Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Ancient Civilizations Nile_River - Coggle Diagram
Ancient Civilizations 
Mesopotamia
Location: Mesopotamia was located between two rivers. I know because the region didn't originally have a name, but the ancient Greeks called it "Mesopotamia" which means the land between the rivers. Also, an example is "Two great rivers flow southland through the Middle East," which were called the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. (Steele 6)
Government: The government of Mesopotamia was a theocracy. I know because the text says "Some rulers, such as Gilgamesh of Uruk, became legendary and their history was entangled with all kinds of myths." Also, the text says "Sumerian kings claimed to rule by the will of the gods and therefore had to perform certain religious duties." (Steele 10)
Art: The Mesopotamians' main art form was pottery. I know because the Mesopotamians were masters of craft and created many different art forms, most notable pottery. Also, the text states "Some time before 3500 BC, they invented the potter's wheel, which made pottery production far more efficient." (Steele 28)
Religion: The Mesopotamians' religion was polytheism. I know this because the text states "The Sumerians worshiped many gods and goddesses." Also, the text says "The Babylonians worshiped Enki as Ea, Inanna as the goddess Ishtar, and made Marduk their main god." (Steele 14)
Writing: The Mesopotamians developed a form of writing known as Cuneiform. I know because the text states "Over the centuries the marks developed into a script that represented sound as well as meaning." Also, an example is "By around 3300 BC the citizens of Uruk were using about 700 different symbols, or pictographs." (Steele 12)
Architecture: They built ziggurats as religious temples to worship their many gods and goddesses, as well as using them for their city hall. For example, the text said "A lasting symbol of Ancient Mesopotamia is the ziggurat, a massive terraced platform made of brick." Also, the text says "Like the ancient pyramids of Central America, ziggurats formed part of sacred precincts, which were thought to be the earthly dwelling places of gods." (Steele 24)
Ancient Egypt
Location: The location of Ancient Egypt was in a large desert near the Nile river. I know because the text states "Desert covers more than 90 percent of Egypt." This shows that the majority of Ancient Egypt was a desert. Also, the text said "The Egyptians lived on the banks of the Nile River or beside canals extending from it." This shows that the Egyptians lived along the Nile River, which was the lifeline of their civilization. (Hart 8)
Writing: The writing system in Mesopotamia can be described as a system of pictographs that advanced and became more symbolic as time passed. I know because the text says "Scribes had to be experts in writing hieroglyphics, an elaborate form of picture-writing with about 700 different signs." This shows us that is was a very complicated system, as remembering over 700 signs is immensely difficult. Also, the text states "Hieroglyphics were used on state monuments, temples, tombs, and religious papyri." This shows that it was used all throughout Egypt to describe things using pictures. (Hart 34)
Art: The art within Ancient Egypt was mainly precious jewelry made of precious materials. I know because the text states "You can see the glint of gold everywhere in Egyptian jewelry-mines between the Nile and the Red Sea coast yielded large quantities of this precious metal." This shows that a lot of their artwork (mainly jewelry) was made of gold. Also, the text said "Egyptian jewelers had access to many semiprecious stones from the deserts-orange-red carnelian, green feldspar, and mauve amethyst." This shows that their art also included lots of other riches from the desert. (Hart 56)
Religion: The ancient egyptians believed in polytheism, and they believed that their pharaohs were gods and goddesses on Earth. I know because the text states "The Egyptians worshipped hundreds of different gods and goddesses, and sometimes it was difficult to work out who was who." This shows that they believed in Polytheism, which is the belief in more than one god or goddess. Also, the text states "Many of the gods are represented by animals: a baboon might stand for Thoth, god of wisdom, at one temple, and a Moon god named Khonsu at another. This shows us that they believed in multiple different gods and goddesses, which by definition is polytheism. (Hart 24)
Architecture: The architecture in Ancient Egypt was most notable for the great pyramids. I know because the text states "It was supposed to represent a gigantic sairway for the king to climb to join the Sun god in the sky," which shows that it was a very important structure and had to be very grand. Also, the text says "The idea of this pyramid was to recreate the mound that had emerged out of the watery ground at the beginning of time, on which the Sun god stood and brought the other gods and goddesses into being." This shows that pyramids were built to represent and recreate the very beginning of time to honor the very end of the pharaoh's time. (Hart 20)
Government: The government in Ancient Egypt consisted of pharaohs ruling over all of the land in an advanced theocracy. I know because the text states "When people approached the king, they often kissed the ground at his feet." Which shows that they had the utmost respect for the pharaoh. Also, the author wrote "At great state occasions like royal jubilee celebrations or the giving of gifts to favored courtiers, the king and court gathered together, and top officials, diplomats, and high priests would attend." This shows an example of who was considered important and was involved in government. Note the similarities between the pharaoh image and the god image. (Hart 12)
Ancient China
Religion : On page 26, it said that there were three major religions in Ancient China, which were Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Despite the three religions having conflicting beliefs, few people were persecuted for their beliefs. All three religions were tolerated throughout Ancient China.
Writing : On page 11, it said the Shang people used oracle bones to talk with the spirits. Mainly ox bones or tortoise shells were used and scorched until it cracked. The cracks were then read to discover answers about the ancestors. (Cotterell 11)
Architecture/Technology : The text said "The Chinese invented the wheelbarrow between 221 B.C. and A.D. 265 during the period of the Three Kingdoms." The wheelbarrow has forever changed the transportation and agriculture industries, making it one of the most important inventions ever. The author also wrote "The magnetic compass was an ancient Chinese invention." (Cotterell 22)
Government : On page 16, it said "IN 221 B.C. the Chinese Empire was formed." An empire is a form of government ruled by one leader or emperor. Their first emperor was Qin Shi Huangdi. The Chinese dynastic system was the system in place for the majority of ancient Chinese history. (Cotterell 16)
Art : On page 32, it said that they had delicate jade bowl stands carved in the shape of a bi. A bi is a disk used in ancient rituals. These stands were inscribed with a poem written by the Manchu, or Qing, emperor Qianlong. (Cotterell 32)
Location : The author wrote "Most people in Imperial China lived in the countryside and worked in the fields." The majority of the Chinese population were peasant farmers. This means they lived and worked in the fields and in the country. (Cotterell 34)
Trade/Commerce : The text said that trade reached its peak during the Yuan dynasty under the Mongol leadership. The mongols allowed merchants to trade freely throughout their empire. Because the mongols controlled the majority of the silk road, their wealth flourished. (Cotterell 58)
Ancient India
Religion: The Aryans were a group of people that invaded the Indus River Valley, and brought with them their religion. I know because the Aryans left behind the Vedas, sacred religious texts tied to the religion of Brahmanism. This religion would go on to heavily influence the development of the polytheistic religion of Hinduism, the major religion in India today. (World Studies - Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific)
Location: The Indus river valley covers the majority of modern-day Pakistan, the northwest region of modern-day India, and a tiny part of Afghanistan. I know because the text says "a civilization was developed along the Indus River alluvial plain, in South Asia," which shows that it covered South Asia. Also, I know because "The Indus Valley region was a region rich in fertile soil, ideal for agriculture," making it a habitable place for the people. (World Studies - Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific)
Writing: I know because in the text it said "one of the most confusing things about civilization is there writing can't be read". I know because "some schoolers actually considered that the symbols don't have a real meaning" Also in the text it said "most of the symbols are on seals, ceramic, and other types of materials. (World Studies - Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific)
Architecture/Technology: The people in Ancient India developed a very advanced system of waterways and plumbing for their time. I know because they had wells where people could obtain water. Also, the people often had facilities to flush waste water, which was very advanced for their time. (World Studies - Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific)
Government: The Aryans had a government structure called a caste system. I know because "a caste is a social group in which people are born and they cannot change. " These four social classes were called varnas. These four classes, in summary, were the priests, followed by the rulers and warriors, then the farmers and merchants, then the servants, and finally the "untouchables." (World Studies - Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific)