Foundations of

Civilization

Foundations of Civilization

Scientist believe that humans first appeared over two million years ago. It is also suggested that the first humans were wandering Hunters and Gatherers.

Do Now (TTYN)

Describe Hunters and Gatherers.

Hunters and Gatherers –

During the Stone Age, Hunters and Gatherers, also known as Nomads, were people who moved from place to place, hunting and gathering their food. They made simple tools and weapons from stone, bone, and wood. They developed their own language, which allowed them to communicate during a hunt.

Foundations of Civilization

Spiritual Beliefs –

Towards the end of the Old Stone Age, Nomads began to bury their dead, which suggests that they believed in an afterlife.

Where it all began –

Evidence suggests that the earliest people lived in E. Africa. Eventually, their descendants spread to all parts of the world. Evidence supports that Nomads migrated over a land bridge into N. America.

Foundations of Civilization

Do Now (TTYN)

Describe Migration

Migration led to Cultural Diffusion, or the exchange of ideas, customs, and goods among cultures.

Do Now (TTYN)

From your prior knowledge, describe -

How Cultural Diffusion has had an impact on American Culture.

How Cultural Diffusion has had an impact on your life

Foundations of Civilization Do Now (TTYN)

Describe the term Revolution

The Neolithic Revolution(In with the New and out with the Old)

Due to environmental changes and changes to weather patterns, the Old Stone Age came to a close. Warmer weather promoted vegetation where, previously, sheets of ice had dominated the landscape. Thus, around 10,000 B.C., civilizations made several important discoveries – they learned how to plant seeds and domesticate animals. Consequently, the need to wander ended. Moreover, people could live in permanent settlements thus, the beginning of the New Stone Age, or Neolithic period.

FYI – Many historians refer to the Neolithic Revolution as the Agricultural Revolution because farming and domestic animals changed the way people lived.

Foundations of Civilization

Do Now (TTYN)

Try to Identify at least three different ways that life may have changed during the Neolithic Revolution -

1. Permanent Settlements

2. New Social Classes – Not everything was “peaches and cream.” When resources were scarce, groups went to war and Chiefs or headsmen emerged. As a result, men gained prestige and obtained great power and influence.

3. New Technology – • The wheel• Metal weapons• Metal tools• Plows• Calendar

There’s no place like home

Where did most civilizations develop?First civilizations began to develop along river valleys. The rich fertile lands helped new civilizations thrive.

Foundations of Civilization

Paleolithic vs. Neolithic

•lasted 2.5 million years to 8000 BC• Otherwise known as the“Old Stone age”• Cave paintings• Hunters and gatherers nomadic ( never stayed in one place (followed herd)•Science and Technology•Stone tools, use of rocks, teeth

Neolithic

• “Neo” means new– New Stone Age• People learn to farm What does this mean?– No longer have to follow herd– Can stay in one place and live –establishment of villages (permanent homes) – Domestication of Animals people learn to raise animals and keep them as a food source (pigs, chickens, cows)

New tools make farming easier and life – Use of Bronze – Plates– Bowls– Ox drawn – Development of agriculture – Food surpluses– * This period is also sometimes called the Agricultural Revolution

So What does it all MEAN?• People stopped chasing food and started living in permanent settlements growth of villages, towns, cities• Leisure time will lead to advancements in record keeping and technol

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Early CivilizationsDo Now

Can you name one of the earliest civilizations? Hint!! This country recently experienced a revolution

EGYPT

Along with the Great Pyramid of Giza, the

Sphinx is one of the greatest enigmas and the most studied ancient monument of mankind’s history. The whole complex of Giza, composed of the Sphinx, the Great Pyramid, other pyramids, and distinct structures, definitely holds the key to understanding advanced past civilizations.

Two schools of thoughts concerning the origin, age, and the builder of the Sphinx in Egypt. First, that Pharaoh Khafre built the Sphinx around 2500 B.C., which suggests that the Sphinx is about 5,000 years old. Second, that the Sphinx was built by an advanced civilization 8,000 to 10,000 B.C. This school of thought has been around for hundreds of years, but new findings give it more credibility. The second finding would suggest that mankind’s history is older than the 6,000 years of Christian tradition and an advanced ancient civilization built the Sphinx. This would mean that history would have to be rewritten or a better understanding of Moses account of creation.

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Geography

Most of Egypt is a desert, early civilizations settled along the Nile River. The Nile River provided water for drinking and irrigation. The river also served as a transportation highway.

Religion

Egyptians were polytheistic. In other words, they believed in more than one god. For example, the sun god, Amon-Ra was the chief god, Osiris was the god of the Nile, and a host of other gods who had specific functions.

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Amon Ra

The cornerstone of the religious faith for Egyptians was a belief in life after death. Egyptians prepared their dead for the afterlife through the preservation process called mummification

More on Religion….

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Major River: Nile River

• “Gift of the Nile”• -each year the Nile

floods leaving behind rich resources (silt) which aid in farming

• - unlike Tigris and Euphrates- Nile floods like clockwork (yearly)

Government, Society, and Contributions

Government

The Egyptian ruler was called a pharaoh and Egyptians believed he was both a god and a king. After the death of a pharaoh, power usually passed to another member of the family. Thus, these ruling families were called dynasties.

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Government style known as a Theocracy

Government, Society, and ContributionsSociety

Egyptian society was divided into classes. The pharaoh was at the top, next were the priests, who served the gods and goddesses, and third were the nobles, who fought the pharaoh’s wars. Next were the craftspeople and merchants followed by the biggest group, the peasant farmers. The lowest group were the slaves.

Women had a higher status in Egyptian society than in any other ancient civilization…a woman could own property, conduct business transactions, and obtain a divorce.

Contributions

Egyptians made many advancements in science and art. Mummifications helped them understand the human body, which helped them diagnose illnesses and perform surgery. They developed a calendar, which is very similar to what we use today. They also created picture writing called hieroglyphics. Egyptian temples, monuments, and pyramids have survived thousands of years.

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.htmlEgyptian Hieroglyphics

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

The Rosetta Stone: Key to understanding hieroglyphics

-Found in 1799 by the French

-Took 23 years to crack code

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Science and Technology:

Pyramids

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

• A first form of paper• Something they could write on other

than stone or clay

Papyrus

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Calendars• 365 day calendar (to keep track of

flooding of Nile) …learned this by watching stars

Mesopotamia

Sumerian Civilization

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Located along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the first civilization in Mesopotamia was Sumer (Su Mer). Villages grew into busy cities and these city-states, political units made up a city and the surrounding land, made up the civilizations of Sumer. As the cities grew, various city-states fought each other for land and water.

Religion –

Similar to the Egyptians, the Sumerians were polytheistic. The many gods and goddesses that the Sumerians worshiped were closely tied to the forces of nature.

People of Mesopotamia were called Sumerians

Mesopotamia Geography

To the Northeast of Egypt, the Fertile Crescent, a region of good farmland created by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, stretches from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean. In this area great civilizations developed, giving the Fertile Crescent the name “the cradle of civilization.”

Mesopotamia – “land between the rivers”….present day Iraq

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Problems Faced:Few resourcesUncontrollable Flooding or No rainHard to defend (flat land)

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

How did they fix these problems?Irrigation systems

Build Walls with mud bricksTrade with others for needed materials

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Ziggurats, the largest buildings in the city-states were pyramid-like temples, which housed the city-state’s chief god or goddess.

Ziggurat

Government –

Each Sumerian city-state had a hereditary rules who was seen as the chief servant of the gods. In addition to enforcing the laws and collecting taxes, the ruler maintained the city walls and irrigation systems.

Society –

Each city-state had distinct social classes. The ruling family, officials, and high priests of a city-state formed the highest class. There was a small middle class that included merchants and artisans and a large lower class of peasant farmers.

Sumerian Civilization

• Building of Ziggurat (pyramid type structures, no point)

• Used for worship• Architecture- ramps, columns

Science and TechnologyAncient Middle East and Egypt

city-state Definition: A self-governing state consisting of a city and

surrounding territory Context: Nippur was the most important city-state in Sumer.

cuneiform Definition: The system of writing used by the ancient Sumerians Context: Cuneiform writing looks more like symbols than

pictures.

demon Definition: An evil spirit Context: According to Sumerian legend, Gilgamesh killed the

demon Huwawa with the help of the sun god.

scribe Definition: A person paid to write, especially in ancient times Context: Mesopotamian scribes worked closely with the priests and

kings.

stylus Definition: A hard, pointed writing tool cut from a reed Context: Sumerian scribe wrote with styluses they made from reeds.

Sumerians Definition: Residents of Sumer, a region of the ancient land of

Mesopotamia Context: The Sumerians developed many inventions, such as the

wheel and the plow.

tablet Definition: A flat slab – often of clay or stone – suitable for an

inscription Context: The Sumerians etched symbols into wet clay tablets to

create a permanent document of their activities.

epic Definition: A long poem telling the deeds of a hero and often centering on the ideals

of a nation or culture Context: The Epic of Gilgamesh teaches us to enjoy the time we have on Earth.

immortality Definition: The quality or state of having an endless life Context: Gilgamesh was unable to achieve immortality, but he was able to leave

behind a legacy through the work he had done during his lifetime.

Mesopotamia Definition: An ancient land located where we find the modern country of Iraq Context: Mesopotamia means, “land between the rivers” and got its name because it

was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Nippur Definition: A major city-state in the ancient Sumerian region of Mesopotamia Context: Nippur was a busy trading center in Sumer and its most important religious

city.

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Sumerian Civilization

Economy –

Sumer grew rich from trade. Traders traveled along rivers and over the desert.

Major Contributions –

The Sumerians made important contributions to the world. They built the first wheeled vehicles. They developed supplicated irrigation systems, dikes, and canal to provide protection from floods as well as water for crops.

The Sumerians invented an early form of writing known as Cuneiform. Additionally, the Sumerians developed algebra and geometry.

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Sumerian Civilization

Strong Rulers and Empires

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Sumerian Civilization

Hammurabi

Ancient Middle East and Egypt

Sumerian Civilization

Advances in Learning and Technology

I. GEOGRAPHY

City-States in Mesopotamia

A. Mostly dry desert climate in SW Asia (Middle East)1. Except in region between Tigris / Euphrates rivers2. a flat plain known as Mesopotamia lies between

the two rivers3. Because of this region’s shape and the richness of its soil, it is called the Fertile Crescent. - the rivers flood at least once a year, leaving a thick bed of mud called silt.

Ancient India and

China

Ancient Greece

Ancient Rome and the Rise of Christianity