Chapter 2
First Civilizations: Africa & Asia
3200 B.C.-500 B.C.
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Section 5: The Roots of Judaism
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
Summary:
Historians split ancient Egyptian history
into 3 periods
1.) The Old Kingdom
2.) The______Kingdom
3.) The New Kingdom
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
One of the earliest civilizations arose
in Egypt about 5,000 years ago
Since most of Egypt is desert, people
settled along the _______River
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
The fertile soil of the Nile Valley
produced good crops
Yearly floods soaked the land and
deposited rich soil (________)
The river also served as a highway for travel
by boat
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
The Egyptian ruler was called a
___________
After the death of a ____________,
power usually passed to another
member of his family
These ruling families were called
____________
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
The 3 periods of Egyptian history are
the:
1.) Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.-2200 B.C.)
2.) Middle Kingdom (2050 B.C.-1800 B.C.)
3.) New Kingdom (1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.)
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
During the Old Kingdom, the
Pharaohs created a strong government
They also built giant __________
_________ are massive burial tombs that took
many years and millions of stone blocks to
build
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
The Middle Kingdom was a troubled
period
The Nile did not ________ regularly, so
in many years crops did not grow
Although, Egypt conquered many lands,
rebellion was common
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
Then invaders called the
__________, defeated the Pharaoh’s
army and gained control of Egypt
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
The New Kingdom began over a
hundred years later when the
Egyptians drove out the Hyksos
Powerful Pharaoh’s created a large
empire that reached the
________________ river
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
Egypt traded with Asia and Africa
Trade and warfare spread Egyptian
culture to other countries
In return, those places gave Egyptians new
ideas
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.-2200 B.C.)
‫ ﻕ‬Pharaoh’s organize strong government
‫ ﻷ‬Egyptians believe Pharaoh is a god
‫ ﻳ‬Old Kingdom is known as Pyramid Age
‫ ﻎ‬Egyptians build giant pyramids at
_______
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
Middle Kingdom (2050 B.C.-1800 B.C.)
‫ ﻕ‬Egyptians suffer food shortages
‫ ﻷ‬People rebel
‫ ﻳ‬Hyksos conquer Egypt
Section 1: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
New Kingdom (1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.)
‫ ﻕ‬Powerful Pharaoh’s build large empire
‫________ ﻷ‬Hatshepsut becomes
Pharaoh;
Encourages trade
‫ ﻳ‬Ramese II conquers Palestine & Syria
‫ ﻎ‬Egyptian power begins to decline
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
Summary:
Ancient Egypt was an advanced society
where people were divided into classes
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
Religion was an important part of
everyday life in Egypt
Egyptians believed and many gods and
goddesses (____________)
They also believed in life after death
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
They prepared their dead for the
afterlife through a preservation
process called _______________
The mummies of some Pharaoh’s were
buried in pyramids
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
Egyptian society had its own class
system
Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was
both _______and a king
He had the highest position in society
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
Next where the priests, who served
the gods and the goddesses
Near the bottom was the biggest group,
the peasant farmers
Beneath the peasants were the slaves
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
Women in ancient Egyptian society
had more freedom than in any other
ancient civilization
For example, at different times Egypt
was ruled by women:
1.) Hatshepsut
2.) Cleopatra
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
The Egyptians made many advances
in learning and art
In medicine, they learned to cure many
illnesses and to perform surgery
Egyptians developed a calendar very
similar to the one we use today
They also created picture writing called
______________
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
Egyptian temples and monuments
have survived thousands of years
Egyptian statues and paintings show
daily life, ceremonies, and military
victories
Section 2: Egyptian Civilization
Pharaoh
Priests & Priestesses
Nobles
Craftspeople & Merchants
Peasant Farmers
Slaves
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
Summary:
The fertile land between the _________
and Euphrates Rivers supported the
development of Sumerian civilization
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
Geography helps explain the rise of
civilization in the Middle East
Like the _____River in Egypt, the
_______and________Rivers made the
land around them fertile
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
Tigris
&
Euphrates
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
This region was called the
______________because of the good
farmland curved in the shape of a crescent
The land between the rivers was called
_____________
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
By 5,000 years ago, villages along the
Tigris and Euphrates had grown into
busy cities
These ___________made up the
civilization of Sumer
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
Different ___________ fought each
other for land and water
During the fighting, people turned to
powerful war leaders to protect them
Over time, leadership passed down within
the war leaders families, and social classes
developed
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
Like Egyptians, the Sumerians
made important contributions to the
world
They built the first ________
vehicles
Systems of ditches and canals
provided flood protection and
water for crops
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
The Sumerians were the first people
to write
They used wedge-shaped writing called
___________ to record information as
early as 3200 B.C.
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
Sumerians developed algebra and
__________
By studying the sun and the moon, the
Sumerians invented an accurate
__________
Section 3: City-States of Ancient Sumer
Later on, invaders conquered the
Sumerians
The conquerors adopted many of the
Sumerian ideas and passed them on to
later civilizations
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Summary:
Strong rulers united the lands of the
_____________into well-organized
empires
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Many groups invaded and conquered
the civilizations of the
_______________
Some invaders destroyed the
____________
Others stayed to rule
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Some of these rulers created large,
well-organized ___________
_______________are a group of
territories under the control of one ruler
or government
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
One powerful ruler was ________
____________ ___ ___________
Around 1790 B.C., ____________ put
together a set of laws, called the
_______________
The _________________was the first major
collection of laws in history
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Another important ruler was
__________ of __________
In 522 B.C.,
_________controlled an
empire that stretched from
________to _________
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Empire of Darius of Persia
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Darius divided his empire into
________, or locally
controlled regions
Later rulers used his ideas
about government
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Different groups of people met in the
crossroads of the Fertile Crescent
Many groups made advances in
technology and ideas
For example,
___________developed the first
real ___________to record their
trades
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Through warfare and trade, ideas and
technology spread
As time passed, the contributions of
people who lived in the Fertile Crescent
reached all the way to India and Europe
Section 4: Invaders, traders, & Empire Builders
Civilization: Dates:
Achievements:
Babylonians 1790 B.C. Code of Hammurabi
Hittites
1400 B.C. Forged iron tools and
weapons
Assyrians
1100 B.C. First libraries
Persians
539 B.C.
Phoenicians 600 B.C.
-Conquered large
empire
-Improved trade by
using coins & standard
measures
Created first alphabet
Section 5: The Roots of Judaism
Summary:
The Jewish religion was unique in the
ancient world because it was
______________(belief in 1 God)
Section 5: The Roots of Judaism
The ___________were one of
the groups that lived in the
______________
The ______recorded their
history in a sacred book
called the _______
Section 5: The Roots of Judaism
According to the Torah, God made a
covenant, or binding agreement, with
Abraham to be the God of the
Hebrews
Section 5: The Roots of Judaism
Later the Egyptian Pharaoh made
slaves of the Hebrews
Moses helped the Hebrews escape
For forty years they wandered in the desert
– Finally they set up the kingdom of Israel, with
Jerusalem as its capital
– The Hebrews believed that God had promised
them this land
– Later the kingdom split apart, and both sections
were conquered
Section 5: The Roots of Judaism
In time, Hebrew beliefs evolved into
the religion we know today as
___________
__________ was different from the
other ancient religions
Other religions believed in many
gods
___________
was_____________, teaching a
belief in one God
Section 5: The Roots of Judaism
The ___________ also believed that
God had chosen them as His people
The laws of Judaism are called
the_____________________
They describe how people should behave
toward God and toward each other
Section 5: The Roots of Judaism
Often in Jewish history, there were
___________, or spiritual leaders,
who explained God’s will
The ___________ taught about moral
standards and justice
For example, powerful people should protect
the weak
___________ also taught that all people
were equal before God
Section 5: The Roots of Judaism
1 God
Prophets
Covenant
Judaism
Chosen
People
Torah
10
Commandments