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Early River Valley Civilizations (Mesopotamia Ch2 S1 (Culture (Practiced…
Early River Valley Civilizations
Mesopotamia
Ch2 S1
Culture
Practiced cultural diffusion, share of culture and ideas with different civilizations
Ziggurat was a big temple to please the gods (Big advancement in technology)
Polytheism: The belief in many gods
People were representatives of gods
Technology
Cuneiform was their form of writing
To build the ziggurat great technology such as wheels and more were created
Columns, maps and ramps were great advancements
Geography
Tigris and Euphrates rivers would flood
Limited resources
No natural barriers
People
Hammurabi
Hammurabi's Code
Laws that were unfair, but tried to keep order
Sargon
First empire ruler
Key Terms
City-states
Worked out like countries
Sumer
Invented the cuneiform, their way of writing
Invented their own irrigation system which were ditches that carried river water to their fields
The Sumerians were polytheistic
Hanging gardens of Babylon
Ancient History
They were the fabled gardens which adorned the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, built by its greatest king Nebuchadnezzar II. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Indus River Valley
Ch2 S3
Culture
The Harappan civilization was the first in india, also called the Indus valley civilization
The Harappan Language is the language created in their culture, like in hieroglyphics pictures and sounds were used.
They are believed to be a theocracy, but no temples have been found
People
Shiva
A major Hindu culture god
Technology
The Harappan Language was a great advancement in their technology, but could not be translated to today's language
Geography
Has a subcontinent, walls of the biggest mountains in the world
Monsoons as climate, winter and summer
Unpredictable floods, but enrich the soil. The rivers also change course
The monsoon winds were unpredictable, which could destroy crops
Key terms
Monsoons
From October to February, winter monsoons from the northeast blow dry air westward across the country. Then, from the middle of June through October, the winds shift.These monsoons blow eastward from the southwest, carrying moisture from the ocean in great rain clouds. The powerful storms bring so much moisture that flooding often happens. When the summer monsoons fail to develop, drought often causes crop disasters.
(Book page 45)
Theories for decline
Link Title
Indo-European tribe, called the Aryans, invaded and conquered
Climate Change
The most accepted theory, in my opinion, is climate change because it makes a lot of sense that the drying of the Saraswati River or a great flood could have massively affected civilization. The monsoons could have massively irreversibly affected the environment, could have destroyed vegetation. This is one of the most accepted theories.
The eastward shift of monsoons may have reduced the water supply, forcing the Harappans of the Indus River Valley to migrate and establish smaller villages and isolated farms.
These small communities could not produce the agricultural surpluses needed to support cities, which where then abandoned.
Ancient China
Ch2 S4
Geography
Hung He River (Yellow River) and Chang Tian are the 2 major rivers (Picture of Yellow River)
Loess, the Chinese soil
Has lots of natural barriers
2/3 of China is occupied by Mountain ranges or desserts meaning most of it is either inhabitable or has very harsh conditions
The river could overflow and that could be disastrous
Only 10% of Chinas land is suitable for farming, big problem for the natives
Technology
The first city walls were built 4,000 years ago
Their language (Chinese) was unique and had no links with hierogliphics
People
Peking Man
Homo erectus found 500,000 years ago in China
Xia
Chinas first ruler
Yu
Xias leader
Created irrigation sistems
Mathematician and engineer
Shang
The first leader to leave records
Zhou
Overthrew Shang
Culture
Men were higher in the hierarchy and treated with respect while women were inferior
They were divided into nobles and peasants, Nobles were land owners
Believed in spirits
The mandate of heaven
If a king was foolish he would loose his right to rule.
Gods chose the rulers
Key Terms
The mandate of heaven
The divine approval thought to be the basis of royal authority.
Oracle bones
Earliest form of Chinese writing was found in these pieces of animal bones
Dynastic Circle
The historical pattern of the rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties.
Feudalism
A political system in which nobles, or lords, are granted the use of lands that legally belong to the king
Ancient Egypt
Ch2 S2
People
Narmer
The first King of the first united Egypt
Culture
Polytheism: The belief in many gods
Pharaohs were treated and believed to be gods in Egypt
Egyptians believed their rulers ruled even after death, so they would build beautiful resting places for their gods called pyramids
After the Egyptians royals would die they would use the process of mummification, a process used so the bodies would not decay.
Geography
Nile river flooded and destroyed crops, houses and seeds that were planted
The desserts next to the Nile acted as natural barriers
Egypt was split up into lower (North) and Upper (South) Egypt
Technology
Egyptian writing was called hieroglyphics, which was based around the idea that a picture stood for an idea. Then, it later evolved into meaning sounds as well
The first type of paper was invented by the Egyptians called papyrus. The Egyptians split the reeds into narrow strips, placed them crosswise in two layers, dampened them, and then pressed them. As the papyrus dried, the plant’s sap glued the strips together into a paper-like sheet.
The Egyptians also created medicine and the calendar, two very advanced ideas.
Key terms
Pyramid
A structure built for gods to rest after their death
Pharaohs
Gods that ruled Egypt
Mummification
A process where the body is embalmed and dried to prevent it from decaying
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone was a stone used as paper to write the hieroglyphics
