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Chapter 3: River Valley Civilizations Nile Valley and Indus Valley
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| Date | 03.05.2016 | | Size | 33.21 Kb. | | #31719 |
| Nile Valley and Indus Valley Developed civilization or learned ideas from Mesopotamia? Each civilization has a distinct pattern that is different from the one in Mesopotamia Nile state more important than cities Lack of evidence leaves questions about Indus valley civilization Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Nile naturally irrigated cropland with predictable, annual flooding River also facilitated man-made irrigation systems Adjacent deserts protected Egypt from invasion Waterfalls hindered invasion from the south Stability meant long-term indigenous government Egypt: The Gift of the Nile -
Agriculture sustained life Grasses ground into food, 12,000 B.C.E. Seeds ground into flour, 6000 B.C.E. Saharan drought led to more Nile settlement String of villages along Nile by 3600 B.C.E. Walled towns emerged by 3300 B.C.E., along with evidence of social stratification Egypt: The Gift of the Nile The Written Record Writing emerged at same time as in Sumer Writing based on system of hieroglyphics written on papyrus Writing used for business and government to 2400 B.C.E. Emergence of literature aided reconstruction of Egyptian history and culture Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Unification and the Rule of Kings 3100 B.C.E unification established unified Egypt from peoples who came to the Nile and melded into a single ethnicity -
Kings came to be seen as divine Kings balanced nature and invited Nile to flood Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Gods, Unification of Egypt and the Afterlife Osiris = order (ma’at) and virtue Seth = disorder and evil Isis, sister/wife of Osiris, defeated Seth’s plot to destroy Osiris Seth cut Osiris into fourteen pieces and scattered him across Egypt Isis’s collection of pieces symbolizes unification of Egypt Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Gods, Unification of Egypt and the Afterlife (cont.) Isis conceived son Horus with a briefly-revivified Osiris Horus defeated Seth in battle and made father Osiris divine and in charge of underworld Horus was first Egyptian god to be worshipped nationally Belief in afterlife led to practice of mummification Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Cities of the Dead Design tombs (mastabas) for prominent Egyptians Early burials concentrated in Abydos and Saqqara as early as 3100 B.C.E. Women generally lower status but burial inscription of Ankhesenpepi II was rare honor Egypt: The Gift of the Nile The Growth of Cities Egypt had no independent city-states Egyptians lived in network of riverbank villages interspersed with larger towns that may have become administrative cities (nomes) Transition occurred around 3300 BCE. Development of Hierakonpolis illustrates this trend: spread out rather than compact, it still served as an administrative center Egypt: The Gift of the Nile The Growth of Cities (cont.) Supplemental irrigation systems during drought may have triggered unification Development of man-made irrigation projects a staple feature of Egypt for next 2,000 years Religion, administration, and irrigation were keys to city development Did cities have walls? This would be a measure of the success of unification The Gift of the Nile The Growth of Cities (cont.) Recent excavations suggest presence of walls Larger cities were political capitals--Memphis in the north and Thebes in the south City-village network supported population increase from 1.5 to 2.5 million in 1550-1200 B.C.E. period Egypt also had trade cities to deal with rest of world Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Pyramids and Fortresses Transition from mastaba to pyramids began in Third Dynasty (2649-2575 B.C.E.) Large pyramids of Khufu, Khefren, and Menkaure in Fourth Dynasty (2575-2465 B.C.E.) Pyramids reflected Egyptian strength in era Power extended to fortress at first cataract of the Nile Egypt: The Gift of the Nile -
Old Kingdom fell in 2181 B.C.E., due likely to period of drought and famine Increased power of nome leaders (nomarchs) reflected decline Nomarchs collected and kept local taxes and raised armies Era after Old Kingdom decline known as First Intermediate Period Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Rise and Fall of the Middle Kingdom Middle Kingdom (2950-1750 B.C.E.) established by Mentuhotpe of Thebes Trade revival based on caravans and ships Fine art revival includes “Autobiography of Si-nuhe” Administrative reform extended Egyptian power Ended with invasions of Nubians and Hyksos Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Akhetaten, Capital City of King Akhenaten Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaten Developed monotheistic worship of Aten and made himself mediator between gods and people Moved capital 200 miles north of Thebes to be free of traditional religious leaders City destroyed after Akhenaten died; former religious traditions were restored Roots of the Indus Valley Civilization Unknown until mid-19th century discovery Excavations revealed two cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro Site predates appearance of Aryans in India by 1,500 years Harappa seen as an innovation, not a copy of Sumer Limited writing hinders knowledge of Harappa Indus Valley and Its Mysteries -
Crafts and the Arts Reflected trade connections over broad area First use of cotton No written texts to explain meaning of wide range of artifacts Indus Valley and Its Mysteries Design/Construction of Well-planned Cities Carefully Planned Cities 1,000 known Harappan sites by 2500 B.C.E. Identical city layout for Harappa and Hohenjo-Daro Extensive public baths Homes with toilets connected to sewer system Regular plan suggests organization & bureaucracy No monumental buildings No evidence of social stratification Indus Valley and Its Mysteries Design/Construction of Well-planned Cities Questions of Interpretation Artifacts suggest equality, efficiency, and public conveniences but also little change over time Sign of successful or stagnant civilization No apparent central city Can’t read language to answer questions How did it move east to lay basis for successor, Aryan civilization of Ganges River? Indus Valley and Its Mysteries Legacies of the Harappan Civilization Was succeed by and blended with the Aryan civilization Aryans have extensive literary legacy but virtually no artifacts -
Some Harappan practices adopted by Aryans Aryans learned farming from Harappans Image of Harappan god similar to Aryan Shiva Caste system used to control Harappans? Cities of the Nile and Indus What Difference Do They Make? Underscore diversity of type of city City created the state and formed its values Shows significance of archaeology in uncovering the forgotten past
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