CHARACTERISTICS OF CIVILIZATION

• Rise of Developed Cities– Cities served as: political and economic centers for

surrounding areas• Organized Government– Gov’t served as a set of rules and laws that people

would live by– Different types of government = theocracy and

monarchy• Theocracy = a gov’t ruled by religious leaders who

claim God’s authority• Monarchy = gov’t by a king or queen

• Role of Religion– Wanted to gain: the favor of the gods– Priests were so powerful bc they were the only ones

who could communicate with the gods– Religion and gov’t were closely connected– Many leaders claimed to rule by the will of the gods

• Specialization of Labor– Division of labor increased and many new jobs

became available• Social Structure– Based on people’s occupations, wealth, and influence

• Use of Writing– First writings used pictographs– Developed calendars which were important to

farming• Trade– Many civilizations traded with one another to gain

goods and resources that their territory lacked– Often led the spread of new ideas and technology

Babylonian Empire• Main king was Hammurabi–Honored Sumerian gods and united all of

Mesopotamia• He also instituted a legal system known as the

Code of Hammurabi–Consisted of 282 laws based on eye for an eye

Phoenicians • Greatest achievement was the Phoenician

alphabet–Developed one of the world’s first alphabets–Consisted of 22 letters, adopted by many

through trade, foundation for modern English alphabet

Hebrews/Israelites• Located in modern day Israel• Hebrews are ancestors of people called Jews• Founded the religion of Judaism – It was the first monotheistic religion– The Torah is the most sacred text– The Hebrew Bible is called the Old Testament in

the Christian Bible• All Hebrews can be traced back to what ancestor,

Abraham– Hebrews became known as the Children of Israel or

Israelites

Hebrews/Israelites con’t

• Teachings of Judaism– Monotheistic– Beliefs of justice and righteousness– Most important laws Ten Commandments– Mosaic Law guides many areas of Jewish law• Food prepared according to Mosaic law is called

Kosher– Sacred text: Torah and the Hebrew Bible

Persians• Located modern-day Iran• Established one of the largest empires of the

ancient world• Built numerous roads, the longest one was

named the Royal Road–World’s first long highway, 1,500 miles