Early River Valley Civilizations

Introductory Unit

for

Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley,

China

Five Characteristics of Civilization

1. Advanced Cities

2. Specialized Workers

3. Complex Institutions

4. Record Keeping

5. Advanced Technology

The Fertile Crescent

The Fertile Crescent lies between the Tigris

and Euphrates Rivers in a place called

Mesopotamia, which in Greek means, “land

between the rivers.”

The 1st people to inhabit Mesopotamia were

the Sumerians.

1. Flooding of the rivers were unpredictable.

2. Sumer was a small region. When the

floods came, all villages would be

destroyed.

3. The natural resources of Sumer were

extremely limited.

Disadvantages of Mesopotamia

Advantages of Mesopotamia

1. To provide water, Sumerians built

irrigation ditches to water their crops.

2. For defense, they built city walls with mud

bricks.

3. Traded with people from the mountains

for products they lacked.

Sumerian Cities

By 3000 B.C., Sumerians had built numerous

cities. They shared the same culture but began to

different ways of governing their people with each

having their own ruler. These cities became

known as city-states.

Military leaders were usually in charge. After their

deaths, they would pass their power to their sons.

Such a series of rulers from a single family is

called a dynasty.

Sargon

In 2350 B.C., Sargon invaded Sumer. Sargon was

from the city-state Akkad which is north of

Sumer.

Sargon then created the world’s 1st empire. An

empire brings together several people, nations, or

other states under the control of one ruler.

Sargon’s empire lasted from 2350-2000 B.C.

The Babylonian Empire

Began around 2000 B.C.

The empire reached its peak during the

reign of Hammurabi, from 1792-1750 B.C.

Hammurabi became famous with the code

of laws he put together

Hammurabi’s Code

Hammurabi’s Code lists 282 specific laws

dealing with everything from community,

business conduct, and crime. The code applied

to everyone, but different punishment was set

for the rich and poor.

Ancient Egypt

The Nile River Valley Civilization began

around 3100 B.C.

Egyptian kings came to be called pharaohs.

Pharaohs controlled both the government

and the army. This type of government is

called a theocracy.

Egyptian Inventions

Hieroglyphics: the Greek word hieros and

gluphe, meaning “sacred carving”

Architects were the 1st to use stone columns

Also developed calendars, medicine, and

treatments for wounds and fevers

End of the 1st Egyptian

Civilization

The Old Kingdom began to decline in 2180 B.C. Historians called the following turmoil the 1st Intermediate Period.

During the Middle Kingdom, pharaohs regained control and restored law and order.

Finally, around 1640 B.C., the Middle Kingdom was invaded by Asian chariot riders known as Hyksos which meant, “rulers of the uplands.”

The Hyksos ruled Egypt from 1640-1570 B.C. This time is known as the 2nd Intermediate Period

Egypt would once rise again later in history known as the New Kingdom.

Indus Valley Civilization

The Indus Valley civilization began on the

banks of the Indus and Ganges Rivers in

India.

Seasonal winds called monsoons dominate

India’s climate

Indus Valley Civilization

Historians do not know much of the Indus

Valley civilization because of their poor

writing skills

Historians believe people were farming

villages along the Indus River around 3200

B.C.

Cities of the Indus Valley

Civilization

Some of the cities archaeologists have dug

up are:

Kalibangan

Mohenjo-Daro

Harappa

Achievements

1st to use the grid system

Cities featured a fortified area called the citadel, which contained the major buildings of the city

Religious artifacts show links to modern Hinduism.

Traded with the Sumerians from 2350-2000 B.C.

Fall of the Indus Valley

The Indus Valley began to decline around

1750 B.C.

Three Reason Why:

1. The Indus River changed course which left

crops unfertilized

2. People wore out the land

3. A major catastrophe or invasion by the

Aryans

The 1st Chinese Dynasty

China’s first civilization developed on the Huang He River which means, “yellow river”

1st Chinese Dynasty was the Xia Dynasty.

Founded by Yu, an engineer and mathematician

There are no written records of this dynasty; many believe this is a myth

Shang Dynasty

1st recorded Chinese Dynasty

Shangs ruled from 1532-1027 B.C.

Shang society was divided into 2 groups:

Nobles

Peasants

Shang Religion

Religion played a major role in the Shang

Dynasty

They believed the spirits of their ancestors

had the power to bring good fortune or

disaster to living members of their family.

Shang god was Shang Di

Zhou Dynasty

Around 1027 B.C., the Zhou overthrew the Shang and established the Zhou dynasty

Lasted from 1027-256 B.C.

Zhou’s instituted the Mandate of Heaven, which said that the gods had given the throne to the Zhou’s because the Shang ruler had become a poor ruler; this was divine approval

Chinese Dynasties

When disaster would strike, the Mandate of

Heaven might be passed to another family

Chinese history is marked by the succession

of families until the early 1900’s. Historians

describe the rise, decline, and the

replacement of a dynasty as the dynastic

cycle.

Zhou Government

Zhou’s invented feudalism.

Feudalism is a political system in which

nobles, or lords are granted use of lands that

legally belong the king

Fall of the Zhou Dynasty

In 771 B.C., nomads from the north invaded

and killed the Zhou king. Royal family

members fled east and would rule another

500 years until 256 B.C. They would be

brought down by another Chinese family.