Civilizations

1. Civilizations Hunting and Gathering to Farming to Civilizations (p. 10) Characteristics of a civilization A. Advanced cities 1. Populations of 10,000 or more B. Complex institutions 1. Government, education system, religious places of worship C. Specialized workers 1. Merchants, soldiers, potters, scribes, artisans, teachers, farmers, etc. D. Record keeping 1. Records of business, transactions, historical events, customs, laws E. Advanced technology 1. The wheel, plow, sailboat, bronze weapons, etc.

2. Ancient Middle East Aside from Ancient Egypt, most of the other earliest civilizations began in the Tigris-Euphrates valley, often called the Fertile Crescent. People settled in this area because of the rich soil in the region. Three of the most well known and widely studied early civilizations in this region were the Sumerians (Sumer), the Babylonians (Babylon), and the Hebrews (Palestine).

4. The Sumerians I. Sumerians A. Powerful civilization around 3000 B.C. 1. Most Sumerians lived in city-states, which were cities and the surrounding countryside cooperating for mutual defense against any possible enemies. a. Each city-state was surrounded by a defensive wall where farmers and city dwellers would take refuge and prepare for defense. b. Each city-state worshipped its own god and goddess as well as other gods. The gods provided good weather and protection from enemies. c. Priests were the earliest rulers because it was believed they spoke directly to the gods and could keep the gods and goddesses content. d. Later, because of constant warfare, military leaders became as important as important as priests and often ruled the city-states. e. In the middle of every city-state was a ziggurat, the home or temple of the god of the city. The ziggurat was shaped like a pyramid and was often 6 to 7 stories high. The Sumerians believed that gods descended to earth using the ziggurat as a ladder .

5. Religious Beliefs Like Egyptians, the Sumerians were polytheistic. Unlike the Egyptians, the Sumerians had a gloomy outlook on life. The Sumerians believed at death they would descend forever into a dark underworld cave filled with nothing but dust and silence. Why the difference? One theory: Environment a. Egyptians- favorable climate, fairly predictable flooding, and natural barriers allowed the people to perceive their gods as more kindly forces. The Egyptians had a more positive outlook on life. b. Sumerians-unfavorable climate, unpredictable flooding, and constant warfare may have contributed to the Sumerians somewhat more gloomy outlook on life.

9. Sumerian Achievements A. Cuneiform writing- may have been first writing system-no longer simply pictographs, which were pictures which represented the word. Etched on moist clay tablets. B. Some historians believe the Sumerians invented: 1 the wheel 2. the sail 3. the plow 4. among the first to combine copper and tin to make bronze (a much stronger metal) 5. the sundial 6. a number system in base 60 (the idea of 60 seconds is a minute and 60 minutes is an hour comes probably the Sumerians). 7. lever, chisel, pulley, saw

10. The Babylonians Around 2000 B.C., the Babylonians came to power in Mesopotamia. They were led by a great king named Hammurabi. Along with being a strong military leader, Hammurabi was also an effective administrator. Hammurabi set up a law code containing 282 written down laws. These laws were carved on a stone column which was placed for everyone to see. Hammurabi�s Code was one of the first written down law codes in history. Its� basic principle was �eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth�. Hammurabi�s Code influenced our system of justice because it emphasized the importance of the punishment fitting the crime. It also established the idea that the people should clearly know what is a crime and what the likely punishment will be.

12. The Hittites The Hittites became the most powerful empire in the Fertile Crescent around 1500 B.C.. A. They introduced iron weapons to the world, which were superior to bronze weapons. 1. Iron was a much stronger metal than bronze and began to be used for many purposes. 2. Iron could also hold a sharper edge.

13. The Hittites B. The Hittites also were militarily dominant because of their superior chariots. 1. Lighter wheels, less spokes, and rims made their chariots faster and easier to manuever.

15. Assyrians The Assyrians were an empire which controlled the Fertile Crescent around 1200 B.C. A. The Assyrians were great warriors. They excelled at tactical warfare. 1. May have been first to effectively use the battering ram. 2. Utilized diggers to loosen up the walls of the enemy city-state. B. Made lasting contribution to civilization by preserving over 22,000 clay tablets from the great civilizations of the Fertile Crescent. 1. Much has been learned about the ancient Middle East from the preservation of these clay tablets.

18. Phoenicians The Phoenicians were a powerful civilization along the Med. Sea around 1200 B.C. A. They developed a phonetic alphabet, which contained 22 symbols (letters), each representing a different sound. 1. This alphabet was adopted by the Greeks and then the Romans and to the rest of western civilization

19. The Phoenicians The Phoenicians were also great sea traders and traveled great distances in order to trade other civilizations. 1. Their most treasured trade product was a purple dye which they made from a sea snail. a. Many of the royalty around the Med. World wore purple clothing made with this expensive dye.

22. The Lydians I. The Lydians were a civilization around the Med. Sea between 1200 B.C. to 500 B.C. A. Introduced coined money as a medium of exchange in trade. 1. Earlier, people had relied on the barter system, exchanging one set of goods for another.