Module 2 Review
The earliest civilizations arose in the (river valleys) because the land was fertile
and a good place to farm. Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers in an area called the Fertile Crescent. The Tigris and Euphrates
in Mesopotamia, the Nile River in Egypt, and the Indus and Ganges Rivers in India
typically flooded. When a river flooded it spread silt which fertilized the soil. Silt
was a natural resource and ancient man built canals to irrigate the land and
manage the floodwaters.
When ancient man was able to grow a food surplus, people were able to do
different type of work. This is called job specialization. As settlements grew
larger, complex societies with stronger governments, systems of writing to
manage daily life, and religions developed.
The governments of Mesopotamia were theocracies or the King had political and
religious power. The people viewed their Kings as gods. There are several
notable Kings from Mesopotamia. Gilgamesh ruled Uruk around 2700 BC. He
searched for immortality. The worlds oldest know literature is the “Epic of
Gilgamesh”. Cyrus the Great captured Babylon and was remembered to for
tolerating the beliefs and customs of the people he conquered. Sargon, the king
of the city Kish, built the Akkadian empire that lasted for 200 years.
Nebuchadnezzar II ruled from about 605 BCE to 561 BCE and is best remembered
for Babylon. Hammurabi is remembered for his fairness. He wrote the Code of
Hammurabi which was a list of crimes and their punishment. His scribes
recorded of a set of laws on a large pillar, called a stela. This stela was placed in
the city for everyone to see.
Ancient man saw their kings as gods or divine. They were polytheistic or they
believed in more than one god. A city’s ruler usually claimed to be related to the
city's patron god. A patron god was the city's most important god. People saw
this god as their provider and protector. The largest structure inside a city was a
stepped pyramid called a ziggurat. A ziggurat linked the people to the city’s
patron god. In Mesopotamia, religion and government were closely tied
(theocracy). City business and economic activities were carried out in the ziggurat
and other temples.
Around 1800 BCE, a man named Abraham challenged the religious establishment
in Mesopotamia. He thought there was only one god. Believe in only one god is
called monotheism. He led a group of people that became known as Hebrews.
They started a new religion called Judaism.
Around 3000 BCE, a system of writing called cuneiform was introduced to keep
track of farm surplus. Cuneiform was a picture based and easily understood by
people that spoke different languages. Scribes recorded information about food,
workers, and other things that helped rulers run the cities. They used a triangular
shaped stylus to write on wet clay tablets.
Mesopotamia had a traditional economy. In a traditional economy, the economic
activities (what is grown or produced) are decided by customs of the region.
Mesopotamians also traded for both finished goods and raw materials. Trade in
silk, spices, and precious metals created a wealthy middle class.
Like other River Valley Civilizations, early cities in Egypt were located along a
major river, the Nile, to take advantage of annual flooding which brought silt.
This explains why the economy of Mesopotamia and Egypt was based on farming.
Some Egyptian cities were built along coast of the Mediterranean Sea. These
cities will play an important role in trade with other Mediterranean countries.
The people that managed the exchange of goods for other goods in Egypt was
called a merchants.
Pharaoh was the most powerful person in Egypt. Pharaoh , like the
Mesopotamian Kings, was a theocrat holding both religious and political power.
The Egyptian people believed he was divine or a god. The Egyptians were also
polytheistic or they believed in many gods. Gods worshiped by the Egyptians
include; Ra the son god, Osiris the goddess of the underworld, and Amun the god
of the air. Akhenaten tried to change Egyptian worship practices when he
became pharaoh. He was monotheistic or he believed in only one god like
Abraham did. He ordered the people to worship the sun god Aten only. After
Akhenaton died the Egyptians destroyed all of his monuments and returned to
the old religion.
The Mesopotamians built ziggurats. A ziggurat linked the people to the city’s
patron god. City business and economic activities were carried out in the ziggurat
and other temples. Egyptian pharaohs build pyramids. The first pyramid was
built by Imhotep. Pyramids were designed to protect the pharaoh’s body after
death. The Egyptians also used a collection of magical spells to help Egyptians
safely reach the after live. The collection of spells is commonly referred to as
“The Book of the Dead”. Archeologist have learned a lot about ancient Egypt be
excavating pyramids. In 1922, Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered. It was the
first tomb found that had not been emptied by tomb robbers. The tomb was full
of amazing treasure and art. Tutankhamen is unique because he was only nine
when he became pharaoh.
The Egyptians wanted their pyramids to be big and to last forever. So the builders
had to become more advanced in engineering and math. The Egyptians learned
about astronomy so they could align the pyramids with the stars. By studying the
stars the Egyptians were also able to create an accurate calendar.
The social structure of Egypt was similar
to that of Mesopotamia. At the top was
the leader (pharaoh /king). Merchants,
artisans, and farmers made up the bulk
of Egyptian society. The lowest social
class was made up of slaves.
Mesopotamia had a traditional economy. In a traditional economy, the economic
activities (what is grown or produced) are decided by customs of the region.
Egypt had combination of a traditional and command economy. A command
economy has a central authority that makes economic decisions. The pharaoh
collected taxes on goods made, on people’s time, and decided how to use surplus
crops.
Mesopotamian scribes recorded information about food, workers, and other
things on wet clay tablets using cuniform. The Egyptians developed their own
form of writing call hieroglyphics. Egyptian scribes later used hieratic script, a
simpler form of hieroglyphics, to record information on paper made of papyrus
reeds.
The Indus River valley was a mountainous region with a temperate climate. It was
home to two groups of people in 2500BC; the Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Their
cities had citadels, for protection from both enemy invasions and floods. The
bricks used to build these structures were fired in a kiln, not sun-dried as in
Mesopotamia. The Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro also had large community
granaries. This means that many people in the civilizations were farmers. Some
people, however, were artisans. They worked in copper, bronze, ivory, and wood.
The residents of the ancient Indus River valley were the first people known to
make cotton cloth. They traded with people as far away as Mesopotamia and
Egypt.
The Aryans arrived in the Indus Valley as the Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were
declining. They spoke an Indo-European language. The Aryans were religious
and, like other Indus River valley people, polytheists. They religion of Hinduism
began with the Aryans. The caste system, which is related to Hindu beliefs, also
began with the Aryans. In the caste system, the Aryans divided their society into
four groups based on jobs. Everyone had to stay in the group into which they
were born. Most of what we know about the Aryans comes from the Vedas, a
collection of hymns, spells, and religious teachings. These were memorized by the
priests for a thousand years before they were written down. The Vedas describe
the Aryans as warriors who used chariots and iron weapons. The Aryans were led
by chiefs called rajahs. Rajahs were elected by a group of warriors. They got
advice from a council of elders made from the heads of families.
Two groups of people lived in Canaan; the Israelites and the Phoenicians. Like the
Aryans from the Indus Valley, the Israelites were a nomadic people. They were
groups of shepherds who lived near the Jordan River. The Phoenician lived in
cities on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Unlike the nomadic Israelites, the
Phoenicians turned to the sea for their living.
Much of what we know about the Israelites or Hebrews comes from the old
testament of the Bible. Abraham left his home in Mesopotamia and founded
Judaism, or the Jewish religion. Followers of Judaism are called Jews. Abraham
believed in only one god. This is called monotheism. In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh
Akhenaton had worshiped one god above the others. Abraham believed that
there was only one God that was invisible and all powerful.
One of the most notable people in the Hebrew Bible is Moses. He was important
for several reasons. Moses is considered to be a prophet. A prophet is a person
who speaks for God. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Ten
Commandments from God.
Two of the best known Israelite Kings are David and Solomon. King David first
came to power by defeating a Philistine warrior named Goliath using a sling shot.
For his actions, David was made king. King David made Jerusalem his capital city.
He is credited with writing the Psalms. At the end of his long reign, David was
succeeded by Solomon.
King Solomon was said to be the wisest of men. Under his rule, the Israelites grew
wealthy and powerful. Yet, Solomon's most important contribution was the
building of a temple in Jerusalem. The temple became the focus of the Jewish
religion. Its location is still considered to be a holy site today. According to the
Bible, the builders of the temple were from neighboring Phoenicia.
The Phoenicians were neighbors of the Israelites. They lived in port cities on the
Mediterranean coast. Land and sea trade routes linked Phoenicia to Asia, Africa,
and Europe. They turned valuable metals, such as silver, into coins. Using
currency made international trade easier. Coins are easily carried from place to
place. They also keep their value. The Phoenicians established colonies around
the Mediterrain Sea. The Phoenicians borrowed the idea of an alphabet from the
cultures they met. They took the alphabet idea and made it simpler. The
Phoenician alphabet became the basis for the alphabet we use today. The
Phoenicians also influenced fashion. The harvested sea snails and made purple
dye. Purple dye became a status symbols worn by the rich throughout the
Mediterranean.