CHAPTER TWO SECTiON BREAKDoWN:
RISE OF EGYPTThe nile river was a vital asset to the EGYPTS prosperous reign, as the river rose annually and deposited a silt-mud substance on both sides of the river. The Nile also promoted unity in Egypt because of the access it allowed all around the empire. Civilians could be transported exceptionally quickly on the river because the North directed winds pushed south, and the Nile's natural current carried passengers north. Egypt's natural barriers of deserts, the dead Sea, and the cataracts of the nile provided protection from the invasion of resentful intruders. Egyptian history, beginning in 3,100 B.c when highly renowned King Menes united Upper and lower Egypt, is distinguished by it's three distinct sections: the old, middle and new age. While the old age was a time of unprecedented splendor and prosperity, the middle age is classified as "the golden age of stability" because of Egypt's success in conquering. Also, many attribute middle ages's immutability to the Pharaohs new concern for his people. in the old age the Pharaoh was venerated as God-king and therefore was virtually detached from his citizens, oblivious to the needs of his faithful people. However, in the middle age, the Pharaoh aspired to be more of a shepherd, as he was more invested in the welfare of the people. Between these periods of opulence were intermediate periods, or time of political disorder, widespread squalor, and invasion. The Egyptians were very advanced in their accomplishments as shown by their abstract and pictographic writing system of hieroglyphics, simplified for standard use to hieratic script. Also, their architectural achievements and other grandeur monuments bear witness to their geometric mindsets and advanced number system that were necessary to make the complex calculations. They also developed an exceptionally accurate 365-day calendar around the appearance of Sirius, the bright star that signals the impending annually flooding.
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EASTERN MEDITERRANEANthe eastern Mediterranean region was one heavily operated by trade and the exchange of technologies. After the "Sea Peoples" abrupt destruction of the Hittite Empire, and the temporary weakening of Egypt, there were no dominant powers controlling Western Egypt. This statistic has helped confirm was provoked the rise of the Phoenicians, as small grouping of city states that emerged in their newfound political independence. As mentioned, trade the the foundation of all prosperity, and to accommodate their trade-based economy, the Phoenicians constructed ships that could sustain international sea travel. The Phoenician cu;sure as composed a Semitic, 22 character alphabet that was eventually modified by the Greeks and then adopted by our current day Roman alphabet. The Israelites were also people of prodigious importance as they introduced Monotheism to the world and promoted the idea of God’s convenient with his ardently faithful people. Because of the Ten commandment's major impact on the world, famous artistic representations associate Moses with his status as the law giver as it was the first time that societies had collectively implemented a set principles of compulsory laws in the name of GOd. The Minoans were also peoples of affluent living, as indicated by their lavish lifestyles of abundance luxuries and expensive decoration. However, this civilization established on crete suffered a sudden and detrimental collapse, potentially provoked by a volcanic eruption on the island . However many qualified scholars surmise that their catastrophic devastation was caused by an invasion by Mainland greeks known as the Mycenaeans.
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Indus river valleyTHE indus river valley population was also one that was greatly affected by its geography and climatic fluctuations. The geographical features were very diverse as the indian subcontinent region was composed of Mountain ranges, river valleys, dry interior plateaus, fertile coast plains, and, the primary climatic feature was the seasonal monsoons. The iNdus river valley organized their mass farming around the arrival of these monsoons that blew from the south, across the Arabian sea, up towards the west coast near Mumbai , carrying moisture laded air and causing heavy rainfall across the subcontinents. During the cooler October-February seasons, the pattern reverses its direction and sweeps from the North and Northeast down to the eastern coast of India. The Indus river valley civilization extended hundreds of miles from the Himalayans Mountain range TO the Arabian Sea. Harrapa and Monhenjo Daro are two civilizations that flourished for hundreds of years in th e vicinity of the Indus river valleys. Monhenjo Daro had an extreme advanced infrastructure for its time with broad streets running all directions, three story courtyard centered homes, drainage and well-systems,sewage pits, and household trash chutes.The end of the Indus river valley population and the gracdualshift towards the Aryan civilization is a very ambiguous transition in history. However, Historians predict that the migration of the info-european speaking Nomadic people , called the Indo-aryan people, could have interacted with the Hardpans and Dravidians, and therefore formed a new culture. Sanskrit, an Indo-European language enabled the aRyan people to document the legends and spiritual rituals that had been orally transferred from many generations.The families of this population were the basic unit in society and they were exclusively patriarchal. This is evident as women were customarily expected to voluntary thrust themselves on their dead husbands funeral pyre, as symbol of ultimate respect and reverence for her husband.
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RISE OF CHINAThe Chinese Empire revolved around the cultivated valleys if the Yangtze and Huang He rivers, recognized as one of the great food producing areas of antiquity. However, only 10% of this land is actually suitable for farming due to the mountainous and desert-filled landscape. However, this forbidding landscape served as a barrier, isolating china from potential conflict with surrounding territories. The Climates varied regionally as byproduct of the winter monsoons and the natural variation in elevation. This population was governed by an aristocracy, or an upper class whose wealth is land-based and who power transfers generationally. The Shang dynasty, promoting the idea of supernatural forces and implementing divine communication into their daily rituals ,concentrated on a farming based society. Best remembered for their mastery of bronze casting. the Shang rule, which had evolved into one of abhorrent self-indulgence and totalitarian Tyrant, was overthrown by the Zhou dynasty, the longest lasting Dynasty in Chinese history. The Zhou king was assisted by its exponentially growing and complex bureaucracy and the territories were governed by appointed officials suited to the Kings authority. The Mandate of heaven is a governing device that claimed that the king ruled by his Divinely inspired authority to command. However, the Dao required that the Kings adhere to "the proper way" of ruling which was defined by protection, efficiency, and goodness to the people. Whenever the the civilians noticed decline, even if in nominal quantity, the citizens progressively begin their revolt and then inevitably provoke the demise of the current ruler. This idea of periodic restoration, subtle decline, and then blatant corruption is represented in the recurring Dynastic cycle. Family was a crucial aspect of order in china, as through the compulsory principle of "filial piety", the members of the family were expected to subordinate their needs to the male head of the family. Last, the Chinese created a pictographic and ideographic written language composed of characters intended to represent speech sounds.
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civilizations in the americasRecent excavations reveal that the Maya and the OLemc once lived in the areas of Mexico and central america, referred to as Mesoamerica, where these empires once flourished.The Olmec population, known as the rubber people e farmed along the riverbanks of of the Gulf of Mexico south of Veracruz. The Olmec population, the first MEsoAMeican civilization, was oriented around the large cities that served as centers for their religious rituals, the oldest being san Lorenzo. Since the Olmec had not developed metal tools, their stone instruments greatly prolonged construction, and restricted meticulous detailing due to its unpracticality. The Zapotec's were resourceful and unique, as they repurposed their trade-hindering geography cutting into the sides of mountains to create terraces. The Olmec and Zapotec had languages that have not yet been deciphered. The first major city in MEsoamerica, Teotihuacan, had a main thoroughfare known as the "Avenue of the Dead," and was lined with intricately carved temples and luxurious palaces. Zapotec's famous center, overlooking the Modern city of Oaxaca in Central Mexico, is Monte Alban.The Zapotec regarded Obsidian, a pleasure Volcanic glass, to be a substance of high esteem as it could be utilized to construct knives and mirrors. Zapotec was destroyed and abandoned subsequent to the ruling classes renounced the civilization and fled. In south America, the inhabitants of Caral, evolving into the Chavin people formed complex societies in the coastal regions of modern day Peru. While their sophisticated drainage system and grand residences crafted of stone bear witness to their success, the crops they harvested, squash, beans, and tomatoes, show their diverse uniqueness. The chavin constructed a solar observatory on a hillside north of present-day Lima, and scholars have discovered that they had an explicit writing system. Although still obscure in the minds of researchers as they are unaware of the instigating factor of the decline, the Clavin population pluimettted around 200 B.c.
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KEY TERM SECTION: CHAPTER TWODynasty: a family of rulers whose right to rule is passed on within the family.
Pharaoh: the most common of the various titles for ancient Egyptian monarch; the term originally meant"great house" or "palace" Bureaucracy:an administrative organization that relies of nonelective officials and regular procedures pastoral Nomads: a person who domesticates animals fore food and clothing and moves along regular migratory routes to provide a steady source of nourishment for those animals monotheistic: believing in one God monsoon: a seasonal wind pattern in southern Asia that blows the warm, moist air from the southwest during the summer, bring heavy rains, and cold, dry air fro m the northeast during the winter. sanskrit: the first writing system of the Aryans, developed around 1000 B.c. aristocracy: an upper class whose wealth is base on land and whose power is passed on from one generation to another Dao: "way," the correct or divine way FILIAL PIETY: the duty of a family to subordinate their needs and desires to those the male head of the family Obsidian: a dark natural glass stone formed by lava |
CITES:
-http://www.huracanesyucatan.com/boletin/
-https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291185932129352057/
-https://in.pinterest.com/pin/512495632578112469/
-https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hanseatic-League
-http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160401-king-tut-tomb-radar-scan-nefertiti-archaeology/
-http://www.huracanesyucatan.com/boletin/
-https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291185932129352057/
-https://in.pinterest.com/pin/512495632578112469/
-https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hanseatic-League
-http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160401-king-tut-tomb-radar-scan-nefertiti-archaeology/