World History

1. World History Chapter One Section Three

2. Early civilization located near rivers: water, transportation • Valley’s favored farming. Why? • Surpluses – extra, more than needed • Could grow larger population • Population increased, villages become cities • People able to have jobs/trades/skills other than farming

3. Traditional Economy – relies on habit, customs, rituals – doesn’t really change over time • Make their own goods, trade extra food for what they want

4. River Valley Civilizations • Civilization – complex, highly organized social order • First arose in river valley’s • Sumer – between Tigris and Euphrates River • Egypt – along the Nile • Indus – along Indus river in India • China - civilization along yellow river

5. First American Civ. • Not in river valleys – highlands of Peru, Mexico and Central America • People learned to farm on the sides of mountains • Steppes – less fertile, sparse, dry grassland • Nomadic herders raised cattle, sheep and goats

6. Organized Government - council of elders • Cities became more centralized and powerful • Relied on officials to enact / enforce laws • Collect taxes and organize defense • Priest – early on was one of the most powerful in the government

7. Complex Religions • Polytheistic – belief in many gods • Gods = sun, river, animal, etc. • Appealed to gods through, song, dance, prayer • Sacrifices were sometimes required to please them

8. Job Specialization • Artisans – skilled craft people – pottery, woven goods, metal working, tools, weapons • Social Classes – ranked according to job • Top: King, Priest and Nobles, Wealthy Merchants, Artisans, Peasant Farmers, Slaves • Sold into slavery by families, captured in war • Men were often killed, women in children were the slaves

9. Public Works • Strong rulers built irrigation systems, roads, bridges and defensive walls • How did these help the city? • Costly - $ and human labor

10. Writing • Not all early civilizations developed writing • Varied by time, place and structure • First used in temples, priests recorded grains harvest, Information about seasons, precise rituals and prayer • Monuments – had writing on them to brag about rulers accomplishments

11. Pictographs/ pictograms – simple drawings that look like the object they represent • Later – developed complex writing systems • Symbols to represent words • Syllables, or letters Scribes – specially trained people that could read and write Kept records for priests, rulers, merchants

12. Cultural diffusion – spread of ideas, customs, and technology from one people to another • Occurs through: trade, migration, warfare • People share ideas and customs • City Growth • As rulers gained power, conquered other territories, increased power

13. City-state – political unit that included a city and its surrounding lands and villages • Rulers, nobles, priests often controlled this land and forced peasants to give them part of their harvest • Empire – groups of states of territories controlled by one ruler

14. Based on your notes: • Create an early civilization. • Where is it located? Why? • Who are the ruler(s)? • Do you have a written language? • What jobs do the men and women do in your village? • Be prepared to share with the class!!!!