River Valley Civilizations

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River Valley Civilizations
Egypt Mesopotamia
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Egypt
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Favorable Geography

• Benefits of Nile
• Rich soil
• Water
• Transportation
• Natural Boundaries

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Egyptian History

• Early govts to control Nile
• Eventually combined
• Lower Egypt (north)
• Upper Egypt (south)
• Old Kingdom
• 3,100-2,200 BC
• Pyramids built as tombs

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Egyptian History

• Middle Kingdom
• 2,200-1,730 BC
• Age of Nobles
• Canal from Nile to Red Sea
• Ended by Hyksos with horses/chariots

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Egyptian History

• New Kingdom
• 1,570-1100 BC
• The Empire
• Ramses II
• Tutankhamen

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Egyptian Life

• Pharaohabsolute monarch
• Privileged aristocracy
• Pharaoh his family
• Nobles
• Priests
• Unprivileged masses
• Peasants
• Slaves

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Egyptian Life

• Economic activities
• Depended chiefly on agriculture
• Glassblowing
• Imported timber and copper
• Religious beliefs
• Polytheistic
• Mummification

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Egyptian Contributions

• Math
• Surveyed land
• Art
• Huge stone statues
• Carved/painted various scenes
• Architecture engineering
• Pyramids and temples
• Dams and irrigation canals

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Egyptian Contributions

• Hieroglyphs on papyrus
• History
• Scientific/Math knowledge
• Government/Business records
• Science
• Solar-year calendar (365 days)
• Prepared mummies
• Recognized/Treated diseases

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Mesopotamia
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Fertile Crescent

• Divided into
• East
• Tigris and Euphrates river valleys (Mesopotamia)
• West
• Eastern Mediterranean coast

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Influence of Geography

• Rivers/Coastline
• Seaports/trade developed
• Lack of stone
• Clay for construction writing
• Low, level plains
• No natural barriers to invasion

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Peoples

• Sumerians
• Babylonians
• Hebrews
• Phoenicians
• Lydians

• Hittites
• Assyrians
• Chaldeans
• Persians

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Sumerians

• 4,000BC-Independent city-states
• Contributions
• Cuneiform on clay tablets
• System of numbers based on 60
• Basis of time and rotation units
• Architecture
• Invented arch
• Built ziggurats

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Babylonians

• 1750 BC led by Hammurabi
• Conquered other city-states
• Contributions
• Code of Hammurabi
• Astronomy
• Led to astrology

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Hebrews

• 1400-1200 BC-moved from SE tip of Fertile
  Crescent to SW
• Conquered by various Mesopotamian peoples
• Contributions
• Monotheism
• Old Testament
• Emphasis on high moral principles

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Phoenicians

• 1200-800 BC-north of Palestine on Mediterranean
  coast
• Traded throughout Mediterranean
• Established colonies
• Specialized in purple (royal color)
• Contributions
• Missionaries of civilization
• Alphabet

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Lydians

• After 1000 BC lived in Asia Minor
• Contribution
• Coinage of money

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Hittites

• About 2000 BC appeared in northern Asia Minor
  (area rich in iron)
• Contribution
• Iron

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Assyrians

• After 800 BC built an empire
• Learned about iron from Hittites
• Conquered Fertile Crescent/Egypt
• Terrorized enemies and subjects
• Contributions
• Government
• Divided empire into provinces
• Built military roads
• Library
• Art

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Chaldeans

• 612 BC overthrew Assyrians
• Gained control of Fertile Crescent
• Established 2nd Babylonian Empire
• Contributions
• Architecture
• Nebuchadnezzar-Hanging Gardens of
  Babylon
• Astronomy

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Persians

• 6th century BC expanded from Plateau of Iran
• Largest empire yet seen
• Contributions
• Government
• Provinces ruled by satrap
• Eyes and Ears of the King
• Roads for military and trade
• Coined money

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Persians (contd.)

• Contributions
• Spread of culture
• Treated subject peoples humanely
• Adopted ideas and practices from their conquered
  peoples
• Stimulated interchange among peoples
• Religion
• Good and evil

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River Valley Civilizations
Egypt Mesopotamia