Indus River Valley
Utopia
Egypt
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Egypt- Map
The Nile River played a very
important part in the lives of the
Ancient Egyptians. When it
would flood, it would leave the
soil fertile and ready to grow
more crops. Of course, as with
most all rivers, it was also used
for trade as well as transportation.
Think Quest. n.d. Oracle Education Foundation. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://library.thinkquest.org/10805/egyptmap.html
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Exhibit
Egypt- Cities
Many factors of ancient Egyptian
cities severely limit our
knowledge of them. Unimportant
buildings were built out of mud
brick. Rivers and agriculture
played an important role in
ancient Egypt, so most of the
cities were built on the floodplain
of the Nile, and when it flooded,
it would destroy the mud brick.
Since their location is so ideal,
many modern cities have been
built over the ruins of the ancient
cities.
Tour Egypt. Warren, John. 13 Jun. 2011. Tour Egypt. 11 Oct.
2011. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/cities.htm
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Exhibit
Egypt- Technology
To a city that developed around a
river, boats were a logical
solution for transportation. The
most efficient method of pushing
the boat was to use many slaves
or other people to row using sets
of oars mounted on either side of
the boat. The boat was mainly
used as an outlet for growing
interest in trade goods.
Art Sales. 2003. Art Sales. 11 Oct. 2011.
http://www.artsales.com/ARTistory/Ancient_Ships/06_e
gyptian_galleons.html
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Exhibit
Egypt- Specialization
When Egypt would conquer or
plunder another land, any people
they could capture became
slaves. Slaves were used to pay
soldiers and also given to
temples. They would mainly do
manual labor, such as rowing
boats or constructing buildings,
but could be used by their master
for anything they wanted.
Tour Egypt. Dunn, Jimmy. 13 Jun. 2011. Tour Egypt.
11 Oct. 2011.
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/slaves.htm
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Exhibit
Egypt- Record Keeping
Egyptians developed used several
different writing systems.
Hieroglyphics were mainly used
on large-scale, monumental
stones such as tombs and towers.
Hieratic was the writing system
they used for everyday events,
until it was replaced by Demotic
in 600 BC. However, Demotic
sometimes couldn’t be translated
directly to Hieratic or
Hieroglyphic.
AncientScripts. Lo, Lawrence. 1996. Ancient Scripts. 11
Oct. 2011. http://www.ancientscripts.com/egyptian.html
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Exhibit
Egypt- Complex Institutions
Egyptian religion and government tie in
closely together. The Pharaohs of
Egypt were believed to be kings and
gods. This was the source of their
power. The Egyptian religion was
highly polytheistic, with over five
hundred gods and goddesses. As the
Pharaohs were gods, they were often
blamed when things went wrong, and
praised when Egypt was prosperous.
Many artisans made sculptures,
etchings, and paintings depicting the
gods.
HistoryLink101. n.d. History Link. 11 Oct. 2011.
http://historylink101.net/egypt_1/religion.htm
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Exhibit
Indus River Valley- Complex Institutions
Not much is known about the religion of
the Indus people, but artifacts have
shown that the bull may have been a
symbol of fertility, and tablets have
depicted a bull headed god. Other
sculptures also seem to show a mother
goddess of sorts. They also used
different animals as representations of
their gods, making them polytheistic.
ReoCities. n.d. MadeByAbi. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://www.reocities.com/pak_history/nonhindu.html
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Exhibit
Indus River Valley- Specialization
The priests in the Indus River Valley
civilization had general control over the
affairs of the city. It is thought that the
priests were the people who designed
the layouts for the cities in the Indus
River Valley. The priests in the
Harappan civilization were also
knowledgeable in astronomy and
tracked Mercury, Venus, and Saturn.
Harappan Religion. 2011. Dictionary.com. 10 Oct.
2011.
http://www.reference.com/motif/society/harappanreligion
Colaco. Helekar, Santosh. 11 Jan. 2004. The Goan
Forum. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.colaco.net/1/caste.htm
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Exhibit
Indus River Valley- Map
Most of the cities in the Indus river
valley, including the two major cities,
Mohenjo Daro and Harappa, were in
close proximity to rivers. Harappa, in
particular, is located between two
branches of the Indus river. This
provided an excellent defense from
outside forces, and also would provide
very fertile land.
Framework Connections. n.d. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://ab.mec.edu/departments/techinteg/resources/stude
nts/rivers/frconn.html#top
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Exhibit
Indus River Valley- Cities
Since most all of the cities in the
Harappan civilization were located
somewhere near the Indus, trade from
one city to another would be made
sufficiently easier. The Indus river also
empties into the Ocean, this would ease
the difficulties of trading with other
civilizations. It is believed that the cities
in the Indus River Valley were designed
by the priests.
Lost Civilization of Harappa. Tripzibit. 22 Jan. 2010.
Blogspot. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://unmyst3.blogspot.com/2010/01/lost-civilizationof-harappa.html
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Exhibit
Indus River Valley- Technology
The engineering skills of the Harappan
people were much ahead of their time.
The Harappan people were able to
accurately measure length, mass, and
time with weights and other devices.
Harappans became adept at building
docks after a careful study of tides,
waves and currents. They were also
known to make tools such as axes and
hammers to help in everyday tasks like
chopping wood and crafting.
Wikispaces. Vida, Beata. 2011. Tangient. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://ant3145indusvalley.wikispaces.com/The+Role+of
+the+Physical+Environment+on+Religion+and+Techno
logy
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Exhibit
Indus River Valley- Record Keeping
The people, mostly priests, of the Indus
River Valley used a complex writing
system. Little is known about their
system of writing because scientists,
archaeologists, and scholars have yet to
decipher the codes. They used stone or
clay tablets to etch writings down, with
a common theme appearing to be bulls
and a bull-headed god.
University of Washington. "Computers Unlock More
Secrets Of The Mysterious Indus Valley Script." 10
Aug. 2009. ScienceDaily. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://anthropologistintheattic.blogspot.com/2009/08/co
mputers-unlock-more-secrets-of.html
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Exhibit
Mesopotamia- Map
The fertile crescent is a very good place
for a civilization to be. Firstly, it has the
Euphrates and the Tigris rivers, which
would provide very fertile land. Second,
it has little to no obstacles, making it
easily navigable. Thirdly, it has a good
defense from the south, as a desert is
difficult to traverse, especially for a
large number of soldiers. These three
things made it a natural center of trade
and civilization. The two rivers make
for excellent trade throughout the
crescent also.
Mappery. Scott. 10 Apr. 2008. Mappery.
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Exhibit
Mesopotamia- Specialization
Like most other ancient civilizations,
the power in Mesopotamia was held
by priests. They were in charge of
ensuring that everybody behaved
accordingly in the gods’ eyes.
However, they were also the doctors
of the time, and often attempted to
communicate with their gods to heal
the sick.
Art from Ancient Lands. n.d. Bakarat. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://www.artfromancientlands.com/StoneSculptureofa
SumerianPriestAM0096.html
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Exhibit
Mesopotamia- Technology
A logical tool for a civilization that is
basically surrounded by water are
boats. The Mesopotamians are known
for making boats out of reed. Boats
made of such a weak material
probably wouldn’t be used for large
scale trade, but for transportation and
some smaller scale trading ventures. A
boat of sufficient power could travel
up the Tigris or Euphrates to other
cities, or down into the Persian Gulf.
ABC. Vosmer, Tom. 18 Sept. 2005. ABC. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://www.abc.net.au/wa/stories/s1462829.htm
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Exhibit
Mesopotamia- Complex Institutions
There were many gods in the
Mesopotamian pantheon. Among them
were the four creator gods, An, Enlil,
Nin-khursag, and Enki. These four
gods corresponded to the sky, storms,
earth, and water, respectively.
Everything that was needed to survive
was said to have been given to the
Mesopotamians by the gods.
About. Gill, N.S. 2011. New York Times Company. 10 Oct.
2011.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/nemythology/a/mesop
otamiarel.htm
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Exhibit
Mesopotamia- Record Keeping
The Mesopotamians developed a style
of writing that depended on
pictograms. They were mostly used to
document the growth of crops and
taxes. Over time, the need for writing
changed, and the Mesopotamians
developed a script called cuneiform.
Cuneiform was used by several
different peoples. The Mesopotamians
used it mainly to record events, trade,
literature, and astronomy.
Mesopotamia. n.d. The British Museum. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/home_set.html
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Exhibit
Mesopotamia- Cities
Mesopotamian cities were constant
migration and cultural diffusion
caused a powerful central government
not to develop in ancient
Mesopotamia. As such, the largest area
under one government was a citystate, or a city and the area around the
city. Each city-state was actually a
separate kingdom.
Artlex. Delahunt, Michael. 1996. Artlex. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/m/mesopotamian.html
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Exhibit
Huang He River- Technology
The people in the Huang He
River Valley civilizations
developed a secret method of
producing silk from silk moths
to make clothing, among other
things. This would eventually
become their largest export,
connecting them with the rest
of the world through trade.
Solomon. Bethany. n.d. Hannah G. Solomon Elementary
School. 11 Oct. 2011.
http://solomon.cps.k12.il.us/roeschleyindex.html
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Exhibit
Huang He River- Record Keeping
Before the Shang Dynasty,
inscriptions were left on Oracle
Bones to communicate events
that have happened. Writing
started to develop during the
Shang Dynasty, in which the
ancient Chinese recorded their
information on strips of
bamboo and silk, all of which
have decomposed.
Windows On Asia. 2011. Michigan State University. 11
Oct. 2011.
http://asia.isp.msu.edu/wbwoa/east_asia/china/history/S
hang_Dynasty.htm
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Exhibit
Huang He River- Cities
Most of the cities of ancient
China were, like most other
cities in the world at the time,
located around or along rivers.
Cities passed along from one
dynasty to the next over time,
and were rarely destroyed.
Cultural-China. 2007. Cultural-China. 11 Oct. 2011.
http://scenery.cultural-china.com/en/147Scenery88.html
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Exhibit
Huang He River- Map
The Huang He River Valley
civilization emerged from the central
part of the Huang He’s basin. The
Huang He itself has the most silt
content of any river in the world. This
makes the surrounding lands very
fertile, and perfectly fit for growing
crops. This particular civilization has
a near-perfect position, with great
defenses on all sides, including
mountains, deserts, rivers, and the
Yellow Sea.
Wordpress. HoangKyBacTien 26 Jul. 2010. Wordpress. 11
Oct. 2011. http://hoangkybactien.wordpress.com/the-fateof-huang-he-the-yellow-river/watch-map-of-chinasdeserts/
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Exhibit
Huang He River- Specialization
About two thousand BC, the
Chinese learned how to craft
bronze from copper and tin.
This opened a new door for
artisans to learn how to smith
bronze and make anything
from pots to weapons and
armor.
HistoryForKids. Carr, Karen. 6 Oct. 2011. History For
Kids.
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/history/shang.
htm
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Exhibit
Huang He River- Complex Institutions
The ancient Chinese didn’t
have an organizes religion or
priesthood. They simply
believed that when a person
died, their soul would go into
another realm, where they
could help the living, provided
that they were given the proper
respect and their needs were
met.
Boivieapedia. C. Kevin. 2010. PB Works. 11 Oct. 2011.
http://boivieapedia.pbworks.com/w/page/8081114/Shan
g%20or%20Huang%20He%20(Yellow%20River)%20v
alley%20civilization
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Exhibit
Utopia- Specialization
To properly capitalize on a land with a
complex system of rivers, this Utopian
civilization would become a civilization
dependent on farming. In its first stages,
it would cultivate food crops. When the
civilization began trading outside its
borders, it would begin to grow cash
crops like tobacco. People would
generally be either commoners or be
part of an upper, priestly class that
would represent people in the
government and reward people for
working.
Listverse. Frater, Jamie. 2007. WordPress. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://listverse.com/2007/10/03/99-excuses-forskipping-out-of-work/
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Exhibit
Utopia- Cities
The placement of cities in a good
civilization is vital. In a land that has
a network of rivers, the main city
should be placed in such a location
that it has a significant advantage in
transportation. In Costa Negra, for
example, the capital city is placed in
roughly the center of the civilization,
with an easy route to every river, and
other city in the land. Also, cities
placed by water tend to thrive, as they
gain all of these advantages.
Amarit. n.d. Agencia Maritima and Comercial. 10 Oct.
2011. http://www.amarit.com.do/pi_riohaina.asp
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Exhibit
Utopia- Technology
As a result of being largely an
agricultural society and the
geography of the rivers in the
land, a new class would be
formed. This class of people
would be made of engineers.
The main use of materials in
the region would be used to
construct and design boats and
complex irrigation systems. In
a society such as this, trade and
transportation boats would be
a necessity.
Little Town Mart. Howard, F.D. n.d. Little Town Mart. 10 Oct.
2011. http://www.littletownmart.com/fdh/Narvaez_boat.htm
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Exhibit
Utopia- Complex Institutions
An ideal government would be a
republic. This would raise citizen
morale, because they would have
a say in the government, but still
allow the government some
control of things. Hypothetically,
a religion that encourages and
rewards individuals for
contributing to society and
performing goodwill would
benefit the civilization the most.
Spring Hill Fresh. 2011. Spring Hill Fresh. 11 Oct.
2011. http://springhillfresh.com/our-people/
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Exhibit
Utopia- Record Keeping
Efficient record keeping would
be a must in an ideal society. To
mitigate cost and time
constraints, a small alphabet
would be formed. Each character
of the alphabet is easy to form,
consisting of no more than three
strokes of a pencil.
Paper Textures. Redwood, Robert. n.d. Easy Elements.
6 Oct. 2011. http://www.easyelements.com/papertextures.html
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Exhibit
Utopia- Map
A utopian civilization would
have an ideal location. That is,
close to the sea and in a land
with many rivers. This would
allow a farming civilization to
utilize the fertility that rivers
bring to soil. Also, a peninsular
civilization would be provided
with strong defenses on three
sides, and four if the border
were also a river.
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Exhibit
Rome- Complex Institutions
The Roman government and
religion alike were both based
off of the ancient Greeks. The
Roman government was a mix
of a democracy and a republic.
Even under the rule of one man
during the empire, consuls
were still appointed. The
Roman gods were also very
similar to the Greek gods, to
the point where some gods
merely had their name
changed.
Crystalinks. n.d. Crystalinks. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://www.crystalinks.com/romegods.html
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Exhibit
Rome- Record Keeping
The Romans were meticulous
record keepers. They used the
Latin alphabet that they
developed from the Greeks’
own alphabet. This is the
alphabet we still use today, we
simply arrange the letters
differently.
Rome. Carlos, Michael. n.d. Museum of Emory University. 10
Oct. 2011
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/ROME/writ.html
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Exhibit
Rome- Map
The Roman Empire has miles
and miles of coast, something
that can be very advantageous.
They also control the entire
coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
This provides a major
advantage over the neighboring
civilizations if they wish to use
the Mediterranean to trade or
transport.
USU. Damen, Mark. 2011. USU. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320Hist&Civ/chapters
/08ROMFAL.htm
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Exhibit
Rome- Cities
There were many ancient
Roman cities, but none more
important than Rome itself.
The vast wealth that Rome
gained was used to develop
large-scale building projects
that gave Roman cities their
distinct building style. Cities
were generally placed near
water, as almost all of the land
under the Roman Empire was
coast.
Bible-History. n.d. Bible History Online. 11 Oct. 2011.
http://www.biblehistory.com/ibh/Roman+Cities/Bozrah/
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Exhibit
Rome- Specialization
Roman soldiers lived a
disciplined life. It is said that
each soldier was trained to
travel twenty miles a day,
carrying a burden of eighty
pounds. While soldiers fought
in wars, they also provided
much of the labor for building
forts, walls, and roads. It is
believed that Roman soldiers
built more than 250000 miles
of roads.
Roman Colosseum. 2008. Roman Colosseum. 11 Oct. 2011.
http://www.roman-colosseum.info/roman-army/romansoldiers.htm
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Exhibit
Rome- Technology
The Romans were very good at
taking inventions and making them
their own. However, most scholars
agree that ancient Roman architecture
was developed by the Romans
themselves. The Romans actually
invented concrete and developed
arches, roads, and aqueducts. Having
a road system in a territory is that
travel is more organized and less
dangerous. Also, Romans built things
to last, and that they did.
The Diagram of Everything. Datu, Kerwin. 2006. The
Global Urbanist. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://thediagramofeverything.com/merida.html
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Exhibit
Greece- Complex Institutions
Each of the Greek city-states had it’s
own government. Most of them started
as monarchies, then changed to
oligarchies, then to tyrannies, and
finally to democracies. However, there
were always some that remained ahead
of behind the others, and some that
never became democracies at all.
Despite their differences, all of them
shared the same gods. Their religion
depicted multiple gods and goddesses
with human behaviors and
characteristics.
eHow. Eliot, Alexander. 29 Sept. 2011. Demand Media. 6 Oct.
2011. http://www.ehow.com/info_10045301_adaptationgreek-myth-art.html
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Exhibit
Greece- Cities
Ancient Greece was divided into many
city-states that shared similar
characteristics. A city-state consists of
the city and its surrounding area. Each
of them had its own, separate
government. Each also had separate
goals, traditions, and customs. Five of
the most powerful city-states were
Argos, Megara, Corinth, Sparta, and
Athens. All of the city-states shared
their language and they all believed in
the same gods. Ancient Greece was
comprised mostly of islands and
peninsulas, so most sites in the area
were well suited for cities.
Fotopedia. Kyahl. 20 May. 2010. Fotonauts. 6 Oct.
2011. http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr4327148172
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Exhibit
Greece- Record Keeping
The Greek adopted the Phoenician
writing system and invented an alphabet
with twenty four letters, from A to Ω.
The main use for this was to document
events and facilitate an advanced
accounting system that the Greeks
invented. It also helped encourage the
countless authors and poets of the time
to produce works.
Crystalinks. n.d. Crystalinks. 10 Oct. 2011.
http://www.crystalinks.com/iliad.html
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Exhibit
Greece- Technology
Ancient Greece gave us some of the
world’s most talented inventors, poets,
thinkers, and teachers. Ancient Greeks
built boats, crafted armor and weapons,
and invented siege engines. Among
these inventors was Ctesibius, who
made advances in war and musical
technology by inventing an air powered
catapult, a force pump, and a water
organ.
Ancient Greek Technology. Sfetsos, Elias. 29 Nov.
2002. E-Telescope. 6 Oct. 2011. http://www.etelescope.gr/en/history-and-archaeology/132-ancienttechnology
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Exhibit
Greece- Map
The main geographical feature of
ancient Greece is the many islands and
coast. This promoted the use of boats
and naval technologies in many of the
city-states of Greece. The waters around
the islands provides many options for
transportation and mobility. Of course,
this led to increased naval warfare and
fighting overseas.
Greece. n.d. Alacarte Travel and Tours. 6 Oct. 2011.
http://www.alacartetravelandtours.com/Greece.html
Omogenia. 17 Feb. 2009. Omogenia. 6 Oct. 2011.
http://www.omogenia.com/forum/printpost.php?tid/536
43/
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Exhibit
Greece- Specialization
Priests were important people in the
community. They were thought to have
the ability to talk to the gods, thus they
were respected and trusted. There were
only two methods of becoming a priest.
Either one of your parents was a priest
or you were made a priest by a dying
priest. A priest’s main job was to
maintain the temples and take care of
visitors to the temples.
Ancient Greece Gods. Barrow, Mandy. n.d. Chidding
Stone. 6 Oct. 2011.
http://www.chiddingstone.kent.sch.uk/homework/greece
/greekgods.htm
A Guide to the Bebaki Museum. Delivorrias, Angelos.
Hellenica. 6 Oct. 2011.
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/NewArts/NikolaosKant
ounisGreekPriest.html
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Exhibit