Early Civilization

Study Notes

Location: Between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern-day Iraq)
Time period: 3500 BCE - 539 BCE
Key features:
- Invention of writing (cuneiform)
- Development of cities (e.g., Ur, Babylon)
- Creation of laws (Code of Hammurabi)
- Ziggurats (temples) and irrigation systems
Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians were some of the major Mesopotamian civilizations

Location: Along the Nile River (modern-day Egypt)
Time period: 3100 BCE - 30 BCE
Key features:
- Hieroglyphic writing system
- Pyramids of Giza (Great Pyramid, Pyramid of Khafre, Pyramid of Menkaure)
- Mummification and afterlife beliefs
- Pharaonic system of government
- Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens
Major periods:
- Old Kingdom (2613 - 2181 BCE): Pyramids and strong pharaohs
- Middle Kingdom (2040 - 1750 BCE): Reunification and cultural revival
- New Kingdom (1570 - 1085 BCE): Empire expansion and Valley of the Kings

Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq
Thrived from 3500 BCE to 539 BCE
Significant achievements:
- Invented writing in the form of cuneiform
- Developed cities, such as Ur and Babylon
- Created the Code of Hammurabi, a set of laws
- Built ziggurats (temples) and irrigation systems
Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians were prominent Mesopotamian civilizations

Situated along the Nile River in modern-day Egypt
Flourished from 3100 BCE to 30 BCE
Notable features:
- Developed a hieroglyphic writing system
- Built the Pyramids of Giza, including the Great Pyramid, Pyramid of Khafre, and Pyramid of Menkaure
- Practiced mummification and believed in an afterlife
- Had a pharaonic system of government
- Constructed the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens
Major periods:
- Old Kingdom (2613 - 2181 BCE): Characterized by pyramid-building and powerful pharaohs
- Middle Kingdom (2040 - 1750 BCE): Marked by reunification and cultural revival
- New Kingdom (1570 - 1085 BCE): Witnessed empire expansion and the creation of the Valley of the Kings

Emerged around 3500 BCE in Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq
Characteristics:
- Independent and self-governing
- Economically and politically autonomous
- Centered around a city or temple complex
- Ruled by a monarch or council of leaders
Examples:
- Sumerian city-states: Ur, Uruk, Nippur
- Akkadian city-states: Akkad, Babylon
- Phoenician city-states: Tyre, Sidon

Marked the beginning of settled societies
Key features:
- Domestication of plants and animals
- Irrigation and crop rotation
- Emergence of social hierarchies and specialized labor
Early agricultural practices:
- Mesopotamia: wheat and barley around 4000 BCE
- China: rice around 3000 BCE
- Mesoamerica: maize around 2000 BCE
Impact of agriculture:
- Allowed for population growth and urbanization
- Enabled the development of complex societies and civilizations

Emerged around 3100 BCE in the Nile Valley
Key features:
- Unified kingdom under a single ruler (pharaoh)
- Hieroglyphic writing system
- Pyramid construction and monumental architecture
- Polytheistic religion with a focus on the afterlife
Early dynastic period:
- Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under Narmer around 3100 BCE
- Development of a centralized bureaucracy and administrative system
Old Kingdom (around 2613-2181 BCE):
- Construction of the Great Pyramids of Giza
- Peak of ancient Egyptian power and cultural achievement