Early River Valley Civilizations

Four Civilizations:City-States of Mesopotamia, Nile, Indus,

and Huang He and Yangtze(Sections 1 and 2)

City-States of Mesopotamia

• Two rivers – Tigris and Euphrates form a “V”. The rivers flow southeast to the Persian Gulf.

• Between the rivers is a plain known as Mesopotamia.

• The rivers were known to flood each year, leaving silt.• Soil is great for farming

Mesopotamia

• First settlement was around 4500 BCE• Sumerians first arrive in 3500BCE• Three issues arose:– Unpredictability of rains– No natural barriers for protection– Limited natural resources

• Solutions…

Sumerian Solutions

• To provide water the people dug irrigation ditches carrying river water to their crops

• The Sumerians built high-walled protection around the city.

• The Sumerians created trade with the people in the mountains and desert for products they lacked.– Grain and cloth for crafted tools

Creation of City-State

• Considered to be one of the first civilizations• Different from earlier people-groups and

societies:1. Advanced cities2. Specialization among workers3. Complexity to institutions4. Detailed record keeping5. Technology

Sumerians

• By 3000 BCE, Sumerians had built several cities each with agriculture surrounding them

• Each city had its own government• These became City-States• Urik, Kish, Umma, and Ur.• Each had a walled protection and a ziggurat in

the center.• Religion was important in each location

Power of the Priests

• The earliest governments were controlled by the temple priests.

• Their religion recognized many gods (polytheism), whose feats and escapades were described in stories that were often preserved for generations. Story of Gilgamesh

• Sumerians did not believe in a happy afterlife.

Creation of Monarchs

• In times of conflict, the priests would not lead in battle.

• At first, the commander would stop leading when the war was over, but over time they remained in power.

• As wars increased – so too did the need for leaders of the armies

• This transformed in to monarchs. They would pass along their leadership to their sons.

Life in Sumerian Society

• As civilizations grew, so too did their differences within the society– Priests and Kings = highest– Wealthy merchants– Field workers and skilled workers– Slaves = lowest• Slaves could earn their freedom, not permanent• Some were captured from war, others from debts

owed.

Women on Sumerian Society

• Most occupations were open to women including merchant and farmer.

• Schooling was not available to women – could not become scribes.

• Some could be low level priests• Sumerian women had more rights than later

societies allowed.

Sumerian Science and Technology

• First to invent the wheel, the sail, and the plow

• First to use bronze in tools and weapons• First to use writing beyond pictures –

Cuneiform• Use of mathematics and geometry• Invention of numbering system – base 60– 60 minutes, 360* for a circle

First Empire Builders

• For nearly a thousand years the Sumerian city-states were warring with each other. – This made them vulnerable to attack from outside

forces.• Sargon of Akkad defeated the city-states of Sumer

in 2500 BC• The Akkadians were Semitic but had adopted much

of Sumerian culture.• He will spread the culture beyond the Tigris-

Euphrates Valley creating first empire.

Crash Course – Mesopotamia

Babylonian Empire

• Amorites in 2000 BC were nomadic warriors.– Another Semitic group that invaded Mesopotamia– Conquer the Sumerians and establish capital in

Babylon on Euphrates• The Babylonians will peak 1792-1750 BC when

Hammurabi is the ruler.• He will establish a code hat endured for a long

time

Hammurabi’s Code

• He realizes a single set of rules would unify a diverse people within his empire.– The code was engraved in stone and put up all

over the empire– 282 specific laws dealing with:• Community• Family• Business• Crimes

Effect of Code

• The code established different punishment based on socio-economic status and men vs. women

• It reinforced the idea that government had a responsibility for what occurred in society.– For example – if something was stolen and the

culprit not caught, the government would repay the loss.

PYRAMIDS ON THE NILESection 2

Geography of Egypt

• The Nile River flows NORTH for over 4,100 miles.– Longest river in the world (not largest)

• Like in Mesopotamia, the Nile brought annual flooding and silt and mud for planting.

• In the fall and winter, farmers tended to wheat and barley.– Watering would come from intricate ditches and

irrigation systems

Geography of Egypt

• The Nile was often worshipped as a God – as it provided abundance.

• Lower Egypt is actually the northern portion of the country.– The last 750 miles that eventually touches the

Mediterranean.– Lower Egypt had a distinct area that led to granite

cliffs called a cataract.

Geography of Egypt

• Keep in mind – Upper Egypt is in the south and Lower Egypt is to the north.

• The Nile was a reliable source of transportation between Upper and Lower Egypt.

• Winds blow from North to South to assist sailboats traveling against the currents.

• The ease of travel allowed for unification between Egypt’s different villages and promoted trade.

Lower Egypt

Upper Egypt

Geography of Egypt

• Unlike the uncertainty of the Tigris and Euphrates, the Nile was very predictable.– The river could overflow or be lower from season

to season – but with less regularity.• The desert on either side of the river valley

made for a natural and formidable barrier.– Thus Egypt was spared the constant warfare that

plagued Mesopotamia

Egypt Geography

• Around 3200 BCE the Egyptians began contact with Mesopotamian culture.– Mesopotamian culture did not last long in Egypt.

• Egypt began to accept migrants from other regions and their cultures in Fertile Crescent.– Was a place of diversity and multiculturalism

Egyptian Unity

• There had villages as far back as 5000BCE• Each village was culturally unique– Religion, customs, chiefs

• By 3200 BCE, Egypt was divided into Upper and Lower Egypt

• By 3100 BCE Egypt was unified by Menes– Made Capital in Memphis where the two regions met.

• In 2660 BCE the 3rd Dynasty was established known as Old Kingdom

Pharaohs

• As opposed to Mesopotamia, the Pharaohs were gods on earth – not just representatives

• The pharaohs were responsible for the well-being of the kingdom

• The Pharaohs caused the sun to rise, the Nile to flow and the crops to grow.

• They were buried in pyramids when they died.After-life was very important to Egyptian

culture

Egyptian Culture

• Polytheistic– Ra, Horus, Isis were three very important figures in

their religious practices– Over 2000 gods and goddesses

• Temples built to honor the gods

• Egyptians believed in a judgement in the after-life.– Osiris would judge the weight of the dead person’s

heart.• Lighter than a feather = good, heavier… not so good.

Mummification

Writing/Science/Technology

• As in Mesopotamia, writing was an integral part of the Egyptian culture.– Hieroglyphics; meaning sacred carving were

pictures that stood for ideas.• They eventually came to represent sounds

where they could be used as an alphabet• The carvings went from stone to drawings on

papyrus reeds

Writing/Science/Technology

• Necessity and need led to many inventions• The need to collect taxes lead to a numbering system• Farmers used geometry to reset property boundaries

after floods• Pyramid builders used calculations to properly

construct the pyramid• Use of calendar to plant crops• Basic medical practices including setting broken

bones and listening for heartbeat

End of the Old Kingdom

• 2180 BCE marks the end of pharaohs in the Old Kingdom

• Strong Pharaohs will return to power in the Middle Kingdom (2080-1640 BCE)

• A group of Asian nomads on horseback and chariots will defeat the Pharaohs.– Known as Hyksos, they ruled for 70 years– At same time nomads were invading

Mesopotamia and Indus River Valley

Crash Course – Nile River Valley