BellringerJanuary 30, 2014

Why do you think living along a river would be

vital in an ancient civilization?

Grab a book.

Missing Syllabus!BlandinoBrancatiCollinsConnorFerranteKokoszka

StoutVernacchio

Student Learning

Map

Essential Question

What were the major river

valley civilizations and

how did their societal,

economic, religious, and

political characteristics

help shape world history?

Vocabulary• City-State• Cultural Diffusion• Dynasty• Empire• Fertile Crescent• Irrigation• Polytheism

Crash Course!

writing taxes

between

rivers

ziggurats

flood droughtwriting

Babylon

taxeslabor army

Assyrians

propaganda

Notes (pgs. 22-23)

Four Early River Valley Civilizations

Mesopotamia (Sumerians)Egypt

Indus (India’s subcontinent)China

Civilization #1: MesopotamiaThe Birth of Civilization

Mesopotamia’s Geography• Located in Fertile Crescent

• Between Tigris and Euphrates rivers• Rest of this area (Southwest Asia) - desert

climate• Mesopotamia (a fertile plain) - Greek for

“land between the rivers”• The rivers flooded Mesopotamia at least

once a year leaving silt behind so farmers could plant wheat and barley• This allowed villages to grow by the

rivers

• Geographical disadvantages and Mesopotamia’s solutions:• Flooding was unpredictable Solution: irrigation• No natural barriers for protection Solution: city

walls• Not many natural resources Solution: trade• It takes lots of organization to complete the above

solutions• Led to organized government

• Used to settle disputes over resources (water, land, etc.)

People and Organization• Settlement and farming - 4500 BC to 3500 BC • City-State: a city and its surrounding lands

(farming) functioning as an independent political unit

• The Mesopotamian city-states shared the same culture but developed their own governments, each with its own rulers

City-States Organization• Priests had power and controlled the government;

they were the ‘go-between’ with the gods• Farmers’ beliefs good crops=favor of the gods• Ziggurat was city hall• Priests managed the irrigation system and

demanded a portion of every farmer’s crop as taxes• Commanders/Monarchs During wars, the best

man was chosen to command the army• Since wars were constant between city-states, the

person stayed in charge and power passed to sons

Sumerian Culture• City-states had surpluses of crops so long distance trade

was expanded• Led to cultural diffusion about technology, art, religion,

etc.• Polytheism- worship of many gods (roughly 3,000 gods)• Social Classes (Hierarchy)

KingPriests

Rich People (nobles)MerchantsGenerals

ArmyCitizensSlaves

Sumerian Empires• Sumerian city-states fought each

other; this weakens them so they could not fight off attacks from other groups = beginning of empires

• Sargon of Akkad (2350 BC): from a city-state north of Sumer - controls Sumerian city-states and spreads Sumerian culture• Sargon had the first empire –

bringing together several peoples, nations, or states under the control of one ruler (imperialism)

Sumerian Empires• Babylonian Empire

(1792 BC)- the leader was Hammurabi who created a code of laws to unify the populations he controlled• Code of Hammurabi

Code of Hammurabi Activity

Reading Notes

Discussion Questions

1. What elements do you think factored in to citywide gridlock in Atlanta after the snowstorm?

2. What do you know about driving in adverse weather?

3. In the video, we hear President Obama say that Sgt. Remsburg "never quits." How might young people be inspired by Sgt. Remsburg's story?

BellringerJanuary 31, 2014

What do you know about

Ancient Egypt?

Grab a book.

Missing Syllabus!BrancatiCollins

FerranteStout

Vernacchio

Discussion Questions

If you were reporting on a cultural tradition, what elements and

perspectives would you include, and why?

Student Learning

Map

Essential Question

What were the major river

valley civilizations and

how did their societal,

economic, religious, and

political characteristics

help shape world history?

Vocabulary• Cataract• Delta• Hieroglyphics• Mummification• Papyrus• Pharaoh• Pyramid• Theocracy

Crash Course!

3000 332Nile

only

surpluseswork

Saw the afterlife as a continuation of this life

Old KingdomMiddle KingdomNew Kingdompeasants

cats

Married his sister, died young (17)

Many people think that the pyramids were built when King Tut was alive, but they were built 1000’s years prior

Notes (pgs. 23-25)

Civilization #2: Ancient Egypt

Pyramids on the Nile

Ancient Egypt’s Geography

• Nile River- longest in world (4,100 miles) with fertile soil surrounding it

• Flows South to North• Predictable Flooding

(helps flood, plant, harvest cycle)

• Good resources• Egyptians worshipped the

Nile as a god

Ancient Egypt’s Geography• Desert on both sides of Nile=natural barriers• Reduced interaction with people• Spared constant warfare that was happening

in Mesopotamia• In 3200 BC - Egyptians coming into contact

with Mesopotamia cultures and Nubia in Africa

Ancient Egyptian Kingdoms• 3100 BC: King Menes of Upper Egypt establishes a

capital at Memphis and unites Lower and Upper Egypt= First Egyptian Dynasty• 31 Dynasties over 2,800 years• Power is passed through heredity

Egyptian Kingdoms • Old Kingdom

• Power of the Pharaohs begin to decline and turmoil and weakness begin

• Middle Kingdom • A series of strong pharaohs restore law and order• Built canal from Nile to Red Sea- improves trade

• 1640 BC – Asian Nomads, the Hyksos, who were chariot riders, invaded and ruled Egypt (1640-1570 BC)

Egyptian Government• Egyptians thought the kings were not

just representatives of the gods but they were Gods• Egyptian kings were called

pharaohs• Government is a theocracy, ruler is

also considered a divine figure• Believed the pharaohs ruled after

death and had a part in continuing to govern Egypt

• The Egyptian people built pyramids, tombs for their dead pharaohs

Egyptian Social Classes• Top class - king, queen, royal family• Upper class – wealthy landowners, gov’t officials, priests, army

commanders• Middle class- merchants and artisans• Lower class (largest) – peasant farmers and unskilled laborers• People were not locked in to one class for life – education was

the key• Women had many same rights as men (own and trade property,

propose marriage)

Egyptian Religion• Polytheistic - a belief in many gods

• Isis – ideal mother and wife• Ra – the sun god• Horus – god of light• Osiris – god of the dead

• They believed in over 2000 gods/goddesses and built temples for them

• Egyptians believed in the afterlife

Egyptian Religion• To help people safely reach the other world,

Egyptians preserved dead bodies by mummification (embalming the corpse to prevent it from decaying)• Placed the organs in canopic jars so they could

use them in the afterlife

Egyptian Religion

• The Book of the Dead (buried with the body) contained scrolls with hymns, prayers, and magic spells on them to guide the soul in the afterlife• Prayers are based on the myth of the god Osiris• Believed that anyone could "become" Osiris in the afterlife,

provided that the person had lived a good life and had the proper prayers recited for him or her

• Estimate 70 million human mummies were made in ancient Egypt • Mummification was carried out in Egypt for over 3,000

years

Do you know what these mean?

• HRU • WRUD 2DAY • B HOME L8ER • G2G • CALL ME 2NITE

• Answers: • How are you?• What are you doing today?• Be home later.• Got to go.• Call me tonight.

What makes this type of communication different from the normal written

word?

What are the advantages of using this type of

communication rather than writing complete words and

sentences?

Egyptian Hieroglyphics• Before there was a written

language, people used pictures to communicate. • Ancient Egyptians used

hieroglyphics to record ideas, history and how pharaohs (that could read and write) sent messages from place to place• Written from right to left

Egyptian Inventions• Numbers for counting, adding, subtracting (mainly

for tax collection purposes)• Engineering – pyramid building• Calendar – for planting purposes – 12 months, 30

days each, five days for holidays/feasting – accurate – only 6 hours short of solar calendar (365 days)

• Medicine (splinting bones, checking pulse)

Egypt Project

DUE DATE:

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY

7TH

Reading

NotesChapte

r 2, Sectio

n 2

BellringerFebruary 4, 2014

Why do you think the Great Wall of China was built?

Grab a book.

Missing Syllabus!BrancatiCollinsStout

Vernacchio

Student Learning

Map

Essential Question

What were the major river

valley civilizations and

how did their societal,

economic, religious, and

political characteristics

help shape world history?

Vocabulary• Dynastic Cycle• Loess• Mandate of Heaven• Oracle Bone

Crash Course!

civilizations

Nomadic

Surplus

Labor

Government

Writing

5,000

largest1750

Conquest

Environmental DisasterEarthquake

Notes (pgs. 26-27)

Civilization #3: IndusPlanned Cities on the Indus

(2500 B.C.- 1500 B.C.)

Geography• A wall of mountains separates South Asia from the

rest of the continent• Mountains guard a fertile plain formed by two

rivers (Indus and Ganges)• Seasonal winds (monsoons) dominate the climate

– made wet and dry seasons• Natural boundaries (mountain and desert)

protects from invaders.• Floods were unpredictable

Indus Achievements

• Planned cities on a grid system• Cities had a citadel, a fortified area

which had the major buildings of the city

• Plumbing and sewage systems

The End of the Indus Civilization• There is no definite idea about why the

Indus Civilization ended, theories include:The Indus River changed course and,

without flooding, they could not surviveThe people overgrazed, over farmed, and

overcut trees, brush, and grassNatural disasterAttack by enemies

Civilization #4: ChinaRiver Dynasties in China

Geography• Natural barriers• Deserts (west and north)• Mountains (west) • Ocean (east)

• North is susceptible to invasion (Great Wall of China)

• Two great rivers, good for agriculture- Yangtze River and the Huang He (Yellow) River- unpredictable flooding

“The Middle Kingdom”• China saw itself as center of civilized

world• Felt there was no need for exploration

or trade with other groups• Everyone else= Barbarians

First Chinese Civilizations

• Civilization emerges by the rivers in approximately 2000 BCE

• Shang Dynasty (1532-1027 BC)- the first dynasty to leave written records, elaborate palaces and tombs and city walls but they had constant warfare

Early Chinese Society• Built walled cities because of constant war – trained

chariot riders• Social Classes- hierarchy

• King• Warrior-nobles who owned land• Peasants

• Family Relationships important• Group more important than individual – honored the

emperor and their family• Respect for Elders• Women inferior• Spirits of family ancestors – could bring good fortune or

disaster to living family members

China’s Dynastic Cycle

• Zhou Dynasty(1027-256 BC) overthrows Shang Dynasty

• “Mandate of Heaven”- The idea that the dynasty rules because of divine approval

• Zhou uses this to justify their conquest• Said God took away the Shang Dynasty’s right to

rule and gave it to Zhou• Floods, wars, and disease- were signs that god was

displeased with a dynasty and gives the mandate of Heaven to another dynasty

• Dynastic Rule until the 20th century

Chinese Zhou’s Achievements• Coined Money for Trade• Working with Iron – helped farming be more

productive• Cross-bows for warfare• New type of worker – the government/city worker

Reading

Notes

Review Sheet

Must be completed

the day BEFORE the

test!

Essential Questions

What are some key contributions of archeologists, anthropologists,

& paleontologist in regards to discoveries of early man?

What impact did the development of agriculture & domestication of

animals have upon human society?

What were the major river valley civilizations & how did their societal,

economic, religious, & political characteristics help shape world history?

Discussion Questions

1. What is meant by the term "emerging markets"?

2. What do you know about the Federal Reserve and its role in the U.S. economy?

3. What is meant by the term "undocumented immigrant"?

4. Are there any sports you'd like to see in the Winter Olympics that aren't currently part of the Games? Explain.

BellringerFebruary 6, 2014

What do you think were the accepted roles for men and women in Ancient

China?

NO CNN TODAY

Film

HomeworkThe Ballad of Mulan

REMINDERS!

• DUE TOMORROW• Unit I Packet• Unit I Review Sheet• Egypt Project

UNIT I TEST TOMORROW!

February 7, 2014 No Bellringer(write this on your sheet)

We will do CNN after the test

Take 10 minutes to STUDY

Missing Syllabus!BrancatiCollinsStout

Vernacchio

Discussion Question

How might media coverage of the Olympics

vary from country to country?

BellringerSeptember 18, 2013

How do you study for a test? Did you feel

prepared for last week’s test? Why or why not?

Test Corrections

AB