9/22/10
What is a civilization?
Why did ancient civilizations develop in river valleys?

RESPECT : In class, it is essential that students share opinions and learn from one another. Give your teacher and colleagues respect , listen to their thoughts, and do not talk while they are talking. If you would like to share your opinions, raise your hand.
PROFESSIONALISM : It is important for you to begin to consider yourselves professional scholars. As such , you are expected to do your best and work hard throughout each class period . You are also expected to behave maturely; this entails your conduct in class, your choice of words, and the products you produce. In addition, you should seek help when it is needed .
CLASS RULES :
• Be prepared and on time for class.
• Heads must be up at all times; no sleeping in class.
• IPods, cell phones, and other electronic devices should be turned off and put away before entering the classroom.
• Eating should take place in the cafeteria, not the classroom.
• 10-10 Rule: No bathroom/water fountain trips during the first or last 10 minutes of class.
• You are responsible for work when you are out of the room (absent, tardy, bathroom, etc.).

(More serious infractions may not follow this sequence)
• 1st Infraction: Warning (verbal and/or written on board)
• 2nd Infraction: Conference with teacher
• 3rd Infraction: Phone call home
• 4th Infraction: Referral to administration

SWBAT understand the P.E.R.S.I.A. history framework
SWBAT demonstrate knowledge of ancient river valley civilizations, including those of
Mesopotamia and Egypt by:
1. Locating these civilizations in time and place
2. Explaining why ancient civilizations developed in river valleys

A society in an advanced state of social development – e.g., with complex political and religious organization.

P.E.R.S.I.A.

P
• Gaining and using power to govern society
• Events related to the functions of the government such as making, enforcing, and interpreting laws
• Military will also be included in this category

E
• How people meet their basic material needs:
– System of production of goods and services
(e.g., trade)
– Management of material wealth (e.g., taxation, banking)

R
• People’s religious beliefs and their institutions
• How beliefs and institutions affect public and private life, especially the moral framework that guides people and society

S
• People in groups: their living together, relations with one another, and rituals of daily life
• Includes such issues as class, gender, economic status, and ethnicity

I
• The way people think about and express their knowledge
• Includes people’s philosophy, values, beliefs, and attitudes as well as technology (tools to make life easier)

A
• Arts and institutions of a given group of people at a given time
• Artistic is about the creative drive in people and the ways they express that creativity through various means: painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, and music

P.E.R.S.I.A. represents the six needs common to all people throughout history…
1) The need for law and order
2) The need to survive/make a living
3) The need for religious expression
4) The need for social organization
5) The need for knowledge and learning
6) The need for artistic self-expression

Mesopotamia means, “The land between the rivers.”
Mesopotamia is located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Iraq.
The oldest civilization (Sumer) was found in this region.

This area was part of the
Fertile
Crescent:
A fertile arc of land from the eastern coast of the
Mediterranea n Sea, through
Mesopotamia, to the
Persian Gulf
*Rich soil and a lot of crops led to the development of civilization in Mesopotamia

Black Sea
Tigris
Mediterranean
Sea
Euphrates
Nile
Aral
Sea
Mesopotamia is formed by the Tigris and
Euphrates
Rivers
These rivers empty into the Persian
Gulf

Assyria
Akkad
Babylon
Sumer
Ur
Sumer
Fist civilization in
Mesopotamia
Akkad
Assyria

Egypt is located on the Nile River. The most important thing to the Egyptians about the Nile was the yearly flooding.
The Nile would flood each year in the spring and would deposit a rich layer of
silt, or soil, on either side of the river.
The rich soil around the Nile was called the ‘Black Land.’ The ancient Egyptians used this land to grow their crops. The
desert was called the ‘Red Land.’ The desert provided the ancient Egyptians with a source for precious metals and stones.
Egypt had several natural barriers (e.g., desserts and rivers) that helped to protect it from invasion.

Independent Practice
Directions:
1. Read the article
2. Respond to the question
3. Ask for help if/when you need it

Identify two reasons that ancient civilizations developed in river valleys

What is a Venn Diagram? What is it used for?

Using the P.E.R.S.I.A. framework, SWBAT compare and contrast ancient
Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt while identifying important characteristics of each civilization
1. Describe the development of political, economic, and social patterns
2. Explain the development of religious traditions
3. Explain the development of language and writing

(two ancient river valley civilizations)

• Create laws to maintain public order
• Security:
– Protection from outside threats
– Protection from one another

The first governments arose to deal with flooding and to channel water to fields.
• These complex tasks required leadership.
• As rulers of ancient cities became more powerful, they conquered neighboring territory to create empires.

The political system was a Theocracy – religious authority by divine rulers
Divine Rulers – kings who got their power to rule from gods and therefore had god-like powers themselves; kings were aided by priests
There was no central government.
Mesopotamia was divided into independent city-states, which often fought for control of land and water.

A city and its surrounding territory
(e.g., Ur, Uruk).
The cities were surrounded by great
walls to offer protection.
Stone was scarce, so most buildings were made of
mud bricks.

Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia
An EMPIRE is a large political unit, or state, with a single leader.
The city-state of Babylon rose to power led by king
Hammurabi.
Hammurabi collected the laws of his region and wrote them down for all to see. This is called HAMMURABI’S CODE.
He wrote them down so everyone would know what the laws were and could not use ignorance as an excuse to escape justice.
The law code covered just about everything from business to personal law and is seen as very harsh now, but was pretty standard for its time.

What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that falls and kills the owner?
Code 229: If a builder builds a house for a man and does not make its construction sound, and the house which he has built collapses and causes the death of the owner of the house, the builder shall be put to death.
230 If it killed the son of the owner the son of that builder shall be put to death.
231 If it killed a slave of the owner, then he shall pay slave for slave to the owner of the house.
What should be done when a "sister of god" (or nun) enters the wine shop for a drink?
Code 110: If a "sister of god" (nun) who is not living in a convent opens a wine shop or enters a wine shop for a drink, they shall burn that woman.

What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts?
Code 117: If a man be in debt and is unable to pay his creditors, he shall sell his wife, son, or daughter, or bind them over to service.
For three years they shall work in the houses of their purchaser or master; in the fourth year they shall be given their freedom.
What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?
Code 195: If a son strikes his father, they shall cut off his hand.
Miscellaneous:
196 If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
200 If a man knocks out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.
21 If any one break a hole into a house (break in to steal), he shall be put to death before that hole and be buried.
22 If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death.

Egyptian kings came to be known as Pharaohs.
The Pharaoh was seen as divine, or godlike.
The Pharaoh was the absolute monarch (had complete control of the land and resources), but ruled with the help of advisors.
The Chief advisor to the Pharaoh was the
Vizier.
The Egyptian Pharaohs organized a strong central government.

• Egypt fell into a period of decline and foreign invasion
(this is a pattern we are going to see A LOT)
• Egypt was ruled by many different people and eventually defeated by the Romans
• The last Pharaoh of Egypt was
Cleopatra VII, who committed suicide rather than surrender to the Romans

Economy:
•The economy was based on
agriculture and trade
•The Sumerians were known for
metalworking – working with copper, tin, and gold; they traded these metal goods with other city states

The Pharaoh controlled the economy
The economy was based on farming and trade
The Nile created fertile land for farming
The Egyptians traded gold and wheat to other countries along the Mediterranean
Since a money system didn’t exist, trade was done by bartering
Gold

The Sumerians were Polytheistic: they believed in many gods
The Sumerians believed it was their duty to serve the gods.
If the gods were not happy then they would be punished by a flood or natural disaster. The flooding of the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers was unpredictable and so the Sumerians lived in constant fear.
The Sumerians also believed in an underworld for the spirits of the dead.
Goddess
The most important building in the city state was the Ziggurat, a massive stepped tower with a temple in the top of it.
They were believed to be homes for gods and goddesses. Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. As a result, priests were very powerful members of Sumerian society.

•Religion was closely tied to daily life
•The Egyptians were polytheistic, worshipping many different gods
•The most important god was Ra, the god of the sun
It was believed that each person had a Ka, or soul. The practice of mummification began because it was believed that the soul could exist in the afterlife only so long as the body was preserved.
Ra
Osiris
God of the afterlife, the underworld, and the dead;

Mummification
A process completed to preserve the body so that the soul could stay in the afterlife

Social Divisions:
Three social groups:
•Nobles – kings, priests, army officers
•Commoners – farmers (90% of people), merchants, fishers, craftspeople
•Slaves – worked for nobles in the palace and on large farms

Egypt had a hierarchical social structure
Priests
Pharaoh
Nobles
Merchant Class
Peasants and Slaves
Daily Life
The people had a positive attitude toward life.
Monogamy was the rule, and women had more rights in
Ancient Egypt than the rest of the Ancient world.
Women could own property, business, and request a divorce.

This was the first written language.
Its name means wedge shaped writing.
It was invented by the Sumerians.
Writing was originally created as a way to keep records for agriculture and trade, but eventually was used for art and literature.
No paper = characters were carved into clay tablets using a tool called a stylus made from a stick or reed.
Scribes were people who were trained to write.

Sumerian Technology
The Sumerians were the first to do a lot of things:
•Invented written language (what was it called?)
•Took the wheel and used it for carts to transport goods and people
•Invented the potter’s wheel for making pottery
•Made Bronze
•Used the arch in architecture

Sumerian Mathematics
The Sumerians invented a number system based on 60.
We still see the influences of this today in our time system and Geometry.

Writing began in Egypt around 3000 B.C.
There were different types of writing for different occasions
Hieroglyphics were ideograms used for formal writing
The Egyptians carved their writing on stone, or wrote on papyrus, a form of paper made from a reed that grew along the Nile River

For a long time archaeologists were unable to translate hieroglyphics
The discovery of the Rosetta stone allowed for the translation of
Hieroglyphics
It contained the same passage in three languages
1. Hieroglyphics
2. Greek
3. Demotic

• The Egyptians used math to calculate area and volume in building the pyramids and in surveying flooded land for farming
• The Egyptians developed a 365-day calendar
• The practice of mummification led to advances in medical knowledge

Art was primarily used for religious purposes

Pyramids were built during the
Old Kingdom
They were designed to be tombs for the Pharaoh
The sphinx is a mythological creature in association with the solar deities of ancient Egyptians and is seen on architecture throughout Egypt

Sphinx and Pyramids
At Giza
Step Pyramid of Zoser
Obelisk of
Hatshepsut

In Egyptian art the human body is usually shown in profile or partial profile

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/4719
/Ancient_Mesopotamia/

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/pl ayer/places/countries-places/egypt/tombsof-ancient-egypt.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/anci ent_egypt/online_activities.htm

In their writing, the Egyptians left out most vowels. Your job is to write a letter to your partner using no vowels and see if they can fill in the blanks.

Your Task: Create a real estate brochure about the civilization of your choice – Mesopotamia or Egypt
You are a real estate agent and it is your job to create a brochure designed to encourage people to move to your area. Therefore, you want to talk about the most positive aspects of your civilization/community.
Your brochure must address at least three of the categories from the P.E.R.S.I.A. framework (choose three: political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, artistic).
You should:
-Describe the categories you choose for your civilization (who, what, where, why)
-Explain the advantages of living in your civilization (why would someone want to live there?). These advantages should be convincing
– remember, you are
SELLING your civilization/community.
Your brochure should include pictures so that prospective residents can visualize your civilization/community. The brochure should be colorful and well-organized.
Rubric
3 Addresses at least three categories from the P.E.R.S.I.A. framework; includes strong descriptions about each category; uses convincing evidence to explains the advantages of living in the civilization; includes pictures and is well-organized
2 Addresses two categories from the P.E.R.S.I.A. framework; descriptions are brief; advantages are identified but not convincing; some pictures; somewhat wellorganized
1 Addresses one category from the P.E.R.S.I.A. framework; descriptions are minimal or non-existent; advantages are not identified; pictures are not related; brochure is confusing/not well-organized