Chapter 2

First Civilizations: Africa and Asia

(3200 B.C.–500 B.C.)

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

World History: Connection to Today World History: Connection to Today

Ancient Kingdoms of the Ancient Kingdoms of the NileNile

• How did geography influence ancient Egypt?

• What were the main features and achievements of Egypt’s three kingdoms?

• How did trade and warfare affect Egypt and Nubia?

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The Egyptian Empire About 1450 B.C.The Egyptian Empire About 1450 B.C.1

People settled and established farming villages along the Nile.

Egyptians depended on annual floods to soak the land and deposit a layer of silt, or rich soil.

Egyptians had to cooperate to control the Nile, building dikes, reservoirs, and irrigation ditches.

Rulers used the Nile to link and unite Upper and Lower Egypt.

The Nile served as a trade route connecting Egypt to Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean world.

Geography of the Ancient Nile Geography of the Ancient Nile ValleyValley

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Powerful pharaohs created a large empire that reached the Euphrates River.

Hatshepsut encouraged trade.

Ramses II expanded Egyptian rule to Syria.

Egyptian power declined.

Large drainage project created arable farmland.

Traders had contacts with Middle East and Crete.

Corruption and rebellions were common.

Hyksos invaded and occupied the delta region.

Pharaohs organized a strong central state, were absolute rulers, and were considered gods.

Egyptians built pyramids at Giza.

Power struggles, crop failures, and cost of pyramids contributed to the collapse of the Old Kingdom.

NEW KINGDOM

MIDDLE KINGDOM

OLD KINGDOM

Three Kingdoms of Ancient Three Kingdoms of Ancient EgyptEgypt

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Egypt and NubiaEgypt and NubiaFor centuries, Egypt traded or fought with Nubia.

During the New Kingdom, Egypt conquered Nubia.• Nubians served in Egyptian armies and influenced Egyptian

culture. • Egyptian art from this period shows Nubian soldiers,

musicians, or prisoners.

When Egypt declined, Nubia conquered Egypt. • Nubians did not see themselves as conquerors. They

respected Egyptian traditions.

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Section 2: Egyptian Civilization

Egyptian Civilization Egyptian Civilization

• How did religious beliefs shape the lives of Egyptians?

• How was Egyptian society organized?

• What advances did Egyptians make in learning and the arts?

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Egyptian Religious BeliefsEgyptian Religious Beliefs• Belief that many gods and goddesses ruled the world and

the afterlife. -Amon-Re was the sun god. -Osiris was the god of the underworld and of the Nile. -The pharaoh was believed to be a god as well as a monarch.

• Belief in eternal life after death. -Relied on the Book of the Dead to help them through the afterworld. -Practiced mummification, the preservation of the body for use in the next life.

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Statues, paintings, and writings tell us about ancient Egyptian values and attitudes.

Developed painting style that remained unchanged for thousands of years.

Wrote hymns and prayers to the gods, proverbs, love poems, stories of victory in battle, and folk tales.

Built pyramids and other great buildings, such as temple of Ramses II.

Developed a form of picture writing called hieroglyphics.

Doctors diagnosed and cured illnesses, performed surgery, and developed medicines still used today.

Developed 12-month calendar on which modern calendar is based.Astronomers mapped constellations and charted movement of the planets.

Developed practical geometry.Skilled in design and engineering.

Advances in the ArtsAdvances in Learning

Ancient Egypt: A Center of Learning & Ancient Egypt: A Center of Learning & CultureCulture

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HIGH PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSESServed gods and goddesses

PHARAOHEarthly leader; considered a god

NOBLESFought pharaoh’s wars

MERCHANTS, SCRIBES, AND ARTISANSMade furniture, jewelry, and fabrics for

pharaohs and nobles, and provided for other needs

PEASANT FARMERS AND SLAVESWorked in the fields and served the pharaoh

Class System in Ancient EgyptClass System in Ancient Egypt2

Ancient Egypt

Chapter 2, Section 3Chapter 2, Section 3Ancient SumerAncient Sumer

City-States of Ancient SumerCity-States of Ancient Sumer

• How did geographic features influence the civilizations of the Fertile Crescent?

• What were the main features of Sumerian civilization?

• What advances in learning did the Sumerians make?

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The Fertile CrescentThe Fertile Crescent• The Fertile Crescent is the

fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The first civilization in the Fertile Crescent was discovered in Mesopotamia.

• As in Egypt, these fertile lands supported the development of civilization.

• Villages along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers had to work together.

• The first Sumerian cities emerged in southern Mesopotamia around 3200 B.C.

Worshiped many gods.

Believed gods controlled every aspect of life.

Saw afterlife as a grim place.

To keep the gods happy, each city built a ziggurat, or pyramid temple.

Each state had distinct social hierarchy, or system of ranks.

Most people were peasant farmers.

Women had legal rights; some engaged in trade and owned property.

City-states with hereditary rulers.

Ruler led army in war and enforced laws.

Complex government with scribes to collect taxes and keep records.

RELIGIONSOCIAL

STRUCTUREGOVERNMENT

Sumerian CivilizationSumerian Civilization3

Advances in Sumerian LearningAdvances in Sumerian Learning

• Developed cuneiform, believed to be the earliest form of writing.

• Developed basic algebra and geometry.

• Made accurate calendars, essential to a farming society.

• Made the first wheeled vehicles.

Compare: GeographyCompare: Geography

Egypt• Nile River• Sahara Desert• Close to

Mediterranean Sea• Close to Red Sea

Sumer• Euphrates River• Tigris River• Close to Persian Gulf• Fertile Crescent b/w

rivers• Arabian Desert to

West• Close to

Mediterranean Sea

Compare: ReligionCompare: Religion

Egypt• Polytheistic (except

for Akenaton)• Pharaoh is ‘god on

earth’• Belief in happy

afterlife• Elaborate burials-

pyramids, mummies

Sumer• Polytheistic• Gods behave like

ordinary people• Ziggurats-pyramid

shaped temple to the god/goddess

• Sacrifices• Afterlife is grim

Compare: EconomyCompare: Economy

Egypt• Trade: gold, art,

pottery, etc.• Farming

Sumer• Few natural resources• Trade: pottery, art• Farming

Compare: GovernmentCompare: Government

Egypt• Pharaoh-god on

earth. Preserve justice and order

• Vizier-chief minister. Supervised taxes, farming, irrigation

Sumer• Ruler for each city-

state was in charge of: walls, irrigation, taxes, records

• Ruler was chief servant to the gods, led ceremonies to please them

Compare: Social StructureCompare: Social Structure

Egypt• Pharaoh• Nobles, priests• Artisans,

merchants, scribes• Farmers• Slaves• Women have rights

Sumer• Social hierarchy (system

of ranks)• Highest: ruling class,

leading officials, high priests

• Middle: lesser priests, scribes, merchants, artisans

• Lower: peasant farmers• Slaves• Women have rights

Compare: AchievementsCompare: Achievements

Egypt• Pyramids• Writing: hieroglyphics,

demotic• Medicine• Astronomy• Geometry

Sumer• Ziggurat• Writing: cuneiform• Algebra• Geometry• Astronomy

City-states of SumerCity-states of Sumer

Section 4:Invaders, Traders, and Empire Section 4:Invaders, Traders, and Empire BuildersBuilders

• How did early empires arise in Mesopotamia?

• How did ideas and technology spread?

• How did the Persians unite a huge empire?

• What contributions did the Phoenicians make?

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A series of strong rulers united the lands of the Fertile Crescent into well organized empires.

Again and again, nomadic warriors invaded the rich cities of the Fertile Crescent. Some looted and burned the cities. Others stayed to rule them.

2300 B.C. –Sargon, the ruler of Akkad, conquered Sumer and built the first known empire.

1790 B.C.–Hammurabi, King of Babylon, united the Babylonian empire.

Invaders, Traders, and Invaders, Traders, and Empire BuildersEmpire Builders

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BABYLONIANSBABYLONIANS

• Located in the Fertile Crescent.• Invaders from the Arabian Desert entered

Mesopotamia and seized the city-state of Babylon.

• Hammurabi (hah moo RAH bee) became the king.

• Hammurabi took control of the Sumerian city-states in lower Mesopotamia and established the Babylonian empire.

• Adopted many Sumerian practices.

Hammurabi’s code was the first attempt by a ruler to codify, or arrange and set down in writing, all of the laws that would govern a state.

One section codified criminal law, the branch of law that deals with offenses against others, such as robbery and murder.

Another section codified civil law, the branch that deals with private rights and matters, such as business contracts, taxes, and property inheritance.

The Code of HammurabiThe Code of Hammurabi4

CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION

Hammurabi’s Code—282 laws—affected all aspects of life.

Belief in astrology

The Impact of the BabyloniansThe Impact of the Babylonians

Warfare and the Spread of Warfare and the Spread of IdeasIdeas

• Conquerors brought ideas and technologies to the conquered region.

For example, when the Hittites conquered Mesopotamia, they

brought the skill of ironworking to that region.

• When the conquerors were in turn conquered, they moved elsewhere, spreading their ideas and technologies.

For example, when the Hittite empire was itself conquered, Hittite ironworkers migrated to other regions and spread the secret of ironmaking across Asia, Africa, and Europe.

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HITTITESHITTITES• War-like tribesmen from Asia

Minor; captured Babylon.

• Eventually they withdrew, but occupied the western part of the Fertile Crescent.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATIONCONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION

• First to make widespread use of iron for tools and weapons.

• Horse-drawn chariots in battle.• System of laws with punishments that were

less severe than Hammurabi’s.

ASSYRIANSASSYRIANS

• Ruthless conquerors—overran Phoenicia, Palestine, Babylonia.

• Empire largest in the world to that point in history.

• Used bows and iron-tipped arrows, battering rams, and the first to use men on horseback.

• Assyrians terrorized people with acts of violence and torture.

• Lasted 150 years before being destroyed by the Chaldeans and Persians.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATIONCONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION• First to set up an effective system

for governing an empire.

• Built a great library in Nineveh. It had thousands of clay tablets that have told us much about the ancient Middle East.

CHALDEANSCHALDEANS

• Helped overthrow the Assyrians

• Took control of the Fertile Crescent and established the 2nd Babylonian Empire.

• Nebuchadnezzar is king.

• Rebuilt Babylon into the largest and most impressive city in the ancient world.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATIONCONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION

• “Hanging Gardens” on rooftops in Babylon. Greeks called them one of the “seven wonders of the world.”

• Further advancement in astronomy by accurate observations of the sun, moon, planets, and stars.

PERSIANSPERSIANS

• Chaldean Empire declined after the death of Nebuchadnezzar.

• New Persian Empire extended for 3,000 miles from Egypt to India.

• Lasted 200 years, reaching its height under King Darius I.

The Persian EmpireThe Persian Empire

Cyrus the Great and his successors conquered the largest empire yet seen, from Asia Minor to India.

Emperor Darius unified the Persian empire. Divided empire into provinces, each headed by a governor, called a satrap. This form of government became a model for later rulers.

Drew up single code of laws for empire.

Had hundreds of miles of roads built or repaired to aid communication and encourage unity.

Set up common set of weights and measures to improve trade.

Introduced a uniform system of coinage and encouraged a money economy.

Religious ideas of Zoroaster also helped to unite the empire.

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATIONCONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION• Set up well-organized government.• Divided into provinces and directed by a

“satrap.”• Built roads to speed trade and

movement of armies.• Allowed conquered people to keep their

religion, laws, and local customs.• “Cultural Diffusion”—the exchange of

ways of living—took place between various groups in the empire.

• Accepted teachings of the prophet Zorocaster.

PHOENICIANSPHOENICIANS

• Lived north of Palestine along the Mediterranean coast.

• Became skilled shipbuilders and sailors, and traded throughout the Mediterranean.

• Established many colonies, including the great city of Carthage in North Africa

The PhoeniciansThe PhoeniciansOccupied string of cities along the eastern Mediterranean coast.

Made glass from sand andpurple dye from a tiny seasnail.

Called “carriers of civilization” because they spread Middle Eastern civilization around the Mediterranean.

Invented the alphabet. An alphabet contains letters that represent spoken sounds.

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATIONCONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION• Traders carried the products and

cultures of the Middle East to less advanced peoples.

• The most notable contribution of theses people was the alphabet. The Greeks and Romans later made some changes that resulted

in the alphabet we use

today.

Section 5:The Roots of JudaismSection 5:The Roots of Judaism

• What were the main events in the early history of the Israelites?

• How did the Jews view their relationship with God?

• What moral and ethical ideas did the prophets teach?

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HEBREWSHEBREWS

• The ideas & beliefs of the Hebrews, or Jews, are known as Judaism.

• Abraham founded Judaism.

• Lived in Egypt for several hundred years, but were forced into slavery. Moses led them out of Egypt.

• They recorded their history and religious beliefs in the Old Testament.

586 B.C.–Babylonians capture Judah – Babylonian Captivity.

722 B.C.–Assyrians conquer Israel.

922 B.C.–Kingdom weakens after splitting into Israel and Judah.

Solomon builds capital at Jerusalem, but his rule inspires revolts.

1000 B.C.–David unites Israelites into kingdom of Israel.

Israelites enter Canaan, the promised land.

Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt.

Famine forces Israelites to migrate to Egypt, where they are enslaved.

2000 B.C.–Abraham migrates from Mesopotamia to Canaan, where he founds the Israelite nation.

Persians conquer Babylon and free the Jews from captivity.

Early History of the IsraelitesEarly History of the Israelites5

JudaismJudaism

The Israelites were monotheistic, believing in one true God. At the time, most other people worshiped many gods.

The Israelites believed God to be all-knowing, all-powerful, and present everywhere.

The Israelites believed that they were God’s “chosen people.”

They believed that God would lead them to the “promised land.”

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Teachings on Law and MoralityTeachings on Law and Morality

The laws of the Torah address all aspects of life, from cleanliness and food preparation to criminal matters.

Jews believe that God gave them a set of laws called the Ten Commandments.

Jewish prophets, or spiritual leaders, preached a code of ethics, or moral standards of behavior.

Examples: • The rich and powerful must protect the poor and weak.• All people are equal under God.

Unlike many ancient people, the Jews believed their leaders were fully human and bound by God’s law.

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATIONCONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION

• Practicing monotheism.

• High moral conduct: Ten Commandments.

• Influenced Christianity and Islam through its emphasis on monotheism and moral principles.

CIVILIZATION PEAKSCIVILIZATION PEAKS

• Sumerians: 3500-1792 BC• Babylonians: 1792-1650 BC• Hittites: 1650-1200 BC• Hebrews: 1200-586 BC• Phoenicians: 1000-700 BC• Assyrians: 750-605 BC• Chaldeans: 605-550 BC• Persians: 525-331 BC

The Story of Abraham