Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley - Chapter 1

     In modern Iraq, between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, the Fertile Crescent - aka Mesopotamia - started to use irrigation to water plants, oxen to pull plows, and other animals for herding during the First Agricultural revolution. The people who lived there were called Sumerians, and they spoke Semitic languages (such as Hebrew). self-governing city-states farmed or specialized in production and were ruled by priests an kings. King Sargon (2350 BCE) united these smaller kingdoms into one kingdom. A new city at Babylon was formed and ruled by a later king named Hammurabi, who set up early laws. Trade was essential in these cities.
     Three social classes emerged - the free (such as the kings and priests), the farmers and merchants (less free because of ties to others) and the slaves. Scribes began to write down records, and women were treated as second-class citizens.
     Sumerian gods represented forces of nature and were worshiped in temples with ziggurats (pyramid like structures) at the center. Sacrifices were common, and many people wore amulets to protect themselves from demons or magic.
     Mesopotamians began to write around 3300 BCE in cuneiform (a wedge shaped alphabet). They also began to make bronze, clay dishes, horse drawn chariots for war, and invented a number system.

     Egypt formed along the Nile river, whose flooding left behind dirt that was great for farming. Egypt spread to encompass a large area in a few thousand years. It had many natural resources like clay, stone, and papyrus, and a gradual change in climate allowed parts of the Sahara desert to be farmed.
     Thirty dynasties of kings formed the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Pharaohs (kings) were buried in pyramids or the Valley of the Kings, since they were believed to be a human form of Horus, the son of Ra (aka Re, the main god, who controlled the Sun). Gods came and went according to who was in charge at the time. People were mummified in an attempt to preserve them for the afterlife, and they were given copies of "The Book of the Dead", a helpful handbook to getting through the challenges of the afterlife (such as lakes of fire...).
     Memphis and Thebes were the capitals in the Old (Memphis), the Middle, and New (Thebes) Kingdoms. Scribes there kept records in heiroglyphics (picture writing) on papyrus paper. Fighting over the next king often occured and separated the country.

     The Indus Valley civilization centered in Pakistan and parts of India, with the important cities at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. More tools were made here than in Egypt and Mesopotamia, which both preferred to make jewelery (and had more gold). Trade was widespread and even went as far as Mesopotamia.
     People in the Indus Valley were advanced in ceramics, irrigation and the construction of uniform cities. Not much is known about their religion or political systems, but in 1900 BCE, towns in the Indus Valley began to decline, possibly due to natural disasters or climate change.

     Review Q's:

• How did religion control Egyptian life?
• How was Mesopotamia governed?
• Why do you think the Indus Valley collapsed?

     

The Stone Age - Chapter 1

      The Epic of Gilgamesh was a story that told us about civilization in ancient Mesopotamia, defined as: 1) cities, 2) political systems based on land, 3) many people with jobs other than farming, 4) status based on wealth, 5) building, 6) keeping records, 7) long-distance trade and 8) advances in art and science.
     The earliest civilizations formed around river valleys, which provided water and good farmland. they formed their own cultures, which included twelve factors: a language, education, tolerance of others, art, clothing, agriculture, technology, gender relations, music, architecture, religion and food (*memory tip - the 12 parts of culture in this order spell out  LET A CAT GMARF. The AP Exam may have a question asking about the parts of culture in a civilization.*).
     The Stone Age lasted up to 4,000 years ago, and included the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and Neolithic (New Stone Age) ages. People mainly hunted and gathered their food, and often moved around a lot to follow it. They made temporary shelters as they moved. Your image of an animal-skin-wearing caveman would fit in here.
     Due to climate changes, the Neolithic Revolution occurred around ten thousand years ago. It can also be referred to as the First Agricultural Revolution. Over generations, starting in the Middle East, farming of wheat began, followed by sorghum (like wheat) in Africa, rice in Asia, and corn in the Americas. Animals were tamed and used for farm work. In the dryer parts of Africa, people began to herd animals for food and money (this was called Pastoralism). Farming helped to increase the population of the ancient world.
     Societies were based on kinship (family) links, often known as clans or lineages. During this time, religion focused on nature. This is the time when monoliths (literally "big stones") like Stone Henge were built.
     Two cities you need to know are Jericho (on the Jordan river) and Catal Huyuk (In Turkey. *Memory tip - both cattle and turkey are animals. Use this to remember the location of the city. Moo!*). Both cities were large for the time and had people with specialized jobs. Catal Huyuk was very focused on art and religion, and working of metals and agriculture was important to both cities.
     In the next part of the chapter, we will be looking at three river valleys. Some questions to consider:

• What achievements occurred in this period?
• What effect did the start of farming have?

Please answer and/or ask questions in the comments!

Introduction

     This website will be for all of us to learn and discuss what we need to know for the AP World History exam in May of 2014. I will be posting "re-teachings" of the lessons and the main points that you really need to know as soon as I can after each lesson is taught in school (sorry, you kind of have to go to my school to know what's going on!). I will have a chapter-by-chapter summary running as well.
     In regards to comments, they are all appreciated. When commenting, please leave your first name and last initial, so I know who I will be responding to (and who is paying attention!). Please do not give me any reason to remove your comments - nothing too suggestive, violent, or hate-filled, and please keep the profanity to a minimum. No putting others down - we are all here to learn.
     Feel free to look around the site. All comments are appreciated, and THERE ARE NO STUPID QUESTIONS. If you have a question, PLEASE ask so that I (or another commenter) can help clarify things for you. Please let me know if there is anything more that I can help you with!