations

•Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable•No natural barriers•Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings

Environment

Mesopotamia

Egypt

Indus River Valley

China

EGYPT“The Gift of the Nile”

Nile River

Sahara Desert

HieroglyphicsPyramidsGeometryAdvances in medicine and surgery

Egypt

Favorable Geography

• Benefits of Nile–Rich soil–Water–Transportation

• Natural Boundaries

Egyptian History• Early gov’ts to control Nile• Eventually combined:

–Lower Egypt (north)–Upper Egypt (south)

• Old Kingdom –3,100-2,200 BC–Pyramids built as tombs

Egyptian History

• New Kingdom– 1,570-1100 BC– The Empire– Ramses II– Tutankhamen

Egyptian Life & Culture• Pharaoh: god-kings, rulers of the Old Kingdom• Privileged aristocracy

– Pharaoh & his family– Nobles– Priests

• Unprivileged masses– Peasants– Slaves

– FLEXIBLE CLASS STRUCTURE!

Egyptian Life

• Economic activities–Depended chiefly on agriculture–Glassblowing–Imported timber and copper

• Religious beliefs–Polytheistic–Mummification

Egyptian Contributions

• Math–Surveyed land

• Art–Huge stone statues–Carved/painted various scenes

• Architecture & engineering–Pyramids and temples–Dams and irrigation canals

Egyptian Contributions

• Hieroglyphs on papyrus–“sacred writing” or pictures to Represent ideas and sounds

• Science–Solar-year calendar (365 days)–Prepared mummies –Recognized/Treated diseases

Early River Valley Civilizations

•Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable•No natural barriers•Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings

Environment

Mesopotamia

Egypt

Indus River Valley

China

•Flooding of the Nile predictable•Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages•Deserts were natural barriers

Indus Valley

Geography of South Asia

• Indus & Ganges Rivers

• Monsoons: seasonal winds

• Wet & dry seasons

Indus River Valley2500 BC – 1500 BC

Harappan culture TradeWell planned cities

Grid pattern

Modern plumbing Built on mud brick platforms

Protected against seasonal floodsLarger cities

Houses built of baked brickSmaller towns

Houses built of sun-dried mud brick

What we DON’T know:

• Language?? Huh?• Religion??• Where did they go?

Aryan Migration

Early River Valley Civilizations

•Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable•No natural barriers•Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings

Environment

Mesopotamia

Egypt

Indus River Valley

China

•Flooding of the Nile predictable•Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages•Deserts were natural barriers• Indus flooding unpredictable•Monsoon winds•Mountains, deserts were natural barriers

ChinaRiver Dynasties

Geography of China• Isolation• 2 major river

systems• Loess: yellowish silt

deposited by Huang He River

• 1887 CE flood killed approx 1 million people

Shang China1600 BCE – 1027 BCE

Written recordsPalaces with protection!Class structures!

Origins of Chinese Culture

Written language vs. Spoken language

FAMILY

Family & Ancestors

Class Structure

Zhou China1122 BC – 256 BC

Bronze, jade, silver, goldMandate of Heaven

Power to rule came from heavenPower could be lost and passed on to Another family

Dynastic Cycle

Feudalism in China

Coined money leads to:- Roads- Canals- TRADE

Now they have IRON!- Weapons- Farm tools

Feudalism in China

Feudalism: nobles are granted use of lands that legally belong to the king

King owes the nobles protection

FIGHTING!

Early River Valley Civilizations

•Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable•No natural barriers•Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings

Environment

Mesopotamia

Egypt

Indus River Valley

China

•Flooding of the Nile predictable•Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages•Deserts were natural barriers

• Indus flooding unpredictable•Monsoon winds•Mountains, deserts were natural barriers

•Huang He flooding unpredictable•Mountains, deserts natural barriers•Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations