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Ancient Civilizations download (6) - Coggle Diagram
Ancient Civilizations 
Mesopotamia
Location: In the text it said that ancient Mesopotamia is a part of modern day Iraq. Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Also, according to the book, "much of the region is now hot desert, but many areas were much more fertile" (Steele 6)
Writing: On page 12 the text said, "700 different symbols were pressed into soft clay with a stylus." These were called cuneiforms, and were later used by other nations like Mesopotamia and Assyria. The scripts used by the early Sumerians were not super clear and often contradicted themselves. (Steele 12)
Art: While I was reading I found that pottery in Mesopotamia was based out of Anatolia, but was further expanded by Mesopotamians. In the text it says that, "the mesopotamians mastered many crafts." Some these crafts include melting and molding metal, decorating Ivory tusks, and textile production. (Steele 28)
Architecture: On page 24 and 25 the text reads, "Ziggurats were similar to ancient Egyptian pyramids, and were thought to be the dwelling places of the gods." Most ziggurats were made from mud and clay bricks that were fired to remain sturdy and reliable. Many of these building were made on top of other monuments that weren't demolished. (Steele 24-25)
Government: Many pages scattered throughout the book speak on the ancient Mesopotamians' government and what it was , but only pages 22 and 23 stood out. On pages 22-23 the text speaks about how Akkad was brought to its highest and mightiest by Sargon, he started it all in 2344 BCE and founded the Akkadian Dynasty. During his reign, he and his military overtook Ur, Uruk, Umma and Lagash. After all of the battles he took control of trade and resources, which in turn allowed him to create the very first empire in the world. (Steele 22-23)
Religion: The people of ancient Mesopotamia were polytheistic. This means that the people believed in many gods and goddesses. Some of these idols include, Nanna (Moon god), Enki (Water god), Enlil (Father of all gods), and many more. The people of the time believed that ocean water was the source of wisdom and a crescent moon was the boat of Nanna. (Steele 16)
Ancient Egypt
Location: In the text it said that ninety percent of the land in Egypt was covered in desert, which was called the "Red Land". When the Nile River would flood, it would begin the year for Egyptian farming by bringing deposits of fertile silt. When the waters lowered the farmers went to work and "the result was usually a good summer harvest." (Hart 8-9)
Architecture: In my reading I discovered that many ancient Egyptian monuments were built for the purpose of religion. For example, the Sphinx was built to protect the pyramids from evil. Another example was the fact that the pyramids were built to show the peoples' respect for the pharaoh. Since the pharaoh was thought to be a god in human form, the egyptians wanted the gods to bless them for the work they did in honor of their god. (Hart 21)
Art: The text shows that there was art everywhere in Egypt but jewelry was something different from a piece of painted clay. Gold, silver, jasper, and steatite were the most commonly used because of their commonality in Egypt. While the rarer gems included lapis lazuli, amethyst, and turquoise. (Hart 56)
Religion: The book reads, "The Egyptians worshiped hundreds of different gods and goddesses, and sometimes it is difficult to work out who was who." We also see examples of these gods, like Thoth, God of the Moon and Wisdom. Some of the ancient people would carry amulets that symbolized worship or protection from certain gods, goddesses, or even negative forces. (Hart 24-25)
Writing: The book reads that writing in Egypt was only for certain people on the hierarchy. Scribes were mostly the only people who wrote. These scribes would send messages for people, write down lessons for other scribes, and come up with new hieroglyphs. (Hart 34)
Government: While reading about ancient egyptian government I found many interesting things. One of these things being the fact that their gods influenced most government decisions. This means that people could have been ostracized because of a gust of wind. (Hart 24-26)
Ancient China
Writing: On page 11 it said that questions and answers were wrote on Oracle bones. It also states that 'an ox bone or tortoise shell was scorched until it cracked". The Oracle bones were used by the Shang Kings to consult (Cotterell 11)
Art: The article remarks that "China has always been renowned for its exquisite arts and crafts. The more we read, we keep seeing the exclusive pottery and silk they would either give to royalty or trade on the Silk Road. We see that religion also influenced art during the Ming Dynasty. Followers of Buddha would sculpt portraits to praise their god. (Cotterell 56)
Religion: In the book we hear about Confucius and the religion he founded. The text says "Confucius developed a new moral outlook." This idea was based on being morally good and virtuous. Him and his followers believed that doing those things would lead to peace. Cotterell 12)
Architecture (Technology): The article given to us tells us that Ancient China was "A land of invention". On page 22 the text states "Some of the world's greatest inventions came from China". A few of these inventions include, "Earthquake Weathercock", gunpowder, and paper money. All of these inventions took a sole role in inventions as we know them (Cotterell 22-23)
Government: The book speaks on emperor Qin and his powerful stance in his dynasty. He was the first emperor of China and he began the Qin dynasty. "The First Emperor seems to have thought he would become immortal". He then built thousands of terracotta soldiers to protect his tomb from the evil spirits (Cotterell 16)
Commerce (trade): The book reads that "trade flourished under the Mongol and Yuan dynasty". The Silk road was a large series of trade routes that connected Europe, Asia, and other locations in Asia. The text also says that "Chinese merchants amassed large fortunes by exporting luxury goods such as silk, spices, teas, porcelain, and lacquerware. (Cotterell 58)
Location: The book reads that Ancient China was "The world's oldest empire". The text says that ancient china lasted "From 221 B.C. to 1912 A.D." This empire was the cause of many important ideologies and inventions. Due to China's location, it had many trade routes that brought in many more natural resources. (Cotterell 6)
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