Pre-History and Early River Civilizations

S.P.R.I.T.E.

(S)ociety

• Describe how each ERC’s society was set up.• What was life like for the people?• What was their religion like?

(P)olitical

• Describe how the government was set up.• What kind of government were they?

(R)esources

• Describe the natural resource of each ERC.• What resources did they have/not have?

(I)nteraction with other civilizations

• Describe how each ERC interacted with other groups.

• Did they trade, fight, or avoid?

(T)echnology

• Describe the types of technology each ERC had.

• Did they invent anything?

(E)conomy

• Describe the economy for each ERC.• Was there a class structure?• How did people live?

Pre-History

Pre-History

• This is the time before the invention of writing – about 5,000 years ago

• Archaeologists – scientists who work like detectives to uncover the story of prehistoric peoples– They do this by excavating (or digging) and

studying the traces of early settlements

Pre-History Cont’d

• Evidence such as bones and artifacts are examined– Bones can help reveal what they looked like, how

tall they were, types of food they ate, diseases they might have had, and how long they lived

– Artifacts – human-made objects, such as tools and jewelry• This can hint at how they might have dressed or

worshipped

Culture

Culture

• Scientists called anthropologists study culture– Culture – a people’s unique way of life

• Originally, people lived near to each other and would develop common ways of doing things– Dressing, hunting practices, food

Culture Cont’d

• Way of life of a group of people and includes– Common Practices– Shared Understandings– Social Organization

Culture Cont’d

How Culture is Learned• Not born with it• Therefore, it is learned– Usually it is learned in one of two ways• 1. observe and imitate behavior• 2. taught directly to them by individuals

– Mostly through spoken or written language

Media

Family

Friends

Government

Religion

School

Workplace

Technology

• This is the way of applying knowledge, tools, and inventions to meet needs

Civilization

How Civilization Develops

Civilization – a complex culture with 5 characteristics;

1. Advanced Cities2. Specialized Workers3. Complex Institutions4. Record Keeping

5. Advanced Technology

Advanced Cities

• A city is the center of trade for a large area• It was not just based on the population• Farmers, merchants, and traders all would

bring goods to the market to sell and trade– They would usually exchange them with those

who lived in the city

Specialized Workers

• As population in the cities grew, so did the need for specialized workers.– This might include; traders, government officials,

and priests• Since there was a surplus of food, people

were able to develop specialized skills– Specialization – the development of skills in a

specific kind of work• One example might be an artisan – skilled worker who

makes goods by hand such as jewelry, tools, weapons, clothing, or pottery

Complex Institutions

• Since cities were growing larger, the need for a government was necessary– This meant that leaders would need to emerge in

order to maintain order among the people and to establish laws

– Institution – a long-lasting pattern of organization in a community such as a government and religion• Religion was a major part of life in most early

civilizations and priests helped make major decisions for the people

Record Keeping• Since government, religion, and the economy

was becoming more complex, people realized they needed to be able to keep records– Government officials needed to be able to keep

track of tax collections, the passage of laws, and the storage of food

– Priests needed to keep track of the calendar for important rituals

– Merchants needed to keep track of debts and payments

• Scribes – professional record keepers– Cuneiform – means ‘wedge-shaped’ and was one

of the earliest know forms of writing

Improved Technology

• As cities grew, it was important to have new tools and techniques to solve the problems that might arise– Farmers would use animals or natures power• Use ox-drawn plows for the soil• Created irrigation systems to water fields

– The potter’s wheel was also created to help make pottery such as bowls, plates, and jugs

• Metal workers also started to mix tin and copper together – this made bronze and thus started the Bronze Age around 2500 B.C.

Mesopotamia

Geography of the Fertile Crescent

• Between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea is predominately desert

• There is an arc of land though that provides some of the best farming in SW Asia

• Since the region is curved and it is very fertile, it is referred to as the Fertile Crescent

• It is located in Mesopotamia, which means ‘land between the rivers’

Geography Cont’d

The land is framed by two rivers

The rivers would flood Mesopotamia at least once a year and as the waters receded, it left a thick bed of mud called silt.

— Farmers would use this rich new soil and would irrigate the fields with the river water• They were able to produce excess amounts of food

which allow populations to increase and cities to grow

1. Tigris2. Euphrates

Environmental Challenges

A group of people called the Sumerians started to settle the area around 3300 B.C.

Good soil helped with food, but there were 3 disadvantages to the area

1. Unpredictable flooding combined with little to no rain (either too much or not enough rain)

2. No natural barriers for protection (nearly defenseless)

3. Few natural resources (building materials, along with other items were scarce)

Solving Problems

The people of Sumer eventually created solutions to these problems1. Dug irrigation ditches from the rivers to their

fields (could grow a surplus of food)2. Built city walls with mud bricks (defense)3. Trade their grain, cloth, and tools for stone,

wood, and metal (got the resources they lacked)

City-States

• Sumerians built multiple cities, each was surrounded by fields

• The cities all shared the same culture, but they developed their own forms of government, with their own rulers

• Each city and the surrounding land it controlled was called a city-state– It functioned much like an independent country

City-States Cont’d

• Over time military leaders took control of the city-states

• They would pass their power to their sons who would in turn pass it to their sons and etc…

• A series of rulers from a single family is called a dynasty

City-States Cont’d

• Many cities started popping up all over the Fertile Crescent

• The Sumerians exchanged products and ideas, such as living in cities, with the neighboring cultures

• The process in which a new idea or a product spreads from one culture to another is called cultural diffusion

Culture

• The Sumerians believed that many gods controlled the various forces in nature– The belief in more than one god is called

polytheism

• They worshipped in ziggurats and would offer sacrifices of animals, food, and wine to the gods

The First Empire Builders

• From 3000 to 2000 B.C., a lot of the city-states were at war with each other– This weakened them and they could not fight off

other people groups

Empire Cont’d

• Sumer was defeated by a conqueror known as Sargon– He led his armies from Akkad– He now controlled both the northern and the

southern parts of Mesopotamia.• This was the worlds first Empire– Empire – the bringing together of several peoples,

nations, or previously independent states under the control of one ruler

Empire Cont’d

• Around 2000 B.C. the Amorites invaded and established their capital of Babylon, on the Euphrates River

• This empire reached its peak under a man named Hammurabi– His most enduring legacy is the code of law he put

together

Hammurabi’s Code

• Single, uniform code of law– Believed this would help unify the diverse groups

within the empire– Collected existing rules, judgments, and laws into

the Code of Hammurabi• It was engraved in stone and placed all over

the empire

Hammurabi’s Code Cont’d

• Had 282 specific laws– These dealt with everything that affected the

community, including family relations, merchants, traders, or farmers

– It also protected women and children from unfair treatment

• Did have different punishments for rich or poor– Eye for an eye…a tooth for a tooth

Nile

Geography

• From the highlands of East Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile River flows northward across Africa for over 4,100 miles– This is the longest river in the world

• The land surrounding it was very fertile, but all around was desert– The change from fertile soil to desert, Black Land

to Red Land, was so abrupt that a person could stand with one foot in each

Gift of the Nile

• Just as in Mesopotamia, yearly flooding brought the water and rich soil that helped settlements grow

• Every July, rains and melting snow from the mountains of east Africa would spill over the banks and when it receded in October, silt would be left behind

Gift of the Nile Cont’d

• Peasants would plant crops before the sun could scorch the ground– During the fall and winter, they would irrigate

their fields• The Nile was so great to the Egyptians that

they worshipped it as a god

Environmental ChallengesThe Nile was like clockwork, unlike the Tigris and the

Euphrates in Mesopotamia, but there were still problems that one could face

1. If flood waters were just a few feet shorter, amount of silt and water for crops were reduced (thousands would starve)

2. If flood water were just a few feet higher, unwanted water destroyed houses and seeds needed for crops

3. Since the desert was on both sides, they were cut off from other people groups (good for defense, but not trade)

Upper and Lower Egypt Unites

The Egyptian River Valley was split into two parts

1. Upper Egypt – river area to the south (higher in elevation)

2. Lower Egypt – near the sea in the north (lower in elevation)

Unites Cont’d

Contact between the 2 was easy

This promoted trade and unified villages

— If you were heading north, just let the current take you

— If you were heading south, the prevailing winds could take you against the current if you hoisted a large sail

Unites Cont’d

• It is believed that around 3200 B.C., a man named Narmer unified the 2 parts of Egypt

• Lower Egypt's king wore red crown and upper Egypt's king wore a tall white crown– The 2 crowns were combined to unify the 2

kingdoms

Crowns

Upper Egypt Lower Egypt Combined

Pharaohs Rule as Gods• In Mesopotamia, kings were viewed as

representatives of the gods• In Egypt, kings were gods– These god-kings were called pharaohs• Thought to be almost as splendid and powerful as the

gods of the heavens• This type of government, where rule is based

on religious authority, is called theocracy• It was believed that the pharaoh was the one

who caused the sun to rise, the Nile to flood, and the crops to grow

Builders of the Pyramids

• Egyptians also believed that the pharaoh ruled even after his death– He had an eternal life force called, ka

• Since he was expected to rule forever, his tomb was viewed as more important that his palace– The kings of the Old Kingdom were buried in

pyramid – resting place of the Old Kingdom pharaoh• The Old Kingdom was the great age of pyramid building

in ancient Egypt

Pyramids Cont’d

• Built by people who had not even begun to use the wheel yet

• The Great Pyramid of Giza– Each stone weighted at least 2 ½ tons and some

weighted up to 15 tons– More than 2 million blocks were stacked with

precision to a height of 481 feet– The entire structure covered more than 13 acres

Religion

• The Egyptians were polytheistic– The most important gods were Re, the sun god,

and Osiris, the god of the dead– The most important goddess was Isis, who

represented the ideal mother and wife– The Egyptians worshipped more than 2,000 gods

and goddesses

Religion Cont’d

• The Egyptians did believe in an afterlife• They believed you would be judged for your

deeds– Anubis, god and guide of the underworld, would

weight your heart• If it was heavier than a feather (because of your sin)

then the Devourer of Souls would eat your heart, but if you passed, you would live forever in the beautiful Other World

Religion Cont’d

• Royal and elite Egyptians would be preserved by mummification, which involves embalming and drying the corpse to prevent decaying

• Their important organs would be placed in Canopic jars

• The tombs would be filled with items they thought they could use in the afterlife– Some even purchased scrolls that contained

hymns, prayers, and magic spells intended to guide the soul in the afterlife• This collection is known as the Book of the Dead

Writing

• The Egyptians developed a form of writing known as hieroglyphics – meaning sacred carving– A picture stood for an idea• A picture of a man stood for the idea of a man

– Later, pictures stood for sounds as well• The picture of an owl could mean the idea of an owl or

for an m

• They also invented a writing surface know as papyrus

Invaders Control Egypt

• The pharaohs power declined about 2180 B.C.– This marks the end of the Old Kingdom (3200 –

2180 B.C.)

• Strong pharaohs gained control again during the Middle Kingdom and restored law and order (2040 – 1640 B.C.)– This did not last long

Invaders Con’t

• The Hyksos (the rulers of foreign lands) gained and ruled most of Egypt from 1630 – 1523 B.C.

• We will talk about the New Kingdom later

Indus Valley

Geography

• The Indus River Valley civilization is found on the Indian subcontinent

• This area was protected by natural boundaries– World’s tallest mountains to the north

(Himalayas) and a large desert to the east (Thar)

Geography Cont’d

There is an enormous flat and fertile plain thanks to two rivers

Theses two rivers make up 1,700 miles of land across northern India

— They also produce silt for farming

1. Indus2. Ganges

Monsoons

• Seasonal winds dominate India’s climate– From October to February – winter monsoons

from the northeast blow dry air westward across the country

– From mid June to October – the winds shift – they blow eastward from the southwest carrying moisture from the ocean in rain clouds• Flooding usually happens a lot but if there is no

summer monsoon, droughts tend to occur and crops don’t grow

Environmental Challenges

• Yearly floods spread deposits of rich soil over a wide area but they were unpredictable

• At times, the rivers would change course• Cycles of wet and dry seasons (monsoons)

were also unpredictable– If too much rain, it would wash entire villages– If too little rain, crops would die and people would

go hungry

Civilization

• People were farming the area by around 3,200 B.C.

• In order to keep the floods out of the cities, they would build strong levees, or earthen walls– If this wasn’t enough, they would built human-

made islands that would raise the cities above the flood levels

Civilization Cont’d

• They also were very sophisticated with their city planning– They were made using a precise grid system– There was a fortified area called a citadel• This area held major buildings of the city

– The cities also had a plumbing system and sewage system

The End

• Around 1,750 B.C., the quality of the cities started to decline

• It is believed that tectonic plates shifted and caused earthquakes and flooding that might have shifted the course of the Indus River

• Cities began to die because there would be no fertile ground and therefore no food

China

Geography

• Natural barriers isolate ancient China from all other civilizations– The Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the Pacific

Ocean in the East– The Taklimakan Desert and the 15,000 foot

Plateau of Tibet in the west– The Himalayas in the southwest– The Gobi Desert and the Mongolian Plateau in the

north

River Systems

Two major river systems flow from the mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean

1. The Huang He (Yellow River) is in the north• This river leaves yellowish silt called loess

2. In central China, the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)

Environmental Challenges

• The Huang He would flood at times destroy entire villages (nickname: ‘China’s Sorrow’)

• Because China is relatively isolated, settlers did not trade, they had to supply their own goods

• They were invaded a lot from the west and north

• Only about 10% of China was suitable for farming

The First Dynasties

• Around 2,000 B.C., the first Chinese dynasty of Xia emerged– The leaders name was Yu

• Eventually a group of people called the Shang rose up and took power in northern China– The Shang dynasty lasted from 1,700 to 1027 B.C.– They were the first Chinese rulers to leave written

records

Shang Culture

• Family – most important virtue was respect for one’s parents

• Their was a division between nobles and peasants– Warrior-nobles headed by a king governed the

people

Shang Culture Cont’d

• Writing – each character generally stands for one syllable– There was no link between written and spoken

language• One could read without being able to speak any of it• Not that strange (2 + 2 = 4 / deux et duex font quatre)• To be considered barely literate – 1,500 characters• To be considered a true scholar – 10,000 characters

Zhou and the Dynastic Cycle• Around 1027 B.C., a people called the Zhou

overthrew the Shang and established their own dynasty

• The Zhou said that the Shang ruler was so bad that the gods had taken it away and given it to the Zhou.– This justification developed over time into a

broader view that royal authority came from heaven

– A just ruler had divine approval – Mandate of Heaven• A wicked king could lose it and thus lose the right

to rule

Dynastic Cycle Cont’d

• The Chinese used this as a way to explain rebellions, civil wars, and the rise of new dynasties– The rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties

became known as the dynastic cycle