Ancient World History

1. Ancient World History Chapter 2 First Civilization: Africa and Asia

2. Geography of the Nile Valley • “Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile” • Greek Historian Herodotus • Nile gave life, while the desert around them protected Egypt from invasions • Yearly Floods • Every Spring, origins of the Nile would become flooded with rains • Flooded down river, depositing silt over Egyptian farmlands • Rich layer of soil • Egyptians eagerly anticipated floods

3. Geography of the Nile Valley (Con’t) • Uniting the Land • Two regions of Egypt • Upper Egypt • Located near the first cataract, waterfall, of the Nile, Northward to within 100 miles of Mediterranean • Lower Egypt • Covered Delta region of the Nile • Triangular area of marshland formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of most rivers • Upper Egypt King, Menes • About 3100 B.C., united the two regions of Egypt • Used Nile extensively

4. The Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.) • Pharaohs, Egyptian rulers, organized a strong, centralized state • Considered Gods • Depended on vizier, chief minister to: • Collect taxes • Control farming • Organize irrigation system

5. The Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.) (Con’t) • Pyramids • Built during Old Kingdom • Preserved bodies, along with every they needed in pyramids • Built with two ton limestone blocks • Took decades to build • Power Struggles, crop failures, and cost of pyramids brought end of Old Kingdom

6. The Middle Kingdom • Turbulent Period of Egyptian History • Irregularity of Nile flooding • Corruption and rebellions common • Delta taken over by Hyskos in 1700 B.C. • Egyptians learned about the horse drawn fighters • Began trading with Middle East

7. The New Kingdom • Powerful Rulers • Ramses II most powerful from 1290-1224 B.C. • Pushed boundary of Egyptian empire to the Euphrates River • Decline • Outstretched army and loss of political power • Foreign armies began invading as well

8. Egypt and Nubia • Trade and fighting between Egypt and Nubia very common during each of the three kingdoms • Nubia traded ivory, cattle, slaves and gold to Egypt • Influenced art and culture as well

9. Section 2 • Egyptian Civilization

10. Egyptian Religion • Chief Gods and Goddesses • Amon Re • Chief God • Sun God • Osiris • Ruled the underworld and God of the Nile • Isis • Taught women to grind corn, spin flax, weave cloth and care for children • Religious Rebellion • About 1380 B.C. Pharaoh Akhenanton challenged priest of Amon Re • Wanted to serve God Aton • Preist ultimately returned to Amon Re after Akhenton died

11. Egyptian Religion (Con’t) • Belief in Afterlife • Fateful Test • Must pass test to win eternal life • Osiris would test the heart of the dead to the feather of truth • People lived according to the Book of the Dead • Mummification • Preservation of the dead • Done so the soul would have a body in the afterlife

12. Evidence of the Tomb of Tutankhamen • Most pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings • Treasures were stripped from tombs over the centuries • Except for Tutankhamen’s tomb • Son-in-law of Akhenton • Tomb filled with vast treasures • Not found till 1922

13. Egyptian Society • Life of the Farmer • Most were slaves • Work soil, repairing dikes and building lavish buildings for the pharaohs • Social Change • New Kingdom trade brought more riches to merchants and artisans • The merchant class grew slightly stronger

14. Egyptian Society (Con’t) • Women • Enjoyed generally greater independence than other civilizations • Women could: • Inherit land • Enter business deals • Obtain divorces, etc. • Jobs were still separated by Genders

15. Egyptian Learning • Scribes kept recordings for high classes • Written records • Hieroglyphics • Pictures writing • Eventually involved ideograms • Pictures symbolizes action for ideas • Eventually developed demotic • Simpler form of writing • Wrote on papyrus • Paper not created in Africa yet

16. Egyptian Learning (Con’t) • Rosetta Stone • Eventually hieroglyphic meanings were forgotten • A flat black stone with the same message written in three different languages • Hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Greek • Used to learn hieroglyphic language

17. Egyptian Learning (Con’t) • Advances in Medicine and Science • Contained vast knowledge in medicine, astronomy, and mathematics • Medicine • Human body knowledge from mummification • Astronomers • Map the planets and developed a form of 12 month calendar • Mathematics • Used in engineering for building projects- Geometry

18. Arts and Literature • Paintings and Sculptures • Very little artistic change in 1,000 years • Statues were stiff-standard forms • Sphinx • Pharaoh displayed as a fierce lion • Later influenced the Romans • Literature • Hymns, poems and prayers to the Gods

19. Looking Ahead • After Egyptian Empire fell, the area remained as an economic and cultural center

20. Section 3 • City States of Ancient Sumer

21. Geography of the Fertile Crescent • Lies between the Tigris and Euphrates River • Also known as Mesopotamia • Floods and Irrigation • Floods were very violent • Many dikes and irrigation ditches were used to control the rivers • The Epic of Gilgamesh • The First Cities • Sumerians were the first to build • Built Ur and Erech • Mesopotamia was a very trade oriented region

22. Sumerian Civilization • Government and Society • The ruler was in charge of city maintenance • Also often seen as servant of Gods • Had social hierarchies • System of ranks • Women had selective rights • Sumerian Religion • Polytheistic • Gods in control of all aspects of Life • Peoples highest duty to keep God’s happy • Built Ziggurats • Stepped pyramid temples • Offered sacrifices to please God’s

23. Advances in Learning • Developed Cuneiform • Possible earliest form of writing • Developed basic algebra and geometry • Based number system on 6

24. Looking Ahead • As a trading center, conquered by many other city-states • Passed on their own culture each time a new city-state conquered Mesopotamia

25. Section 4 • Invaders, Traders and Empire Builders

26. Ruling a Large Empire • Invasion and Conquest very common • The First Empire Builder (2300 B.C.) • Sargon, leader of Akkad, invaded Sumer • Ruled till his death • Hammurabi the Law Giver • King of Babylon, which united Mesopotamia • Also codified, or wrote down, all the laws which became known as the Code of Hammurabi

27. Ruling a Large Empire (Con’t) • Crime and Punishment • Codified Criminal law • Offenses against another person • Also specified punishments • “an eye for an eye” • Codified Civil Law • Laws over private rights and matters • Contracts, taxes, marriage, etc.

28. Warfare and Spread of Ideas • Secrets of Ironworking • Hittites learned to extract iron from ore • Ore plentiful and iron stronger than bronze or copper • Assyrian Warriors • Lived on Upper Tigris • Possessed knowledge of Iron • Considered fierce warriors • Took over Mesopotamia • Built Nineveh • Possibly built the biggest city of that time • Built First library

29. Warfare and Spread of Ideas (Con’t) • Babylon Revived (612 B.C.) • Nebuchadnezzar defeated Assyrians and expanded Babylon Empire • Expanded knowledge of stars • Built famous Hanging Gardens

30. Persian Empire (539 B.C.) • Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylonians • Persians practiced tolerance, or acceptance of conquered cultures • Uniting Many Peoples (522-486 B.C.) • United Persia under Darius • Set up provinces, with a governor called satrap • Set up a code of laws • Repaired or built hundreds of miles of roads

31. Persian Empire (539 B.C.) (Con’t) • Economic Life • Set up common weights and measures • Used coins • Many still used barter system however • Trading goods for another • Coins did begin a form of money economy in Mesopotamia • New Religion • Zoroaster stressed monotheism • Belief in one God • Also stressed the idea of evil vs. Good, and idea of Heaven, hell and final judgment

32. Phoenician Sea Traders • Gained fame as sailors and traders • Manufacturing and trade • Created glass from coastal sand • Developed words Bible and bibliography from the city of Byblos • Setup colonies • Territory controlled from afar

33. Phoenician Sea Traders (Con’t) • Alphabet • Developed a system of 22 symbols for consonant sounds • Later Greeks adapted the system and added symbols for vowels • Thus 26 letters in our alphabet

34. Section 5 • The Roots of Judaism

35. Early History of the Israelites • Also known as Hebrews • Believed a Single God took a hand in their lives and wrote the Torah • First five books of today’s bible • A Nomadic People • Father of the Hebrews is Abraham • Eventually went to Canaan • Genesis tells of famine, which forced many Israelites to migrate to Egypt • Joseph and his brothers • Later Moses led them out of Egypt (Passover)

36. The Kingdom of Israel (1000 B.C.) • David unites Israel into one nation • Son Solomon expands Israel’s influence and power • Also built the Temple of God • Division and Conquest • After Solomon’s death, Israel North and Judah to the South • Both parts fall to conquerors • Judah taken by Babylonians • Many psalms written during the Babylonian Captivity • Hebrews began being called Jews • Under Cyrus of Persia, Hebrews were released to Canaan • Book of Nehemiah

37. A Covenant With God • One true God • Israelites were monotheistic • Belief in one God • Believed in an Omnipresent and Omnipotent • The Chosen People • Abraham believed he had a covenant with God • Binding Agreement • Gen. 12:2-3 • Moses renewed this covenant after the Exodus

38. Teachings on Law and Morality • Torah spells out the laws for Israel • Patriarchal Society • Men held greater legal and moral authority • The Ten Commandments • Included keeping Sabbath as a holy day of rest • An Ethical World View • Prophets were the guiding pulse for Hebrews • Such as Isaiah and Jeremiah • Believed in strong ethics • Rulers were humans bound to God’s law as well