EARLY RIVER VALLEY

CIVILIZATIONS

Chapter 2

City-States in Mesopotamia Geography in the Fertile Crescent

○ Fertile Crescent – an arc of rich farmland in Southwest Asia

○ Mesopotamia – “land between the rivers”

Environmental Challenges○ Unpredicted flooding○ No natural protection○ Limited natural resources

Solving Problems through Organization○ Irrigation ditches○ Construction of city walls○ Traded crops and tools for stone,

wood, and metal

City-States in Mesopotamia Sumerians Create City-

States○ City-state – a city and its

surrounding lands functioning as an independent political unit

Priests and Rulers Share Control○ Dynasty – a series of rulers

from a single familyThe Spread of Cities

○ Cultural diffusion – process in which a new idea or a product spreads from one culture to another

City-States in Mesopotamia Sumerian CultureA Religion of Many Gods

○ PolytheismLife in Sumerian Society

○ Social classes Kings, landholders, and priestsWealthy merchants“ordinary Sumerian people”slaves

Sumerian Science and Technology○ Arithmetic and Geometry○ Architectural innovations○ Cuneiform

City-States in Mesopotamia The First Empire BuildersSargon of Akkad

○ Conquered Sumer around 2350 B.C.

○ Empire – a political unit in which a number of peoples or countries are controlled by a single ruler

Babylonian Empire○ Amorites took over around 2000

B.C.○ Established their capital at Babylon

Hammurabi’s Code○ 282 specific laws dealing with

everything that affected the community

Pyramids on the Nile The Geography of Egypt

The Gift of the Nile○ Yearly floods bring water

and rich soil to allow settlements to grow

Environmental Challenges○ Regular and predictable

flooding○ Vast forbidding deserts on

either side of the NileUpper and Lower Egypt

○ Delta – a marshy region formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of a river

Pyramids on the Nile Egypt Unites into a

Kingdom○ Narmer – unified Upper

and Lower Egypt○ Established the capital

at MemphisPharaohs Rule as Gods

○ Pharaoh – Egyptian god-kings

○ Theocracy – government in which rule is based on religious authority

Builders of the Pyramids○ Pyramids – resting place

after death

Pyramids on the Nile Egyptian Culture

Religion and Life○ Polytheistic○ Egyptian afterlife○ Mummification – a process of

embalming and drying corpses to prevent them from decaying

Pyramids on the Nile Life in Egyptian

SocietyEgyptian Writing

○ Hieroglyphics – “sacred writing”

○ PapyrusEgyptian Science

○ Developed the solar year – 365 days

Invaders Control EgyptHyksos gain control of

Egypt from 1630 – 1523 B.C.

Planned Cities on the Indus

Planned Cities on the Indus The Geography of the Indian Subcontinent

○ Subcontinent – a large landmass that forms a distinct part of a continent

Rivers, Mountains, and Plains○ World’s tallest mountains○ Indus and Ganges Rivers

Monsoons○ Seasonal winds○ Bring moisture

Environmental Challenges○ Yearly unpredictable floods○ Changing rivers○ Unpredictable monsoons

Planned Cities on the Indus

Civilization Emerges on the IndusEarliest ArrivalsPlanned Cities

○ Strong levees○ Grid system plans○ Sophisticated plumbing and

sewageHarappan Planning

Planned Cities on the Indus

Harappan CultureLanguage

○ No bilingual inscriptionsCulture

○ Prosperous society○ Use of animal images

Role of Religion○ Theocracy but no found temple

Trade○ Thriving trade○ River transportation

Indus Valley Culture EndsEarthquakes and shifting geology

River Dynasties in China

River Dynasties in China The Geography of China

River Systems○ Huang He (Yellow River),

Chang Jiang (Yangtze)○ Loess – a fertile deposit of

windblown soilEnvironmental Challenges

○ Disastrous floods○ Isolation○ Natural boundaries did not

protect from invadersChina’s Heartland

○ The North China Plain

River Dynasties in China Civilization Emerges in Shang Times

The First Dynasties○ The Xia Dynasty – Yu○ The Shang Dynasty

Early Cities○ Anyang – built mainly of wood

Massive earthen walls

River Dynasties in China The Development of Chinese Culture

Family○ Central to Chinese society – respect for

one’s parentsSocial classes

○ Divided between peasants and noblesReligious Beliefs

○ Spirits of family ancestors had power to bring good fortune or disaster

○ Oracle Bones – animal bones and tortoise shells on which priests scratched questions for the gods

Development of Writing○ All people of China could learn the same

written symbols○ Thousands of characters

River Dynasties in China Zhou and the Dynastic Cycle

Mandate of Heaven Divine approval

○ Dynastic cycle – rise, decline, and replacement of dynastiesControl Through Feudalism

A political system in which nobles, or lords, are granted the use of lands that legally belong to the king

Improvements in Technology and Trade○ Roads and canals○ Coined money○ Blast furnaces for iron

A Period of Warring States○ Nomads conquered the Zhou rulers in 771, B.C.