Geography and Religion

Egyptians wrote about their reliance on the Nile River (4000 miles), praising it as the “creator of
all good” in its ability to bring them food and other riches.
The split of the Nile creates a triangular territory called a delta, creating Lower Egypt ( land
upstream ) and Upper Egypt ( south ).
- The yearly floods left a deposit of mud that created an area of rich soil. Farmers took
advantage of this and the surplus of food made Egypt prosperous. It provided a fast way to
travel, and protection from invasions.
The river provided them with a sense of security and changelessness. Religion also did this,
even if they didn't have a word for it. They were polytheistic or believing in multiple gods.

Egyptian Kingdoms
- Old Kingdom
- Middle Kingdom
- New Kingdom

The Old Kingdom ( 2700-2200 B.C ) Dynasty - a family of rulers whose right to rule is passed
within the family.

Pharaoh - the most common of the various titles for ancient Egyptian monarchs; the term
originally meant “great house” or “palace”. Had complete, unlimited power to rule their people.

Bureaucracy - an administrative organization that relies on nonelective officials and regular

procedures.

Egypt was divided into 42 provinces, which were run by governors appointed by the pharaoh.

Mummification - process of slowly drying a dead body to prevent it from rotting. It's used to
preserve the physical body after death.

1. First removed the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines and placed them in four special
jars that were put in the tomb with the mummy.
2. Then they covered the body with salt to absorb the body's water.
3. Later they filled the body with spices and wrapped it with layers of linen soaked in resin.
4. After 70 days, a lifelike mask was placed over the head and shoulders and then sealed
in a case and placed in its tomb.

The Great Pyramid of King Khufu covers 13 acres, measures 756 feet at each side of its base
and stands 481 feet. Guarding it was a huge figure known as the Great Sphinx, and had the
body of a lion and head of a human.

The Middle Kingdom ( Lasted from 2055-1650 B.C )

Portrayed as a golden age of stability. Conquered Nubia and sent traders to Kush, Syria,
Mesopotamia, and Crete. Had great power and the pharaoh had a shepherd-like position.

Life in Ancient Egypt

Social classes included the pharaoh, nobles and priests at the top, middle class included
merchants, artisans, scribes and tax collections, and peasants made up the lower classes. They
paid taxes in the form of crops and were forced to provide military service and labor for building
projects. Parents arranged marriages with the purpose of producing children.

Egyptian Accomplishments
Hieroglyphics - “priest-carvings” or “sacred writings”; a complex system of writing that used
both pictures and more abstract forms;used by the ancient Egyptians and Mayans.
Hieratic Script - simplified version of hieroglyphics used in ancient Egypt for business
transactions, record keeping, and the general needs of daily life.

Lesson 2
The Role of Nomadic Peoples
Pastoral nomads on occasion overran settled communities and then created empires. Pastoral
nomads domesticated animals for food and clothing. They followed regular routes to feed their
animals.
Nomads often passed on new technology, such as the use of bronze and iron.

Indo-Europeans
Were one of the most significant nomadic peoples.
Included Greek, Latin, Persian, Sanskrit, and the Germanic languages.
Based somewhere in the steppe region north of the Black Sea or in Southwest Asia.
Around 2000 B.C., they began to move into Europe, India, and Western Asia.
One group moved to Asia Minor and Anatolia around 1750 B.C., and with the native people
formed the Hittite kingdom that had its capital at Hattushash.

Hittites
Between 1600 B.C. and 1200 B.C., they created an empire in western Asia and threatened the
Egyptians.
They were the first Indo-Europeans to use iron.
Around 1200 B.C., “Sea Peoples”, destroyed the empire

Sea Peoples
Destroyed the Hittite Empire.

Phoenicians
Lived along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea on a narrow band of land 193 km long.
Trade had long been the basis of their prosperity.
Chief cities—Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon.
Produced purple dye, glass, and lumber, and they built ships and created a trade empire.
Spoke Semitic language.

The Israelites
Lived south of the Phoenicians and spoke Semitic language as well.
Were Jewish
Most of their history is written in the Hebrew Bible.
Wandered for years in the desert until they returned to Canaan.
Between 1200 B.C. and 1000 B.C. they organized in tribes and established Israel, and
Jerusalem was their capital.
Most recognized kings—King David and his youngest son, King Solomon.

Assyrians
In 722 or 721 B.C., they overran the Kingdom of Israel.

Chaldeans
Defeated Assyria, conquered the Kingdom of Judah, and completely destroyed Jerusalem in
586 B.C.

Persians
Allowed people of Judah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city and temple.
Conquered by Alexander the Great in the 300s B.C.

The Minoans
Flourished from 2700 B.C. to 1450 B.C.
Traded pottery and gold and silver jewelry.
Influenced Greeks.
Most famous palace is the palace Knossos.
Suffered a catastrophic collapse around 1450 B.C.

Mycenaeans
Historians believe that they destroyed the Minoan civilization.

Lesson 3
The Impact of Geography
Indian subcontinent is composed of mountain ranges, river valleys, a dry interior plateau, and
fertile coastal plains.
North—Himalaya
South—valley of the Ganges River
West—Indus River valley
Deccan Plateau—located south of the valleys of the Ganges and the Indus, and its interior is
relatively hilly and dry.
India’s eastern and western coasts are lush plains.
The primary feature of India's climate is the monsoon, a seasonal pattern in southern Asia.
Indus Valley Civilization (aka Harappan civilization)
Emerged between 3000 B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the valleys of the Indus River.
Extended from the Himalaya to the Arabian Sea.
Flourished in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro.
Harappa had 35,000 inhabitants; Mohenjo Daro had about 35,000 to 40,000.
Rulers based their power on a belief in divine assistance.
Economy based on farming.
Life centered on the family.
Suttee—was the most vivid symbol of men’s dominance and required a wife to throw herself on
her dead’s husband’s funeral pyre.

Lesson 4
The Shang Dynasty
Second dynasty after the Xia dynasty.
About 1750 B.C. to 1045. B.C.
Was mostly a farming society.
Ruled by an aristocracy.
Impressive cities.
Shang kings may have had five different capital cities before settling in Anyang.
Huge city walls, royal palaces, and large royal tombs.
King was important (were buried in royal tombs).
Royal family occupied the top of the Shang society; the aristocracy came next.
Majority of people were peasants who farmed the aristocracy’s land and also included small
numbers of merchants and artisans, as well as slaves.
Believed in supernatural forces that could help the rulers in worldly affairs.
Communicated with the gods through oracle bones.
Believed in life after death.
Mastered bronze casting.
Simple script developed during Shang times.

Zhou Dynasty
Longest lasting dynasty in China, ruled for almost 800 years (1045 B.C. to 256 B.C.).
Continued the political system of Shang and continued the Shang practice of dividing into
territories governed by officials.
Zhou King was in charge of defense and commanded armies.
King was the link between Heaven and Earth.
King was expected to do the Dao; if the king failed, he could be overthrown and replaced.
Collapsed approx after 800 years.
China's population rose as high as 50 million people during the late Zhou period.
Continued the pattern of land ownership that had existed under the Shang.

Lesson 5
Early Civilization in Mesoamerica
Detailed excavation revealed that the Maya once lived in this region.
Later excavations told of an older society, the Olmec.
Olmec
Called Olmec, because of the rubber trees that grew where they lived.
First known civilization in Mesoamerica.
Appeared around 1200 B.C.
Farmed along riverbanks.
Traded with other peoples of Mesoamerica for jade and obsidian to make their tools, jewelry,
and monuments.
Oldest city was San Lorenzo.
Olmec artisans carved a series of colossal stone heads.
Declined around 400 B.C.
Played a ceremonial game on a stone ball court.

Zapotec
Flourished around 500 B.C.
Monte Alban (its center) contained a number of temples and pyramids, just like the Olmec.
Elite class of nobles and priests ruled over a population mainly composed of farmers and
artisans.
Devised a written language that has not been deciphered.
Abandoned Monte Alban in the late eighth century A.D.

Teotihuacán
First major city of Mesoamerica was Teotihuacán (or Place of the Gods).
Was the capital of a kingdom that rose about 250 B.C. and collapsed around 800 A.D.
Most people in Teotihuacán were farmers.
Was also a busy center for trade
Artisans made tools, weapons, pottery, and jewelry and were famous for their obsidian tools.
Declined sometime during the eighth century.
Destroyed and abandoned around 800 A.D.

Early Civilization in South America

Inhabitants of the city of Caral, and later the people of the Chavin culture, lived there before the
Inca gained power in South America.
Complex societies first emerged in the coastal regions of modern-day Peru and Ecuador.

Caral
Oldest major city in the Americas.
Appeared around 2500 B.C.
Stone buildings were used for official business, as part of a sophisticated system of irrigation.
Grew squash, beans, and tomatoes.
Was abandoned between 2000 B.C. and 1500 B.C.

Chavin
Chavin people, around 900 B.C., built a temple with stones gathered from nearby hills.
Made objects of gold and silver.
Most impressive technological advancement was the building of a solar observatory made up of
thirteen stone towers on a hillside north of present-day Lima, Peru.
Signs of a simple writing system.
Declined around 200 B.C. for unknown reasons.