Unit One: Civilizations Test

Prep

•Lunar & Sun calendar

•Lunar used to record private and public events.

•Priest-astronomers added days as needed (important to get the days of the harvest correct!)

•Lunar calendar. The remaining five days in the year were used for holidays and feasting.

•Sun calendar. •360 named days and 5 unnamed, unlucky days.

Basing a calendar on a flood is a problem. Why???

Because it doesn’t always flood at the same time!

Hammurabi: Hammurabi: SignificanceSignificance Hammurabi’s laws—NOT the oldest set of Hammurabi’s laws—NOT the oldest set of

laws but the LONGEST set ever discovered.laws but the LONGEST set ever discovered. Purposes for his law: Purposes for his law:

– A. The need for law and order in a growing A. The need for law and order in a growing community.  community.  

– B. The need for strong leadership in Babylon. B. The need for strong leadership in Babylon. – C. Hammurabi's desire to be seen as a great king C. Hammurabi's desire to be seen as a great king

in a line of kings coming before and after him. in a line of kings coming before and after him. Justice in Babylonia—applied to all equally Justice in Babylonia—applied to all equally

(think of woman who cheated in the pub)(think of woman who cheated in the pub)

Factors that led to the Factors that led to the rise of citiesrise of cities

UrbanizationUrbanization Agricultural surplusesAgricultural surpluses Specialization of laborSpecialization of labor Collection, storage and defense of surplus Collection, storage and defense of surplus

foodfood Meeting places for tradersMeeting places for traders Defense of water supplies (it was a desert)Defense of water supplies (it was a desert) Easier defense against enemiesEasier defense against enemies Better organization Better organization

Types of Writing Systems Used

• Cuneiform: Sumerian writing made by pressing a wedge-shaped tool into clay tablets.

• Egyptian Hieroglyphics: Pictures represent words or sounds. Over 600 signs. First written on stone or hard materials but soon graduated to papyrus.

• Chinese Calligraphy– Ideographs: Signifier (Idea Sign) and a Phonetic

Sound Sign– Mastery of the traditional Chinese written language

demanded much study and practice. Thus most ancient Chinese people, whose working lifestyles left little time for study, were prevented from learning to write or to read.