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Welcome to the Museum ofCivilization

Curator’s Offices

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Curator’s OfficeJordan Stovall, Eric Avila, Kevin Cross, Josh Campbell

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Note: Virtual museums were first introduced by educators at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham, Pennsylvania. This template was designed by Dr. Christy Keeler. View the Educational Virtual Museums website for more information on this instructional technique.

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Our group, consisting of four people, is in Mrs. Jones tenth grade World History 5A/B class. The class is in the STEM academy and is also a Pre-AP class.

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Egypt

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Indus River Valley

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Mesopotamia

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Huang He River Valley

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Utopia

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Rome

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Greece

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Think Quest. n.d. Oracle Education Foundation. 10 Oct. 2011. http://library.thinkquest.org/10805/egyptmap.html

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Egypt- Map

The Nile River played a very important part in the lives of the Ancient Egyptians. When it would flood, it would leave the soil fertile and ready to grow more crops. Of course, as with most all rivers, it was also used for trade as well as transportation.

Tour Egypt. Warren, John. 13 Jun. 2011. Tour Egypt. 11 Oct. 2011. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/cities.htm

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Egypt- Cities

Many factors of ancient Egyptian cities severely limit our knowledge of them. Unimportant buildings were built out of mud brick. Rivers and agriculture played an important role in ancient Egypt, so most of the cities were built on the floodplain of the Nile, and when it flooded, it would destroy the mud brick. Since their location is so ideal, many modern cities have been built over the ruins of the ancient cities.

Art Sales. 2003. Art Sales. 11 Oct. 2011. http://www.artsales.com/ARTistory/Ancient_Ships/06_egyptian_galleons.html

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Egypt- Technology

To a city that developed around a river, boats were a logical solution for transportation. The most efficient method of pushing the boat was to use many slaves or other people to row using sets of oars mounted on either side of the boat. The boat was mainly used as an outlet for growing interest in trade goods.

Tour Egypt. Dunn, Jimmy. 13 Jun. 2011. Tour Egypt. 11 Oct. 2011.

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/slaves.htm

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Egypt- Specialization

When Egypt would conquer or plunder another land, any people they could capture became slaves. Slaves were used to pay soldiers and also given to temples. They would mainly do manual labor, such as rowing boats or constructing buildings, but could be used by their master for anything they wanted.

AncientScripts. Lo, Lawrence. 1996. Ancient Scripts. 11 Oct. 2011.

http://www.ancientscripts.com/egyptian.html

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Egypt- Record Keeping

Egyptians developed used several different writing systems. Hieroglyphics were mainly used on large-scale, monumental stones such as tombs and towers. Hieratic was the writing system they used for everyday events, until it was replaced by Demotic in 600 BC. However, Demotic sometimes couldn’t be translated directly to Hieratic or Hieroglyphic.

HistoryLink101. n.d. History Link. 11 Oct. 2011. http://historylink101.net/egypt_1/religion.htm

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Egypt- Complex Institutions

Egyptian religion and government tie in closely together. The Pharaohs of Egypt were believed to be kings and gods. This was the source of their power. The Egyptian religion was highly polytheistic, with over five hundred gods and goddesses. As the Pharaohs were gods, they were often blamed when things went wrong, and praised when Egypt was prosperous. Many artisans made sculptures, etchings, and paintings depicting the gods.

ReoCities. n.d. MadeByAbi. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.reocities.com/pak_history/nonhindu.html

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Indus River Valley- Complex Institutions

Not much is known about the religion of the Indus people, but artifacts have shown that the bull may have been a symbol of fertility, and tablets have depicted a bull headed god. Other sculptures also seem to show a mother goddess of sorts. They also used different animals as representations of their gods, making them polytheistic.

Harappan Religion. 2011. Dictionary.com. 10 Oct. 2011.http://

www.reference.com/motif/society/harappan-religionColaco. Helekar, Santosh. 11 Jan. 2004. The Goan

Forum. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.colaco.net/1/caste.htm

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Indus River Valley- Specialization

The priests in the Indus River Valley civilization had general control over the affairs of the city. It is thought that the priests were the people who designed the layouts for the cities in the Indus River Valley. The priests in the Harappan civilization were also knowledgeable in astronomy and tracked Mercury, Venus, and Saturn.

Framework Connections. n.d. 10 Oct. 2011. http://ab.mec.edu/departments/techinteg/resources/students/rivers/frconn.html#top

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Indus River Valley- Map

Most of the cities in the Indus river valley, including the two major cities, Mohenjo Daro and Harappa, were in close proximity to rivers. Harappa, in particular, is located between two branches of the Indus river. This provided an excellent defense from outside forces, and also would provide very fertile land.

Lost Civilization of Harappa. Tripzibit. 22 Jan. 2010. Blogspot. 10 Oct. 2011.

http://unmyst3.blogspot.com/2010/01/lost-civilization-of-harappa.html

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Indus River Valley- Cities

Since most all of the cities in the Harappan civilization were located somewhere near the Indus, trade from one city to another would be made sufficiently easier. The Indus river also empties into the Ocean, this would ease the difficulties of trading with other civilizations. It is believed that the cities in the Indus River Valley were designed by the priests.

http://ant3145indusvalley.wikispaces.com/The+Role+of+the+Physical+Environment+on+Religion+and+Technology Return to

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Indus River Valley- Technology

The engineering skills of the Harappan people were much ahead of their time. The Harappan people were able to accurately measure length, mass, and time with weights and other devices. Harappans became adept at building docks after a careful study of tides, waves and currents. They were also known to make tools such as axes and hammers to help in everyday tasks like chopping wood and crafting. Wikispaces. Vida, Beata. 2011. Tangient. 10 Oct. 2011.

University of Washington. "Computers Unlock More Secrets Of The Mysterious Indus Valley Script." 10

Aug. 2009. ScienceDaily. 10 Oct. 2011. http://anthropologistintheattic.blogspot.com/2009/08/computers-unlock-more-secrets-of.html

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Indus River Valley- Record KeepingThe people, mostly priests, of the Indus River Valley used a complex writing system. Little is known about their system of writing because scientists, archaeologists, and scholars have yet to decipher the codes. They used stone or clay tablets to etch writings down, with a common theme appearing to be bulls and a bull-headed god.

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Mesopotamia- Map

The fertile crescent is a very good place for a civilization to be. Firstly, it has the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers, which would provide very fertile land. Second, it has little to no obstacles, making it easily navigable. Thirdly, it has a good defense from the south, as a desert is difficult to traverse, especially for a large number of soldiers. These three things made it a natural center of trade and civilization. The two rivers make for excellent trade throughout the crescent also.

Mappery. Scott. 10 Apr. 2008. Mappery.

Art from Ancient Lands. n.d. Bakarat. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.artfromancientlands.com/StoneSculptureofaSumerianPriestAM0096.html

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Mesopotamia- Specialization

Like most other ancient civilizations, the power in Mesopotamia was held by priests. They were in charge of ensuring that everybody behaved accordingly in the gods’ eyes. However, they were also the doctors of the time, and often attempted to communicate with their gods to heal the sick.

ABC. Vosmer, Tom. 18 Sept. 2005. ABC. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/wa/stories/s1462829.htm

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Mesopotamia- Technology

A logical tool for a civilization that is basically surrounded by water are boats. The Mesopotamians are known for making boats out of reed. Boats made of such a weak material probably wouldn’t be used for large scale trade, but for transportation and some smaller scale trading ventures. A boat of sufficient power could travel up the Tigris or Euphrates to other cities, or down into the Persian Gulf.

About. Gill, N.S. 2011. New York Times Company. 10 Oct. 2011.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/nemythology/a/mesopotamiarel.htm

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Mesopotamia- Complex Institutions

There were many gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon. Among them were the four creator gods, An, Enlil, Nin-khursag, and Enki. These four gods corresponded to the sky, storms, earth, and water, respectively. Everything that was needed to survive was said to have been given to the Mesopotamians by the gods.

Mesopotamia. n.d. The British Museum. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/home_set.html

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Mesopotamia- Record Keeping

The Mesopotamians developed a style of writing that depended on pictograms. They were mostly used to document the growth of crops and taxes. Over time, the need for writing changed, and the Mesopotamians developed a script called cuneiform. Cuneiform was used by several different peoples. The Mesopotamians used it mainly to record events, trade, literature, and astronomy.

Artlex. Delahunt, Michael. 1996. Artlex. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/m/mesopotamian.html

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Mesopotamia- Cities

Mesopotamian cities were constant migration and cultural diffusion caused a powerful central government not to develop in ancient Mesopotamia. As such, the largest area under one government was a city-state, or a city and the area around the city. Each city-state was actually a separate kingdom.

Solomon. Bethany. n.d. Hannah G. Solomon Elementary School. 11 Oct. 2011.

http://solomon.cps.k12.il.us/roeschleyindex.html

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Huang He River- Technology

The people in the Huang He River Valley civilizations developed a secret method of producing silk from silk moths to make clothing, among other things. This would eventually become their largest export, connecting them with the rest of the world through trade.

Windows On Asia. 2011. Michigan State University. 11 Oct. 2011.

http://asia.isp.msu.edu/wbwoa/east_asia/china/history/Shang_Dynasty.htm

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Huang He River- Record Keeping

Before the Shang Dynasty, inscriptions were left on Oracle Bones to communicate events that have happened. Writing started to develop during the Shang Dynasty, in which the ancient Chinese recorded their information on strips of bamboo and silk, all of which have decomposed.

Cultural-China. 2007. Cultural-China. 11 Oct. 2011. http://scenery.cultural-china.com/en/147Scenery88.html

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Huang He River- Cities

Most of the cities of ancient China were, like most other cities in the world at the time, located around or along rivers. Cities passed along from one dynasty to the next over time, and were rarely destroyed.

Wordpress. HoangKyBacTien 26 Jul. 2010. Wordpress. 11 Oct. 2011.

http://hoangkybactien.wordpress.com/the-fate-of-huang-he-the-yellow-river/watch-map-of-chinas-deserts/

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Huang He River- Map

The Huang He River Valley civilization emerged from the central part of the Huang He’s basin. The Huang He itself has the most silt content of any river in the world. This makes the surrounding lands very fertile, and perfectly fit for growing crops. This particular civilization has a near-perfect position, with great defenses on all sides, including mountains, deserts, rivers, and the Yellow Sea.

HistoryForKids. Carr, Karen. 6 Oct. 2011. History For Kids.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/history/shang.htm

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Huang He River- Specialization

About two thousand BC, the Chinese learned how to craft bronze from copper and tin. This opened a new door for artisans to learn how to smith bronze and make anything from pots to weapons and armor.

Boivieapedia. C. Kevin. 2010. PB Works. 11 Oct. 2011. http://boivieapedia.pbworks.com/w/page/8081114/Shang%20or%20Huang%20He%20(Yellow%20River)%20valley%20civilization

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Huang He River- Complex Institutions

The ancient Chinese didn’t have an organizes religion or priesthood. They simply believed that when a person died, their soul would go into another realm, where they could help the living, provided that they were given the proper respect and their needs were met.

Listverse. Frater, Jamie. 2007. WordPress. 10 Oct. 2011. http://listverse.com/2007/10/03/99-excuses-for-skipping-out-of-work/

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Utopia- Specialization

To properly capitalize on a land with a complex system of rivers, this Utopian civilization would become a civilization dependent on farming. In its first stages, it would cultivate food crops. When the civilization began trading outside its borders, it would begin to grow cash crops like tobacco. People would generally be either commoners or be part of an upper, priestly class that would represent people in the government and reward people for working.

Amarit. n.d. Agencia Maritima and Comercial. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.amarit.com.do/pi_riohaina.asp

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Utopia- Cities

The placement of cities in a good civilization is vital. In a land that has a network of rivers, the main city should be placed in such a location that it has a significant advantage in transportation. In Costa Negra, for example, the capital city is placed in roughly the center of the civilization, with an easy route to every river, and other city in the land. Also, cities placed by water tend to thrive, as they gain all of these advantages.

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Utopia- Technology

As a result of being largely an agricultural society and the geography of the rivers in the land, a new class would be formed. This class of people would be made of engineers. The main use of materials in the region would be used to construct and design boats and complex irrigation systems. In a society such as this, trade and transportation boats would be a necessity.

Little Town Mart. Howard, F.D. n.d. Little Town Mart. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.littletownmart.com/fdh/Narvaez_boat.htm

Spring Hill Fresh. 2011. Spring Hill Fresh. 11 Oct. 2011. http://springhillfresh.com/our-people/

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Utopia- Complex Institutions

An ideal government would be a republic. This would raise citizen morale, because they would have a say in the government, but still allow the government some control of things. Hypothetically, a religion that encourages and rewards individuals for contributing to society and performing goodwill would benefit the civilization the most.

Paper Textures. Redwood, Robert. n.d. Easy Elements. 6 Oct. 2011.

http://www.easyelements.com/paper-textures.html

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Utopia- Record Keeping

Efficient record keeping would be a must in an ideal society. To mitigate cost and time constraints, a small alphabet would be formed. Each character of the alphabet is easy to form, consisting of no more than three strokes of a pencil.

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Utopia- Map

A utopian civilization would have an ideal location. That is, close to the sea and in a land with many rivers. This would allow a farming civilization to utilize the fertility that rivers bring to soil. Also, a peninsular civilization would be provided with strong defenses on three sides, and four if the border were also a river.

Crystalinks. n.d. Crystalinks. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.crystalinks.com/romegods.html

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Rome- Complex Institutions

The Roman government and religion alike were both based off of the ancient Greeks. The Roman government was a mix of a democracy and a republic. Even under the rule of one man during the empire, consuls were still appointed. The Roman gods were also very similar to the Greek gods, to the point where some gods merely had their name changed.

Rome. Carlos, Michael. n.d. Museum of Emory University. 10 Oct. 2011

http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/ROME/writ.html

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Rome- Record Keeping

The Romans were meticulous record keepers. They used the Latin alphabet that they developed from the Greeks’ own alphabet. This is the alphabet we still use today, we simply arrange the letters differently.

USU. Damen, Mark. 2011. USU. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320Hist&Civ/chapters/08ROMFAL.htm

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Rome- Map

The Roman Empire has miles and miles of coast, something that can be very advantageous. They also control the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This provides a major advantage over the neighboring civilizations if they wish to use the Mediterranean to trade or transport.

Bible-History. n.d. Bible History Online. 11 Oct. 2011. http://www.bible-history.com/ibh/Roman+Cities/Bozrah/

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Rome- Cities

There were many ancient Roman cities, but none more important than Rome itself. The vast wealth that Rome gained was used to develop large-scale building projects that gave Roman cities their distinct building style. Cities were generally placed near water, as almost all of the land under the Roman Empire was coast.

Roman Colosseum. 2008. Roman Colosseum. 11 Oct. 2011. http://www.roman-colosseum.info/roman-army/roman-soldiers.htm

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Rome- Specialization

Roman soldiers lived a disciplined life. It is said that each soldier was trained to travel twenty miles a day, carrying a burden of eighty pounds. While soldiers fought in wars, they also provided much of the labor for building forts, walls, and roads. It is believed that Roman soldiers built more than 250000 miles of roads.

The Diagram of Everything. Datu, Kerwin. 2006. The Global Urbanist. 10 Oct. 2011.

http://thediagramofeverything.com/merida.html

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Rome- Technology

The Romans were very good at taking inventions and making them their own. However, most scholars agree that ancient Roman architecture was developed by the Romans themselves. The Romans actually invented concrete and developed arches, roads, and aqueducts. Having a road system in a territory is that travel is more organized and less dangerous. Also, Romans built things to last, and that they did.

eHow. Eliot, Alexander. 29 Sept. 2011. Demand Media. 6 Oct. 2011.

http://www.ehow.com/info_10045301_adaptation-greek-myth-art.html

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Greece- Complex Institutions

Each of the Greek city-states had it’s own government. Most of them started as monarchies, then changed to oligarchies, then to tyrannies, and finally to democracies. However, there were always some that remained ahead of behind the others, and some that never became democracies at all. Despite their differences, all of them shared the same gods. Their religion depicted multiple gods and goddesses with human behaviors and characteristics.

Fotopedia. Kyahl. 20 May. 2010. Fotonauts. 6 Oct. 2011.

http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-4327148172

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Greece- Cities

Ancient Greece was divided into many city-states that shared similar characteristics. A city-state consists of the city and its surrounding area. Each of them had its own, separate government. Each also had separate goals, traditions, and customs. Five of the most powerful city-states were Argos, Megara, Corinth, Sparta, and Athens. All of the city-states shared their language and they all believed in the same gods. Ancient Greece was comprised mostly of islands and peninsulas, so most sites in the area were well suited for cities.

Crystalinks. n.d. Crystalinks. 10 Oct. 2011. http://www.crystalinks.com/iliad.html

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Greece- Record Keeping

The Greek adopted the Phoenician writing system and invented an alphabet with twenty four letters, from A to Ω. The main use for this was to document events and facilitate an advanced accounting system that the Greeks invented. It also helped encourage the countless authors and poets of the time to produce works.

Ancient Greek Technology. Sfetsos, Elias. 29 Nov. 2002. E-Telescope. 6 Oct. 2011.

http://www.e-telescope.gr/en/history-and-archaeology/132-ancient-technology

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Greece- Technology

Ancient Greece gave us some of the world’s most talented inventors, poets, thinkers, and teachers. Ancient Greeks built boats, crafted armor and weapons, and invented siege engines. Among these inventors was Ctesibius, who made advances in war and musical technology by inventing an air powered catapult, a force pump, and a water organ.

Greece. n.d. Alacarte Travel and Tours. 6 Oct. 2011. http://www.alacartetravelandtours.com/Greece.html

Omogenia. 17 Feb. 2009. Omogenia. 6 Oct. 2011. http://www.omogenia.com/forum/printpost.php?tid/53643

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Greece- Map

The main geographical feature of ancient Greece is the many islands and coast. This promoted the use of boats and naval technologies in many of the city-states of Greece. The waters around the islands provides many options for transportation and mobility. Of course, this led to increased naval warfare and fighting overseas.

Ancient Greece Gods. Barrow, Mandy. n.d. Chidding Stone. 6 Oct. 2011.

http://www.chiddingstone.kent.sch.uk/homework/greece/greekgods.htm

A Guide to the Bebaki Museum. Delivorrias, Angelos. Hellenica. 6 Oct. 2011.

http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/NewArts/NikolaosKantounisGreekPriest.html

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Greece- Specialization

Priests were important people in the community. They were thought to have the ability to talk to the gods, thus they were respected and trusted. There were only two methods of becoming a priest. Either one of your parents was a priest or you were made a priest by a dying priest. A priest’s main job was to maintain the temples and take care of visitors to the temples.