Unit 1 specificities

—    What were the major causes for the development of agriculture/agrarian societies?

—    What were the major effects of the Neolithic Revolution?

—    What are the characteristics of a civilization?

Focus Vocabulary

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  Agrarian, Anthropologist, Archeologist, Historian, Caste, Cultural Diffusion
  
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  Periodization – an act or instance of dividing a subject into historical eras for purposes of analysis and study.
  
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  Neolithic Revolution – major change to human life caused by the development of farming
  
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  Civilization – a form of culture characterized by established cities, specialized labor, complex institutions, written records, and advanced technology
  
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  Irrigation – the bringing of water to fields through man-made canals
  
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  City-state – a political unit made up of a city and its surrounding land
  
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  Dynasty – several rulers from one single family
  
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  Cultural diffusion – the spreading of ideas and products from one culture to another
  
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  Empire – a political unit where large numbers of people and areas of land are controlled by one ruler
  

Development of agriculture:

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  Known as Neolithic or Agricultural Revolution
  
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  Causes
  
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    Hunter – gathering bands scattered seeds near campsites that resulted in growth of new crops (10,000 years ago).
    
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    Climate change – rising temperatures led to longer growing seasons and drier land.
    
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    Growing populations led to discovery of new food resources and steady source of food.
    
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  Effects
  
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    Shift from food-gathering to food-producing cultures leads to establishment of permanent settlements and eventually the first cities
    
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    Positive effects – settlement leads to development of culture including art, religion, and specialization of labor; irrigation systems developed as crop production and land use increase
    
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    Negative effects – close proximity of people leads to spread of disease; villages and cities susceptible to attacks; settlements could be destroyed by natural disasters
    

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  Development of river valley civilizations:
  

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  Four early major river valley civilizations developed
  
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    Tigris and Euphrates
    
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    Nile
    
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    Indus
    
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    Huang He Rivers
    
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  Mesopotamia/Fertile Crescent (3500 BC-1600 BC)
  
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    Settlement on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers around 4500 BC
    
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    Sumerians arrive in 3500 BC and begin irrigation
    
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    Sumerian city – states established around 3000 BC and initially controlled by temple priests
    
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    Polytheistic religion – Ziggurat (temple) center of each city-state
    
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    Scientific achievements – wheel, sail, plow, bronze, cuneiform
    
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    Babylonian Empire reaches its peak under Hammurabi (1792 BC-1750 BC), who establishes a written, uniform code of laws (Hammurabi’s Code).
    
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    Babylonian Empire ends around 1500 BC and other civilizations in this area, Assyrians, Phoenicians, and Hebrews, adopt ideas first developed by early Sumerians.
    
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  Egypt (3000 BC-2000 BC)
  
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    Earliest settlement along the Nile River begins in 5000 BC
    
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    Irrigation along the Nile leads to Egypt being known as “The Gift of the Nile.” Flooding was on a regular yearly cycle.
    
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    Ruled by pharaohs who were considered god-kings; theocracy established as form of government
    
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    Polytheistic religion
    
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    Religious features – pyramids built as tombs for pharaohs; belief in the afterlife; mummification of the dead to prevent bodies from decaying
    
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    Stratified society – royal family followed by upper class followed by middle class (merchants and artisans) and then the lower class (peasant farmers and unskilled laborers); slavery later became a source of labor
    
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    Writing system – hieroglyphics; writing done on papyrus
    
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    Scientific achievements – written numbers, geometry, stone columns, calendar for flooding cycle, advanced medicine
    
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    Empire declines as other civilizations invade Egypt after 1200 BC
    
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  Indus River Valley Civilizations (2500 BC-1700 BC)
  
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    First major cities include Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa that were developed on grid systems and had sophisticated plumbing and sewage systems
    
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    These early cities decline around 1750 BC due to a possible change in course by the Indus River
    
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    Indo-European people known as Aryans settle in the Indus Valley around 1500 BC
    
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    Aryan religious features: sacred literature known as Vedas
    
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    Caste system develops under Aryans
    
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  Chinese River Valley Civilizations (3950 BC-1000 BC)
  
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    Huang He (Yellow) River Valley
    
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    Shang Dynasty (2000 BC) – division of classes; importance of family
    
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    Writing system where each symbol represents an idea
    
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    Technology and science – bronze working, silk
    

Including, but not limited to:

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  Development of agriculture
  
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    Known as Neolithic or Agricultural Revolution
    
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    Irrigation leads to development of social classes and organized religion
    
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    Farming resulted in permanent settlements that developed into the world’s first civilizations
    

Including, but not limited to:

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  Key features of civilization
  
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    Advanced cities
    
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    Specialized workers
    
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    Complex institutions – government, religion, economics
    
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    Record keeping (e.g., cuneiform in Sumerian cities)
    
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    Advanced technology – pottery, metalwork, beginning of Bronze Age in Sumer in 3000 BC
    

Including, but not limited to:

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  Possible types of graphs
  
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    Double and triple bar and line graphs, circle graphs
    
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  Possible types of charts and maps
  
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    Free hand sketch maps, graphic organizers, web and fishbone maps
    
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      All maps, graphs, and charts used should show a relationship between geography and the historical development of a region or nation.
      

Including, but not limited to:

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  How did geography influence the development of civilizations?
  

Including, but not limited to:

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  Early River Valley Civilizations – Mesopotamia, Fertile Crescent, Nile River Valley, Indus Valley, Huang-He River Valley
  

Including, but not limited to:

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  Development of river valley civilizations
  
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    Advanced cities
    
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    Irrigation
    
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    Systems of government and religion
    
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    Written legal codes
    
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    Trade networks
    
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    Architecture – arch
    
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    Divisions of time/calendar system
    
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    Writing
    

Including, but not limited to:

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  Historic Maps
  

Including, but not limited to:

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  Neolithic Revolution
  
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    Changes in human life caused by the Neolithic agricultural revolution (establishment of settlements which led to civilized societies)
    

Including, but not limited to:

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  Neolithic Revolution
  
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    Settlements need rules and law to maintain order
    
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    Rules and laws needed to regulate irrigation
    
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    Threats of external invaders made it necessary to have leaders who could provide security
    
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    Finances were maintained by imposing taxes or tributes on residents
    

Including, but not limited to:

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  Monarchies – military leaders who commanded soldiers displace priests as rulers; power passed on to their sons, who in turn passed it on to their sons; this leads to formation of early dynasties in river valley civilizations (e.g., Sumerian city-states)
  

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  Theocracies – rulers were divine leaders who were seen as god-kings (e.g., pharaohs in Egypt; stood at the center of both religion and the government and its army)
  

Including, but not limited to:

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  Hammurabi's Code
  
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    Political impact – by deriving a single code of laws from the body of custom of his day, Hammurabi made law something objective, and less personal and, therefore, more stable and predictable
    
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    Legal impact – the notion of a separate judiciary, as part of overall government (this is a hallmark of modern democratic governments, the world over)
    
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  Jewish Ten Commandments
  
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    Moses the Lawgiver
    
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    High standard of moral conduct
    
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    Covenant between God and the Hebrew people – God’s protection in exchange for keeping God’s commandments
    

Including, but not limited to:

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  Buddhism
  
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    Founded by Siddhartha Gautama, born in 6th Century BC to a noble family in Northern India. Buddhism follows many of the beliefs of Hinduism, including non-violence, self-denial, and to seek oneness with the “Great World Soul,” but it rejects the Caste System and numerous gods.
    
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  Confucianism
  
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    Based on the ideas of Confucius (the Latin name for Master Kung). His major ideas are recorded in the Analects.
    
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    Living in a time of great confusion and chaos in China, Confucius sought to restore order through a basic set of ideas. Within Confucianism, there is an assumption that the universe has an order; therefore, mankind should focus on Human Behavior. Additionally, although the following is often associated with being a work ethic, Confucianism believes if we focus on the five Relationships and do what is right, there will be harmony.
    
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  Hinduism
  
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    Polytheistic religion dating back to the Aryan invasion in 1500 BC
    
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    Vedas – collection of hymns and religious ceremonies of the Hindus that were passed down orally and eventually written down
    
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    Reincarnation – belief that the soul is reborn in a different form after death. Reincarnation reinforces the caste system of India
    
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    Karma – a person’s actions on Earth that determine how the soul will be reborn
    
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    Hinduism is associated primarily with India and has spread little throughout the world.
    
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  Judaism – historical origins and the central ideas of, including:
  
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    Abraham, Moses, David
    
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    Ethical monotheism
    
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    10 commandments
    
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    Torah
    
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    “Promised Land”
    
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    Messiah
    
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  Development of monotheism
  
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    Gradual development
    
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    Mesopotamian civilizations – cities had a local patron deity, such as Sin at Ur.
    
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    Egypt – Pharaoh Akhenaten claims to be a supreme god
    
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    India – references in the Rig Veda
    
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    Zoroastrianism – Ahura Mazda is supreme deity
    
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    Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) – one supreme God; also referenced as Yahweh or Allah
    

Including, but not limited to:

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  River Valley Civilizations (Pre 700s)
  
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    Mesopotamia
    
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      Plow
      
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      Pottery
      
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      Bronze
      
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      Wheel
      
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      Arch
      
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      Sail
      
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      Cuneiform writing
      
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      Number system based on 60 and 360 degree circles
      
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      Phoenicians – alphabet
      
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    Egypt
    
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      Mummification of the dead
      
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      Pyramids
      
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      Hieroglyphics
      
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      Papyrus
      
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      Calendar system based on Nile’s flood cycle
      
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      Medical advancements in surgery and for repairing broken bones
      
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    Indus River Valley
    
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      Sewer and plumbing systems in Mohenjo-Daro
      
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      Planned city systems
      
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    Huang He River Valley
    
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      Writing system based on symbols
      
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      Silk
      
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      Coined money
      
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      Ironworks
      
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      Great Wall of China
      

Including, but not limited to:

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  Archaeologists (artifacts, fossils, excavations, etc.)
  
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  Anthropologists (fieldwork, analysis of written records, DNA, etc.)
  
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  Historians (primary sources, secondary sources, oral history, etc.)
  
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  Geographers (GIS, satellite images, different types of maps, etc.)
  

Including, but not limited to:

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  Sequencing
  
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  Categorizing
  
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  Identifying cause-and-effect relationships
  
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  Comparing
  
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  Contrasting
  
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  Finding the main idea
  
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  Summarizing
  
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  Making generalizations and predictions
  
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  Drawing inferences and conclusions
  
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  Developing connections between historical events over time
  

Including, but not limited to:

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  Maps
  
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  Graphs