Mesopotamia– MeansThe land between the Rivers (Tigris and Euphrates valleys).

Government– Theocracy (Religious based).

City-States– Cities that act like countries.

3,500 – 2,000 BC

Religion – Polytheistic (believed in many gods)Government – Theocratic “city-states”Theocracy- Governments controlled by priestsZiggurat – stepped pyramids

Priests & Kings

Wealthy Merchants

Artisans, farmers

Slaves

The “Ziggurat” of Sumerian Society

3,500 – 2,000 BC

Achievements-- Developed Dynasty (rulers from one family) principle to transfer

power from one person to another- Used surplus food to barter for needed items.- Developed effective city-state form of government.- Built Ziggurats (stepped pyramids) to enhance the worship of

their polytheistic gods.- Technological Advances:

Invented the wheel, the sail, and the plow.First to use bronzeDeveloped Cuneiform (1st written language) preserved on

clay tabletsUse of mud bricks & mortar in buildingArchitecture advances- arches, columns, ramps, etc.

(2000-1550 B.C.)

Nomadic Warriors invaded Mesopotamia and made Babylon their capital.

Hammurabi (1792-1750B.C.) developed a uniform code of laws, which were named for him. Hammurabi’s Code lists 282 specific laws that Dealt with all aspects of life. This was the first written code of law.

(550-330 B.C.)

Warrior Empire founded by Cyrus the Great.

Achievements-- Built extensive road system- Developed postal system & coin money- Had a large professional army

Geography – A plain with rich topsoil carried down the Tigris and Euphrates River valleyswith the spring floods.Phoenicians – Trade based society on the coast of the

Mediterranean Sea. Known as Carriers of Civilization. Created colonies to improve trade. Developed our alphabet.

Hebrews – Developed Judaism (first monothesistic religion)

Ancient Egypt

Nile River

Nile Delta

Upper Egypt

Lower Egypt

Red Sea

Libyan Desert

Nubian Desert

Mediterranean Sea

Sinai Peninsula

The Old Kingdom

This was the Pyramid Age. (Over 80 were built)

• The ruler was called the Pharaoh.

• Pharaoh was considered a god.

• A nation ruled by the religious leaders is called

a theocracy

• Agriculture was the basis of the economy

There were few slaves in this kingdom since there

were few wars.

If the Egyptians had many gods, what kind of

religion did they have?

Polytheistic

Sobek- crocodile headed god Kheper- god of rising sun Maat- Goddess of truth

of the Nile. and justice

Osiris- god of the dead Isis- wife of Osiris, Amon-Re- the sun god.

protector of children

Pharaoh

Nobles and Priests

Scribes

Craftsmen and Merchants

Peasants

Slaves

The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone had the same message written in hieroglyphics,

demotic, and Greek. This allows us to read hieroglyphics.

Achievements

• Built pyramids

• Hieroglyphics (picture writing)

• Calendar

• Mummification

• Rosetta Stone (used Hieroglyphics

and Greek)

Famous rulers from this period:

Ramses II – greatest of all pharaohs

Ramses II

Ancient India

Varied

Geography

Northern Plain –

fertile & well

watered by

Ganges & Indus

Rivers

Deccan Plateau –

dry & sparsely

populated

Coastal Plain –

farming, fishing,

& trading thrive

Let it Rain Down on Me

Monsoons

• Seasonal winds which bring dry mild air in the

winter and hot damp air and heavy rains in the

summer

• Most regions of the subcontinent rely on the

monsoon rains for their yearly supply of rain

Government

• Monarchy

Achievements

• The cities of Harappa & Mohnjo-Daro were

planned cities and followed a grid pattern

• Traded with Mesopotamia

• Bronze & copper goods

• Indoor plumbing

Untouchables

Brahmins

(priests)

Kshatriyas (warriors)

Social Classes

in Ancient

India

Vaisyas (merchants, artisans, &

farmers)

Sudras (farm workers & servants)

The Caste

System

The Master Race –

Aryans?• Aryans - A warrior

society from the

Black Sea region

invaded the Indus

civilizations around

1500BC

• They were nomadic

cattle herders

• Spoke Sanskrit

which was later

turned into a

written language

Aryan Achievements

• Vedas – or “Book of

Knowledge” told tales of

the Aryans

• They also contained

religious songs, poems,

and rituals

• Became the basis for

Hinduism

• Established a rigid social

class system called the

Caste System

Ancient China

Geography

Himalaya

Mts.

Gobi Desert

Mongolian Plateau

Small plains surrounded by mountains

and deserts

Located between Yellow & Yangtze Rivers

Government

Dynasties

First one formed in China

before Sumerian civilization

began

Religion

Society

King

Nobles

Artisans

Peasants

Worshipped ancestors who

communicated with the gods

Used oracle bones (animal

bones with messages

scratched on them and then

broken to release message)

Shang Dynasty 1532 – 1027 BC

• First to have written

records

• Built elaborate palaces,

pyramids, & tombs

• First writing found on

oracle bones

• Made bronze sculptures

Achievements: People:

• Qin Shi Huang

– First Emperor of China

– Built the Great Wall

Zhou Dynasty 1027 – 256 BC

• Believed in the “Mandate of Heaven” (if a ruler was just the gods would allow him to rule - if he was bad, the gods would cause his reign to end)

• Built roads

• Expanded trade

• Made silk clothes

• Started building the Great Wall to keep out invaders

Achievements:

Zhou Dynasty People

Confucius

• Was a government official

• Stressed virtue, order, and obedience

(people serve the ruler, children serve their

parents)

• Proper roles

• Wrote the Analects

Lao Tzu

• Said a universal force (Dao) guides all

things in life

• Stressed living in harmony with nature

• Wrote The Way of Virtue