Chapter 2 Notes First Civilizations Africa and Asia

Chapter 2 Notes First Civilizations: Africa and Asia

Section 1 Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile

Geography of the Nile Yearly Floods (Video) – Silt – – Dikes, reservoirs, irrigation ditches Uniting the Land – Upper Egypt – south; stretched from first cataract of the Nile to within 100 miles of the Mediterranean Sea cataract – Lower Egypt – north; covered the delta region where the Nile empties into the Med. Sea delta – 3100 B. C. – Menes, king of Upper Egypt, united the two regions; used Nile as transportation and trade route; world’s first unified state

Old Kingdom (2700 B. C. -2200 B. C. ) Dynasty Strong Government (Video) – Pharaohs – claimed divine support for their rule; citizens believed they were god; had absolute power – Vizier – in charge of tax collection, farming, irrigation systems; think Joseph in the Bible The Pyramids – Used as tombs for pharaohs and other important people – Suggest strength of Egypt; much planning and organization Collapse – Power struggles, crop failures, cost of pyramids

Middle Kingdom (2050 -1800 B. C. ) Struggles – – – Corruption and rebellions were common Nile did not rise as it regularly did 1700 B. C. – Hyksos civ. occupied delta region; had horse drawn chariots; adopted Egyptian customs. (cultural diffusion) Advances – – – Created new stretches of arable land with new drainage system Occupied part of Nubia (gold) Expanded trade into Middle East and Crete (island in Med. Sea)

New Kingdom (1550 -1100 B. C. ) - age of conquest; reached Euphrates river (present day Iraq) and parts of Africa Powerful Rulers – Hatshepsut – (1503 -1482 B. C. ) woman; encouraged trade with E Med. lands and along Red Sea coast of Africa – Ramses II – (1290 -1224 B. C. ) most powerful pharaoh of New Kingdom; pushed empire north to Syria; fought for years with Hittites and signed peace treaty; first such document known to survive history Decline – Power slowly declined; Assyrians and Persians invaded and conquered Egypt; wanted to use fertile Nile Valley

Section 2 Egyptian Civilization

Egyptian Religion Chief gods and goddesses – Osiris and Isis Osiris – god of the dead; god of the Nile Isis – appealed to women; thought to have taught women to rind corn, spin flax, weave cloth – Amon-Re – chief god; only pharaoh could conduct certain ceremonies Religious rebel – Akhenaton – young pharaoh tried to change chief god to Aton, a minor god whose symbol was the sun’s disk; wasn’t well received.

Belief in Afterlife (Video) Fateful Test – Book of the Dead – contained spells, charms, formulas for the dead to use in the afterlife; visited Osiris Mummification – Evidence of the Tomb of Tutankhamen (“King Tut”) – Immense treasures; remained untouched for 3000 years; chariots, weapons, furniture, jewelry, toys, games, and food

Egyptian Society - Top to bottom: pharaohs and royal family, high priests and priestesses (served gods), nobles (fought wars), tiny class of merchants, scribes, and artisans, peasants, and then slaves Life as a Farmer – Most Egyptians were peasant farmers or slaves; spent days working soil or repairing dikes. – In off-season, men labored building temples, pyramids, palaces; women raised kids, collect water, and prepare food. Social Change – Trade offered new opportunities to growing merchant class; more demand for artisan products like jewelry, furniture, and fabrics Women – Enjoyed higher status; could inherit property, enter business, buy and sell goods, go to court, divorce – Excluded from becoming scribes or government jobs

Egyptian Learning Written Records – Scribes played central role in society; kept record of ceremonies, taxes, and gifts; also knew of mathematics, medicine, and engineering – Hieroglyphics – carved into stone; endured for thousands of years – – – Ideograms – Demotic Papyrus

Egyptian Learning Rosetta Stone – Flat, black stone discovered by Jean Champollion; carved message in three forms of script (hieroglyphics, demotic, Greek) – Helped decipher hieroglyphics; breakthrough for scholars Advances in Medicine and Science – Mummification, surgical operations, constellations, movement of planets, accurate calendar, geometry (pyramids)

Arts and Literature Paintings and Sculpture – Everyday scenes of trade, farming, family life, religious ceremonies – Stiff standard poses (heads and limbs in profile, shoulders facing front); human figures with animal heads; pharaohs larger than others – Pyramids, Great Sphinx, temples Egyptian Literature – Hymns, prayers, proverbs, love poems Instruction of Ptah-hotep The Tale of Sinuhe

Section 3 City-States of Ancient Sumer

Geography of Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia – “land between two rivers” (Tigris and Euphrates) – Rich, fertile soil, wheat fields – Floods and irrigation; depended on river control for survival and protection – Dikes and ditches 3200 B. C. – first Sumerian cities; Ur and Erech – Few natural resources; used clay and mud to build – Trade brought wealth; first wheeled vehicles

Sumerian Civilization Government and Society – Turned to courageous and resourceful war leaders - maintain city walls and irrigation systems - led armies into war and enforced laws - employed scribes to keep taxes and records - chief servant of the gods – Social hierarchy – 1) ruling family, leading officials, high priests 2) lesser priests and scribes, merchants, artisans 3) peasants 4) slaves – Women - changed over time: mother-goddess replaced by dominant male war gods - well to do women could trade, own property, supervise palace, or even rule in king’s absence

Sumerian Civ. Continued Sumerian Religion – Polytheistic; gods control every aspect of life and nature – Ziggurat – – Believed in afterlife; heaven and hell; more pessimistic view; hell is a grim place Advances in Learning – 3200 B. C. – earliest known form of writing pic on pg. 37 cuneiform– Math; number system based on six (60 min, 360 degree circle) – Accurate numbers

Section 4 Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders

Ruling a Large Empire The First Empire Builder – 2300 B. C. : Sargon – ruler of Akkad, conquered Sumerian city-states – Built first known empire in history Hammurabi the Lawgiver – king of Babylon (1790 B. C. ) – Code of Hammurabi – legal principals his government would follow; first important attempt by a ruler to codify all of the laws to govern a state. 1) “cause justice to prevail in the land/ to destroy the wicked and the evil/ that the strong may not oppress the weak” 2) Criminal law – robbery, assault, murder; “eye for an eye” 3) Civil law – private rights, business contracts, taxes, marriage, divorce; protected the powerless (slaves, women) – United empire; improved irrigation, well-trained army, repaired temples, religious unity (Marduk, chief god)

Warfare and the Spread of Ideas (Cultural Diffusion) Secret of Ironworking – 1400 B. C. – Hittites were less advanced but had stronger weapons and tools – Spread across Asia, Africa, and Europe (IRON AGE) Assyrian Warriors – 1100 B. C. – Reputation for being among the most feared warriors; forged iron weapons – Well-ordered society: first to develop laws regulating life in the royal household, founded one of first libraries

Warfare and the Spread of Ideas (Cultural Diffusion) Babylon Revived – 612 B. C. – Nebuchadnezzar – revived Babylonian empire; stretched from Persian Gulf to Med. Sea – Rebuilt canals, temples, palaces, walls, Hanging Gardens (Ancient Wonder of World)

Persian Empire – 539 B. C. Cyrus the Great – controlled Asia Minor to India – Tolerance - Uniting many peoples – – – Darius – 522 – 486 B. C. ; skilled organizer of government Divided empire into provinces Satrap – story of Daniel in the Bible – Adapted laws from conquered lands to develop own code of laws, built roads to unify empire, established coin system. New Religion – Zoroaster – 600 B. C. ; rejected old gods - Ahura mazda – single wise god; ruled world - Ahriman - arch enemy; prince of lies and evil - Zend-Avesta - sacred book

Phoenician Sea Traders -famous sailors and traders along Med. Sea Manufacturing and Trade – – – Farming, glass, purple dye (Tyrian purple) Words Bible and bibliography Est. colonies in N Africa, Sicily, and Spain; traveled to England Alphabet – Were called “carriers of civilization”

Section 5 The Roots of Judaism

Early History of the Israelites Nomadic People (2000 B. C. ) – Abraham – considered founder of Israelite nation 1) sheep and goat herders 2) moved from Sumer to Canaan, then to Egypt Kingdom of Israel (1000 B. C. ) – David – very strong and popular king; united Israelite tribes into a single nation – Solomon – David’s son; very wealthy, very wise, tried to expand by negotiation

Early History of the Israelites Cont. Division and Conquest – High Taxes – Labor Revolts – Kingdom split into Israel (north) and Judah (south) 1) could not defend against invaders 2) conquered by Assyrians and Babylonians 3) Nebuchadnezzar exiled all Israelites into Babylon; became known as Jews 4) Persian king, Cyrus, conquered Babylon and freed Jews; tolerance

A Covenant with God One True God – Monotheistic – – Believed in an all-knowing, all-powerful God The Chosen People – Covenant – read excerpt on pg. 46 – “promised land” (Canaan); God’s “chosen people”

Teachings on Law and Morality Torah – Laws – cleanliness and food preparation; criminal laws – Patriarchal – – Women – few legal rights Ten Commandments – Set of laws dealing with religious duties to God and rules for conduct 1) Sabbath – 2) “Honor thy father and mother” “You shall not murder” “You shall not steal”

Teachings on Law and Morality An Ethical Worldview – Prophets – – Ethics – – Jews saw their leaders as fully human and bound to obey God – Diaspora – – Kept own traditions wherever they settled throughout the world; influenced Christianity and Islam