Ancient Civilizations

Ancient Egypt

Location: In the text it said that in ancient Egypt, "desert covers more than 90 percent of Egypt," and this was called the "Red Land." Also the text states that for thousands of years the population of egypt has depended on it's fertile agricultural resources. (Hart, 8)

Writing: The author wrote that Scribes had to be experts of Heiroglyphics. This evidence tells me that Hieroglyphics were very hard to learn. (hart, 34)

Architecture: In the text it said the "the first pyramid was built as the burial place of king Djoser." The text also states that the largest of the pyramids is the great pyramid at Giza which was built for king Khufu. (Hart, 20)

Religion:On page 24, the text said that "many of the gods were represented by animals."
The most powerful of the gods was the sun god. (Hart, 24)

Art: In the text it says that there was a lot of gold in egypt. This lead to a lot of jewelry. In egypt they didn't use diamonds because they didn't know that diamonds existed. (Hart, 56)

Government: On page 10, the text says that the Pharaoh wasn't just a king he was also a priest and a potential war leader. The egyptians viewed him as a god. (Hart, 10)

Mesopotamia

Location: In the text it said that the Greeks called the area Mesopotamia, which means "between the rivers." Also in the text it states that "most of ancient Mesopotamia lay within the borders of modern Iraq." (Steele 6)

Writing: On page 12, it shows the story of Mesopotamian writing and all of their writing artifacts. One of the artifacts is the Cuneiform which was used to record information. Another artifact that was used is the stylus made of a cut reed and used for creating symbols on clay. (Steele 12-13)

Architecture: In the text it tells us about Mesopotamian architecture. This architecture includes ziggurats which are made of mud and hay. They consist of massive terraced platforms and temples on top. (Steele 24)

Religion: The author wrote about how the Sumerians worshipped many gods and goddesses. This means that they were polytheistic. Also they believed in spirits, ghosts, and demons. (Steele 14)

Art: The author wrote about mesopotamian crafts and technology. It shows me how they produced pottery early on. Later on they started to make a tough alloy called bronze. Finally I learned about how they made bricks. They put wet mud into molds and it makes bricks. (Steele 28-29)

Government: On page 10, It said that Sumerian kings claimed to rule by the will of the gods. There was a very large kings list (that is shown in the image). The rulers were head of their military. There was a ruler for each city-states, which means a lot of rulers. (Steele 10)

Ancient China

Government: The text states that during the last 250 years of the Chinese empire, the throne was occupied by Manchus. Also it states that the last rulers were enlightened nd supported chinese culture. The empire ended when china became a republican government.

Religion: In the text it says that Confucius believed society in his lifetime was going downhill. Confucious also believed that a good ruler should set by example. He created a new moral outlook that people still follow to this day. (Cotterell,12)

Commerce (trade): The author says that trade flourished during the Yuan dynasty. This happened because of the silk road where there was no danger. They traded silk, spices, teas, porcelain, and lacquerware. (cotterell, 58)

Technology: The chinese made many inventions in their time. These inventions include a water powered blast furnace that helped with iron casting. The invention produced a steady blast of heat and might have helped create the first steel. (Cotterell, 22)

Art: On page 56 the text states that China has always been renowned for its exquisite art. They used sophisticated techniques and mass produced them. These pieces of art were often made of bronze, jade, silk, lacquer, and porcelain. (Cotterell)

Writing:On page 11, it said that oracle bones were used to "consult the ancestral spirits on important matters." Also, answers from important questions were answered from the cracks on the oracle bones. The oracle bones were often made of ox bone or tortoise shell. (Cotterell) text

Location: On page 38 the text talks about two great rivers. These rivers are the Yellow river and the Yangtze river. These two rivers helped grow china by producing fertile land. These rivers were also used to transport things downstream. (Cotterell)

Indus Valley/ arayans

Architecture/tech: The text states that the Indus valley civilization had very advanced building techniques. Their techniques were shown with impressive dockyards, granaries, warehouses, brick platforms, and protective walls. (Prentice Hall: world studies)

Location: The author states that The Indus River Valley Civilization began to develop around 5,000 years ago. The Indus Valley region was a region rich in fertile soil, ideal for agriculture. These cities were found in the 1920's under mounds and mounds of dirt. (Prentice Hall world studies)

Government: The author wrote that the Aryans used a government called the caste system. This system was constructed of 4 social classes. Citizens were born into their class and couldn't change it. (Prentice Hall: World Studies)

Writing: The text states that even though more than 400 symbols have been found the language still cannot be deciphered. Some have wondered whether these symbols actually were a true writing system.

Religion: The text states that the Aryans practiced Brahmanism. This means that their sacred writing was the Vedas. This religion led to the creation of Hinduism. (Prentice Hall: World Studies)