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Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crecent
The people of Mesopotamia lived along the Fertile Crecent. This is signifigant because the crecent allowed them to grow large quantities of wheat and barley allowing their population to grow and it gave a stable food source. -
The Sumarians Develop Varied Tools
The Climate in Mesopotamia was harsh with unpredictable flooding and few natural resources as well as droughts. The Sumarians developed irrigation allowing a surplus of crops. -
Sumerians Build Cities
The Sumerians had little natrual protection from attacks on their villages. The Sumaerians make bricks of mud and build cities with walls to surround them for protection. -
Writing
The Sumerians developed a writing form called cuneiform. This allowed written record and more than just oral history it began the timeline of history. -
City States of Sumer
Sumarians make city states that function as their own nations. This causes them to develop a more organized government and a caste system. -
Trade
The SUmerians began trading goods for resources. Trade made it so they would not run out of vital resources that they needed. -
Wars
The Sumerians were constantly wageing war amongst their own city states. This left them very open and relatively easy to conquer. -
Slavery
In the Sumerian caste system the lowest class were the slaves. Slavery was later a commmon trend among civilizations but they were the first. -
Religion and Leadership
The Sumerians developed a religion giving the preists power. The preists controlled the irrigation and demanded a portion of a framer crop making them the first real leaders. -
Polytheism
The Sumerians worshiped many gods and built ziggurats in their honor. Religion gave the preists power and they used it to become the citie's leaders. -
Womens Rights
Women in Sumerian society appeared to to have more rights than in most early civilizations, there were even some female scribes. Women in most early civilaiziations have few or no rights the Sumerians are unique in allowing them to play important roles in society. -
Math and Science
They developed science and math with the base number of 60. Current measurments of time and degrees are still influneced by the base number of 60. -
Dynasties
The Sumerians put the strongest warrior in charge of the army in times of war however some never gave up their power. This resulted in the first dynasties later a common trend among civilizations. -
The First Empire
Sargon of Akkad created the first empire. He was the first to unite an entire land under one ruler later a common trend. -
Code of Laws
Hummurabi made a code of laws for all people to follow. This is the first recorded set of laws giving people a set of rules to live by. -
The Nile and Egyptians
Civilization developed along the Nile River. The Nile allowed Egyptians to become a civilazation in an other wise desert area allowing everything they did to become possible. -
Pyramids
They are massive cube shaped buildings built as graves. Pyramids still stand today and the objects left within them are probobaly the bets window into Egyptian society. -
Religion
The Egyptians believed ina n afterlife and their quest to go to a better place govern much of their society. The Egyptios were heavily influenced by their gods a very commmon trend in all civilizations and later their gods would spread as far as Rome. -
Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom was the golden age for Egypt they developed new medicines, math, the calendar and had strong pharohs. This was the greatest time for Egypt and their technilogical advances still influence society today. -
Two Kingdoms
The Egyptians developed a lower and upper kingdom giving different characteristics to each. It allowed the culture to develop in similar yet different ways effecting technology and culture. -
Phraohs
The Pharohs were the leader politicaly and spiritualy causing the Egyptians to develop a theocrasy. This was essentialy the first divine right concept that would later define leadership in Europe, however it was not the same the pharoh was actually seen as a god in human form. -
Hieroglyphics
The Egyptian system of writing was called heiroglyphics. The simple nature of it made it easy to interprit into logical orders unlike cuneiform. -
Sails Used on Ships
The Egyptian were the first to put sails on their ships. This allowed trade and improved sea travel. -
Mummifiacation
Mummification was how the Egyptians preserved their dead. That led to pyrimids and many archeological discoveries. -
Split into many kingdoms
Egypt was eventuly split into many kingdoms. This made invading it easier. -
Invaders
Egypt was invaded causing the fall of the Old Kingdom and years of foreign occupation. The Egyptians eventually rose up and gained control agian leading to the Middle Kingdom. -
The Middle Kingdom
The Middle Kingdom ended when the pharoh lost power and nobles gained power. This led to two hundred years of turmoil and unrest in Egypt. -
New Government rises
The New Kingdom began when the Egyptians rose up and drove them out. This began the time known of as the New Kingdom. -
One God
Eventualy Leadership in Egypt promoted worshiping only one God. This is remarkable the worhip of one god it would later become standard. -
Tutunkhamen
He was a boy pharoh he did not do much in life however his tomb is valuable in archeology. His tomb was intact and undisturbed giving the best insight into Egyptian life. -
Planned Cities
The Harappans were the first to plan cities. This is signnifigant because every city now is planned and they were the first to do it. -
Plumbing
The best ancient plumbung by far was the Harappan plumbing they had a sysem for it not found agian untill 19th and 20th centuries. The plumbing was a marvel at the time and speaks to how well they were organized. -
Trade
The Harappans had a thriving trade network set up with Afganistan. They were able to overcome being seperated from the world and trade effetively. -
Language
The Harappan language has still not been deciphered as there is nothing like it. This is signifigant because of all the lost knowledge about their culture. -
Conflict
It appears that there was little conflict in Harappan civilization due to the small ammount of weapons found. This suggjest that they basicaly had no one to fight and were remarkably peaceful. -
Prosperity
The Harappans were prosperous in their portion of te world as evidenced by the toys found in their ruins. This is important because it show that they were able to prosper to the point where they could make needless things like toys. -
Religion
The Harappan civilization had a religion that was at least somewhat similar to modern Hinduism and had many similar images and gods. The effect that they had on Hinduism still changes the lives of many today. -
End of the Harappans
The Harappan civilization ends probobaly from natural disasters. This shows that nature can even destroy organized civilizations with the right ammount of force. -
China
Ancient China was founded around the Huang-He and the Chan Jian rivers. These rivers were the life blood for the Chinese people and allowed them to survive. -
The First Dynasty
The first dynasty was the Xai dynasty it was led by Yu a mathemitician and engineer who developed irrigation and flood control. This allowed the population to grow safely and helped make China a civilization. -
Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty was the first to have written record in china and left behind elaborate tombs telling us much about them. The Shang allowed people to find out what they did through written record and leaveing behind artifacts. -
Social Classes Under the Shang
Their culture was sharply divided between the ruleing class warriors and the peasant class. This seperated the people and formed their society the ruleing class paying tribute to the king in order to rule their lands. -
Family
For the Chinese nothing was more important than family and it defined their culture. This belief changed their culture and tought respect for the ancestors that still continues today. -
Writing
The Chineses developed writing that had thousands of characters. This limited the number of literate Chinese people for centuries. -
Feudalism
The feudal system was basicaly the king allows noble to use land in exchange for loyalty. This system was later used in Japan and in Europe, in China because the noble gained too much power and began fighting amongst themselves. -
Improvements
Under the Zhou the Chinese improved or built roads and canals as well as coined money and blast furnaces. All of these improvements would have improved the daily life of people theough easier travel, better tool and trade. -
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou eventualy overthrow the Shang and gain power justifying it by saying that the previous ruler had lost the support of the gods createing the mandate of heaven. The Zhou basicaly gave an excuse for any revolt agianst rulers saying that they lost the mandate of heaven in doing this they created the dynastic cycle. -
Warring States
After the Zhou leadership was mostly killed and were forced to relocate the lost all power and the noble began to fight amongst themselves. This slowed cultural development in China for around three hundred years. -
Daoism
Daoists believe that people must live as nature intended following the natural order. Daoists made many important achievements in medicine, science and astronmy. -
Confucius
He urged harmony and believed in five basic relationship in many ways he shaped Chinese culture. The ideas of Confucius have helped shape the world and his advice and sayings still influence culture. -
Legalists
Legalists believed that a strong central government was the only was to fix society. They were a build up to later oppressive forms of govenment going as far a believeing that a ruler should try to control the ideas of the people. -
The Quin Dynasty
The Quin came to power under Shi Huangdi a powerful emperor who settled internal conflicts then crushed the invaders. The Chinese people wer unified under the Quin and were also isolated from the rest of the world by the Great Wall he built. -
Fall of Quin rise of the Han
The Quin fell quickly and gave rise to the Han one of the longest lasting dynasties. The changing in dynasties removed a cruel but weak ruler from power and replaced him with one of the most popular line of rulers in Chinese history. -
Greece
The Greeks lived along the Mediterranian it was their biggest source of food for the Greeks. This caused them to develop along the coast and improve their naval powers. -
City States
The Greek city states all had their own govenment and their own way of thinking. This caused the Greeks to think of themselves as residents of a city rather than as citizens of Greece. -
Minoans and Mycenians
The Minoans settled in Crete until the Mycenians conquered them. The Mycenians moved into the are of Greece making them the first real Greeks. -
The Polis
The polis was essentialy the center of a Greek city state there was a temple and a market in the polis. The polis was the center of Greek society and culture was centered around the polis. -
Troy
The Trojan War was basicaly fought between the Mycenians and the city of Troy. It has influenced writers who then wrote book that influenced culture. -
The Dorians
The Dorians invaded the Mycenians shortly after the Trojan war and they were less advanced. The Dorians were less advanced and slowed the development of civilization with their rule. -
Myths
The Greeks created myths about gods and heros. These tales inspired Greeks and stil influence modern society. -
Ionia
Ionai was a Greek city in Turkey that the Persians invaded and Athens aided them angering Darius the Persian ruler. This was the first real pelude to the Persian wars. -
Sparta
The Spartians had two kings causing them to be an oligarchy they were also centered around war. They were centered around war making them the best trained and strongest military in Greece. -
Athens
Athens was the cultural and intelectual center of Greece. They were the most inteligent and influenced technoligy the most they furthered the Greeks technilogialy more than any other city state. -
The Persian Wars.
The Persian Wars were fought between the Persians and the Greeks after them the Delian and the Peloponnesian leagues were formed. The forming of these leagues later led to the Peloponesian War and reminded the Greeks that they were one people. -
Athenian Democracy
Athens had a direct democracy so the individual got to vote. This was the first democracy and it is now a common form of government. -
Philisophy
In Athens many great philosophers were born and in the atmosphere of Athens with some exception their ideas were valued and allowed to spread. The ideas of these philosophers influenced further thinkers and cultures today. -
Athens Gains Power
Athens under the lead of Pericles grew stronger and more beautiful angering Sparta. The anger that Sparta had always had towards Athens helped led to the peloponnesian War. -
The Peloponnesian War
The war between the Delian and the Peloponnesian leagues eventualy the Delian League won the war. In the end of the war most of Athens was killed either by plague or the war. -
Rome
Rome was founded in Italy on the Tiber river in the center of the penensula of Italy. This allowed the people in Rome to thrive and expand without this location they may have not been able to succede. -
Social Classes
In Roman society there were the Plebians and the Patricans the Plebians being the average man and the Patricans being the ruling class. This would spark conflict between the social classes. -
Etruscans
The Etruscans introduced many things that improved or revolutanized the civilidation and people's daily life. The people of Rome would change the world forever and the ways they were changed would effect the entire world. -
Conflict Between Socail Classes
The Plabins had eventualy had enough of the Patricans unfair treatment and forced them to post laws in public places. For the first time in Rome there were posted laws so people could not make them up and it allowed for something more resembling justice. -
Rome as a Republic
The Romans eventualy overthrew the Etruscans because their king was a tyrand becoming a republic. The Roman republic was something that they fought desprately to preserve but in the end failed this shaped the beginning of Rome and made them who they were. -
Rome Conquers Carthage
Rome and Carthage had been at war for years and eventualy destroyed Carthage. Rome destroying Carthage gave them control over the Mediterranian increasing their power. -
Violence become political
When violence became political in rome that was the beginning of the death of the republic. The republic was the most cherished part of rome and violence was the first step in eliminateing it. -
The First Triumverant
This was formed between Ceasar, Crassus and Pompey. This was what really at first gave Ceasar power and helped set him along the path of conquest. -
Stable Law
rome had a stable legal sysytem that improved the daily lives of people. Law would have promoted unity and kept the people happy. -
Ceasar dictator for life
Ceasar was eventualy named the dictator for life the final straw in the death of the republic. This set the trend for later emperors and caused ceasar to bes assassinated eventualy. -
Octavian becomes Augustus
Octavian gave up on the roman republic and eventualy became the emperor and changed hos name to Augustus. This was the point when he gave up on the idea of a republic there was little hope. -
Trade
Under Augustus people could trade goods from different places making Alexandria a leading trade city. This allowed the different cultures to spread as well as benfit each other through trade. -
Tenant Farmers
Tenant farmers lived on a plot of land owned by someone else and they in exchange gave the land owner some of their crops. This gave people places to live and allowed the land owners to prosper and trade the excess goods to other lands. -
Augustus dies
Augustus was one of the best Roman emperors and his death weakened Rome. The age that Augustus brought came to an end and culture suffered. -
The Good Emperors
The good emperors were a line of strong emperors that allowed people to prosper. People prospered and culture thrived under these emperors