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