River Valleys (Digital Workbook) PDF

 GOVERNMENT MONUMENTAL GEOGRAPHY SOCIETY RELIGION WRITING ACHIEVEMENTS & ECONOMY BUILDING GEOGRAPHY ANCIENT EGYPT’S geographic location...

 GOVERNMENT MONUMENTAL GEOGRAPHY SOCIETY RELIGION WRITING ACHIEVEMENTS & ECONOMY BUILDING GEOGRAPHY ANCIENT EGYPT’S geographic location provided plentiful farming and protection. The Nile River was a peaceful flowing river that flooded predictably leaving a black silt GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY MESOPOTAMIA, which means “land behind when waters receded. The black silt between the rivers” was located between was rich fertile soil for planting. It was such a the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Today, the reliable river that it earned the nickname, area is mostly Iraq and Syria. The fertile soil “Gift of the Nile.” The Egyptians were able to MONUMENTAL BUILDING created by silt deposited by receding use the Nile to create a complex irrigation floodplains allowed for farming to begin in system. this river valley. The Tigris River was During the Old Kingdom, the land was well nicknamed, “Swift River,” meaning that it protected. The Nile contained cataracts SOCIETY flowed very quickly and was not peaceful. The Euphrates River changed its course often, leaving farmland without irrigation. Both rivers were unpredictable, often RELIGION causing extensive property/farmland damage and loss of human life. Successful large-scale farming was only possible with the development of irrigation systems. Mesopotamia’s location left it open to WRITING attack as the Zagros Mountains were low and actually benefited invaders as they could hide in them. The deserts, the Syrian ACHIEVEMENTS and the Arabian, did not prevent invaders from approaching the region. GEOGRAPHY which allowed farming to develop. The Indus provided water necessary for farming to be successful. The Indus Civilization also experienced monsoons (strong seasonal GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY (rapid water created by rocks or waterfalls) winds) which brought a wet season in the which made it impossible to sail through. summer with heavy rains, and a dry season The First Cataract, located near Ancient in the winter, with winds. Egypt’s southern boundary, created a The Himalaya Mountains are the world’s MONUMENTAL BUILDING barrier that prevented invaders from using tallest mountains. To the west of the the Nile to attack. Although there were no Himalaya is the Hindu-Kush mountain range. mountains, the deserts (the Eastern, the Together, these two mountain ranges Western, and the Sahara) provided ample provided significant protection. However, eventually, Indus was invaded via a pass SOCIETY protection. Ancient Egypt’s deserts were vast. Fertile land was limited to the 10 or so (Khyber) in the Hindu-Kush Mountains. miles from the banks of the Nile River. This area was called the Black Land due to the RELIGION rich black silt deposited there. Beyond this area was desert, called the Red Land. HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION (INDUS) developed in a fertile river valley along the Indus River, which today is primarily located WRITING in Pakistan. The other significant northern river in India is the Ganges. Both rivers originate in the Himalaya Mountains. The ACHIEVEMENTS Indus River deposited silt when its floodwaters receded. This silt was a rich soil GEOGRAPHY GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY ANCIENT CHINA developed in the North Tian Shan, and the Pamir mountain ranges China Plain, a fertile river valley between presented formidable obstacles. Finally, the the rivers, Huang He (aka “Yellow River”) Gobi Desert to the north and the Taklimakan and Chang Jiang (aka “Yangtze River”). MONUMENTAL Desert to the west strongly discouraged BUILDING Both rivers deposited a rich yellow silt when invaders. However, northern invaders were their floodwaters receded. The Huang He able to circumvent the Gobi Desert by River was about 3400 miles long and was travelling to its east, closer to the coast. unpredictable with its course changing These invasions became dangerous and SOCIETY frequently over time. It earned the walls had to be built for protection. nickname, “China’s Sorrow” due to the degree of destruction it caused on the occasion it flooded violently. The Chang RELIGION Jiang is the world’s 3rd longest river at 4000 miles. This river was mostly predictable and thus helped to unify China as it provided a means for transportation and trade. Ancient China was well protected on the WRITING east and the west, as its geography almost completely isolated it from the rest of the world. On the east it was protected by the ACHIEVEMENTS Pacific Ocean, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea. On the west, the Himalaya, the  GEOGRAPHY GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY GOVERNMENT BEGINS IN RIVER VALLEYS from the same family– usually a king’s oldest When villages joined together to build large son becomes the next king). Mesopotamia public works projects, like irrigation systems, was later invaded by two groups who would the scale of the project required planning, MONUMENTAL centralize it. The first was Sargon of the BUILDING organizing, coordinating, and managing. Akkadians who conquered the city-states Thus, there was a need for leadership which creating the world’s first empire. Next was in turn led to the development of a more Hammurabi, who created the world’s first complex system of government (essentially, codified legal system. Centralization was SOCIETY kings versus village chiefs). short-lived and Mesopotamia was returned MESOPOTAMIA was divided into city-states to its decentralized city-states. with each one having its own government, Mesopotamia’s economy was based on although they shared many cultural aspects farming and trading surplus food and RELIGION such as language and religion. Because the artisans’ manufactured products. Trade was natural resources in the area were limited, conducted via bartering usually in bazaars. these city-states were often either battling ANCIENT EGYPT was initially decentralized, one another or defending against attacks divided into Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, from other invaders. Thus, Mesopotamia WRITING each with its own king. The king of Upper was mostly decentralized. The city-states Egypt, Menes, conquered Lower Egypt, were initially led by a priest-king. However, creating Egypt’s first centralized the constant warfare required a military government. Menes combined the crowns ACHIEVEMENTS leader so the city-states switched to military of Upper and Lower Egypts to make one minded kings who created dynasties (rulers new crown which he wore. Menes is  GEOGRAPHY GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY considered the first pharaoh of Egypt. Egypt’s economy was based on farming Egypt remained primarily centralized and on trade. They had products from beginning with Menes in the Old Kingdom. craftspeople as well as surplus crops to Only the years between the kingdoms (Old MONUMENTAL trade. Trade was completed using a barter BUILDING Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New system (exchange of goods), usually in Kingdom) were decentralized. The bazaars. The Egyptians utilized the Nile for Intermediate Periods (span of time between trade. Egyptian sailboats used trade winds the kingdoms) usually began when the to travel south on the Nile and travelled SOCIETY authority of the pharaoh was decreased north using the current as the Nile River was due to the onslaught of droughts, famine, a north-flowing river. disease, or lost wars. The pharaoh was HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION (INDUS) is unique. believed to be a living god, so when Here we see our first example of planned RELIGION famine, disease, etc. came to Egypt, the cities. Historians believe that the cities of the people began to believe that their pharaoh Harappan Civilization are not city-states run was not a legitimate living god otherwise, by separate kings, but instead were clearly, he would have been able to stop centralized under one leader (for example, the disastrous situation. The pharaohs ruled WRITING states within the larger United States). creating dynasties where the role passed Historians have ample reason to believe that from the pharaoh to the oldest son of his this river valley was centralized under one primary wife. Often, the son accompanied leader. The 1000+ cities were hundreds of ACHIEVEMENTS his father, the pharaoh, as he performed his miles apart yet they had strong cultural ties, duties so he could learn the job. demonstrated by their similarities. For  GEOGRAPHY GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY example, houses and businesses were exchange, weights and measures have located in the eastern section of each city, been found in each city. They are identical surrounded by a defensive wall while public and they may have been used to create a MONUMENTAL buildings and structures to store grain were standard amount of grain, etc. for a BUILDING located in the west portion of each city. The particular value. However, no coins have houses were built using bricks that were the been found dating back to this time period. same size. They had indoor plumbing (a Jewelry, toys, pottery, and other items made toilet and a bathroom) that emptied into by artisans were used for trade alongside SOCIETY underground sewers. The homes also had surplus crops. Historians speculate that small running water with wells bringing water into clay stamps were used by merchants to the homes. Homes were located on streets mark their goods for trading purposes. They that were designed to intersect at 90- conducted long distance trade using boats RELIGION degree angles. The cities also had similar and wheeled vehicles. Stamps have been pottery, jewelry, toys, and tools. The fact found in Mesopotamia indicating that that homes, hundreds of miles apart, were seaborne trade was conducted between identical in design indicates that one these two civilizations. WRITING central government gave instructions for ANCIENT CHINA was first centralized under location and design. the Shang. The Shang kings ruled creating The Harappan Civilization’s economy was dynasties. Legend tells the tale that the Xia based on farming and trade. Although it is was China’s first dynasty. But since no ACHIEVEMENTS likely that barter was the only system of archeological evidence exists to support this claim, most historians refer to it as just a  GEOGRAPHY GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY MONUMENTAL BUILDING legend. Another legend tells the story of how the Shang Dynasty began. It claims that a man named Cheng Tang founded the dynasty when he overthrew the evil king SOCIETY of the Xia Dynasty. One thing that is certain, the Shang king was served by a hereditary class of aristocrats who functioned as his officials, handling the day-to-day affairs of RELIGION the dynasty. Although China was well- protected geographically, its weakness was the north. From the north, the Shang faced constant war with outsiders. The economy of Ancient China focused on WRITING farming. ACHIEVEMENTS  GEOGRAPHY GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY MONUMENTAL BUILDING refers to large ANCIENT EGYPT’S pyramids are likely the structures made by humans using stone or best known examples of monumental earth. These could only be built by complex building. They were used as tombs for the societies due to the required planning, dead pharaohs. The Great Pyramid of Khufu MONUMENTAL BUILDING organization, and execution using took over 18,000 workers 20 years to build. It thousands of workers. These structures are stood 481 feet tall and was perfectly not something that small villages could symmetrical on all four sides. construct, thus they are signs of the HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION (INDUS) leaves SOCIETY development of civilization. In ancient behind no examples of monumental times, monumental buildings were building. However, some local historians constructed not only for use, but also to argue that the Citadel which was located in show power to the inhabitants of the large cities, was the location for a larger RELIGION civilization and to those outside the temple that had been destroyed. The facts civilization. are not clear on this matter. MESOPOTAMIA’S ziggurat, meaning ANCIENT CHINA also leaves behind no “mountain top” is an example of examples of monumental buildings. monumental building. Each city-state had a However, later the Zhou Dynasty (following WRITING ziggurat which was used for religious the Shang) would build segments of stone purposes, as a grain storage location, and walls along the northern border for where business/trade was conducted. The protection against invaders from the north. ACHIEVEMENTS largest, reportedly stood 300 feet tall and The Qin Dynasty joined these segments had 7 levels. together to build the Great Wall of China.  GEOGRAPHY social structure. Women were able to engage in trade and acquire property. They could work as tavern keepers, midwives or even nurses. They could lend and borrow GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY money. Common women were a large SOCIETY during ancient times was workforce who performed heavy physical hierarchical, with the powerful and wealthy labor such as grinding flour, towing boats or at the top. Slaves, who were usually either cutting reeds, often alongside their MONUMENTAL prisoners of war, or people who were BUILDING husbands. Elite women ran their households unable to pay their debts, were at the where slaves performed the work, but they bottom of the order. rarely worked outside the home. MESOPOTAMIA was hierarchical with, the ANCIENT EGYPTIAN women shared some priest-kings at the top, and later when rights with men. They could own property, SOCIETY military leaders were needed, kings at the conduct business and take part in court top with priests just below them. As city- cases. However, there was division between states became more complex, so did their RELIGION WRITING ACHIEVEMENTS  GEOGRAPHY GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY the rich and the poor. While poor women did hard labor alongside their husbands, elite women ran their households where MONUMENTAL slaves performed the work. The social BUILDING structure in Ancient Egypt was much like ANCIENT CHINA allowed women to own that of the other early river valleys, with the property, but they were not able to inherit it. pharaoh at the top, followed by skilled A girl’s education focused around how to labor, then unskilled workers, and finally, run her household. She was taught by her SOCIETY slaves at the bottom. The social structure mother. There was a clear preference for was not completely rigid, some people boys as the Ancient Chinese felt they were were able to move up a class. smarter and would take care of the parents. HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION (INDUS) Scientists RELIGION believe that the skilled and unskilled people of the Harappan civilization were divided comparable to the social structures of the other early river valley civilizations. However, WRITING there is no clear evidence of a king or slaves. Many believe this civilization focused on religious pursuits. Perhaps because of their protective geography, the Harappan ACHIEVEMENTS people did not need a king to lead them in battle and thus had no prisoners of war.  GEOGRAPHY main god. Mesopotamians believed that their afterlife was going to be a dismal place comparable to their lives on earth. ANCIENT EGYPT believed that their pharaoh GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY RELIGION during the time of the early river was a living god. The pharaoh and other valley civilizations was polytheistic, meaning priests often performed rituals for the gods. that people believed in many gods and They believed that if they lived good lives, goddesses. Religion was used to explain the then their soul would travel to a paradise MONUMENTAL BUILDING physical world as scientific knowledge was afterlife. Egyptians built tombs (pyramids) for limited. It was believed that the gods their pharaohs to help them transition to their controlled every aspect of life and death. afterlife. Because they believed that the soul MESOPOTAMIA’S ziggurats served as the needed a body in order to transition, they mummified the dead pharaoh’s body to SOCIETY center for religion. Priests performed rituals at the top of the step-pyramid in an keep it intact. Re, the sun god, was the most attempt to keep the gods happy. Often important of their gods as he created the sacrifices of food and animals were made world. Also important were Osiris who ruled the underworld and Anubis who determined RELIGION to the gods. Mesopotamians believed that they were created to serve the gods. They who would be admitted to the afterlife. Per also believed that the gods were usually not the Book of the Dead, Anubis weighed each happy with them and this is why their rivers dead person’s heart against an ostrich would flood violently and unpredictably. To feather. If the heart weighed the same as WRITING try to please the gods, Mesopotamians left the ostrich feather, then the person was standing statues of themselves at the admitted to the afterlife. The Book of the ziggurat to pray on their behalf when they Dead was a collection of spells and ACHIEVEMENTS could not be there themselves to pray. Enil, guidance for the journey from the living the god of wind and storms, was their world to the afterlife.  GEOGRAPHY spirits of their dead ancestors. They believed that these spirits influenced everything. Most homes had a shrine to their ancestors. To keep the spirits happy, priests conducted GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY rituals and special ceremonies. Their main HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION (INDUS) built a god was Shangdi. Great Bath that many historians believe is connected to the religion of this ancient MONUMENTAL civilization. Furthermore, archaeologists BUILDING have found images that they believe is a primitive form of the Hindu god, Shiva. Once the Aryans invaded Indus, they brought their religion and culture with them. To keep SOCIETY their gods happy, the Aryans performed elaborate rituals. Their religion eventually developed into Brahmanism, a predecessor for Hinduism. Eventually, the hymns and RELIGION rituals performed by the Aryans was written down. The oldest record is the Rig Veda, other sacred texts are called the Vedas. Brahmins were the priests in this religious WRITING structure. They claimed that the kings received their right to rule from the gods. ANCIENT CHINA In addition to worshipping many gods, the Shang Dynasty practiced ACHIEVEMENTS ancestor veneration by worshipping the  GEOGRAPHY ideas. Later, Cuneiform Script was developed. This writing built on the earlier pictographic writing but was able to communicate feelings and concepts. GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY WRITING: During the time of the early river Writing was done by scribes and this is why valleys, most people were illiterate meaning they were usually high in the social they could not read or write. Thus, scribes hierarchy. Scribes, using a stick for a stylus, were very important as they were among pushed onto wet clay tablets making MONUMENTAL BUILDING the few people who could read or write. wedge-like marks. Once complete, the The records left behind were primarily tablet was laid in the sun to dry. contracts, official records, religious texts, ANCIENT EGYPTIAN hieroglyphics are technical manuals, and other business distinctive. There were over 800 hieroglyphs and writing using this system was SOCIETY transactions, and some stories. We learn a great deal about the river valleys by complicated. There were no vowels. Scribes examining these documents. For example, were vital to Egypt. In fact, one scribe, contracts revealing that a man who could Horemheb, became a pharaoh. The Egyptians wrote on a sort of paper called RELIGION not pay his debt entered into a contract that made his wife a slave until such time papyrus which was made from the papyrus that he had repaid his debt reveals the level plant that grew in the low-lying areas of the of power that husbands had over wives and Nile Delta. They also fashioned a writing tool how one might become a slave. from the papyrus reeds. WRITING MESOPOTAMIA created the first writing HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION (INDUS) had a known to man. At first, the Sumerians writing but historians have not been able to created a pictograph form of writing. This is decipher it yet. Visually, it appears to be ACHIEVEMENTS where drawings represent a physical partially based on pictographs, like object. These drawings can communicate Cuneiform. It has been found on smaller  GEOGRAPHY GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY items, such as the clay stamps believed to be associated with Indus trade. Once we are able to decipher the Indus script, we will MONUMENTAL be able to learn more about their society, BUILDING culture, government, religion, etc. ANCIENT CHINA had a complicated pictographic writing with over 3000 SOCIETY characters. This early writing has served as the basis for modern Chinese writing. The earliest examples of Chinese writing were found on oracles bones. Oracle bones were RELIGION used to speak to the gods. Priests would write questions on the bones of animals, usually a tortoise shell, and placed the bone in a fire. Once the bone began to crack, WRITING they removed the bone from the fire. The priest then read the cracks to determine the gods answer to the question. ACHIEVEMENTS  GEOGRAPHY Impressively, Egyptians could accurately calculate the number of workers, and food to feed the workers, that would be required for a project. In the medical arena, they GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY MESOPOTAMIA most notably had learned to set broken bones and performed advancements in astronomy, mathematics, simple surgeries. Historians speculate that and pioneering technology. In astronomy, many workers broke bones in the process of their observations of the moon allowed building pyramids so Egyptians had ample MONUMENTAL BUILDING them to create a 365-day calendar with 24- ability to hone their bone-setting techniques. hour days and a 12-month year. In math, The made medicine from plants and they were able to accurately calculate minerals. And, they had a detailed angles and areas. They created a decimal understanding of anatomy, likely from their practice of mummifying pharaohs and other SOCIETY counting system but their system did not include the concept of zero. However, their society elites. In art, the Egyptians pioneered number system, based on 60, is still in use a distinctive art form called Frontalism which today. For example, the 60-second minute, was created for religious purposes. Since most Egyptian art was painted for religious RELIGION the 60-minute hour, and the 360-degree circle. The Sumerians created pioneering purposes, it was important to show as much technology related to farming. For example, of the body as possible. Thus, in Frontalism, the creation of the ox-drawn plow, the while the head and legs are drawn in profile, wheel, and irrigation techniques. the shoulders, chest, and arms are facing WRITING ANCIENT EGYPT had significant forward. Finally, in architecture, Egyptians advancements in mathematics, medicine, created the “golden ratio,” a system of art and architecture. In math, comparable utilizing phi to create pleasing dimensions. ACHIEVEMENTS to the Mesopotamians, they were able to Egyptians believed that the golden ratio was calculate accurate angles and volume. sacred, calling it the “scared ratio.”  GEOGRAPHY horse’s harness. Artists during the Shang Dynasty created works of art using bronze. Surprisingly, the manufacturing of silk was at an advanced level during the Shang GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY Dynasty. HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION (INDUS) The achievements of the Indus were discussed in the “Government & Economy” section of MONUMENTAL this workbook because without the ability to BUILDING decipher their writing, we must reply upon these achievements tell us that the Indus were likely a centralized government. Their major achievements were the SOCIETY development of a standard for weights and measures, and their well-planned cities. Their cities were designed with streets on 90- degree angles (demonstrating their RELIGION knowledge of math). Their cities were divided into two areas: one for business and one for residence. Homes had running water via wells and sewage through a well- WRITING designed underground system of tunnels. This was the world’s oldest known sanitation system. ANCIENT CHINA had many achievements ACHIEVEMENTS that related to farming. They improved the plow and created the wheelbarrow and a