CHAPTER 1

THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS

SECTION 1: EARLY HUMANS

History begins when people first began to write 5,500 years ago

Artifacts and fossils give us clues Archeologists and anthropologists

study these clues Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) began 2.5

million years ago and lasted until 8000 BC

EXAMPLES OF CAVE PAINTINGS

HOW THEY LIVED

Early humans were hunters-gatherers Were nomads Had to adapt to environment (What

does that mean?) Last Ice Age began in 100,000 BC until

8,000 BC (How would the discover of fire have helped them during this time?)

LANGUAGE, ART, RELIGION, AND TOOLS Spoken language was developed Used art to express their thoughts and

feelings (look on pg 10!) Art may have had religious meaning Mostly used stone like flint and animal

bones to make tools like spears, axes, and fishhooks

NEOLITHIC TIMES (NEW STONE AGE)

Lasted from 8000 BC to 4000 BC Began to domesticate animals Farming revolution! (look at map on pg 13!) Villages were developed in Europe, India, Egypt,

China, Mexico, and the Middle East Two of the oldest communities are Jericho and Catal

Huyuk Began to practice specialization Advances in tool-making, farming, and steady

supplies of good contributed to population and cultural growth

SECTION 2: MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION Civilizations: complex societies that

have cities, organized governments, art, religion, class divisions, and a writing system

First ones arose in river valleys (Why do you think so?)

As cities grew, organization was needed

Mesopotamia, now southern Iraq, is the earliest known civilization

MESOPOTAMIA

Hot, dry climate with flooding rivers Irrigation came about here Sumer is a city-state in the southern part

of Mesopotamia Sumerians believed in many gods and

built ziggurats (pyramid-shaped towers) for worship

Priests, priestesses, and kings had the power

LIFE IN SUMER

Palaces and small mud-brick houses Farmers, artisans and traders 3 social classes: upper class-kings,

priests, government officials, middle class -artisans, merchants, and fishers, Lower class- slaves

Men and women had separate roles

A SKILLED PEOPLE

Greatest Sumer invention: WRITING!! (called cuneiform)

Only wealthy men knew how to write (scribes)

Produced works of literature ex: Epic of Gilgamesh

Irrigation systems, wagon wheel, the plow, sailboat

Geometry, number system based on 60, 12 month calendar

SARGON AND HAMMURABI

Sargon, king of the Akkadians, conquered Mesopotamia in 2340 BC and set up world’s first empire

Hammurabi, Babylonian king, took over and created the Babylonian Empire

Hammurabi’s Law Code (see pgs 24-25 for more info!) Were his laws cruel or just?

RAP

Answer the following questions from the textbook. Be sure to copy the questions as you answer them.

Page 15 – What Did You Learn, #1 and #2

Page 17 – Geography Skills #1 and #2 Page 23 – What Did You Learn #1 and

#2

WIO Draw an illustrated social class

pyramid for the class structure of Sumer as described in your text on page 20. Upper

ClassMiddle Class

Lower Class

SECTION 3: THE FIRST EMPIRES

The Assyrian Empire: possessed a large army and took over Mesopotamia around 900 BC

Army was well-organized and well-equipped with weapons and horses

1st to use iron weapons Fierce warriors Drove people from their lands and moved them into

foreign territories…..why do you think they did that??? Well-Organized Government- divided empire into provinces Harsh laws, which led to rebellion Chaldeans rose up and captured capital city of Ninevah in

612 BC

THE CHALDEAN EMPIRE AND BABYLON Led by King Nebuchadnezzar Controlled Mesopotamia from 605-562 BC Descendants of Babylonians and Babylon became

the world’s richest city Babylon was a major stop on a trade route b/w the

Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea Babylon was a center of science (astronomy) The Hanging Gardens of Babylon- one of the 7

Wonders of the World Chaldean Empire fell to the Persians in 539 BC

THE HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON http://joseph_berrigan.tripod.com/ancie

ntbabylon/id14.html

http://www.unmuseum.org/hangg.htm

WIO

Draw and label an illustration of the city of Babylon. Use the description on pgs 29-30. Label at least 5 items.

RAP

Read pages 24-25 and then answer the following question: Do you think Hammurabi’s Laws were fair or cruel? Give 2 reasons why you think they were fair and 2 reasons they were cruel. Explain in 2 sentences what you think about the laws. Use details from the passage to support your opinion.

WOW

Study for Chapter One Test! Answer the following questions on pages

32-33. …2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17