Ancient Civilizations 
Mesopotamia
Ancient Egypt
Location: On page 6, it said that Mesopotamia mostly lays in the borders of modern Iraq. Sometimes, it extends into parts of Turkey. Mesopotamia was located between two rivers through the Middle East. (Steele) 
Architecture: On page 24 it said, a Ziggurat is a massive platform made of brick. It represents a mountain that is stretching from earth to the heavens.(Steele 12) 
Writing: On page 12 it said, the Sumerians divide the words first scripted or writing system. Early people who lived as hunters and normuds did not need written records (Steels12) 
Art: On page 28 it said, the mesopotamians mastered many technologies and crafts atv an early point in their history. They were molding clay into simple pots by the eighth millennium BCE. (Steele) 
Government: On page 10 it said, Sumerian rulers enjoyed power and fame and their exploits and deeds were remembered for centuries. Sumerian kings claimed to rule by the will of the gods and therefore had to perform critical religious duties. 
Religion: On page 14 it said, the author wrote that they believed that stars going across the sky were cows of Sin or Nanna Which is the Horned Moon God. Also he wrote that the Sumerians believed in ghosts, spirits, and demons. 
Religion: On page 24 it says, The Egyptian worshiped hundreds of different gods and goddesses.Many of the gods are represented by animals. (Hart) 
Architecture: On Page 20 it said, The first pyramid was built as the burial place of king Dhoster in c. 2650 BCE, by his gifted architect Imhotep. It rose in six stages and is called the Step Pyramid. (Hart) 
Art: On page 54 it says, From the earliest times, flax provided linen for clothes for everyone in Ancient Egypt. The earliest picture of a loom in Egypt is on a pottery bowl dated to c. 3000 BCE, and flax was used for thousands of years after this. (Hart) 
Location: On page 8 it said, The Egyptians lived on the banks of the Nile River or beside canals extending from it. The High Dam at Aswan, built in the 1960s, totally changed the behavior of the river in Egypt. (Hart) 
Writing: On page 34 it says, Scribes had to be experts in writing hieroglyphs, an elaborate form of picture-writing with about 700 different signs. Hieroglyphs were used on state monuments, temples, tombs, and religious papyri. (Hart) 
Government: On page 10 it says, The king was not only the most powerful and important man in egypt, he was thought to be a god. He was known as the pharaoh, a word that derives from a respectful way of referring to the king by describing him as the "great house" (Hart) 
Ancient China
Writing: On page 11, it said that oracle bones were tortoiseshells or ox bones, which were burned. The Shang kings used the oracle bones to answer important questions. The burnet shell created cracks which answered the questions presented. (Cotterell)
Location: In the text, on page 34 said "Most people in imperial china lived in the countryside and worked in fields" It also states "Workers chatted to while away the long hours" (Cotterell) 
Art: On page 56, the text states "China has always been renowned for its exquisite arts and crafts¨. The text also states "Bronze was made into stunning ritual vessels. (Cotterel) 
Architecture/Technology: On page 42, the text states, ¨ In most Chinese homes, three generations of the same family lived under one roof."It also states "Poorer Chinese people lived simply in their homes." (Cotterell) 
Trade/Commerce: In the text it said that they permitted merchants to trade freely throughout their vast empire. They controlled their length of their silk road, which is a series of trade routes that ran from northern China across Asia. International trade thrived because caravans could travel without danger. (Cotterell, pg 58)
Government: On page 10 the text states "The first Chinese Dynasty to leave a historical record with the shang."It also states the ancient Jade are probably used in the Neolithic. Which was concerned with death. (Cotterell) 
Religion: The author states that, Confucius believed that the early years of the Zhou dynasty were golden years of social harmony. The king's authority was greatly reduced as ambitious lords fought each other for power. Confucius believed that a good ruler should set an example by dealing fairly with his subjects, using force only as a last resort. (Cotterell, pg 12)
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Indus Valley
Location: In the text it said 5,000 years ago, a civilization developed along the Indus River in South Asia. Settlements were built along the banks of the Indus River. It covers most of Pakistan.
(Source: https://sites.google.com/mccsc.k12.in.us/history-of-south-asia/home/3300-bc-1500-bc-indus-river-valley-civilization/location )
Architecture/Technology: The author wrote that people within the Indus Valley created well-planned cities. Within many homes rooms have facilities. There were also walls, and they were built to protect them from outside attackers and floods.
Source: https://sites.google.com/mccsc.k12.in.us/history-of-south-asia/home/3300-bc-1500-bc-indus-river-valley-civilization/architecutretechnology)
Religion: The author states that the Aryans spoke a language called Sanskrit. Also, the religion of the Aryans is known as Brahmanism. The Aryans lived in ganas, which is another word for collections.
Source: https://sites.google.com/mccsc.k12.in.us/history-of-south-asia/home/1500-bc-aryans 
Government: In the text the author stated that the Aryan civilization had a large effect on modern-day India. One example is that the Aryans influenced the Caste System. It started because the Aryans had four social classes called varnas. Source: https://sites.google.com/mccsc.k12.in.us/history-of-south-asia/home/1500-bc-aryans 
Writing: In the text it said, one confusing aspect is the writing cannot be deciphered. Scholars have wondered whether symbols constitute a writing system. 400 symbols were uncovered from different locations.
Source: https://sites.google.com/mccsc.k12.in.us/history-of-south-asia/home/3300-bc-1500-bc-indus-river-valley-civilization/writing
