Big Idea Day #3

Ancient Civilizations

I) Ancient Egypt

A) People settled along the Nile River..WHY?

B) Pharaoh - Egyptian ruler

C) Hieroglyphics Early Egyptian writing system

D) Mummification Preserving the dead for the afterlife

Pros and Cons of RiversPROS1) Floods leave fertile soil 2) Transportation of people & Goods3) Protection from invaders 4) Cultural Diffusion

CONS1) Flooding occurs2) Loss of crops lead to famines3) Villages & Homes destroyed

Egyptian Hierarchy

II) Ancient Sumer

A) Located in the Middle East (Near present-day Iraq)

B) Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Same ideas with the river as in Egypt)

C) First writing system made - Called Cuneiform

D) Fertile Crescent Area of fertile land

III) Indus River Valley

A) Indus and Ganges Rivers leads to civilization starting in India

B) Himalayas - High mountain ranges make it hard to unite India

Pros and cons of mountains?

III) Indus River Valley

C) Winds called monsoons in India bring rain or dry desert airDry air = drought, no water, crops wither, people cannot grow cropsWet moist air = moisture from the Ganges River causes deadly floods and crops to die

IV) Ancient China

A) China is separated from the rest of the world (isolation)

B) Chinese civilization arose around the Huang He and Yangzi river valleys

C) Dynasty Time when one family rules a country

D) Mandate of Heaven You have the right to rule as along as God approves

The Dynastic Cycle

V) American Indians

A) Incas Located in Peru. Lived on mountain topsB) Mayas Located in South America C) Aztecs Located in Mexico

D) Polytheistic & animist

E) Strong government, calendars, strong army, roads, advancements in math and medicine.

F) Terrace Farming Used by the Incas to farm on the mountains

G) Mostly Hunters and gatherers