Monday - Mr. Bruns continued with the PowerPoint and gave us an assignment.
Dynasties
- Narmer began the first ruling dynasty of Egypt
- A dynasty is a group of rulers from the same family
- Egypt was ruled by 31 different dynasties
- These dynasties are divided into three separate “kingdoms”
- The Old Kingdom-2600 BCE to 2300 BCE
- The Middle Kingdom-2100 BCE to 1670 BCE
- The New Kingdom-1550 BCE to 1080 BCE
Egyptian Gods-Polythistic
- Had a god for nearly everything
- Believed gods took the form of animals or half-human/ half- animals
Major gods:
- Anubis-god of the dead
- Re or Amon-Re- the sun god
- Osiris- god of the underworld which was very important to Egypt
- Isis- goddess of magic
Horus- a sky god & god of the pharaohs
Life After Death
- The Egyptians believed in an afterlife
- In order for a person’s spirit to make the journey to the afterlife, they needed their body
- To protect the pharaoh’s body, they were embalmed
- The body’s organs would be removed and then salt would be used to dry out and preserve the body
- The body would then be filled with spices, cleaned and wrapped with linen
The wrapped body was known as a mummy
The Ka
- ka- a person's life force
- Left the body and became a spirit
- Remained connected to the body
and could not leave the burial site
- Had the same needs as when the
person was living so……
- People filled the tomb with:
- Furniture
- Clothing
- Tools
- Jewelry
- Weapons
Relatives would leave food and beverages at the tomb so the ka would not be hungry or thirsty
The Pyramids
- Huge stone tombs for kings with four triangle-shaped walls that met in a point at the top
- Similar in size to the Sumerian Ziggurats
- Most were built during the Old Kingdom era
The Pyramids
- The greater the Pharaoh the bigger the pyramid
- The shape pointing to the sky was symbolized the journey to the afterlife
- Why did the people build the Pyramids?
- People believed the Pharaoh was their link to the gods & their afterlives
- So they built spectacular pyramids to keep the spirit of the Pharaoh happy
- Into the Great Pyramids Video
The Middle Kingdon-2100 BCE to 1670 BCE
During the Middle Kingdom, pharaohs quit building pyramids and instead were buried in tombs cut into the cliffs of the Valley of the Kings
King Tut
- Tutankhamen(King Tut), became pharaoh at the age of 10
- Tut ruled for nine years before he died
- Tut is mainly remembered because his tomb, which was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922
- The tomb contained Tut’s mummy and other treasures
Tuesdady - Went over the assignment that Mr. Bruns gave us Monday. Talked about Egyptian Gods. Then we got back into the PowerPoint
King Tut’s Curse Video
King Tut Tomb Update
The End of the NEw Kingdom (1550 BCE to 1080 BCE)
- By 1150 BCE, Egypt only consisted of the Nile River Valley
- During the 900’s BCE, Egypt came under the rule of several outside groups and were eventually conquered by the Assyrians
Egyptian Advancements
- Early Egyptians developed geometry
- Papyrus, a plant, was used to produce paper
- The Egyptians developed hieroglyphics, which were symbols that stood for objects and ideas
- Due to embalming, Egyptians learned a great deal about the human body and Egyptian doctors used herbs and drugs to treat illnesses, stitched up cuts and set broken bones
- The Egyptians developed principles of astronomy and invented a 365 day calendar divided into 12 months
The Rosetta Stone
- A stone slab inscribed with hieroglyphics
- Found by a French soldier in 1799
- Included hieroglyphics, text in Greek, and a later form of Egyptian
- Because scholars knew how to read Greek they were able to decipher what the hieroglyphics said
The Great Sphinx of Giza - What is a Sphinx?
Sphinx-an imaginary creature with the body of a lion and head of another animal or human
Wednesday - I wasn't here, I got notes from Macey
Harappan Empire- Name came from one of its major cities- Harappa. Located where present day Pakistan is. Economy was based on wheat, barley and peas and on trading pearls, ivory, gems, and copper with the Mesopotamian in exchange for wool, leather, and olive oil. Harappan civilization remains mysterious because historians can't read the Indus script as it has never been translated. There isnt a lot to know about it other than early civilizations.
The Indus river supplies rich soil, suitable for farmland. Indus river also allowed people to tame and raise animals like sheep.
City Organizations- City walls, a large granary and a cinadel (highest point the people went to to defend themselves) protected the two major cities. Nearly all the houses had indoor plumbing with showers and toilets which fed into the cities sewer system. There was also a public bath at Mohenjo-Daro.
Major cities were planned before they were built. Standardization was stressed.
The Harappan Empire was a very peaceful civilization and not much has really been found weapon-wise. They avoided war for 2000 years. Ultimately, they were taken over in the end because they were too peaceful and were taken advantage of. (probably by Arians) Deforestation may have also ruined farm lands and starved them. Other natural disasters are suspected like a catastrophic earthquake or fire.
Ming Dynasty are the ones that built the Great Wall of China
China- Flooding rivers left behind fertile silt/soil for farming. in 7000 BCE and farmers grew rice along the rivers. (millet and wheat were also common). The Chinese used bows and arrows to hunt. They domesticated animals like pigs and sheep. Burials were like Egyptians with tombs filled with objects (wealthy were buried with jade).
Thursday - Mr. Bruns got back into the PowerPoint
Shang Dynasty
- Took over China in 1600 BCE
- Ruled China for about 700 years
- Took over 1800 city-states
- They divided their government into little areas controlled by loyal governors(nobles)
Advancements
- They farmed millet, wheat, barley, and rice
- They grew silkworms, dogs, pigs, and sheep
- They had accomplished metal workers and craftsmen
The Legend of Silk
- A 14 year old queen of China supposedly saw a worm spin its cocoon. She then took the cocoon, dropped it in hot water and watched it break up to threads. The thread was then used to sew and create silk garments.
- What is silk?
- It is secreted from the silk
worm’s mouth to make the
cocoons
- This “spit-up” hardens upon
contact with the air
Chinese Writing System
- More than 2,000 symbols to express words or ideas
- Today’s Chinese symbols are still based on the Shang Dynasty symbols
- Archeologists have found these symbols on cattle bones and turtle shells
- Known as oracle bones which would be used to make predictions
Religion
- The Shang Dynasty was polytheistic
- Ancestor worship began in this period, as did the sacrifices to the gods
- When Kings died, thousands of slaves were executed to serve him in the afterlife
- The Kings tomb would be filled with objects and food that he would need in the afterlife-like Egyptians
Terracotta Army
- A terracotta army(8,000) made to defend Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife some 2,200 years ago
- Found in 1974
Shang Dynasty
Government - Kings ruled, nobles advised
Religion - King at center of religion, priests used oracle bones to make predictions
Society - Royal family/nobles at highest level. Artisans at middle level, farmers, slaves at lower levels
Achievements - Writing system, use of bronze, calendar and bows
The Zhou Dynasty
- The longest lasting Dynasty in Chinese history-900 years
- Nomadic farmers settled near the Shang Dynasty’s kingdom
- They were skilled fighters & farmers
They used iron weapons (stronger than the Shang’s bronze weapons)
Mandate of Heaven (Dynastic Cycle)
- After the Zhou defeated the Shang Dynasty, they had to get the people to accept them as the new leaders
- They claimed that heaven granted the emperors the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly
The overthrow of a ruler meant he had lost the Mandate of Heaven because he was no longer worthy of it
Kung Fu-Tzu – Confucius-551-479 BC
- Believed society should be like a family with everyone having roles and responsibilities
- Wanted a return to ethics- moral
values of the ancients
- Confucius was a traveling teacher
with great respect, sharing his ideas
with all
- After Confucius’ death, his students wrote down his proverbs and his philosophy spread quickly
Confucianism
- It is not a religion, but an ethical code of morals for individuals, society, and government
- Primary goals: order, harmony, peace and happiness on earth
- Achieved through education, self-effort, and self-reflection
Confucianism’s Five Relationships
- Most important principles deal with the ideal standard of conduct that controls social action
- Parent-child: kindness in the father and obedience in the son
- Husband-wife: righteous behavior in the husband and obedience in the wife
- Elder sibling- younger sibling: gentility in the eldest brother and humility and respect in the younger
- Elder friend- younger friend: humane consideration in elders and deference in juniors
- Ruler- subject: benevolence in rulers and loyalty of ministers and subjects
Taosim—The Way or The Path
- Lao Tze was the founder of this philosophy
- He lived before Confucius, but his teachings took longer to spread
- Taoism grew as a reaction to the spread of Confucianism and Buddhism
- Focused on achieving balance and harmony in the universe and your life
Friday - Mr. Bruns talked about current events and the Debate. Then he continued to go over his PowerPoint
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Key concept: “Effortless doing” occurs when people’s efforts and actions are in harmony with the universe and not in conflict with the natural order
Yin and Yang
- Reflects harmony and balance
- Describes how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary and interdependent in the natural world
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