EMERGING CIVILIZATIONS

RIVER CIVILIZATION

What contributes to a civilization

• Culture• Settlement• Communication• Government

Euphrates and Tigris Rivers

– Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq)– Cuneiform Script– City-state– Two main cultural groups• Sumerians• Akkadians

Sumerians

» Southern part of Mesopotamia» City-state» Ruled by local priest» Introduced the first writing system which was adopted by

the Akkadians and Babylonians» Practiced polytheism» Built large centers of worship (pyramid-shaped called

ziggurat)» Cities were built around ziggurat» Largest cities Uruk, Eridu and Ur» Introduced irrigation technique to ensure water during

droughts

Akkadians

» Northern part of Mesopotamia» Conquered Sumer in 2340 BC by Sargon, ruler of the

Akkad region» Akkadian became the official language» Collasped in 2000 BC due to internal rivalries and invading

tribes.» The first established Empire

Indus River

• Begins in Tibet and flows through the Himalayan valleys to modern day Pakistan and into the Arabian Sea– Home of the great cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa– Developed written script and system of worship– Protected by mountain barrier– Master weavers and produced material from cotton and linen– Destroyed by the invading Aryan people in 1500 BC– Developed written language using symbol for each phonetic

unit of speech– Recorded trade agreements– Chronologies of Kings and Princes– Literature

Nile River

• The longest river in the world• Vital in the development of the Egyptian civilization• The Egyptian civilization established about 3000 BC

(same time as Sumer, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro)• Located south of the equator and flows northward

through northeastern Africa to drain into the Mediterranean Sea.

NILE RIVER CONT…

• Formed by three streams– Blue Nile– Atbara– White Nile

• Gave birth to one of the first people of cultivated agriculture– Close proximity gave easy access to water for crops– Seasonal flooding fertilized the land– Agriculture was essential for growth, survival and economic

success

Huang He (Yellow River)

– Second longest river in China and the sixth longest in the world

– Flows through nine providences in China and empties into the Bohai Sea

– Has changed course 26 times noticeable and 9 times severely due to flooding

– Used as a military strategy during the 1938 Sino-Japanese War causing the death of 500,000 to 900,000 of Chinese lives and unknown number of Japanese soldiers.

9 PROVIDENCES

• QINGHAI• SICHUAN• GANSU• NINGXIA• INNER MONGOLIA• SHAANXI• SHANXI• HENAN• SHANDONG

Yangtze River

• Longest river in Asia, 3rd longest in the world.• Home to one-third of the Peoples Republic of

China population• Dujiangyan irrigation system built during the

Warring States peiod– Create a stable and productive agriculture system

Yangtze River cont…

• Region of Jiangnan provided 1/3 to ½ of the nations revenue during the Qing Dynasty

• River used for:– Water– Irrigation– Sanitation– Transportation– Industry– Boundary-marking– War

Review

• WHAT FOUR (4) ATTRIBUTES TO A CIVILIZATION?

• Answer:(culture, settlement, communication, government)

Review

• WHO ARE THE TWO (2) MAIN CULTURAL GROUPS OF MESOPOTAMIA?

• Answer:(sumerians, akkadians)

REVIEW

• WHAT RELIGION DID THE SUMERIANS PRACTICE?

• Answer:– (polytheism)

REVIEW

• WHY DID THE AKKADIANS COLLAPSE?

• Answer:(internal rivalries, invading tribes)

REVIEW

• HUANG HE IS KNOWN AS?

• Answer:– (yellow river)

REVIEW

• WHAT IS THE LONGEST RIVER IN ASIA?

• Answer:– (yangtze)