1) Early river valley civilizations emerged around 3500 BC along major rivers such as the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Indus, and Huang He where irrigation and flood control made agriculture productive. 2) These early civilizations, including Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China, established social patterns like hereditary rulers and rigid class systems as well as political structures like city-states, kingdoms, and empires. 3) They developed economic specialization, trade networks, and some of the world's first cities, as well as early forms of writing like pictograms, hieroglyphics, and cuneiform.

1. J U N E 2 7 , 2 0 1 3
Live Lesson

2. S O L 2
Paleolithic Era to
Agricultural Revolution

3. Stone Age: Includes Paleolithic and Neolithic
• “Old Stone Age”Paleolithic
Age
• “New Stone Age”Neolithic
Age
During this time, environment shaped how early human
societies lived their lives.

4. Homo sapiens emerged in Africa
between 100,000 and 400,000
years ago.
Homo sapiens
migrated
from…
AFRICA
to…
Eurasia,
Australia, and
the Americas.

6. Paleolithic Age ~ Old Stone Age
— Paleolithic humans were hunter-
gatherers who wandered from place to
place in search of food (wild animals
and plants), water and shelter.
— These hunter-gatherers were nomads
who traveled in clans.

7. Paleolithic Age ~ Old Stone Age
— Paleolithic
people
created
simple tools.
— They invented
fire!

8. Paleolithic people had oral
language (spoken) and cave art.

9. The Neolithic Age ~ New Stone Age emerges
— When people developed agriculture and made
permanent settlements, the Neolithic Age (New
Stone Age) started.

10. Neolithic Advances
— Domesticated animals
— Made advanced tools
• Made pottery
• Could weave cloth

11. More about Early Man…
— Archaeologists study cultures by
locating and analyzing human remains,
fossils, and artifacts.

12. Archaeologists
— Archaeologists use carbon dating and
other techniques to find the age of
fossils and other artifacts.

13. Famous Archaeological Sites
— Stonehenge is an example of an archaeological site
in England that was begun during the Neolithic
Age and completed during the Bronze Age.

15. ž People
begin
to
plant
crops
in
areas
where
they
know
they
will
grow.
ž Instead
of
leaving,
like
nomadic
people,
they
stay
near
their
crops.

16. ž With
more
food
being
produced,
every
person
in
the
society
is
no
longer
needed
to
hunt
or
gather
food.
ž This
is
known
is
having
a
Surplus
Population.

17. ž The
surplus
population
(people
who
aren‘t
farming)
can
specialize
their
labor
by
becoming
blacksmiths,
inventors,
soldiers,
priests,
etc.

18. ž This
specialized
labor
leads
to
the
new
technologies
and
complex
institutions
that
created
civilizations.

20. ž In
order
to
be
considered
a
city
it
must
have:
• Large
population
• Must
be
a
center
of
TRADE

21. ž Institution
–
a
long
lasting
pattern
of
organization
in
a
community
such
as:
• Government
• Religion
• Economy

22. ž New
tools
and
techniques
that
solve
problems
and
make
life
easier.
• Ex:
plows,
irrigation
for
fields,
bronze
weapons

23. ž Specialized
means
someone
has
the
skills
to
do
a
specific
kind
of
work.

24. ž Must
have
a
developed
system
of
writing
so
the
people
can:
• Record
business
• Write
laws
• Record
rituals
and
dates
[Priests]

25. ANCIENT RIVER
VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS
SOL 3

26. River Valley Civilizations emerge…
¨ During the New Stone
Age (Neolithic),
permanent settlements
appeared in river
valleys and around the
Fertile Crescent.
¨ River valleys provided
rich soil for crops (silt),
as well as protection
from invasion.

27. Earliest River Civilizations
(~3500-500 B.C.)
¨ Egypt (Africa)
¤ Nile River Valley and Delta
¨ Mesopotamia (South West Asia)
¤ Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys
¨ India (South Asia)
¤ Indus River Valley
¤ Ganges River Valley (*developed later)
¨ China (East Asia)
¤ Huang He Valley

28. Other River Valley Civilizations
¨ Phoenicians
¤ Settled along the Mediterranean coast (part of
Fertile Crescent in Southwest Asia).

29. Other River Valley Civilizations
¨ Hebrews settled between the Mediterranean
Sea and the Jordan River Valley (part of
Fertile Crescent in Southwest Asia).
¨ Kush was located
on the upper
(southern) Nile River
in Africa.

30. Cradle of Civilization
¨ River valleys were the “Cradles of Civilization”
¤ Early civilizations made major contributions to
social, political, and economic progress.
¨ Social Patterns:
¤ Hereditary rulers
n Dynasties of Kings
n Dynasty: power is inherited
n Pharaohs (*Egypt)
¤ Rigid class system; slavery was accepted

31. Political Patterns
¨ Government often based on religion
¨ Rulers were usually military and
religious leaders
¨ World’s first states
¤ city-states – city & surrounding land
¤ kingdoms
¤ empires – formally independent
peoples/states who come under
one rule.
¨ Written law codes
¤ Ten Commandments
¤ Code of Hammurabi

32. Economic Patterns
¨ Metal tools and weapons
¤ bronze, iron
¨ Agricultural surplus
¤ better tools, plows, irrigation
¨ Increasing trade along rivers and by sea
¤ Phoenicians
¨ Development of the world’s first cities in river
valleys
¨ Specialization of labor

33. Religion was important to the early
civilizations
¨ Polytheism was practiced by most early
civilizations.
¨ Monotheism was practiced by the Hebrews.
¤ First monotheistic religion *before Christianity
and Islam

34. Origins of Judaism
(first monotheists)
¨ Abraham – Founder
¨ Moses – Led Jews out of slavery, received 10
Commandments
¨ Jerusalem – Site of destroyed temple, now
Western or Wailing Wall

35. Judaism | Beliefs
¨ Belief in one God (monotheism)
¨ Torah – Holy Book
¨ Ten Commandments – moral and religious
rules

36. Spread of Judaism
¨ Some Hebrews lived in exile, or forced
separation from their homeland.
¨ Jews settling outside of the Holy Land is
called diaspora.

37. Language & writing were important
cultural innovations…
¨ Pictograms | earliest written symbols
¨ Hieroglyphics | Egypt
¨ Cuneiform | Sumer
¨ Alphabet | Phoenicians