Nile River:
- Located in Africa 4160 miles long
- Important because it provided resources for almost all aspects of life
- The Nile was used for transportation of resources
- Trading was very easy
- People of the Nile river were called Egyptians
- Lived in three classes of society, upper class, middle class, and lower class
- Upper class wore sandals, middle and lower class went barefoot
- Religion was based nature
- Had a Sun God Re or Ra
- Believed in life after death, preserved people as mummies
Yellow River:
- Located in China, about 3000 miles long
- Named after the loess that blows across Northern China
- Empties into the Bohai Sea of the Pacific Ocean
- Before dams were around, the river was prone to floods and many people died from them.
- 10% of China's land is suitable for farming because of the Yellow River
- Didn't trade much based on their geography in China
- Had to grow their own crops and livestock
- Women are unable to own property
- Prayed to gods for help when they needed something
- Leader of Yellow River Civilazation - Shang King
- Family was very important in Chinese Culture, father was the head of the family
- Marriages were arranged by fathers and rituals were performed by men
- Had no written language for a long period of time
- Shang- a walled city along the Yellow River
Emperors and Kingdoms:
- Indus River- No known kingdoms heard of today
- China- Xia Dynasty was first known dynasty of Chinese area along the Yellow River, known for their black pottery
- Shang Dynasty - created the most objects out of bronze, they liked human sacrafice
- Western Zhou- Used father son kingdom passing unlike the Shang who used brother younger brother.
- Eastern Zhou- Western Zhou people moved to the East. This is when they began to build their walls.
- Mesopotamia- in between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
- Babylon Nation and Dynasty- ruled the Mesopotamia Valley
- Babylonian Empire- Hammurabi was the king, empire didn't last long because Hammurabi died.
- Neo Babylonian Empire- Capital was Babylon, was taken over in 539 BC by the Roman Empire.
- Babylon-55 miles south of Bagdad, Babylon means gate of God
- Egyptian Kingdoms- Pharoahs were buried in pyramids, after building phyramids they realized that they were easier to spot and rob than a hidden tomb
- The Middle Kingdom- Pharoahs were buried in hidden tombs. Some of these still have not been found today.
- The New Kingdom- Egypts expansion period, Pharoahs were buried in the Valley of Kings
- Many people lived off the main rivers in the world
Indus River Valley
- Southwest Asia 3300 BC to 1900 BC
- Present day Pakistan India Afghanistan and China
- Natural borders of the Himalayas and Arabian Sea sheltered area from attacks and disease.
- The river provided good soil for crops and means for transportation and trade.
- River was used to fish for food, water to drink, transportation and trade.
- Religion was similar to Hinduism, seals of animals and swastikas
- They worshiped animals and unknown Gods
- They wrote on pots, seals and small tablets
- Wore clothes made of cotton and wool, as well as colorful robes and jewelry
- Skilled in pottery weaving and metalworking
- At wheat bread with rice or barley
- They had weapons but no shields of armor
- Played with wooden toys
- Cities were set up in perfect grid patterns like NYC
- Had the 1st urban sanitation system
- Homes were 1 or 2 stories high made of caked brick
- Excavated in 1920
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