The Earliest Civilizations. World History

Transcription

1 The Earliest Civilizations World History

2 Who Studies the Past? Historians study the past, using mostly written records from civilizations. They use primary sources, which were written at that time or secondary sources, which were written by other historians. Anthropologists study people and their cultures. Archaeologists study artifacts to learn about the past.

3 The First Humans The first humans were hunters and gatherers They followed herds of animals and ripening fruits and berries Tools were simple and progress was slow.

4 The Paleolithic Age These first people were part of the Paleolithic Age. This means Old Stone Age. People did not stay in one place for extended periods of time.

5 The Paleolithic Age People lived in small hunting and food gathering bands of 20 to 30 people. They were nomads, which means they did not stay in one place. They made some very important advances, like spoken language, clothing, and fire. This age has no official beginning date. This period ends about 10,000 years ago.

6 Paleolithic Tools

7 The Neolithic Age Begins The Neolithic Age began around 10,000 years ago. The word Neolithic means New Stone Age. The key to the beginning of the Neolithic Age is the creation of FARMING. People can now stay in one place and stop wandering and following food.

8 The Neolithic Age Animals are domesticated and people learn how to grow crops. Tools become more advanced and people can stay in one place. Some people can focus on crafts, trade, and war.

9 The growth of farming led to led to an increase in population. This led to more communication and interaction between groups of people. Leaders started to develop. Civilizations start to develop around 5000 years ago. Neolithic Society

10 What does a civilization need? Cities Well organized governments Complex religions Job specialization Social classes Art and architecture Public works Writing

11 Where did the first civilizations The earliest civilizations developed in the fertile lands around rivers. They were in Asia and Africa. The rich soil and abundant water allowed people to grow excess crops. This allowed people to take on jobs other than farming. develop?

12 What caused governments to develop? People had to work together to control flood water, create irrigation, and build canals. Some of these projects required leadership and from this leadership, government developed. Social classes were also created.

13 Social Classes Develop Social classes developed based on people s jobs. Priests and nobles were at the top. Artisans were below them. Then came peasant farmers. Slaves were at the bottom. Writing develops, probably so that priest could write. Early writing was made up of pictographs. Pictographs use pictures to express ideas.

14 Ancient Egypt Around 5000 years ago, a civilization developed in Egypt around the Nile River. Egyptian rulers were called Pharaohs and were very powerful. Ideas spread through cultural diffusion. They were polytheistic. (Believed in many gods.)

15 The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid

16 Ancient Sumer City states developed around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Asia around about 5000 years ago. City states is a political unit made up of a city and the surrounding land. Sumerians built ziggurats, or large pyramidshaped temples in the center of their cities. Scribes created the earliest type of writing called Cuneiform.

17 A Sumerian Ziggurat

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19 Cuneiform, a system of writing using wedge shapes

20 Sargon of Akkad conquers all of the city states of Sumer. He creates the world s first empire. This happened around 2300 BC. An empire is a group of countries or states ruled by one person. Sargon the Great

21 Hammurabi and his Code Hammurabi took over much of Mesopotamia around 1790 BC. He is famous for creating the first written system of laws. It is famous for the eye for an eye philosophy.

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24 The Beginnings of Judaism The Hebrews came together as a people about 2000 BC. They were monotheistic (believed in one god). King Solomon created a Jewish kingdom around 1000BC. A series of invading armies conquered the Hebrews and the Jews were scattered across the globe in something called the diaspora.

25 Early Civilizations in India The first cities in India developed around 2600 BC. Around 500 BC, the Aryans created a civilization around the Ganges River. They created a class system that would later form the Hindu Caste system.

26 Hinduism begins in India Hinduism has no founder and no single sacred text. It grew from the beliefs of large groups of people in India. Hindus believe everything is part of a never changing force called brahman.

27 Hinduism is polytheistic Hindus believe in many gods. The most important are Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. Hindus also believe in reincarnation and that people are born again after they die.

28 Shiva the Destroyer

29 Brahma the Creator

30 Vishnu the Preserver

31 Buddhism develops in India Around 500 BC, Siddhartha Guatama starts Buddhism. It encourages people to find enlightenment through meditation. People are supposed to find enlightenment themselves instead of through priests and rituals. Guatama became known as Buddha or the Enlightened One.

32 Buddha discovers the Four Noble Truths

33 Early Civilizations in China China was separated by mountains, deserts, and jungles from the rest of the world. About 1650, a cycle of dynasties began in China. A dynasty is a ruling family that passes its power down through the generations. They learned to work with bronze, silk, and how to make books.