Similarities Captain Obvious! They were all located along or near rivers providing them with fertile soil for farming The rivers flooded annually.

Similarities

• Captain Obvious! They were all located along or near rivers providing them with fertile soil for farming

• The rivers flooded annually (although not all were regular seasonal floods like Egypt) allowing for more land to be fertile

• To deal with flooding or heavy rains (Monsoons in India) each civilization developed irrigation to capitalize on the water sources allowing for more farming to occur

• Each developed a complex government system that revolved around Dynasties ruling for generations-started at first to manage food supply and irrigation systems

• Each Civilization:– was Polytheistic

– saw the emergence or creation of social classes or a caste system

– Adapted to their surrounding environment in order to thrive and improved upon every aspect of life to make things better for themselves

– Experienced conflict, internally or externally, over competition for land, resources, power, etc.

– Saw the development of empires where many city states/civilizations were brought under one ruler or group of rulers

– Eventually collapsed, faded away, or were conquered

• Each Civilization:– had a system of writing/record keeping– Built large structures to appease their gods or

show of their wealth/power– Was advanced in some form of another, be it

technology, government, cities, religion, economy, etc.

– Contributed to future civilizations through their inventions and ideas

Empires• Bring several people/states together under 1 ruler to spread their

influence

• Responsible for expanding trade, increasing wealth, and increasing conflict

• Could promote Cultural Diffusion or bring about destruction of other cultures to impose their culture

• Early Empires stretched from Africa to the Mediterranean to Asia

• Usually built grand structures to show off wealth and power

• Rise to power based on Conquest and fall from power due to hardships of governing such a large territory (inside or outside competition for power or poor economy)

• Usually marked by some form of accomplishment, in government, economics, warfare, sciences, social life, etc

China

Early River Valley Civilizationsto

Early Empires

Mesopotamia

Egypt

Indus Valley

China

Mesopotamia• Also called the Fertile Crescent• Located between the Tigris and Euphrates River

(Present Day Iraq)• Yearly floods were unpredictable but also

provided source of fertileness for good farming• Developed City States or Independent cities

within a large area ruled independently• Developed irrigation, built city walls, and

developed trade among city states

• Developed Arithmetic, geometry, and a number system based on 60 units-like our 60 seconds (parts) makes a minute

• Developed ramps and pyramids called Ziggurats

• Developed a system of writing called Cuneiform, often considered the first writing

• First governments were run by religious leaders (Theocracy) but in times of war they gave power to military leaders. In time military leaders took over and passed down their rule within their family (Dynasty)

• Instituted a form of taxes through crops• Several cultures would rule Mesopotamia

including the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Hittites. Each would expand the empire and contribute

• Babylonians built the Hanging Gardens (run by slaves) and Hammurabi is famous for posting the first set of written laws for all to see and know

Assyria• Well organized government with a military

machine• Initially developed military to protect from

invasions (flat land) but turned aggressive to seek expansion and resources

• Brought death and destruction to those they conquered

• Iron Weapons-Leather/Metal Armor-Swords/Spears

• Pontoon boats/bridges-ladders-tunnels-battering rams-employed military strategy

• Trained soldiers

Assyria• Once conquered set up provinces with appointed

kings to act as governors for Assyrian Ruler

• Became a model for administration with a central authority at capital and local officials at other towns to lead and report back to Central Government

• Not a model of how to rule, cruel and harsh-created enemies, some of whom would eventually overthrow them (Menes/Chaldeans)

Assyria• While a destroyer of culture they did collect prizes

and actually created a library that had 20,000 clay tablets from various peoples they conquered. This provides us with much of our knowledge about early history

• Use of sculptures and sculpted art to display military conquests and big hunts

• Chaldeans would defeat Assyria but most of Library was saved

• Chaldeans invented Astronomy and Astrology

Persia• Governed with tolerance and wisdom

• Practiced cultural diffusion

• Started in modern day Iran

• Location gave it access to many trade items

• Persia would fight to conquer an area if necessary but once it did ruled with an open mind

Persia• King Cyrus began conquering-Military

Genius-hardly lost

• Would not let soldiers loot, burn, or rape upon conquest

• Allowed citizens to honor local customs and religions, he even prayed in their temples

• Allowed Jews to return home and rebuild

Persia• Cyrus established local self governments

called provinces run by people he conquered

• Darius expanded the empire to stretch 2,500 miles but never conquered Greece

Persia• Darius created 20 Provinces run by local

leaders who practiced their own culture• Darius did leave behind a Satrap or

Governor, a tax collector, and a military leader to ensure power

• Darius was an absolute ruler and if provinces got out of line he would punish

• Installed the use of local coins across empire that had a standard or common value so they could be used anywhere in empire-this bolstered trade

• Also built a Royal Road to move goods and army more easily and communicate quicker-1,677 miles

Persia’s Decline• Persia will go down to Macedonia during

King Phillip's reign and later Alexander the Great– Macedonia will stretch from NW India to Egypt

and Greece

• While harsh at times Alex responsible for spreading and mixing cultures of conquered people

• Upon his death the empire split into 3 kingdoms ruled by his generals who competed for power

Egypt

• Located in the Nile Valley of Northeast Africa and relied on the Nile River for life

• Nile flows North and would flood regularly on schedule

• Surrounded by deserts so exposed to little warfare from outside but also little trade from outside

• Boat travel was possible but only between cataracts or areas of elevation change/rapids

• Divided into Upper and Lower Egypt by Cataract

• Two Egypts were united either by Scorpion King or Narmer

• Run by Pharaohs or god kings (Theocracy)• Built Pyramids for rulers and believed in afterlife. • Used a form of writing called Hieroglyphics and

wrote on papyrus, the first form of paper• Developed a calendar of 12 months with 30 days

per month and an extra 5 days for holiday and feasts

• Developed taxes, geometry, math, medicine, and used scribes

• 3 periods of dominance by ruling Pharaohs (who passed down their rule)– Old Kingdom-Middle Kingdom-New Kingdom

• Each time a kingdom declined due to in fighting or outside invasion but between individual city states ruled themselves

• During Middle Kingdom trade was increased by building of canals. Dikes or dams controlled the river better, irrigation developed, they even drained swampland to create farmland

Egypt• Egypt formed commercial, cultural, and

political connections with Kingdom of Nubia to the south

• After Hyksos, Pharaohs had knowledge of new weapons (bronze) and new techniques (chariot) and were able to conquer their neighbors in the period known as the New Kingdom

• Military now used divisions: archers, chariots, and infantry

• Pharaohs/Kings used priests and governors to help rule

Egypt

• Begins to expand in all directions, even into Mesopotamia where it encounters the Hittite Empire who had expanded from Asia, neither side can best the other

• Continued to build tombs, palaces, statues and statues to honor leaders and gods (Valley of Kings)– (See Next Slide for Pictures)

Egypt's Decline• Attacked/Invaded by Sea Peoples

(Phoenicians and others) and from Libyans whom they had controlled previously

• Split into several kingdoms again but all adopted Egyptian Culture

• Assyrians would take over Egypt but the Kingdom of Kush in Nubia was able to migrate south and avoid Assyrian control

• Kush would set up a kingdom on the coast and not only save Egyptian Culture but also establish a strong trade network

Egypt’s Decline• Kush’s rule became known as the

Golden Age of Meroe-based on iron ore deposits they used for iron weapons/tools, also had more rainfall and grew more food

• Traveled by sea and land and goods were traded globally, also brought in goods from afar (India, China, Africa) and luxury goods began to be in demand

• Kush eventually conquered by Aksum, an East African Empire (More on them Semester 2)

Indus Valley• Located in Northern part of Indian subcontinent

relying on Ganges and Indus rivers• Seasonal monsoons would create unpredictable

flooding in summer which could create fertile soil but also destroy crops but if they floods didn’t come severe drought could destroy crops

• Not as much is known about these people b/c no one has been able to translate their language

• From cities like Mohenjo-Daro and Harrapa we know they were advanced – Cities were built on grids, even elevated to protect

from flooding, and they had plumbing

• Isolated by major mountains like Himalaya and Kush ranges-cut off from trade and invasion

• Appeared to have limited contact due to lack of weapon artifacts

• Evidence of social classes• Evidence of Theocracy and spirituality with belief

in animals and gods– Linked to early Hinduism

• Mysterious end or disappearance but accepted theory is major earthquake destroyed civilization altering environment enough to cause its collapse

India• Mauryan Empire started by Chandragupta

Maurya-a military leader who seized power• Withstood attack by Macedonian generals• Maintained a huge army and relied upon

taxes to pay for it, sometimes people had to give up ½ their yearly crops to gov.

• Relied on advisors from priestly caste• Created 4 provinces run by royal princes

– Each province split into districts run by local officials who taxed and enforced laws

India under Asoka• After several weaker rules Asoka takes

over and continues warlike ways• Later discovers Buddhism and changes to

peaceful ways• Inscribes his new edicts or laws/policies on

pillars and erects these throughout empire– Focus is on religious toleration and fairness

• Asoka built roads and wells along roads to ease the traveling of his people

• After his death turmoil ensured

India under Gupta• Chandra Gupta restores order and

establishes the Gupta Empire• Returns to warlike ways but also uses

marriage to expand empire• Focus on the family

– Northern India Patriarchal– Southern India Matriarchal

• Like other empires at its height flourished in trade, military, arts, thinkers, and sciences

• Benefited from trade along Silk Road• Eventually faded into small kingdoms and

overrun by outsiders

Indian Astronomers theorize the earth is roundMathematicians calculate value of PiDetermine length of solar year

India

China

• Located between/around the Yellow and Yangtze rivers

• Unpredictable flooding could be disastrous but again provided fertile soil

• Isolated by deserts and mountains but still prone to invasions, this forced them to create b/c there was no outside trade

• Ruled by families or Dynasties according to Mandate of Heaven-approval of gods– Dynastic Cycle-when Dynasties lost favor of gods

their replacement or overthrow was just

• 1st Dynasty was Xia introduced irrigation, math, and engineering

• 2nd Dynasty was Shang-provided first written records– Nobles lived inside city walls with peasants

living outside– Believed in a supreme god (Shang Di) and

lesser gods– Believed in Family with respect of elders

central to respecting all authority– In death spirits could influence family

members

• Developed character writing that was not dependent on language-one could read Chinese but not speak it– This helped to unify the area b/c all peoples could

read the same language– It was so hard to learn only nobles kids were taught

• 3rd Dynasty Zhou– Developed feudalism, roads, canals, cast iron, and

coined money

• After Zhou dynasties collapsed and China was in a period of “warring state” where much of culture and belief system were lost, especially family values

China• After Zhou Empire collapsed the chaos

caused by the Warring States Period led to the development of 3 main ethical systems aimed at restoring order

• Confucius-Harmony-Filial Piety-5 basic relationships– Focus on the family-honoring parents while

alive and in after life– Established Bureaucracy-a trained/educated

civil service or gov.– Established a system of right and wrong

adopted by governments to establish order

China• Daoism-created by Laozi

– Only natural order is important-relationships between all living things

– Dao is universal force-means “the way” and guides all things

– Only humans fail to follow Dao-must work to be disciplined

– Led to scientific pursuits in alchemy, astronomy, and medicine

Legalists• A highly efficient and powerful gov. is key

to social order• Punishments are useful to maintain order

as are rewards for following duty• Thinkers and their ideas should be

controlled by the gov.• Encouraged book burning of opposing

ideas or criticisms• Ruler governs and people obey

I Ching and Yin & Yang• Others grew tired of debates between big 3

and turned to other philosophies for answers about life

• I Ching was a book of oracles comprised of good advice and common sense

• Yin & Yang represent natural rhythms of life: Yin=cold, dark, mysterious while Yang=warm, bright, hard, clear– Balancing helps you live life and understand

where you fit into the world

Qin Dynasty• Qin Dynasty used Legalism to subdue warring

states and unify China• Qin ruler adopted name “Shi Huagndi” or “First

Emperor”– Defeated inside resistance and outside invaders-

doubling size of China– Ruled harshly– Brought all nobles to live at capital under his watchful

eye-seized their land– Divided empire into 36 districts run by officials of his

choosing– Murdered Confucian scholars, burned books about

thinking and poetry-kept practical books about farming and medicine

– Establish Autocracy-a government with unlimited power and uses it in an arbitrary manner

China• Built a highway network of more than 4,000

miles• Established common standards for writing,

law, money & weights/measures– Even cart axles so they all fit in ruts of roads

• Forced poor people to work on Great Wall earlier built by Zhou– Work or die

• Peasants eventually rebelled and overthrew Qin Dynasty

• Han Dynasty would take over

China under Han Dynasty• Based on a strong central

government• Benefited from Silk Road• Lasted for 400 years• Would collapse once due to

economic, political, and social instability but restore itself; only to collapse again for same reasons

• Established hundreds of local provinces or commanderies who reported to emperor

Han Dynasty• Moved away from Legalism• Lowered taxes but added mandatory

1 month of labor or military service• Known for palace politics-family

executions and assassinations to gain power and control of empire

• Expanded the empire-used archers on horseback

• Used a feudalistic approach to govern empire

Han Dynasty• Adopted Confucianism• Created a bureaucracy and many civil service

jobs that required an exam• Rulers also handed out gov. jobs as rewards• Education increased as did social order due to

confucionist values• Technology increased-paper was invented

(A.D. 105)– 2 blade plow, collared harness for horses,

wheel barrow, iron tools, water mills• Gov. expanded commerce and manufacturing

and competed with private owners– Mining, minting, brewing

Han• Population increased so agriculture was

deemed the most important job and an honorable one above commerce

• Practiced assimilation-as they expanded made conquered peoples part of Chinese culture– Sent Chinese farmers to live in new

communities, often intermarried– Set up schools and made local scholars part of

gov.

• Chinese history begins to be recorded under Hans

• Life for women got a little better• Eventually got too big and weak and split

into 3 kingdoms