Early River Valley Civilizations ERV’s
description
Transcript of Early River Valley Civilizations ERV’s
Early River Valley
Civilizations
ERV’s
ERV--MesopotamiaMesopotamia is Greek for “between the rivers”
The two main rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates
Mesopotamia.co.uk
ERV--MesopotamiaPresent-day
Mesopotamia resides in the country of Iraq, which is in the Middle
East
ERV--MesopotamiaThis area is also know as the Fertile Crescent, why?
ERV--Mesopotamia
Nap.edu
ERV--MesopotamiaHistory
Sumerians formed city-states south of Mesopotamia around 3000 B.C.
Sumerians lose control by 2000 B.C. to the Akkadians.
The Akkadians, a Semitic people spoke Hebrew and Arabic.
The Akkadians migrated from the Arabian Peninsula.
ERV--MesopotamiaGovernmentPriest-King
Priests served as bureaucrats meaning they surveyed the land, assigned fieldsand distributed the crops. They also engaged in religious ceremonies.
The king lead the army, administered trade and judged disputes.
ERV--MesopotamiaLaw
Hammurabi’s Code—one of the first written laws. Hammurabi was around from 1792-1750 B.C.
ERV--MesopotamiaLaw
Lex Talionis Law of Exact Revenge
An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life.
ERV--MesopotamiaLaw Administration
The law exacts retribution, not humans.
The victim must bring the criminal to court. It was up to the victim or the victim’s family to enforce the sentence.
ERV--MesopotamiaSocial Structure
Kings/PriestsHighest and most powerful
ERV--MesopotamiaNobility
Wealthy, they held large tracts of land
ERV--MesopotamiaCommoners
Owned land but no representation
ERV--MesopotamiaCriminals/Debtors/Prisoners of War
Many of whom were enslaved were allowed to trade
ERV--MesopotamiaReligion
Polytheistic—belief in many gods
Anthropomorphic—resembled humans
ERV--MesopotamiaWriting
Used by bureaucrats to keep records
Writing known as Cuneiform (wedge-shaped characters)
They used a reed (stylus) to draw pictograms into a wet clay tablet.
ERV--Mesopotamia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wksHEDgBRnM
Huang He River Valley
Huang He River Geography
The Huang He (Yellow) River is located innorthern China. It is called the Yellow Riverconsidering it carries a rich yellow soilcalled loess.
Huang He River
Huang He River
China-tour.cn
Huang He River Geography
Northern China
--Semi-arid land
--Long winters
--Level plains in the Eastern half
huang He RiverOrigins
Lung Shan Yang Shao (Long Shan)
Black Pottery Painted Pottery (Red and Black)
They merged by 2000 BC to produce towns and the ShangDynasty started in 1600 BC.
HUANG HE RiverShang Dynasty
Sdmuseum.com
HUANG HE RiverShang Dynasty
HUANG HE RiverShang Dynasty
HUANG HE RiverShang Dynasty
HUANG HE RiverShang Dynasty
Artsmia.org
HUANG HE RIVERShang Dynasty
GovernmentThe Shang king descended from a god Shang Di.
Decision by Divination--flat shoulder bone of a cattle or the lower tortoise shell
--A question was written and either heated in a fire or with a hot piece of metal
--The shells or bones cracked and the answers were deciphered based on the length of the crack.
HUANG HE RIVERShang Dynasty
Social Structure
King
Nobles and aristocracy
Commoners and artisans
Slaves and war captivesThe Shang believed that slaves didn’t have souls or spirits
and could safely be killed.
HUANG HE RiverShang Dynasty
Religion
Ancestor worship has their origins with the Shang Dynasty
Living relatives were to intercede on behalf of the deceased.
HUANG HE RIVERShang Dynasty
Architecture
Cities were made of pounded earth walls with heavy gates.
The city of Zhengzhou the earth wall was 20 feet high and a mile square.
HUANG HE RIVER Shang Dynasty
Technology
Bronze--a mixture of copper, tin, lead and zinc
Calendars were used for agriculture
Astronomy—records of sunspots and eclipses
HUANG HE RIVERShang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty—Minneapolis Institute of Arts
http://www.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/dynasty-shang.cfm
HUANG HE RIVERShang Dynasty
Websitehttp://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/chinatimeline/dynasty3.swf