Unit 1: Ancient Civilizations & World Religions

"... Paleolithic men could not control their food supply. So long as they relied on foraging, hunting, fishing, and trapping, they were dependent on the natural food supply in a given area to keep from starving. But while Paleolithic men continued their food-gathering pattern of existence in Europe, Africa, and Australia, groups of people in the Near East began to cultivate edible plants and to breed animals. Often described as the 'first economic revolution' in the history of man, this momentous change from food-gathering to a food-producing economy initiated the Neolithic Age. Paleolithic man was a hunter; Neolithic man became a farmer and herdsman..." - T. Walter Walbank, et al., Civilization: Past and Present, Scott, Foresman, and Company

According to the authors of this passage, what is one significant change that occurred between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic Ages?

• Women began to share equal responsibility for hunting and gathering with men

• People in Europe and Africa began to farm earlier than those in Asia and Australia

• Man switched from food-gathering to food-producing due to the Neolithic Revolution

• Men who relied on farming and herding lived a shorter life than those who hunted and gathered

Based on this comic, which of the following is NOT a major effect of the Neolithic Revolution?

• Selective planting allowed for better quality harvests.

• New ways of preparing and cooking food developed.

• The development of fences allowed people to keep herds of animals.

• People began to hunt and fish more often.

Based on the above image, which element of civilization is evident in Mesopotamia?

• Specialized workers

• Record keeping

• Advanced cities

• Complex institutions

Based on the time line, what inference can be made about early humans?

• Early man abandoned their nomadic lifestyle following the development of farming.

• The settlement at Catahuyuk was more advanced than that at Jericho.

• The first crop grown in the Middle East was barley.

• Sheep were easier to domesticate than goats.

“The Sumerians…Having no stone or timber, they built with marsh reeds and river mud, invented the brick mold and erected cities of baked clay. They canaled the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and turned Sumer into a veritable Garden of Eden. To manage their irrigation systems they originated regional government, thus emerging from the petty social order of the family and village to the city-state." - Region in World History, Allyn and Bacon

Why were the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers important to the Sumerians?

• It was essential to transporting goods and people

• It allowed for the construction of building materials.

• It prevented invasions from the north and south.

• It facilitated the development of religion.

"Some several thousand years ago there once thrived a civilization in the Indus Valley. Located in what's now Pakistan and western India, it was the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent. The Indus Valley Civilization, as it is called, covered an area the size of western Europe. It was the largest of the four ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. However, of all these civilizations the least is known about the Indus Valley people. This is because the Indus script has not yet been deciphered. There are many remnants of the script on pottery vessels, seals, and amulets, but without a "Rosetta Stone" linguists and archaeologists have been unable to decipher it." -The Harappan Civilization by Tarini J. Carr

How does the Indus River Valley from those in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China?

• The rivers in the Indus Valley flooded predictably, while the others did not.

• The language of the Indus Valley has not been interpreted, while the others have been translated.

• Life was more difficult in the Indus Valley than anywhere else.

• The people of the Indus Valley did not have an organized religion, while the other regions did.

. If a man destroys the eye of another man, they shall destroy his eye.

. If a son strikes his father, they shall cut off his hand.

. If two people have a disagreement, both will go before a judge for a decision. If one of these people does not like the judge's ruling, then he has the right to appeal to a higher court. - Hammurabi's Code, ca. 1770 BCE

Which of the following statements is true about Hammurabi's Code based on the excerpt?

• It is a religious code which punishes those who upset the gods.

• It is a social order which designates who is more important in society.

• It is a legal code in which all illegal actions have consequences.

• It is a moral code which helps people lead better lives.

What inference can be made about early civilizations based on the map above?

• Early civilizations were always formed around mountains and deserts.

• Early civilizations needed to be next to an ocean for trade.

• Early civilizations based geographic location on religious beliefs.

• Early civilizations needed to be next to rivers in order to sustain life.

What does the elaborate nature of the Egyptian burial tomb suggest about the culture?

• Egyptians considered death the end of all life.

• Egyptians thought an elaborate tomb guaranteed riches in this world.

• Egyptians placed a high value on religion and the afterlife.

• Egyptians believed in no high power.

"To the King my lord, thy servant Arad-Nana . . .

To reduce the general inflammation of his [the patient’s] forehead I tied a bandage upon it. His face is swollen. Yesterday as formerly I opened the wound which had been received in the midst of it. As for the bandage which was over the swelling, matter was upon the bandage the size of the tip of the little finger. Thy gods, if they can restore unto him the whole flesh of his body, cause thou to invoke, and his mouth will cry; “Peace forever! May the heart of the king my lord be good!” He will live seven or eight days." - letter from an Assyrian physician, c 600s BCE

What type of advancement is discussed in this letter?

• Construction

• Medicinal

• Religious

• Trade