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Chapter One—Ancient Civilizations

Section One—How Civilization Began

the Paleolithic Era Unlike modern humans, early

people who lived in the Paleolithic Era did not live

in cities. These people did not know how to plant

seeds to make food grow. As a result, they were

nomads who had to be able to move around to

places where food could be found. Since they

had to move around so much, these early humans

could not have very many possessions or build

buildings. They also

had to spend most of

their time hunting or

gathering food.

Because of this, they

did not have much

extra time to make art

or create a system of

writing.

How Historians Know If these people lived so

long ago, and had no system of writing, how do

historians know anything about them? Historians

dig for artifacts left by early people. They then

use these artifacts to try and figure out things

about the early people. These objects from the

past which historians study are called primary

sources. Historians then use the information they

learn from primary sources to create secondary

sources.

the Neolithic Revolution Around 10,000 BCE,

people began to figure out that they could plant

seeds to grow food. This time is called the Neolithic

Revolution. People who adopted agriculture, or

farming, no longer had to worry about wandering

around to find food. As a result, they could stay in

one place. This discovery of agriculture is what

allowed civilization to begin.

The Paleolithic Era was

a time period from

about 2.6 million years

ago to 10,000 BCE

when humans did not

know how to farm.

Nomads are people

who move around

instead of staying in

one place.

Artifacts are everyday

objects left behind by

historical people.

Historians use artifacts

to figure things out

about historical

people.

Primary sources are

historical sources that

come from the time

period being studied.

Examples include

artifacts, newspapers,

and eyewitness

accounts.

Secondary sources are

historical sources written

by historians based on

what they have learned

from various primary

sources. This History

book is an example of a

primary source.

illustration of Paleolithic blades

During the Neolithic

Revolution, people

figured out how to

farm. This allowed

them to create

civilization.

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Accounting for Dates in History ‘BCE’ stands for

‘Before Common Era’ and ‘CE’ stands for ‘Common

Era.’ The Common Era is the time period that started

with the year 1, when many civilizations started to use

the same calendar.

BCE dates tell us how many years before the Common

Era an event happened. So they count down, like

negative numbers. For example, 4000 BCE stands for

4000 years before the Common Era, so it is longer ago

than 3000 years before the Common Era.

CE dates tell us how many years after the Common

Era something happened, so CE dates count forward,

like positive numbers.

If a date is mentioned without any letters written after

it, it is assumed that it is a CE date.

The Features of Civilization Once people had

discovered agriculture, they could stay in one place.

This allowed civilizations to develop. All civilizations

share the following eight features:

Cities People began to live in larger settlements. Most

early cities were situated near a river or other large

water source.

1000

BCE

BCE dates count down,

like negative numbers.

2000

BCE

3000

BCE

4000

BCE

1

CE

2000

CE

1000

CE

CE dates count forward,

like positive numbers.

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Job Specialization Job specialization means that

everyone has one job. Then, each person trades

with others to get what he or she needs.

Social Classes Different groups, or social classes,

formed within early cities. Each social class had

different duties.

Writing Early civilizations

needed to be able to keep

records, so systems of

writing developed.

Complex Religion Most

early civilizations’ religions

were polytheistic. This

means they had many

gods.

Centralized Government Ancient governments

made sure that everyone had enough food and

water. They also made laws and protected

people’s belongings.

Public Works Governments would pay for public

works, which were large projects that would benefit

everyone. Two examples of public works are roads

and bridges.

Arts & Architecture

It made more

sense to have

architecture, or

permanent

buildings, now that

people were not

wandering around.

They could now

use their extra time

to create art to

decorate the

buildings.

ancient tablet with writing

ancient artwork

Polytheistic

religions have

many gods.

Public works are

things paid for by

the government

that everyone gets

to use.

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Architecture is the

science of making

buildings.

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Section Two—Mesopotamian Civilization

The earliest civilizations developed around 4000 BCE in

the modern-day Middle East in

an area known as

Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamia

‘Mesopotamia’ means

‘between the rivers’ in Greek.

It refers to the area between

the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in

the Middle East. Sometimes this

area is called ‘the Fertile Crescent’ because it is shaped

like, well, a crescent. It makes sense that the first

civilization would be near two rivers, since farming is

necessary to begin civilization, and farming requires a

source of water.

Ancient Civilizations in Mesopotamia Over time,

many different civilizations have settled in

Mesopotamia. The ancient civilizations there, in

chronological order, included Sumer, Babylon, Assyria,

Chaldea, and Persia.

Sumerian City-States The earliest

Mesopotamian civilization, Sumer, was

divided into city-states. A city-state is

small, like a city. But it has its own

government, like a state. So a city-

state is a city that governs itself.

Sumerian Writing The Sumerian tale the

Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest known

story in the world. It tells a the story of a

hero named Gilgamesh. who is trying

to find immortality. In one part of the

story, he meets a man who was told by

the gods to build a boat because a

flood is coming.

the Fertile Crescent

Memory Trick To

remember the

order of

Mesopotamian

civilizations, think

about how

cuddly a baby

sumo wrestler

would be.

Sumo Sumer

Babies Babylon

Are Assyria

Cuddly Chaldea

People Persia

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sculpture showing a

scene

from the Epic of

Gilgamesh

A city-state is a

city that governs

itself.

Chronological

order is the order

that things

happened in.

Sumerian things

are things that

have to do with

the civilization of

Sumer.


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Sumerians used an alphabet called

cuneiform. The Babylonians and Assyrians

also used this alphabet.

Babylonian Law In Babylonia,

King Hammurabi put his code

of law into effect.

Hammurabi’s Code is the

earliest written code of law.

In the code, laws and

punishments were set out

clearly. This made it so that

people would not want to

commit crimes, because they

knew they would be harshly

punished.

Many of the punishments in Hammurabi’s Code

followed the ’eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’

principle. This means that the punishment for breaking

a law was related to the crime. (For example, if one

man hit another man and broke his tooth, the first man

might have his tooth knocked out as punishment.)

Assyrian Warfare The Assyrians, a very warlike people,

conquered Babylonia around 1200 BCE. They are best

known for their efficient army.

Sumerian, Babylonian, and

Assyrian Architecture The

Sumerians, Babylonians, and

Assyrians all built ziggurats.

Ziggurats were a type of pyramid.

Chaldean Copycats The Chaldeans ruled

Mesopotamia from about 626 BCE to 539 BCE. The

Chaldeans wanted to bring back traditions from the

Babylonian time period. Because of this, Chaldean

culture was very similar to Babylonian culture.

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Cuneiform is the

name of the

Sumerian

alphabet.

Memory Trick

The main thing

you’ve got to

remember about

the Assyrians is

that they were

warlike, so...

don’t say it out

loud or anything,

but look at the

first three letters

of the word

‘Assyrian,’ and

you’ve got a

pretty decent

way to

remember that

the Assyrians

liked conflict!

a ziggurat

cuneiform script

King Hammurabi

A ziggurat was a

Mesopotamian

pyramid— a

triangle-shaped

building.


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Persian Empire Around 550

BCE, the first Persian king, Cyrus,

began to conquer the area

around the Tigris and

Euphrates. He did this because

he felt it was his duty to spread

his religion, Zoroastrianism, as

far as he could. In doing so, he

created the Persian Empire.

Around 520 BCE, the Persian

king Darius divided the empire

into 120 satrapies, or small

states. This division of the

empire made it easier to

govern.

Mesopotamian Currency & Trade Most ancient people

used a barter system to trade. In 546 BCE, the Persian

king Cyrus conquered Lydia, a small kingdom in modern

-day Turkey. The Lydians were the first to use coins for

trade, and so the Persians adopted the use of coins

instead of bartering in order to trade.

Phoenician Sea Traders The Phoenicians were a group

of traders who sailed and traded all around the

Mediterranean Sea . Since they traveled so much, they

were able to spread ideas to all the places they went.

This spreading of ideas is called cultural diffusion.

The most important idea that the Phoenicians spread

was that of the phonetic

alphabet. In this type of

alphabet, each character

stood for a sound.

Characters could then be

put together to make words.

This was much easier than

using a picture alphabet,

with a different picture for

each word.

Zoroastrianism is

a religion which

began in ancient

Persia. It is

named after its

creator, a man

named

Zoroaster.

Bartering is a

type of

economy, or

way people buy

things. To barter,

people do not

use money.

Instead, they

trade objects

directly for other

objects. For

example, a

person might

trade a chicken

for a loaf of

bread.

King Darius the Great

Cultural diffusion

is the spread of

ideas from one

place to

another.

Phoenician alphabet

A satrapy was a

small state within

the Persian

Empire. (Much

like Texas is a

state in the

country of the

United States.)


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Section Three—Egyptian Civilization Importance of the

Nile Like all other early

civilizations in the

Eastern hemisphere,

Egyptian civilization

sprang up around a

river, the Nile. Rivers

were necessary for all

early civilizations to

provide irrigation for

crops, but the Nile was

especially important for

Egypt since most of

Egypt is a desert. The

Greek historian

Herodotus summed it

up well when he wrote,

“Egypt is the gift of the

Nile.” By this he meant

that, without the Nile,

there could be no

civilization in Egypt.

Egyptian Historical Records The Egyptians left behind

lots of primary sources which historians can study to learn

about their civilization. Official Egyptian records were

carved into clay tablets or onto monuments in hieroglyphics.

Hieroglyphics

were pictures

used instead of

letters in the

Egyptian

alphabet.

Egyptians also

used papyrus for

other records.

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Hieroglyphics

were picture-

letters that

made up the

Egyptian

alphabet.

Papyrus is a

type of ancient

paper.

Egyptian hieroglyphics


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Historians are able to read hieroglyphics because of the

Rosetta Stone. This stone was found in 1799. It was a kind

of code-breaker that helped historians figure out what

hieroglyphics meant.

Egyptian Society Like most ancient civilizations, Egypt

had a hierarchical social structure. At the top of society

was the pharaoh. The pharaoh was like a king who ruled

all Egyptians. He was also considered to be a living god.

Next were government officials and priests. After that

there was a large middle class composed of workers. At

the bottom of society were slaves and servants.

Egyptian Religion Traditional Egyptian religion was

both polytheistic and ethical. It was believed that when

people died, they went to a place where their behavior

in life would be judged. If it was decided that the dead

person had been good, he would live forever in a happy

place. If it was decided

that the person was evil,

then a monster that looked

like a dog with a

crocodile’s head would

eat him.

Egyptians believed that

they would need

everything they owned

after death. Because of

this, Egyptians were buried

with all of their possessions.

Most dead people were buried with a copy of the Book

of the Dead in their arms. The Book of the Dead was a

book of instructions to help a person after death. It

included tips on how to live a good life.

Short-lived Monotheism One pharaoh, Akhenaton,

embraced a monotheistic religion. In Akhenaton’s

religion, only one god, the sun god, was worshipped. But

after Akhenaton died, Egyptians quickly returned to their

old religion.

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Ammit, the Eater of the Dead

In a hierarchical

society, some

social classes

are higher than

others, and

higher social

classes have

fewer

members.

A pharaoh was

an Egyptian

king who was

also a god.

In an ethical

religion, proper

behavior is

considered

important.

These religions

usually have a

set of rules that

tell them what

is allowed.

In a monotheistic

religion, there is

only one god.

A polytheistic

religion is a

religion with

many gods.


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Mummification & the Pyramids The Egyptians believed

that a person needed all of his or her possessions after

death—even the body and internal organs! The process

of mummification developed to preserve these items.

When a pharaoh died,

his mummified body

would be enclosed in a

decorated coffin, called

a sarcophagus. The

sarcophagus would then

be placed inside the

pharaoh’s burial place,

called a pyramid.

Most of the largest pyramids were robbed before

modern times, so historians couldn’t be sure what kinds of

items might have been placed inside. But in 1922, the

tomb, or grave, of King Tutankhamen was discovered.

The tomb contained many expensive objects. Because

of this, historians believe that all pharaohs must have had

rich burial places too.

Egyptian Art Many

examples of Egyptian

art are still around

today. This is partly

because Egypt’s dry

climate is good for

preserving old things.

This art shows

pharaohs, the gods,

and sometimes even

everyday life. People

in Egyptian art have

stylized bodies. The

bodies usually have

their feet and heads

pointed to the sides,

but their chests turned

toward the front.

King Tut’s sarcophagus

Egyptian painting with stylized bodies

A sarcophagus

was a coffin—a

box or case

used to bury a

dead person. It

was often

made of gold

or silver, and

would be

carved to look

like the dead

pharaoh.

Stylized bodies

in art do not

look natural.

They are often

strangely

posed.

Mummification

was an ancient

way to

preserve dead

bodies. The

dead body

would be

wrapped in

cloth to help

keep it from

decaying, or

rotting away. A

mummified

body is called a mummy.


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Section Four—Hebrew

Civilization Hebrew civilization is considered to

have begun with the patriarch

Abraham. The Torah is the main source

for information about Abraham and the

other patriarchs of Ancient Israel.

Geography & Contact with Other

Cultures Hebrew civilization began in

the area surrounding modern-day

Jerusalem, near the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean.

Most of Ancient Israel

enjoyed a temperate

climate that was

perfect for herding

animals.

Due to their location

near the

Mediterranean, the

Hebrews came into

contact with many

other civilizations,

such as Assyria,

Chaldea, Egypt, and

Rome.

The Origins of Judaism The ancient Hebrews were

different from other early civilizations in that their religion

was a type of ethical monotheism. This means that they

worshipped one God, and felt that behavior was

important. They also believed that they had a special

covenant, or agreement, with God. According to the

agreement, if they followed God’s laws, then someday

he would lead them to a wonderful land.

Within the Torah are the Ten Commandments, which

governed Hebrew society. According to the Ten

Commandments, it is important to respect older people.

Killing and stealing are considered wrong.

a Torah scroll

A patriarch is

the male head

of a family or

tribe. In a

patriarchal

society, fathers

and husbands

have power

over their

families.

The Torah is one

of the holy texts

of the Hebrews.

It is much like

the Old

Testament of the

Christian Bible.

A temperate

climate is not

too hot, and not

too cold.

A covenant is an

agreement.

A religion that is ethical

promotes good

behavior

Monotheism is a

religion with only

one god.

Judaism refers

to the religion of

the Ancient

Hebrews.

Practicers of

Judaism are

called Jews, or

can be

described as

Jewish.


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the Kingdom of Israel The first two kings of Israel

were Saul and David. They

were chosen as kings by a

prophet. The fact that a

prophet chose the ruler

shows how important

religion was in Hebrew

society.

King David established the

capital at Jerusalem

around 1000 BCE. The next

king, Solomon, ordered the

building of a holy temple

to house important

religious documents. After

Solomon’s death in 930 BCE, the kingdom of Israel was

split into the kingdoms of Israel & Judah.

the Diaspora The kingdoms of Israel and Judah were

eventually conquered by invaders. As a result of this,

many Hebrews were forced to move to other areas. This

spreading out of the Jews is referred to as the Diaspora

(pronounced die-ass-puh-ruh).

Solomon’s Temple

King Saul in battle

During a diaspora,

members of a

group go off in

many different

directions.

A prophet is a

person to whom

a god speaks.

The prophet will

then tell other

people what the

god has said.

What the

prophet says is

called a prophecy.


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Section Five—Indian Civilization

Early Indian civilizations grew up around two major Indian

rivers—the Indus River and the Ganges River. Both rivers

run through the Himalayas, a large mountain range in

modern-day India.

Harappan

Civilization The

earliest civilization in

India was located on

the banks of the Indus

River. This civilization

existed from about

2700 BCE to 1900 BCE.

This civilization had two

major cities: Harappa

and Mohenjo Daro. It

is called ‘Harappan

Civilization’ in honor of

the city of Harappa.

Harappan Writing Historians have not

been able to read the writing left behind by the people

of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Because of this,

historians must use artifacts found in these cities to infer,

or figure out, what life was like there.

Some of the objects historians

have found from Ancient

India have pictures of musical

instruments carved on them.

Game pieces and children’s

toys have also been found.

These objects tell us that the

Harappan people had free

time to enjoy—one of the

benefits of civilization.

game pieces from

Mohenjo Daro

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To infer is to

make an

educated guess

based on

information that

is available. An

inference is the

guess made by

the person who

has been

inferring.

Artifacts are

everyday

objects left

behind by

historical

people.


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Harappan Ruins and

Artifacts Many clues

from Harappa and

Mohenjo-Daro show

that both cities had

strong governments.

We can infer this

because the cities were

very organized. They

had straight streets

running at right angles

to each other. Human

beings don’t naturally

get together and agree

to build their houses in

straight lines. So we can infer they must have been

told to do so by a government.

Vedic Civilization Vedic civilization developed

around the Ganges River from around 1500 BCE to

500 BCE. It takes its name from the Vedas, a series of

Hindu religious documents, which were written during

the time period.

Aryans and Dravidians The

Aryans moved into India around

1700 BCE. They settled around

the Ganges River. Another group

of people, called the Dravidians,

already lived there. The Aryans

conquered the Dravidians and

treated them poorly.

Hinduism and the Caste System

The religion of the Vedic people

was an early version of Hinduism.

This religion involved the worship

of many gods.

The Vedas were a set of holy books used by the

Ancient Indians. According to the Vedas, an

organized society was important. Vedic people were

aerial view of the ruins of Harappa

statue of a Hindu god

Ruins are the

buildings and

walls left over

from an ancient

city.

Aerial means

’from the air.’

An aerial view

of something is

usually a picture

taken from an

airplane or

satellite.


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divided into four groups. The top group was made up

of Brahmins, who were priests. Next were Kshatriyas

(pronounced kuh-shot-ree-uhs), who were warriors.

Third were Vaisyas (pronounced vizh-uhs), who were

working people. At the very bottom were Sudras,

who were servants. This social hierarchy eventually

evolved into the caste system.

Belief in reincarnation is an important part of

Hinduism. Reincarnation is the idea that the soul is

born again and again into different bodies. By

following the laws of karma and dharma, a person

can be reincarnated, or born again, into a higher

caste, or social class.

The concepts of karma and dharma actually helped

to reinforce the caste system. Hindus believed that

those who had been born into a low caste had

followed the

laws of karma

and dharma in

a previous life.

In this way,

one’s social

status was

viewed as an

effect of how a

person

behaved.

Karma

Memory Trick

Imagine a

kshatriya

shooting you,

then saying, ’Ha

ha, I

k-shot-ya!’ That

will help you

remember that

they were

warriors.

Karma is the

idea that if a

person does

bad things, then

bad things will

eventually

happen to him

or her. If the

person does

good things,

then good

things will

happen.

To follow the law

of dharma a

person must do

his or her duty—

what is

expected of him

or her.

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Brahmins—priests

Kshatriyas—warriors

Vaisyas—merchants & herders

Sudras—servants

the Caste System

In a hierarchical

society, some

social classes

are higher than

others, and

higher social

classes have

fewer

members.


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Xia, Shang, and Zhou China

Section Six—Chinese Civilization

Geography and Food Production Ancient Chinese

civilization developed along the Huang-He, or Yellow

River. (It is sometimes called the Yellow River because of

its yellowish sediment, called loess.) This area had a

warm, wet climate, which was perfect for farming.

Chinese Dynasties Events in Chinese history are

grouped according to dynasty. Each dynasty is named

after the ruling family of the time period. The dynasties of

Ancient China were the Xia (pronounced ‘zhee-uh’),

Shang, and Zhou (pronounced ‘zho’).

Mythical Xia Dynasty? The first dynasty described in

ancient Chinese books was the Xia dynasty. Historians

are not sure whether this dynasty actually existed, or was

simply a mythical tale. If it did exist, it would have been

from about 2070 BCE to 1700 BCE.

Shang Dynasty The Shang Dynasty ruled the area around

the Huang He River from 1700 BCE to 1122 BCE.

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A dynasty is a

period of time

during which

members of

one family are

Memory Trick

To remember

all of the

dynasties of

Chinese history

in order,

imagine a

group of zebras

who have

become

addicted to

huffing (which is

a terrible idea,

btw) and have

decided to go

to rehab.

Seven Shang

Zebras Zhou

Quit Qin

Huffing Han

The Tang

Stuff Song

Yesterday Yuan

Morning Ming


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Shang Religion Ancient Chinese

religion was polytheistic. This

religion included veneration of

ancestors. The Shang honored

their ancestors by giving them gifts.

Shang Writing The people of the

Shang dynasty left behind many

oracle bones. The Shang used

these to ask questions of the gods.

These oracle bones are important

because they are the earliest

examples of Chinese writing.

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty lasted

from about 1045 BCE to 256 BCE. During

the Zhou dynasty, many people were

fighting with each other. Because of all

this fighting, thinkers presented new

ideas about how the government could

get things under control.

the Mandate of Heaven The Chinese

considered their king to have been chosen by the gods.

In order to rule, the Zhou had to beat the Shang in battle.

To explain why it was OK for the Zhou to do battle with

the Shang, the Zhou created the idea of the Mandate of

Heaven.

According to the Mandate of Heaven, the gods chose a

ruling family. This family had the right to rule as long as

they governed the people fairly and well. If this family

made the gods unhappy, then the gods would send bad

weather to punish the people.

When the gods sent bad weather to show that they were

unhappy with the old ruling family, that meant that it was

OK for a new family to take over the government. The

fact that the gods had allowed the new family to beat

the old family showed that they approved.

an oracle bone

Chinese statue

To venerate

something is to

treat it with

great respect or

honor.

An oracle is a

person who can

see the future.

So the name

‘oracle bones’

tells us exactly

what they were.

They were

bones used to

predict the

future.

Ancestors are

members of the

family who have

died.

The Mandate of

Heaven is the

idea that the

gods have given

the ruling family

the right to rule.


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Confucianism Confucius, a

Chinese thinker, spoke about how

a good society should work. His

main idea was that everyone

should behave according to his or

her role in life.

According to Confucius, there are

five relationships. Most included a

leader and a follower. It was the

leader’s job to set a good example. The follower was

supposed to respect and obey the leader.

The most important relationship of a person’s life was that

among children and their parents. A good child was

supposed to practice filial piety. Filial piety means that

the child is respectful of parents and does what the

parents say.

Confucius thought that the government’s job was the

same as that of the leader in any relationship. According

to Confucius, good rulers should rule by example and

treat their subjects fairly.

Legalism Another thinker who spread his ideas about

proper government during the Zhou period was Hanfeizi.

His system of government was called Legalism.

According to Hanfeizi, a good ruler must make very strict

laws and enforce them with harsh punishments.

Daoism Laozi was a thinker who spread

the philosophy of Daoism. Daoists

believed that the world is full of

opposites. According to Daoists, it was

important achieve balance between

opposites. This idea is symbolized by the

yin and yang.

Laozi believed that government was

unnatural. He taught that having too

many laws would cause people to want to rebel. Laozi

thought a good ruler should not make too many laws.

The yin and yang

symbolizes balance

between opposites.

Confucius

The five relationships

were those

between ruler

and subject,

husband and

wife, parent

and child, older

sibling and

younger sibling,

and friend and

friend.

Filial piety is

respect for

parents.

Memory Trick

‘Lao’ rhymes

with ‘Dao,’ so

that can help

you to

remember that

Laozi founded

Daoism. Also,

it’s a pretty

lousy way to

govern (if you

ask me), and

‘lousy’ sounds

like ‘Laozi.’

Memory Trick

‘Hanfeizi’ just

SOUNDS angry

and mean.

Imagine a strict

ruler shouting it

as he beats

someone with a

bamboo stick

(which is how

Legalists

punished

people).

Documents

Chapter One Ancient Civilizations a time period frommrmarkor.weebly.com/uploads/5/8/3/8/58385121/text_ch_1.pdf · the Paleolithic Era Unlike modern humans, ... This time is called