First CivilizationsPart One: SSWH1

Mrs. Trapp World History

Mesopotamia

0 Religion0 polytheistic

0 Culture0 Developed and used the wheel0 Arches used in architecture0 ziggurats

0 Economy0 Farming0 Trading with SW Asia

0 Politics0 Organized into city-states0 Caste system gave most power to the elite

Hammurabi’s law code

0 Hammurabi was a strong ruler of Babylon (a city in southern Mesopotamia on the Euphrates River).

0 Conquered most of Tigris-Euphrates Valley.

0 Best known for the Code of Hammurabi.

Code of Hammurabi

0 Collection of 282 laws0 Some current laws

contain ideas that were found in Hammurabi’s code.

0 Included harsh punishments; based on the idea “an eye for an eye.”

“If a man bring[s] an accusation against a man, and charge[s] him with a [major] crime, but cannot prove it, he, the accuser, shall be put to death… If a builder build[s] a house for a man and [does] not make its construction firm, and the house which he has built collapse[s] and cause[s] the death of the owner of the house, that builder shall be put to death.”

Hammurabi, from Code of Hammurabi

Ancient Egypt

0 Political authority0 The pharaoh was the absolute monarch of the country

0 Religion0 In early days, many villages had their own local god or

gods. 0 Relationship between religion and political authority

0 Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was more than a man, that he was a god.

0 Egypt was a theocracy, meaning that the clergy had a great amount of control of government0The pharaoh’s closest advisors were almost always priests.

Poly or Mono??

0 Polytheism- the belief in many gods0 Egyptians and Mesopotamians held this belief

0 Monotheism- the belief in one god0 Ancient Hebrews developed concepts that led to

monotheism0 The Hebrew religion was monotheistic based on belief

in a single god.0Ethical monotheism- emphasizes proper conduct/behavior

0 The Jewish system of ethics carried over into the founding of Christianity.

Zoroastrianism

0 Based on teachings of the great prophet, Zoroaster.0 Taught that people on Earth were being trained for a

future life.0 Must choose between good and evil.0 Final judgment upon death.0 These beliefs influenced the shift to monotheism.

Early Trading Networks

0 Early trading networks were created to help civilizations share resources with each other.

0 Land and water routes were used to get goods from one place to another.

0 Interacting with other civilizations through trade allowed ancient people to borrow traditions from other cultures.0 Phoenicians were traders near the Mediterranean.

Writing Systems

0 Cuneiform0 System of writing used by the

Mesopotamians that used pictographs; made by pressing a wedge-shaped tool into clay tablets.

0 Hieroglyphics0 Used more than 600 signs,

pictures, or symbols to represent words and sounds.

0 Carved into stone or other hard materials; eventually used papyrus for paper.

0 Created by Egyptians

Phoenician Alphabet

0 The Phoenicians developed the alphabet that would later become the model for Western alphabets.

0 Major contribution to the world0 The spread of the alphabet is an example of how trade

can increase cultural diffusion.0 What is cultural diffusion?

Phoenicia

Influence of Phoenician Alphabet