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Warm Up

Explore the geographic, social, and political aspects of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Discover the legacy of ancient kingdoms and their influences on modern societies.

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Warm Up

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  1. Warm Up Study the map on page 27. What quality makes the Fertile Crescent a region? List the major rivers that flow through the Fertile Crescent. What are two advantages of Sumer’s location?

  2. Warm Up Study the image of the pyramids on page 36. What are some adjectives that describe the pyramids? How might the rooms inside the pyramids have been used? Study the map of China on page 85. What geographic features might have isolated China from other cultures? Which rivers do you think were most important to the development of civilization in China?

  3. Warm Up How is it that a civilization can be so dominate yet not last more than a 100 years? Explain why Mesopotamia has been given the title of “The Cradle of Life”. Should Mesopotamia retain this title? Explain why or why not.

  4. Ancient Civilizations Mesopotamia

  5. Geography • The first civilization began in a valley known as Mesopotamia, which was between the Tigrisand Euphrates Rivers. • Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) was located in the Fertile Crescent, an area of good farmland located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf.

  6. Geography • The Sumerianscreated the first civilization in Mesopotamia around 3000 B.C. • Mesopotamians were polytheistic, and believed in nearly 3,000 gods and goddesses.

  7. City-States • Sumerian cities, such as Eridu, Uruk, and Ur, gained political and economic control of Mesopotamia. • The basic units of Sumerian society were independent city-states. • Much of the wealth of the cities was dedicated to building temples dedicated to the god or goddess of the city. These temples were often built atop a massive stepped tower called a ziggurat • Priests and priestesses held a great deal of power, making the state a theocracy, a government by divine authority.

  8. City-States • Farming was the basis of the economy of the Sumerian city-states. • Sumerian metalworkers used copper, gold, and silver to make tools and jewelry. • Sumerians discovered how to make bronze by adding tin to copper. Bronze is a hard metal used for making tools and weapons. • Sumerian society was divided into three major social groups: nobles, commoners, and slaves.

  9. Sumer • The Sumerians are credited with many technological innovations that affect our lives today. • Around 3000 B.C., the Sumerians created a system of writing known as cuneiform (“wedge-shaped”). People used a stylus or other tool to make wedge-shaped impressions on clay tablets, which were then baked or dried in the sun.

  10. Empires of Mesopotamia • Around 2340 B.C., the Akkadians, a people north of the Sumerian city-states, took control of the Sumerian city-states and established the first empire in world history • The leader of the Akkadian Empire was Sargon. • In 1792 B.C., the city-state of Babylon took control of Sumer and Akkad. The Babylonian ruler was Hammurabi. • The Code of Hammurabi was a collection of written laws based on a system of strict justice.

  11. Hammurabi’s Code • Criminal offenses • Duties of public officials • Consumer protection laws • Marriage and family • Mesopotamian society was patriarchal—men dominated society.

  12. 1 Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile • How did geography influence ancient Egypt? • What were the main features and achievements of Egypt’s three kingdoms? How did trade and warfare affect Egypt and Nubia?

  13. 1 The Egyptian Empire About 1450 B.C.

  14. 1 Geography of the Ancient Nile Valley • “Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile.” – Herodotus • People settled and established farming villages along the Nile. • Egyptians depended on annual floods to soak the land and deposit a layer of silt, or rich soil. • Egyptians had to cooperate to control the Nile, building dikes, reservoirs, and irrigation ditches. • Rulers used the Nile to link and unite Upper and Lower Egypt. • The Nile served as a trade route connecting • Egypt to Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean world.

  15. 1 Three Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt NEW KINGDOM OLD KINGDOM MIDDLE KINGDOM Pharaohs organized a strong central state, were absolute rulers, and were considered gods. Egyptians built pyramids at Giza. Power struggles, crop failures, and cost of pyramids contributed to the collapse of the Old Kingdom. Powerful pharaohs created a large empire that reached the Euphrates River. Hatshepsut encouraged trade. Ramses II expanded Egyptian rule to Syria. Egyptian power declined. Large drainage project created arable farmland. Traders had contacts with Middle East and Crete. Corruption and rebellions were common. Hyksos invaded and occupied the delta region.

  16. 1 Egypt and Nubia • For centuries, Egypt traded or fought with Nubia. • During the New Kingdom, Egypt conquered Nubia. • Nubians served in Egyptian armies and influenced Egyptian culture. • Egyptian art from this period shows Nubian soldiers, musicians, or prisoners. • When Egypt declined, Nubia conquered Egypt. • Nubians did not see themselves as conquerors. They respected Egyptian traditions.

  17. 2 Egyptian Civilization • How did religious beliefs shape the lives of Egyptians? • How was Egyptian society organized? • What advances did Egyptians make in learning and the arts?

  18. 2 Egyptian Religious Beliefs • Belief that many gods and goddesses ruled the world andthe afterlife. Amon-Re was the sun god. Osiris was the god of the underworld and of the Nile. The pharaoh was believed to be a god as well as a monarch. • Belief in eternal life after death. Relied on the Book of the Dead to help them through the afterworld. Practiced mummification, the preservation of the body for use in the next life.

  19. 2 Ancient Egypt: A Center of Learning & Culture Advances in Learning Advances in the Arts Statues, paintings, and writings tell us about ancient Egyptian values and attitudes. Developed painting style that remained unchanged for thousands of years. Wrote hymns and prayers to the gods, proverbs, love poems, stories of victory in battle, and folk tales. Built pyramids and other great buildings, such as temple of Ramses II. Developed a form of picture writing called hieroglyphics. Doctors diagnosed and cured illnesses, performed surgery, and developed medicines still used today. Developed 12-month calendar on which modern calendar is based. Astronomers mapped constellations and charted movement of the planets. Developed practical geometry. Skilled in design and engineering.

  20. 2 Class System in Ancient Egypt PHARAOH Earthly leader; considered a god HIGH PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES Served gods and goddesses NOBLES Fought pharaoh’s wars MERCHANTS, SCRIBES, AND ARTISANS Made furniture, jewelry, and fabrics for pharaohs and nobles, and provided for other needs PEASANT FARMERS AND SLAVES Worked in the fields and served the pharaoh

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