Compare and contrast the First Civilizations
Sources: Chapter 2 (including the visual references) in Strayer & Nelson, Film: “The Indus Valley Civilization: The Masters of the River, Great Courses Lecture #1: “From Out of the Mesopotamian Mud,” and Great Courses Lecture #2: “Ancient Egypt: The Gift of the Nile” (see the Week 4 Module).
| Mesopotamia | Indus Valley | Egypt | Optional: Other (Cahokia) | |
| Basic info. (when, where, what, how big, etc.)
For example: list the most important cities / place names & dates. | · The first civilizations emerged around 3500 BCE to 3000 BCE in 3 places: – “cradle” of the Middle East (southern Mesopotamia) the Sumerians. | · The Indus Valley Civilization was an ancient civilization located in what is Pakistan and northwest India today, on the fertile flood plain of the Indus River and its vicinity. Evidence of religious practices in this area dates back approximately to 5500 BCE. · The Indus Valley Civilization is often separated into three phases: the Early Harappan Phase from 3300 to 2600 BCE, the Mature Harappan Phase from 2600 to 1900 BCE, and the Late Harappan Phase from 1900 to 1300 BCE. | · The Nile River · valley in North-Eastern Africa witnessed the emergence of Egyptian civilization, famous · for its pharaohs and pyramids, as well as a separate culture known as Nubia farther south along the Nile. | · Best known for large, human-made earthen structures, the city of Cahokia was inhabited from about A.D. 700 to 1400. Built by ancient peoples known as the Mound Builders, Cahokia’s original population was thought to have been only about 1,000 until about the 11th century when it expanded to tens of thousands. · The name Cahokia is that of an unrelated tribe that was living in the area when the first French explorers arrived in the late 17th century. |
| Geography, climate & environment.
How did the natural environment influence development? | · Mesopotamia’s weather was semi-arid, with hot summers and sporadic rain. However, the presence of two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, made it humid, fertile, and ideal for nomads to start settlements. · The rainy season brought a moderate amount of rain, which often caused the rivers to flood. Egypt’s two main geographic features are the Nile and the Sahara Desert. Ancient Egypt was a long, narrow oasis along the river in the desert. | · The monsoon greatly affected the Indus Valley Civilization. It causes flooding when the two cities lie close to rivers and digging. If monsoon came late, it would result in crops fail and food shortages. The heavy rains can cause destructive floods, especially in the lower Ganges Valley. | · The geography of Ancient Egypt was unique and allowed Egypt to become a very successful civilization. Egypt’s geography contributed all aspects of Ancient Egyptians lives, such as the Nile River being their source of food, water, and transportation, and the desert offering natural protection.
| · The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the site of a pre-Columbian Native American city (which existed circa 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from modern St. Louis, Missouri. This historic park lies in southern Illinois between East St. Louis and Collinsville. |
| Governing systems, political – religious leadership structures, and critical individuals.
| · Type of Government: kings ruled Mesopotamia. The kings only ordered a single city, though, rather than the entire civilization. · Religion and government were closely linked in Mesopotamia. The cities were regarded as the property of the gods, and human was expected to do what the gods asked of them as directed by the priest-kings. · Religion in Mesopotamia served as a means to explain the uncertainty that developed as a result of the unpredictable weather conditions. · The Mesopotamians could attribute the chaotic weather to the will of a god, finding comfort in the belief that they were at the mercy of the gods rather than the mercy of nature’s anarchy. | · The Indus River Valley Civilization is a Theocracy government, and a priest runs a Theocracy, so there government and religion were combined. In the Indus River Valley, karma played a considerable role in their laws. · The Harappan religion also remains a topic of speculation. It has been widely suggested that the Harappans worshipped a mother goddess who symbolized fertility. · The Indus Valley Civilization seems to have lacked any temples or palaces that would give clear evidence of religious rites or specific deities. · The caste system was a significant impact on the class structure within the Indus River Valley civilization.
| · The government of ancient Egypt was a theocratic monarchy as the king ruled by a mandate from the gods, initially was seen as an intermediary between human beings and the divine, and was supposed to represent the gods’ will through the laws passed and policies approved. · The pharaoh was the head of state and the divine representative of the gods on earth. · The pharaoh was assisted by a hierarchy of advisors, priests, officials, and administrators, who were responsible for the affairs of the state and the welfare of the people. | · Archaeologists believe that the Mississippian peoples were organized into chiefdoms, a form of political organization united under an official leader, or “chief.” Chiefdom societies were arranged by families of differing social rank or status. · Mississippian people were organized as chiefdoms of ranked societies. Chiefdoms were a specific kind of human social organization with social ranking as a fundamental part of their structure. In rated communities, people belonged to one of two groupings, elites or commoners. |
| Economy, labor systems, agriculture, crafts, and trade.
| · Agriculture was the main economic activity. · The main crops were barley and wheat. The Sumerians had gardens shaded by tall date palms where they grew peas, beans and lentils, vegetables like cucumbers, leeks, lettuces, and garlic, and fruit such as grapes, apples, melons, and figs. · The Mesopotamians didn’t have many natural resources, so they used trade to get the things that they needed. The Sumerians offered wool, cloth, jewelry, oil, grains, and wine for business.
| · The Indus Valley economy was heavily based on trading. · Traders and artisans used the trade routes to bring raw materials into the towns and cities, and this is where they were turned into jewelry, pottery, and metalware. Archaeologists have found weights and measuring sticks, which suggests that there were trade centers within the cities. · Cotton was one of the essential products of the Indus Valley trade. · Apart from trade and industry, agriculture was the main occupation of the Indus people. | Ancient Egypt was a country rich in many natural resources but still was not self-sufficient and so had to rely on trade for necessary goods and luxuries.
| Cahokia was located in a strategic position near the confluence of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois Rivers. It maintained trade links with communities as far away as the Great Lakes to the north and the Gulf Coast to the south, trading in such exotic items as copper, Mill Creek chert, and whelk shells. |
| Society and social structures, including women & gender.
| · Written laws to enforce patriarchy families and offer “protection” for the unquestioned authority of men. Unequal severity of punishments. Women could only own business on behalf of the husband. · The populations of these cities were divided into social classes, which, like societies in every civilization throughout history, were hierarchical. These classes were: The King and Nobility, The Priests and Priestesses, The Upper Class, the Lower Class, and The Slaves | · The main social courses of the Indus River Valley Civilization are the Gods, Brahmins (priests and academics), Kshatryia (warriors and kings), Vaishya (merchants and landowners), Sudra (commoners, peasants, and servants), and then the Untouchables (the outcasts of the Caste system). | · In the social pyramid of ancient Egypt, the pharaoh and those associated with divinity were at the top, and servants and slaves made up the bottom. The Egyptians also elevated some human beings to gods. Their leaders, called pharaohs, were believed to be gods in human form. | |
| Cultural and religious beliefs, values, traditions, language, art, etc.
| · The cultures of Mesopotamia had a polytheistic belief system, which means that the people believed in multiple gods instead of just one. They also believed in demons created by the gods, which could be good or evil. The people of Mesopotamia worshiped these otherworldly beings to keep the humans happy because if one of these powerful beings were angered, then the people of Mesopotamia would, in some way, be punished for that unhappiness. · Religion was central to Mesopotamians as they believed the divine affected every aspect of human life. Mesopotamians were polytheistic; they worshipped several major gods and thousands of minor gods. Each Mesopotamian city, whether Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian or Assyrian, had its patron god or goddess.
| · The Indus Valley religion is polytheistic and is made up of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. There are many seals to support the evidence of the Indus Valley Gods. Some seals show animals that resemble the two gods, Shiva and Rudra. Other seals depict a tree which the Indus Valley believed to be the tree of life. · Other religions exist as minorities here, including Abrahamic religions. | · In Egypt, there is an enormous gap between the very wealthy and the very poor. The culture also encourages deference of the weak, poor, or subaltern to the rich and powerful, in terms of speech, posture, and permission. The differences among individuals and families in Egypt can be represented by income level or source of income. Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals that formed an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians’ interaction with many deities believed to be present in and in control of the world. | · Cahokia was a part of a cultural complex that archaeologists call Mississippian. There are three outstanding characteristics of Mississippian material culture: tempered clay pottery, square houses, and pyramidal mounds.
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| Optional: additional observations, comments, characteristics.
| · Trading and Agriculture were suitable for the survival of civilization. | · Informative. | · The aspect of social classes is excellent. · I enjoyed knowing more about the history of Early Egypt. | · Very intriguing to know people those many years ago have a lot of knowledge and will. |