Chapter 2: The First Civilizations
3500- 1600 BC
Section 1- The oldest civilization began in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia means “land between 2 rivers
Eastern portion of Fertile Crescent
Fertile Crescent- well
watered region extended as an arc from Mediterranean sea to the Persian Gulf
Rivers drop dirt at the delta
Faster river moves, more dirt collected and deposited
Rivers start on mountains (source) and end at
the delta
Sumerians built city-states in south Mesopotamia
3500 BC, moved to southern part of fertile plain of Shinar- Between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Present Day Iraq)
Probably Migrated from Southeast, since their language is unrelated to Northeastern
Mesopotamians
Were farmers and city builders- cities built along river
Dug canals and ditches to irrigate and control river flooding
City state- a small (country consisting of a)
city and surrounding territories dependent on it.
Two or more city states make up a nation
Each city state had its own gods
Temples were built to please them to keep rivers from flooding
2000 BC- Ziggurat- a massive stepped tower monument- early pyramid
Political Powers controlled by a king
Originally elected
Wars became so frequent that kingship became hereditary
Caste System- ranking people from top to bottom
In US unwritten caste system is based on salary
Upper, Middle and lower class
In Sumeria, system based on occupation
Priests, king, and other high ranking people called nobles
Had much land
Land worked
by slaves (usually POW’s) or freemen called clients- probably had
specialized labor
Commoners-
free citizens with lots of land, who participated politically with full
protection under the law
Belonged to Patriarchal Families
Patriarchal- male is leader
Matriarchal- female is leader- (spiders, bees, ants etc)
The Sumerians made immense contributions to civilization
Highly creative
Writing- 3000 BC or earlier
May have began as marks to represent clay tokens- receipts used to show a
payment made to worker (pg 24 picture) used around 9000 BC
Cuneiform- means wedge shaped
Each combination of marks stood for a syllable- the marks were made with a
stylus on clay
Sumerians had little stone for building, but had lots of clay
Used sun-dried bricks for homes/ temples
Invented the arch- very strong
Not always round topped
Invented Plow/ wheeled vehicles
Skilled in mathematics
360 degree circle
24 hour day, 60 minute hour, and 60 second minute- all time is told in a circle
Many Hymns and Odes to their gods
Made basic legal system
Later used by Babylonians and Israelites
Other People took over and adapted Sumerian civilization
Mesopotamia had no natural invasion barriers
Natural Barriers include Mountains, Seas and Deserts
Lasted 1000’s of years because invaders took on Sumerian civilization
Akkadians, Babylonians, Hittites, Israelites, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians all influenced by Sumerians
2300 BC- Sumeria was united by Sargon I, invader
from Akkad
1st empire
Extended from east of Persia to Black and Mediterranean
Seas
His descendents ruled for 180 years
Hammurabi, king of Babylonia,
expanded Sumerian Legal Code
1700 BC- Hammurabi from Syria brought all of Southern
Mesopotamia under his rule
Capital was Babylon
Empire was Called Babylonia
Called Gate of the Gods
Extended Legal System with written code of laws
Discovered in 1901 by French archaeologists digging in Susa
Found 3 black stones, which made an eight foot column of writing
Hammurabi said his goal was “to cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and
evil, to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak… and to further the welfare of the people”
Doctors charged less to poor people for medicine and surgery
Slavery limited to 4 years for debts
Agriculture resulted in Bumper crops
Helped economy grow
Written Laws give people power
Laws here based on your caste placement
Rosetta stone helped decipher hieroglyphics
Section 2: an Egyptian Civilization arose along the Nile River
5000 BC Neolithic people along the Nile learned to farm barley and wheat and raise cattle
Took 2000 years afterwards for civilization to arise
Egyptian farmers began to develop a civilization
Farmers relied on September Nile Flooding for new soil and water for their fields
During the other months, farmers dug irrigation ditches
In order to keep ditches in repair, farmers made work teams
Each team had a male leader who directed and made rules for the workers
Later teams grew larger, and leader became more powerful
First local governments
Counted days between floods, and studied the sun, moon and stars to form the first annual calendar around
4000 BC
Counted days that Sirius appeared to figure 365 days per year
Year was divided into 12 months of 30 days each with five feast days at the end of the year
Year one on the calendar was our 4236 BC
According
to their calendar we are at year 6236
All happened between 5000 and 3100 BC
Created writing and made copper tools
Created Plow 400 years after Sumerians
Egyptian History is divided into broad periods
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
All ended in invasion or civil war
Time before old Kingdom is called Pre-dynastic Egypt
Pre- dynastic Egypt-
local small villages
Ruling class of nobles and princes
Two kingdoms developed by 3100 BC
One in Nile Delta called Lower Egypt
One along the river called Upper Egypt
Both united by King Menes from Upper Egypt
First national Government
Dynasty- series of rulers belonging the same family
30 ruled total in Egypt
Last one ended in 332 BC
Became a part of Alexander the Greats Empire
Egypt was a country for nearly 3000 years
Longest national history
The Old Kingdom (c. 2700
– c. 2200 BC)
Called the Pyramid Age
Begins at the start of the third dynasty
Six dynasties ruled in this era
Pharaoh means “royal House”
Ships traded up river and into Mediterranean Sea
Fine statues, linen, pottery, stone and copper tools
Protected by Deserts to the east and the west
Protected by Nile cataracts to the south (waterfalls)
Protected by the Mediterranean Sea to the north
Most vulnerable to the Northeast through Asia
Great Pyramids built during this time as tombs for pharaohs
Took thousands of peasants as laborers
King Cheops tomb at Giza is the largest of all pyramids
450 feet high
750 foot base
Took 20 years to make with 100,000 workers
The Middle Kingdom (c. 2000 BC- c. 1800 BC)
Civil war in 2200 BC brought old Kingdom collapse
Rival leaders fought for 200 years
Princes from Thebes reunited Egypt
and became new pharaohs
Encouraged art, literature, and new projects
Egypt conquered Nubia
to the south
Expanded Trade with Palestine and Syria
Another Civil War occurred around 1800 BC
In 1750 BC, were conquered by Asian nomadic invaders called Hyksos
Burned Cities, destroyed temples , cruelty etc
Hyksos ruled for 100 years
During this time, Egyptians invented bow and arrow and the chariot
The New Kingdom (c. 1600
BC- c. 1100 BC)
Leaders from Thebes drove out the Hyksos
Empire- government that rules over a group of countries
New pharaohs attacked and extended Egypt into Southwest
Asia up to the Euphrates River
From 1490- 1469, only female pharaoh ruled named Queen Hatshepsut
Got the throne through a coup
Coup- unlawful seizure of government
Hatshepsut had lots of expanded trade and building programs
Next King, Thutmose III, had all her statues destroyed and her name erased from all records
Egypt reached height of power in 1450 BC during time
of King Thutmose III
Prospered next 450 years after Hyksos were overthrown
Became weakened in 1100 BC from quarrels among leaders, rebellions and costly battles
Hundreds of years of Civil War followed
The last dynasty, the thirteenth was overthrown by the Greeks in 332 BC
Egyptian society was ruled by a god-king and
divided into classes
Throughout most of history, the pharaoh had absolute power
Most ruled justly
People believed that the pharaohs were descended from the gods
Theocracy- government where religious leaders rule as god’s representative
In theory pharaoh owned everything
Pharaohs appointed officials to assist him
Upper Class: priests, court nobility, landed nobility
Had palatial homes, luxurious
Middle Class: became rich through trade
Artisans, leather and cloth workers, builders, teachers, doctors, scribes etc
Lower Class: Slaves and Peasants
Slaves were usually POW’s
Worked on farms, roads, building projects
Peasants had taxes, forced labor and few political rights
Had small mud-brick homes
Religion in Egypt was concerned with life after death
and good conduct
Reasoned that as plants decline in autumn, then reappear, so too must people have life after death
Mummy preserved the body- so the soul could live on
Good conduct was thought necessary for immortality
The God Osiris was king of the dead, and decided if a soul got to live on or not
Book of the Dead- New Kingdom writings about the dead
Polytheism- worship of many gods and goddesses
Amon-Re- the sun god
Osiris- God of the under world and lord of the Afterlife
Many others
Gods often pictured with human bodies and animal heads
Also worshiped cows, monkeys, crocodiles and serpents
During rein of Akhenaton, a new faith temporarily
1379- 1362 BC
1 supreme god named Aton, the sun
Aton is last 4 letters in his name Akhenaton
All other worship was outlawed
Took away governmental support to priests of other gods
After death of Akhenaton, polytheism returned to Egypt
after priests said their god’s wrath would come
Monotheism- belief and worship in one god
Egyptians made major advances in literature,
mathematics, and other fields
Before 3000 BC, Egyptians developed hieroglyphics
Began as pictures of things, then ideas, then sounds
First alphabet by Phoenicians around 1000 BC may have gotten symbols from hieroglyphics
Papyrus- reed plant used for paper
Early books about religion
During Middle Kingdom some adventure stories came
Created addition, subtraction and division, but not multiplication
Areas of triangles, circles and other figures
Used for temples and pyramid building
Religion inspired the tombs and temples
Hall of the sun god Amon-Re temple at Karnake is eighty feet high and
larger than a football field long
Built around 1200’s BC
First people to support roofs with columns
Doctors- learned about herbs and anatomy
From mummification
Could heal broken bones, simple surgery etc
Egyptians had sense of security and confidence
In class notes for Section 2:
Had no standing army
Plow and wheel came from Mesopotamia
Developed days, months and years – counted
days of appearing for star Sirius
It takes a year for Sirius to disappear then reappear
Seasons depend on weather here in North
Dakota
Based on moisture in Egypt
Lunar = moon
Solar=
Sun
Artisan- skilled craftsman
Ziggurat- pyramid in Egypt
Khufu (Cheops) had largest pyramid- one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world
5 categories
Also have seven of the modern world and seven of the Middle Ages
Sphinx- half lion, half pharaoh- watches over
tombs
Took 20 years and 100,000 people to make Cheops
tomb
Pyramids made of limestone- gets harder as it
gets older
Lower half of the Luxer casino has duplicate
of Carter’s tomb
Valley of the Kings: place
where people were buried when they didn’t have time to build a temple
Carter found the tomb of Tutankhamen in early 1920’s
Found in same condition as when made because dirt covered the entrance
Egyptians believed dead would come back in the
same body
Moisture causes decomposition
Take out blood
Use sand to absorb liquid out of body
Take out organs
Put in canopic
jars
Permeldahide (alcohol) preserved body organs
Alcohol comes
from rotting grains
Silage is alcohol- keeps animals warm with extra fat
Take out the brain- not liquid or solid
Comes out the ears when alcohol is added to make more liquid
Thought brain to be useless so didn’t save it
Wrap in Linen
Shroud- burial mask- anything that covers the dead body
Pharaohs were first to wear make- up
Desert helped keep bodies dry and preserved
Add water to harden sand- easier to pull blocks
of stone to build pyramids
Carry stone blocks up ramps of hardened sand
Theo- religion
Absolute Power- dictator who has all power
Divine Rights- Power due to the gods
Dirt particles in River called Silt
Middle of the river is the fastest
Delta’s fan out because silt deposits and
water moves around the silt
The Nile flows north
Tributary-
River that flows into another
Blue Nile River
White Nile River
Longest River System in world is Missouri- Mississippi
Ptolomey- last Egyptian Dynasty
Cleopatra- last ruler of Egypt- 2nd female ruler
If all Johnson’s were dead in a dynasty,
then civil war breaks out
No females were made pharaoh except by coup
Coup- military overthrow
Regent- someone wo rules until pharaoh is old
enough to rule by himself
Queen H. was a regent
Golden Age: time of Thutmose III- the height
of a nation
All nations get lower after Golden Age
King Tutankhamen’s father was Akhwatan
(creator of Aton worship)
Priests didn’t want monotheism
May have killed Tutankhamen
Scribe: can read and write hieroglyphics
Usually write on papyrus- reed plant paper
Reed: hollow stick
Hieroglyphics mean picture writing
Two
Invaders of Egypt were Hyksos and Hittites
Both from the Northeast
Map Test- Sinai Peninsula
Copper- main Egyptian metal Tin was not yet discovered
Cairo-
capital of modern Egypt
Two Ancient capitals
Upper Egypt – Thebes
Lower Egypt- Memphis
Alexandria-
only Egyptian seaport- on Nile Delta
Spoils- goods a winner takes after a fight
Tribute- a continued forced payment made after
a fight
Most valuable thing tomb robbers wanted were
spices and perfumes
Egypt
was ruled by British at one point
British government ground up mummies for fertilizer
Section 3- an ancient city revealed the Early Indus Valley Civilization
4500
Years ago people living in Indus Valley
(modern Pakistan and western India)
had highly organized way of life
Little was known about them until recently
Archaeologists discovered a lost civilization
1850’s engineers building a railroad from Indus Valley
near Harappa found baked bricks they used to set railroad
bed
Also found ornaments and small figures they took as mementos by local villagers
1920’s, British government and archaeologists found it was an ancient city
Found gold jewelry, sculptures, copper and bronze tools
Believed to have existed from 2500- 1500 BC
Area is about 1000 miles inland from Arabian Sea to the Himalaya Mountains
Life in Mohenjo Daro was highly organized
Mohenjo Daro- city in southern Pakistan, 400 miles
southwest of Harappa
City was divided into manufacturing, business, and residential rectangles (blocks)
Streets paved with bricks and lined with shops
Windows of homes faced interior courtyards, not the street
A staircase led to the roof
Most had toilets, some had baths
Brick Lined sewers carried away sewage and rainwater
As good as any other system until the mid 19th century
In center of city was a mud brick citadel (fort) that protected the city from floods
Inside were public granaries, baths, for public use etc.
Life for Upper Class was very luxurious
Wood furniature with crafted bone, shell or ivory inlays
Tiled bathtubs
Bronze and copper tools and gold and silver jewelry
Were first to weave cotton into cloth
Found many toys
Birds, clay bulls, marbles, balls, rattle
Stamp Seals with 400 different symbols
May be writing but not deciphered
Had rings on the back
May have been pressed into clay or wax to show ownership
People of Mohenjo Daro had elaborate religion
Many female statues found
Indicates goddess worship
Sculptures and seals suggest incense and candle burning to goddess and animals were in religion
The public bath also had luxurious living quarters- may have been for priests who performed ritual baths
Economy of Indus civilization
depended on Farming and Trade
Many standardized weights were found made of quartz
Round platforms for organized labor- grain grinding
Strong Central Government
Traded by river between Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
Also by ox and camel drawn carts
Also traded by Sea routes
With Babylonians Sumerians and others
Two Major Seaport cities- M. D. is 30 Miles from Sea today
From moving tectonic plates
History is silent about the end of the Indus
Valley Civilization
Mohenjo Daro may have been covered by mud from a nearby lake from shifting Earth
Some buildings are built up on one another
1500 BC- misfortune occurred may have been a massacre
Skeletons found in groups with axe/ sword cuts
Mohenjo Daro means “place of the dead”
In Class Notes for Section 3:
Female
goddesses wore girdles
Women wore it during the time around waist- 3000
years ago
Written language of Indus
River is called Sanskrit
A dead language
Translucent- light can pass through but you can’t
see through it
Dumped wastewater into the river
The Book of the Dead was a scroll not a book
Himalayas- source of water
for Indus River
We know less about Harappa
than Mohenjo Daro
The Indus
River flooded frequently
Homes built on one another- worse homes as you
go up
Mudslide is better theory- people were grouped
together
Section 4- Chinese Civilization developed along the Huang River
Chinese have many myths and legends
1st man- Ban Ku used hammer and chisel to make the universe
It took him 18,000 years
He finished 2,229,000 years ago
Early Princes were called Xia- 2200- 1700 BC
Yu- first prince fought a river to stop a flood
Very unreliable for historical accuracy
Geography influenced early Chinese Civilization
cold, dry to the north, vast and treeless plains of loess from central Asia in the Ice Age
Loess- fine rich soil
Huang in Chinese means Yellow
Silt is higher than rest of land near delta
River called “China’s
Sorrow” from the floods
Very good farming as early as 5000 BC
Millet- cereal grass currently eaten by 1/3 of all people- first raised by 4500 BC
Soybeans 1000 years later- only pure protein crop
Also raised pigs
By 3500 BC raised silkworms for cloth
2000 BC, rice grown near Change River
Paddies Artificial
pools for growing rice
Lived in villages near fields
Walls of pounded earth protected them
Homes were walled comes on circular areas dug out of ground- roof supported by six tree trunk posts
Doors were openings in the roof
Shang Kings were religious leaders (17000- 1027
BC)
Written Chinese history starts at 1700 BC with rise of Shang dynasty
Shang is capital north of Huang River
near Anyang
King controlled only small area around capital
Nobles owned the rest
Nobles still recognized king as head of army’s and was high priest by command of heaven
Digs at Anyang
began in 1928
No palaces or monuments were found
All buildings were made of wood – no stone- all rotting over time
Writing,
bronze making, and other skills advanced during the Shang Period
Priests wrote on bones and tortoise shells, the heated them and read cracks to answer written question as answers from gods or ancestors
Writing had over 2000 symbols
On tablets of wood or bamboo
Bronze vessels decorated with scrolls, spirals, dragons, imaginary creatures
Also made ivory jade marble chariots daggers and axes
Conquered in 1027 BC by nomads from the Northwest
In class notes from section 4 and for end of chapter notes
`Rivers
– Chang or Yanze
Yellow River or Huang River
or China’s Sorrow
Yellow River is farther north
Himalayas is source of both rivers
Lots of sagebrush- usually semi arid desert
Area southwestern North Dakota and western China
Huang runs through Gobi
Desert
Silt comes from the desert winds
Loess is silt in the air of desert
Little Missouri
is yellow like Huang River
Theocracy government- ruled by divine rights
Atonal languages used
Wood and bamboo tablets rotted
Book of Odes- oldest book we have from Chinese civilization
South of Mandan- earth lodges are similar homes
Native Americans got customs from Chinese across Beiring Strait-
while chasing caribou
Main metal was bronze
Considered Neolithic when moved to Huang
River
Jade: semi- precious jewel dark blue- green
Scarcity determines value
Used for sculpting
Futilism- kings give nobles land in return for
troops
Feed silkworms mulberry to produce silk cocoons
Raise temperature to kill the worm in cocoon
Use loom and spinning wheel
Worms are good fertilizer
Pig Food
Rice Grows underwater by sprouted seed
Need to plant each plant individually
Monsoon- seasonal rains in Asia
and Africa
Soybeans are cheaper than beef
Wendy’s costs less than Hardees burgers
Raise soybeans in North
Dakota in Red River Valley
90% of US Millet is birdseed
Not as popular as wheat because it’s cheaper so farmers don’t grow it
Grows in dry areas
Chinese used pigs because they eat garbage
Pork is pig meat sheep is mutton and cow is beef
Pigs can have worms etc
Cook thoroughly
Bacon comes from ribs
Good meat on backbones is porkchops
Ham is on back legs
Side Pork farther to the front than bacon
Roast- large piece of meat from front shoulder
Very tough need to cook slowly to get tender
Eat heart and liver
Heart as stew meat
Split
hoofed- toes underneath
Boil it
Head cheese – boil it- brains go up and
meat goes down
Pigs are very fat
Heat to make lard
