Unit 2: River Valley Civilizations

Essential Questions: 1-Does geography determine history? 2-How are River Valley Civilizations similar and different?

Illustrated Glossary of Termshttp://sites.levittownschools.com/ckind/Documents

/Unit2_Illustrated-Glossary.pdf

Create a new section in your marble notebook and label it:Unit 2: River Valley CivilizationsPaste the terms into your notebook.

Lesson 1 Vocabualry

Vocabulary terms for Unit 2 Lesson 1 barge canal carp harpoons irrigation Khemet papyrus perch silt tilapia

Lesson 1 Maps Eastern Hemisphere and World Maps.pdf

o The world is divided into hemispheres: Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern. Hemi is the prefix meaning half.

o Last year you studied the Western Hemisphere and this year’s focus is the Eastern Hemisphere.

*Regions: areas that share common identifiable characteristics, such as physical, political, economic, or cultural features.Textbook page_____

*This year we will be studying many different regions in the Eastern Hemisphere.Example: The Middle East

What can various maps tell us about a specific region? Textbook page______Political MapPhysical MapClimate MapVegetation Map Population Density Map

When viewing maps, consider the following questions for analysis:

1. What can we learn from this map?

2. Does this map show that countries of the Middle East have characteristics in common?

3. How does this map demonstrate the impact of geography on the people of the Middle East?

4. What current day problems in the Middle East are the result of its geography (water and resources)?  Lesson 1 Middle East Maps.pdf

Exit Ticket“How does geography show us that the Middle East is a region?”

Cite two examples.

  Reading Haves and Have-Nots.pdf

State Main Idea:____________________________________________________

Supporting Evidence: _______________________________________________

Resource ?________

What caused problem?

Is this a

problem throughout

the Middle East or not?

How does this impact

the people of the

Middle East?

Think of a solution to the problem?

   Water Crisis.docx

Introduction to the Geography of River Valley Civilizations

Terrain Map of Fertile Crescent

What does the word fertile mean?What does the word crescent mean?https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/3029357E-9BB7-40D5-93E2-EFFBDCA2AFFE

Lesson 2

•canal •drought •Fertile Crescent •flooding •irrigation •levees •silt

Lesson 2 Vocabulary

What do you think fertile crescent means???

Where do you think the most populated area to settle would be? Why?

How did ancient Mesopotamian farmers use technology to control their water supply?

How did the geographic features of Mesopotamia influence the development of civilization in the region?

https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/3029357E-9BB7-40D5-93E2-EFFBDCA2AFFE

Fertile - soil that contains substances that give plants the nutrients they need to grow

Crescent - the moon in its last quarter

Fertile Crescent - a region in Southwestern Asia that is shaped like a crescent and has fertile land.

Rivers:·allows for cultural diffusion·ease of travel, trade and communication·allows for irrigation of crops·provides natural resources to meet necessities for survival

Plains:·allows for cultural diffusion (through war and trade)·difficult to defend·ease of travel, trade and communication·allows for irrigation of crops·fertile soil

Mesopotamia is the area of land between the River Euphrates and the River Tigris. In fact, Mesopotamia means “between two rivers.” In

ancient times, both rivers frequently flooded the surrounding land. When the floods receded, they left behind a layer of silt, creating a fertile area of soil near the rivers. The first people to live in Mesopotamia led a nomadic life, but after the Neolithic Revolution the first farmers settled in one place and lived in small villages. As a surplus of crops developed, some people

were able to become craftsmen and traders. Some of the villages grew into towns, and in turn some of the towns grew into cities. Across

Mesopotamia, different groups of people settled, based around particular cities like Ninevah and Nippur. The Sumerians were to be found in southern Mesopotamia, the Akkadians, and then the Babylonians, in central Mesopotamia and the Assyrians in northern Mesopotamia. Sometimes, the whole of Mesopotamia was ruled by one of these groups of people. Sometimes, it was ruled by people who came from outside Mesopotamia. Nowadays, most of Mesopotamia is the country of Iraq.

Mesopotamian cities were centers of knowledge and learning. The Sumerians developed a number system based on 60. The people used multiplication tables written on clay tablets. Babylonian astronomers studied the night sky and recorded the movement of the moon and planets. Writing began in the Sumerian cities around 3200 BC to record the collection and distribution of food supplies in the cities. The first Sumerian writing used pictograms; simple pictures which represent objects. Gradually, these pictograms were simplified into a form of writing which used wedge-shapes. This writing is known as cuneiform. Cuneiform symbols represented syllables which could be combined to make a word, or used by themselves to represent a complete word. Their writings included all kinds of documents: letters, legends, dictionaries and histories, mathematical and medical texts. Most of the writing from Mesopotamia is on small clay tablets. Damp clay was formed into a flat tablet, which could be held in one hand. The writer pressed a stylus (a small tool for writing) made from reed, wood or ivory into the clay to make the cuneiform symbols then left the tablet in the sun to harden. Cuneiform tablets were kept in the royal palaces and temples. The Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, who reigned from 668 to 631 BC, collected a library of about 25,000 clay tablets in his palace at Nineveh. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (reigned 605 to 562 BC) started a museum in Babylon, which contained objects, statues and clay tablets. A mathematical table with the Sumerian Numbering System:

Examples of cuneiform shown above

Read textbook pg. 21: Linking Past & Present

Examples of the development of Cuneiform:

Mesopotamian cities were home to specialized craft workers. These workers used a wide range of materials to create different craft and art objects. Each person had a different job. There were potters, glass blowers, sculptors, scribes, etc. There is little stone in the south and there are no metal mines in Mesopotamia, so both materials had to be brought from other places. Thus we know the people of Mesopotamia were involved in trade. Copper, bronze, silver and gold were used to make weapons, farming equipment, cups, vases, dishes, bowls and jewelry. Metal was also used to decorate objects made from other materials such as wooden musical instruments and stone statues.

The people of Mesopotamia believed that the universe was controlled by gods and goddesses who had to be obeyed, and worshipped with prayers and offerings. There were many myths and legends about these gods and goddesses. Temples were the centers of religious activity where priests and priestesses served a particular god or goddess. People believed that the god or goddess lived in the temple. All temples contained a statue of their god or goddess, together with an offering table. Special feasts and festivals were held in honor of the gods and goddesses. At some periods, important people were buried with some of the possessions and food perhaps they believed they would need them in the afterlife.

Government City-States independent state with its own government

Art Artisans made metal products, cloth, or pottery

Religion Polytheistic:belief in many gods

Writing Cuneiform

Sumerian CivilizationCities that have organized governments, art, religion, class

divisions, and a writing system.

*Men headed the households and could go to school.*Women had limited rights, but could buy and sell property and run businesses.

Upper Middle Lower

Kings, priests, & government officials

Artisans, merchants, farmers, & fishers

Enslaved people

Class Divisions

Important Facts

1. Civilizations are complex societies that have cities, organized governments, art, religion, class divisions, and writing. They developed along river valleys because rivers offered good farming conditions, freshwater, fish, and an easy way for trade and travel.

2. A government was needed to keep order in the society. Someone had to make plans and decisions about matters of common concern. Organization was extremely important.

3. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers affected life in many ways. Mesopotamia had a hot, dry climate and the springtime floods left rich soil for farming. Floods were not only helpful, but harmful and unpredictable. Every year farmers worried about their crops getting destroyed and turned to the gods for help.

4. Mesopotamia means “the land between two rivers.” The fertile Crescent is a region that is shaped like a crescent and is extremely fertile.

5. Floods were very unpredictable and not only left rich soil for farming, but destroyed crops. Farmers had to learned how to build dams and channels to control these seasonal floods. They also built walls, waterways, and ditches to bring water to their fields. This way of watering crops is called irrigation.

http://www.Mesopotamia.co.uk

Use this site to explore Assyria, Babylon, and Sumer.

1. What are their unique contributions?2. How do we know about them?3. How would I explain what I learned to others?

The British Museum Chart.docx The British Museum Chart.docx

Society What are unique

contributions

How do you know about

them

How would I explain what I

learned to others?

AssyriaSumerBabylon

Hammurabi Webpage 1

Hammurabi Webpage 2Lesson 3

Respond: Why does a civilization need laws?As cities grow, a need for order increases.

Share and

discussWhat do laws tell us about society? What do think about Hammurabi’s ideas of justice? What was his main principle?-Pair Share

Bill of Rights-Are the laws similar in any way to Hammurabi’s?

Textbook pgs. 22-25

Vocabulary:• code • law • Mesopotamia

Fair or Cruel?Hammurabi Powerpoint Hammurabi wrote 282 laws to govern the people of Babylon. Historians and scholars agree that these ancient laws were the first to cover all aspects of society. However, they do not agree whether Hammurabi’s laws were fair or cruel.

“Indus Valley Civilization.” fruzeo.com. http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX615c7157565f6851530f5d&t=History-of-India 4:42.This minute video presents images from that time period with no narration. Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilization | Harappa and Mohenjo Daro Excavations -

“Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilization | Harappa and Mohenjo Daro Excavations - Ancient Indian History.”YouTube. 4:42. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCYx-_WqcKc&feature=youtu.be This is a 3D animated documentary. Start the video at 1.22 and stop it frequently to discuss each point.

Video Discussion Day

• Mohenjo-daro in Sindh: located on the banks of Indus River• Harappa in Punjab: located on the banks of Ghagara River• Kalibangan in Rajastan: located on the banks of Ghaghara River• Rupar in Hariyana: located on the banks of Sutlij River

These are all cities discovered by archeologists. What do they have in common? Why?

 1. What bodies of water surround

the Indian subcontinent?

2. List two reasons why the Indus River provided a rich valley for farmers.

3. Describe how the Indus River, on the Indian subcontinent, helped civilizations grow.

http://www.ancientindia.co

.uk/indus/home_set.html

“India” Ancient Civilizations: Program 06: The End Is the Beginning. Discovery Education Streaming. 2:49. http://app.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/assetGuid/8C145272-8A58-43D7-A460-C2787E87FB51 This segment examines the economic and engineering sophistication of the ancient Indian city of Mohenjo Daro. It speculates that the reason for this society’s decline was environmental: the inhabitants abused the natural resources, resulting in drought and desertification.

Lesson 4

Informational Essay: Students write an informational essay comparing the similarities and differences between the civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.

Lesson 4 Informational Text Rubric.pdf