UCSP

• Civilization


  Any complex society characterized by urban development, social stratification imposed by a cultural elite, symbolic systems of communication for example, writing systems and a perceived separation from and domination over the natural environment
• Writing appeared in Mesopotamia


  Over 5,000 years ago
• Prehistory


  The period before the invention of writing
• History


  The period after the invention of writing
• Uses of writing in early civilizations

  Storing information about taxes, trade and population
• Cuneiform


  The first writing system in Mesopotamia
• First civilizations


  • Nile - Ancient Egypt
  • Tigris, Euphrates - Ancient Mesopotamia and Babylonia
  • Indus, Ganges - Harappan and Vedic Civilizations
  • Yellow River - Shang
• Four Early River Valley Civilizations

  • Mesopotamian Civilization- Tigris and Euphrates River
  • Egyptian Civilization- Nile River
  • Indian Civilization- Indus River
  • Ancient China- Huang He (Yellow) River
• Mesopotamia


  Land between rivers
• Mesopotamia was a very dry area, but irrigation canals allowed agriculture to develop
• City-States in Mesopotamia


  • Each city had its own government, ruler, warriors, its own patron god, and functioned like an independent country
• Mesopotamian Cities


  • Ur
  • Uruk
  • Babylon
  • Akkad
  • Nimrud
  • Nineveh
  • Ashur
• Ziggurat


  A massive, tiered, pyramid structure at the center of each Mesopotamian city
• Polytheism


  The worship of or belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals
• Mesopotamian Social Classes


  • Priest and Aristocracy (Kings)
  • Civil Servants: Scribes
  • Ordinary Workers: Craftsmen, Merchants, and Peasants
  • Slaves: Were not free citizens
• Dynasty


  A series of rulers descending from a single-family line
• Akkadian Empire


  The first ancient empire of Mesopotamia, centered in the city of Akkad and its surrounding region, also called Akkad in ancient Mesopotamia in the Bible. The empire united Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one rule.
• Babylonian Empire


  The most powerful state in the ancient world after the fall of the Assyrian empire (612 BCE). Its capital Babylon was beautifully adorned by king Nebuchadnezzar, who erected several famous buildings.
• Hammurabi


  The sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty, reigning from 1792 BC to 1750 BC
• Code of Hammurabi


  A well-preserved Babylonian code of law of ancient Mesopotamia, dated back to about 1754 BCE. It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world.
• The Famous Code Law "An eye for an eye, A tooth for a tooth."
• Egyptian Civilization


  A civilization of ancient North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in the place that is now the country Egypt. It is one of the most important in. It emerged more than 5000 years ago, along Nile River in the North - East of Africa.
• Ancient Egyptian Cities


  • Heliopolis
  • Memphis
  • Abydos
  • Thebes
  • Nekhen
• Pharaoh


  The common title of the monarchs of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty(c. 3150 BCE) until the annexation of Egypt by the Roman Empire in 30 BCE
• Maat


  The ancient Egyptian concepts of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality, and justice
• Mummification


  A method of artificial preservation, called mummification was developed by the ancient Egyptians
• Afterlife


  The belief in an existence after death
• Democratization


  The transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction
• Democracy


  In modern usage, has three senses—all for a system of government where the citizens exercise power by voting
• Authoritarianism


  A form of government characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms
• Draco


  The first recorded legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece. He replaced the prevailing system of oral law and blood feud by a written code to be enforced only by a court of law.
• Solon


  An Athenian statesman, lawmaker and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in archaic Athens.
• Modern Middle Eastern Countries

  • Iraq
  • Syria
  • Kuwait
• Economic Activities in Early Civilizations

  • Agriculture – steady supply of water
  • Fishing
  • Livestock
• Mesopotamian Cities


  • Ur
  • Uruk
  • Babylon
  • Akkad
  • Nimrud
  • Ashur
  • Nineveh
• Empires that arose after the Akkadian Empire

  • Assyrian empire
  • Babylonian empire
• Mammoth temples served as ritual locations to commune with the gods
• Mesopotamians developed an advanced mathematics system with a base 60 system - 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 360 degrees in a circle
• Mesopotamians divided the earth year into 12 periods
• Cyrus the Great


  Conquered Babylon