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Bellringer January 30, 2014. Why do you think living along a river would be vital in an ancient civilization? Grab a book. Missing Syllabus! Blandino Brancati Collins Connor Ferrante Kokoszka Stout Vernacchio. Student Learning Map. Essential Question.
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BellringerJanuary 30, 2014 Why do you think living along a river would be vital in an ancient civilization? Grab a book. Missing Syllabus! Blandino Brancati Collins Connor Ferrante Kokoszka Stout Vernacchio
Essential Question What were the major river valley civilizations and how did their societal, economic, religious, and political characteristics help shape world history?
Vocabulary • City-State • Cultural Diffusion • Dynasty • Empire • Fertile Crescent • Irrigation • Polytheism
writing taxes between rivers ziggurats flood drought writing Babylon taxes labor army Assyrians propaganda
Four Early River Valley Civilizations Mesopotamia (Sumerians) Egypt Indus (India’s subcontinent) China
Mesopotamia’s Geography • Located in Fertile Crescent • Between Tigris and Euphrates rivers • Rest of this area (Southwest Asia) - desert climate • Mesopotamia (a fertile plain) - Greek for “land between the rivers” • The rivers flooded Mesopotamia at least once a year leaving silt behind so farmers could plant wheat and barley • This allowed villages to grow by the rivers
Geographical disadvantages and Mesopotamia’s solutions: • Flooding was unpredictable Solution: irrigation • No natural barriers for protection Solution: city walls • Not many natural resources Solution: trade • It takes lots of organization to complete the above solutions • Led to organized government • Used to settle disputes over resources (water, land, etc.)
People and Organization • Settlement and farming - 4500 BC to 3500 BC • City-State: a city and its surrounding lands (farming) functioning as an independent political unit • The Mesopotamian city-states shared the same culture but developed their own governments, each with its own rulers
City-States Organization • Priests had power and controlled the government; they were the ‘go-between’ with the gods • Farmers’ beliefs good crops=favor of the gods • Ziggurat was city hall • Priests managed the irrigation system and demanded a portion of every farmer’s crop as taxes • Commanders/Monarchs During wars, the best man was chosen to command the army • Since wars were constant between city-states, the person stayed in charge and power passed to sons
Sumerian Culture • City-states had surpluses of crops so long distance trade was expanded • Led to cultural diffusion about technology, art, religion, etc. • Polytheism- worship of many gods (roughly 3,000 gods) • Social Classes (Hierarchy) King Priests Rich People (nobles) Merchants Generals Army Citizens Slaves
Sumerian Empires Sumerian city-states fought each other; this weakens them so they could not fight off attacks from other groups = beginning of empires Sargon of Akkad (2350 BC): from a city-state north of Sumer - controls Sumerian city-states and spreads Sumerian culture Sargon had the first empire – bringing together several peoples, nations, or states under the control of one ruler (imperialism)
Sumerian Empires Babylonian Empire (1792 BC)- the leader was Hammurabi who created a code of laws to unify the populations he controlled Code of Hammurabi
Discussion Questions • What elements do you think factored in to citywide gridlock in Atlanta after the snowstorm? • What do you know about driving in adverse weather? • In the video, we hear President Obama say that Sgt. Remsburg "never quits." How might young people be inspired by Sgt. Remsburg's story?
BellringerJanuary 31, 2014 What do you know about Ancient Egypt? Grab a book. Missing Syllabus! Brancati Collins Ferrante Stout Vernacchio
Discussion Questions If you were reporting on a cultural tradition, what elements and perspectives would you include, and why?
Essential Question What were the major river valley civilizations and how did their societal, economic, religious, and political characteristics help shape world history?
Vocabulary • Cataract • Delta • Hieroglyphics • Mummification • Papyrus • Pharaoh • Pyramid • Theocracy
3000 332 Nile only surpluses work Saw the afterlife as a continuation of this life Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom peasants cats Married his sister, died young (17) Many people think that the pyramids were built when King Tut was alive, but they were built 1000’s years prior
Ancient Egypt’s Geography • Nile River- longest in world (4,100 miles) with fertile soil surrounding it • Flows South to North • Predictable Flooding (helps flood, plant, harvest cycle) • Good resources • Egyptians worshipped the Nile as a god
Ancient Egypt’s Geography • Desert on both sides of Nile=natural barriers • Reduced interaction with people • Spared constant warfare that was happening in Mesopotamia • In 3200 BC - Egyptians coming into contact with Mesopotamia cultures and Nubia in Africa
Ancient Egyptian Kingdoms • 3100 BC: King Menes of Upper Egypt establishes a capital at Memphis and unites Lower and Upper Egypt= First Egyptian Dynasty • 31 Dynasties over 2,800 years • Power is passed through heredity
Egyptian Kingdoms • Old Kingdom • Power of the Pharaohs begin to decline and turmoil and weakness begin • Middle Kingdom • A series of strong pharaohs restore law and order • Built canal from Nile to Red Sea- improves trade • 1640 BC – Asian Nomads, the Hyksos, who were chariot riders, invaded and ruled Egypt (1640-1570 BC)
Egyptian Government • Egyptians thought the kings were not just representatives of the gods but they wereGods • Egyptian kings were called pharaohs • Government is a theocracy, ruler is also considered a divine figure • Believed the pharaohs ruled after death and had a part in continuing to govern Egypt • The Egyptian people built pyramids, tombs for their dead pharaohs
Egyptian Social Classes • Top class - king, queen, royal family • Upper class – wealthy landowners, gov’t officials, priests, army commanders • Middle class- merchants and artisans • Lower class (largest) – peasant farmers and unskilled laborers • People were not locked in to one class for life – education was the key • Women had many same rights as men (own and trade property, propose marriage)
Egyptian Religion • Polytheistic - a belief in many gods • Isis – ideal mother and wife • Ra – the sun god • Horus – god of light • Osiris – god of the dead • They believed in over 2000 gods/goddesses and built temples for them • Egyptians believed in the afterlife
Egyptian Religion • To help people safely reach the other world, Egyptians preserved dead bodies by mummification (embalming the corpse to prevent it from decaying) • Placed the organs in canopic jars so they could use them in the afterlife
Egyptian Religion • The Book of the Dead(buried with the body) contained scrolls with hymns, prayers, and magic spells on them to guide the soul in the afterlife • Prayers are based on the myth of the god Osiris • Believed that anyone could "become" Osiris in the afterlife, provided that the person had lived a good life and had the proper prayers recited for him or her • Estimate 70 million human mummies were made in ancient Egypt • Mummification was carried out in Egypt for over 3,000 years
Do you know what these mean? • What makes this type of communication different from the normal written word? • What are the advantages of using this type of communication rather than writing complete words and sentences? • HRU • WRUD 2DAY • B HOME L8ER • G2G • CALL ME 2NITE • Answers: • How are you? • What are you doing today? • Be home later. • Got to go. • Call me tonight.
Egyptian Hieroglyphics • Before there was a written language, people used pictures to communicate. • Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics to record ideas, history and how pharaohs (that could read and write) sent messages from place to place • Written from right to left
Egyptian Inventions • Numbers for counting, adding, subtracting (mainly for tax collection purposes) • Engineering – pyramid building • Calendar – for planting purposes – 12 months, 30 days each, five days for holidays/feasting – accurate – only 6 hours short of solar calendar (365 days) • Medicine (splinting bones, checking pulse)
Egypt Project DUE DATE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH
BellringerFebruary 4, 2014 Why do you think the Great Wall of China was built? Grab a book. Missing Syllabus! Brancati Collins Stout Vernacchio
Essential Question What were the major river valley civilizations and how did their societal, economic, religious, and political characteristics help shape world history?
Vocabulary • Dynastic Cycle • Loess • Mandate of Heaven • Oracle Bone