Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hammurabi stands
before a god
Abraham leads
Israelites to Canaan
114
(t)Reunion des Musees Nationaux/Art Resource, NY, (c)John Heaton/CORBIS, (b)Tom Lovell/National Geographic Society Image Collection
(tl)Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York/Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund/Bridgeman Art Library, (bl)Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY, (others)SuperStock
Ti
gri s
Eu us
ph nd R.
R.
at
I
r
es
R.
30°N
N
Persian
W E Chapter 2 Nile R.
Gulf
S
Red
Sea Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
AFRICA
EQUATOR
INDIAN
OCEAN
Hanging gardens of
Babylon c. 600 B.C.
Solomon’s temple,
Ancient Jerusalem
built c. 950 B.C.
115
1 Ishtar Gate
Mediterranean Sea
5
See First Civilizations 3
Chapter 1
2
AFRICA
Sumerian figures
Red
See First Civilizations
Sea
Chapter 1
c. 3300 B.C .
Iceman found in Ruled c. 1792–1750 B.C . Ruled c. 1503–1482 B.C .
the Alps Babylonian king Egyptian pharaoh
Chapter 1, page 129 Chapter 1, page 138 Chapter 2, page 182
116
2–3 ©Worldsat International Inc. 2004, All Rights Reserved, (t)S. Fiore/SuperStock, (c)Scala/Art Resource, NY, (bl)Giansanti Gianni/CORBIS Sygma, (bc)Louvre Museum, Paris/Bridgeman Art Library, (br)Metropolitan
Museum of Art, Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift,1929 (29.3.3)
ASIA 3 Egyptian sphinx
Caspian
Sea
See Ancient Egypt
and Kush Chapter 2
4 Kushite pyramids
1
2
Persian
Gulf 5 Western Wall
117
(t to b)Sylvain Grandadam/Getty Images, Timothy Kendall/Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Gary Cralle/Getty Images, (l to r)O. Louis Mazzatenta/National Geographic Society Image Collection, SuperStock,
Bettmann/CORBIS
The First
Civilizations
Ruins of a ziggurat in Iraq
Early Humans
Studying the past helps to understand the present. Scientists who
study the past have learned that the earliest humans hunted
animals and gathered plants for food. When farming developed,
people settled in villages and towns.
Mesopotamian Civilization
Religion shapes how culture develops, just as culture shapes how
religion develops. In early Mesopotamian civilizations, religion and
government were closely linked. Kings created strict laws to
govern people.
New Empires
Conflict often brings about great change. New empires arose in
Mesopotamia around 900 B.C. These civilizations included the
Assyrians and the Chaldeans. They used powerful armies and iron
weapons to conquer the region.
Compare and Contrast Make this foldable to help you compare and contrast
the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia.
119
Previewing
Before you read, take time to preview the chapter. This will give
you a head start on what you are about to learn. Follow the steps
below to help you quickly read, or skim, Section 1 on page 123.
2–The 1–Read
under each main Early Humans the main
headings
head tells you the
main point of Paleolithic people adapted to in large red
what you are their environment and invented many tools type. They
about to read. to help them survive. show the
Reading Connection What do you view as the main topics
greatest human achievement—sending people to covered in
3–The Reading the moon, perhaps, or inventing the computer? the section
Connection helps Read to learn about the accomplishments of or chapter.
you to link what people during the Paleolithic Age.
you might already
know to what you History is the story of humans . . .
are about to read.
Tools of Discovery
New Empires
Hanging Gardens
of Babylon
Skim Section 2 on your own. Write
one thing in your notebook that you
want to learn by reading this chapter.
121
Early Humans
Looking Back, Looking Ahead Content Vocabulary
Today people live in towns and anthropologist
History cities of various sizes. Early humans (AN • thruh • PAH • luh • jihst)
Social Science lived by moving from place to place, archaeologist
Standards forming settlements, and exploring (AHR • kee • AH • luh • jihst)
WH6.1 Students different ways to provide for artifact (AHR • tih • FAKT)
describe what is known themselves and their families.
through archaeological fossil (FAH • suhl)
studies of the early nomad (NOH • MAD)
physical and cultural Focusing on the technology (tehk • NAH • luh • jee)
development of
• Paleolithic people adapted to their
humankind from the domesticate (duh • MEHS • tih • KAYT)
Paleolithic era to the environment and invented many tools
agricultural revolution. to help them survive. specialization
(page 123) (SPEH • shuh • luh • ZAY • shuhn)
• In the Neolithic Age, people started Academic Vocabulary
farming, building communities, task
producing goods, and trading. revolution (REH • vuh • LOO • shuhn)
(page 127)
Reading Strategy
Locating Places Determine Cause and Effect Draw
Jericho (JEHR • ih • KOH) a diagram like the one below. Use it
Çatal Hüyük to explain how early humans adapted
(chah • TAHL hoo • YOOK) to their environment.
Cause: Effect:
Cause: Effect:
Early Humans
Paleolithic people adapted to their
environment and invented many tools to help them
survive.
Reading Connection What do you view as the great-
est human achievement—sending people to the moon,
perhaps, or inventing the computer? Read to learn
about the accomplishments of people during the
Paleolithic Age.
Archaeological Dig
Archaeologists use special techniques and tools when carrying
out a dig. Artifacts are photographed or sketched, and their
locations are mapped and noted. Soil is passed through a mesh
screen to collect small fragments of tools or bone. What types
of artifacts do archaeologists look for?
PRESERVING
Archaeologists may use plaster LOOKING FOR FRAGMENTS
to make a form or an imprint of This scientist uses a wire mesh
something they have found. screen to sift the soil to
BELOW THE SURFACE discover small fragments
Layers of soil are of artifacts.
deposited one on
top of another. In gen-
eral, the further the
layer is below the sur-
face, the older its soil
and artifacts are.
GRIDS CLEANING
Grids like these help archaeologists Artifacts must be handled and
record and map any artifacts found. cleaned carefully, often with soft
Michael Holford brushes or other instruments.
American Museum of Natural History
means “old stone” in the Greek language.
Paleolithic times began roughly 2.5 million
years ago and lasted until around 8000 B.C. Paleolithic
Try to imagine the world during the
Stone Age, long before any roadways, farms,
Cave Paintings
or villages existed. Early humans spent most The oldest examples of Paleolithic art are
cave paintings found in Spain and France.
of their time searching for food. They hunted
Most of the paintings are of animals.
animals, caught fish, ate insects, and gath- The paintings show that Paleolithic artists
ered nuts, berries, fruits, grains, and plants. often used several colors and techniques.
Because they hunted and gathered food, They sometimes used the uneven surface of
Paleolithic people were always on the the rock to create a three-dimensional effect.
move. They were nomads (NOH • MADS), or
people who regularly move from place to
place without fixed homes. They traveled in
bands or groups of 30 or so members
because it was safer and made the search
for food easier.
Men and women did different tasks
within the group. Women stayed close to the
campsite, which was typically near a stream
or other water source. They cared for the
children and searched nearby woods and
Painting of bison in Spanish cave
meadows for berries, nuts, and grains.
Men hunted animals—an activity that
sometimes took them far from camp. They
had to learn the habits of animals and make Why do you think Paleolithic artists
tools for hunting. At first, they used clubs painted what they did?
or drove the animals off cliffs. Over time,
Paleolithic people invented spears, traps,
and bows and arrows. animals. Food cooked over the fire tasted
better and was easier to digest. In addition,
Adapting to the Environment The way cooked meat could be kept longer.
that Paleolithic people lived depended on Archaeologists believe that early humans
where they lived. Those in warm climates started fires by rubbing two pieces of wood
needed little clothing or shelter. People in together. Paleolithic people later made drill-
cold climates sought protection from the like wooden tools to start fires.
weather in caves. Over time, Paleolithic
people created new kinds of shelter. The What Were the Ice Ages? Paleolithic peo-
most common was probably made of ani- ple needed fire in order to survive the Ice
mal hides held up by wooden poles. Ages. These were long periods of extreme
Paleolithic people made a life-changing cold. The last Ice Age began about 100,000
discovery when they learned to tame fire. B.C. From then until about 8000 B.C., thick
Fire gave warmth to those gathered around ice sheets covered parts of Europe, Asia,
it. It lit the darkness and scared away wild and North America.
127
produced from an area of land. This made it garbage near their farms. This too helped
possible to feed more people and led to an the spread of disease.
increase in the world’s population. Farming People had to work harder and for much
regions also had a higher population den- longer hours when farming. People had to
sity. People lived closer together and did till the soil in order to plant seeds. They had
not have to spread out as much as they used to weed the fields by hand. Then they had to
to when they hunted and gathered food. gather the crops by hand when they were
Farming also changed the kind of food peo- ready. There were no machines to make the
ple ate. Instead of a diet rich in meat and veg- work quick and easy. People had to walk
etables, people now ate a lot of grain—usually through their fields, often bent over at the
in the form of bread. Anthropologists think that waist, gathering the crops they had grown.
people in the early days of farming were not as Despite the problems of diet and disease
healthy as hunter-gatherers because they did and the hard work people had to do, the
not have enough variety in their diet. farming revolution greatly improved the
Farming required people to stay in one lives of most people. Fewer people starved
place for a long time. This made it easier for to death, and more children lived to adult-
diseases to spread and infect many people. hood. Settling in one place to farm also led
Because people stayed in one place, they to a much more organized society and
also tended to pollute their environment. made possible the world’s first towns and
Their water became dirty, and they left cities.
NORTH
AMERICA EUROPE ASIA
PACIFIC ATLANTIC PACIFIC
OCEAN OCEAN OCEAN
30°N
TROPIC OF CANCER
AFRICA
EQUATOR SOUTH N
EQUATOR
0°
AMERICA
W E
TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
S AUSTRALIA 30°S
0 2,000 mi.
INDIAN OCEAN
0 2,000 km
Mercator projection
KEY
60°S
Barley Maize Potatoes Sweet potatoes
1. Human/Environment Interaction According to Beans Millet Rice Tea
the map, what crops were grown in North Cocoa OA
TS Oats RY
E
Rye Tomatoes
America? Coffee Olives Soybeans Vanilla
2. Region What are the major regions of the Cotton Onions Squash Wheat
world where farming communities appeared?
Emmer Peanuts Sugarcane Yams
Find NGS online map resources @
www.nationalgeographic.com/maps Flax Peppers Sunflowers
129
Comparing the Neolithic and Paleolithic Ages
Paleolithic Age Neolithic Age
Description Paleolithic people painted cave Neolithic people made pottery and
of Art and walls. They usually painted carved objects out of wood. They
Crafts animals. also built shelters and tombs.
How Humans People hunted animals and People began to farm in permanent
Obtained Food gathered nuts, berries, and grains. villages. They continued to raise
and herd animals.
How Humans People learned to make fire, People built mud-brick houses and
Adapted created a language, and places of worship. They specialized
made simple tools and in certain jobs and used copper and
shelters. bronze to create more useful tools.
Work of Women Women gathered food and cared Women cared for children and
and Men for children. Men hunted. performed household tasks.
Men herded, farmed, and protected
the village.
new type of clothing. Early humans had Compare How did the
worn only animal skins. Now people could Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages differ?
Ancient Mesopotamia
30°E 40°E 50°E
C asp
KEY
Fertile Crescent 40°N
A S IA M I NO R
ian
Se a
M
Me ES
dit Eu
O Nineveh
err ph
PO e s R
r
ane
at
Tigr i
an S Byblos
TA
ea A S I A
MI
.
Sidon
sR
NILE
A
Tyre
.
SYRIAN
DELTA DESERT
Jerusalem Jordan R. Babylon Susa
30°N
EGYPT Dead Uruk
Giza Sea Ur Persian
Eridu Gulf
N
W
Ancient
E Shoreline
Ni
le
S
R.
R ed
Sumerian Ziggurat
The top of the ziggurat was considered to be a holy place, and the area around
the ziggurat contained palaces and royal storehouses. The surrounding walls
had only one entrance because the ziggurat also served as the city’s treasury.
How did people reach the upper levels of the ziggurat?
Statues of Sumerians
134
Scala/Art Resource, NY
What Were City-States? Geography waterproof bricks were used for walls, as
helped to isolate Sumerian cities from each well as homes, temples, and other buildings.
other. Beyond the areas of settlement lay Gods and Rulers The Sumerians believed
mudflats and patches of scorching desert. in many gods. Each was thought to have
This terrain made travel and communica- power over a natural force or a human
tion difficult. Each Sumerian city and the activity—flooding, for example, or basket
land around it became a separate city-state. weaving. The Sumerians tried hard to
Each city-state had its own government and please their gods. They built a grand temple
was not part of any larger unit. called a ziggurat (ZIH • guh • RAT) to the chief
Sumerian city-states often went to war god. The word ziggurat means “mountain
with one another. They fought to gain glory of god” or “hill of heaven.”
and to control more territory. For protec- With tiers like a giant square wedding
tion, each city-state surrounded itself with a cake, the ziggurat dominated the city. At
wall. Because stone and wood were in short the top was a shrine, or special place of
supply, the Sumerians used river mud as worship that only priests and priestesses
their main building material. They mixed could enter. The priests and priestesses
the mud with crushed reeds, formed bricks, were powerful and controlled much of the
and left them in the sun to dry. The hard land. They may even have ruled at one time.
Education
Students today
In ancient Mesopotamia, only boys from
wealthy and high-ranking families went to the
edubba, which means “tablet house.” At the
edubba—the world’s first school—boys
studied reading, writing, and mathematics
and trained to be scribes. For hours every
day, they copied the signs of the
cuneiform script, trying to master
hundreds of words
and phrases.
HAMMURABI
Reigned c. 1792–1750 B.C.
Hammurabi was a young man when he succeeded
his father, Sinmuballit, as king of Babylon. When
Hammurabi became king, Babylon was already a strong
kingdom in Mesopotamia. During his reign, however,
Hammurabi transformed Babylon from a small city-
state into a large, powerful state. He also united the
other city-states of Mesopotamia under one rule.
Hammurabi was directly involved in the ruling of
his kingdom. He personally directed projects, such as
building city walls, restoring temples, and digging and
cleaning irrigation canals. A great deal of planning
went into his projects. City streets, for example, were
arranged in straight lines and intersected at right
angles, much like the way our cities are planned today.
One of Hammurabi’s goals was to control the
Euphrates River because it provided water for
Babylon’s farms and trade routes for cargo ships.
He also needed to control the river’s annual flooding Hammurabi
so that villages and crops would not be washed away.
Hammurabi did this by issuing laws controlling the use
of irrigation ditches. His laws protected the area and
helped bring water to the fields. That was one reason he
developed a strict law code, or collection of laws:
damaged irrigation channels could cause many people
to be injured or even killed.
Hammurabi fought for many years against his
enemies to control the river. He even used water to
defeat them. Sometimes he would dam the river to
withhold water needed for drinking and for
crops, and then release a sudden damaging
flood. Because of Hammurabi’s efforts, the
Find a copy of the Code of Hammurabi, either on-
center of power in Mesopotamia shifted
line or in a reference book. Notice the kinds of
from the south to Babylon in the north
situations and the punishments that are described.
where it remained for the next 1,000 years.
How do these compare with current laws and
punishments that exist in the United States?
138
WH6.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia,
Egypt, and Kush.
WH6.2.4 Know the significance of Hammurabi's Code.
Hammurabi’s Laws:
Fair or Cruel?
reflect that
Fair 1 7 5 0 B . C ., K ing Hammura
bi S o
fairness.
m e of the laws
error
Around v er n th e people of : If a ju dge makes an
s to g o • L a w 5 ying
wrote 282 law a n d sc h o la rs agree g h h is ow n fault when tr
torians throu be
Babylon. His la w s w er e the first to se , h e m u st pay a fine,
cien t a ca ch,
that these an a sp ec ts o f society. v ed fr o m the judge’s ben
all remo se.
cover almost s a n d sc holars do not n ev er ju dge another ca
to ri a n a nd
However, his m m u rabi’s laws w
ere
so m eone gives so
me-
h er H a a w 1 2 2 : If
agree whet • L
meone else fo
r safe-
r cr u el . a n d th ing to so uld
fair o th e laws as just e transaction sho
w h o se e k ee p in g , th
Those ns. They ntract
g iv e th e fo llowing reaso be w it n essed and a co ies.
fair
w s a d e b et w ee n the two part
say the la ed to m
ate d w h a t a ll people need w 2 33: If a contra
ctor
• st f th ei r • L a
e rules o for
know about th builds a house
the
society
e to so ci ety someone and
and ju stic ll,
• brought order s, w alls start to fa
ctivit ie er
ny different a then the build
• regulated ma contracts to crime.
from busines
s must use his
in tr o -
rabi wrote an own money
King Hammu th a t
is list of la w s. In and labor to
duction to h th e la w s
make the
he says that
introduction, is in ten tio n
walls secure.
to be fair. H
were written e ru le o f
ng about th
was “to bri e land to des
, troy
u sn es s in th
righteo , so that
e w ic ke d a nd evil-doers e
th
n g sh o u ld not harm th
the st ro
weak. . . .”
Assyrians Chaldeans
s R
e
Jerusalem . R.
Babylon
EGYPT
N
Nile
ARABIAN
W DESERT KEY
R.
E
Thebes Red Assyrian Empire
S Sea
The Chaldeans
Gianni Dagli Orti/CORBIS
Chaldeans decided the time had come to
fight back.
The Chaldean Empire built important In 627 B.C. Nabopolasar led his people in
landmarks in Babylon and developed the first calen- rebellion against the Assyrians. The
dar with a seven-day week. Chaldeans joined with the Medes, another
Reading Connection What landmarks exist in your people in the region who wanted to break
town or the nearest city? Read to learn some of the spe- free from the Assyrians. Together the
cial landmarks that made the Chaldean capital of Chaldeans and Medes defeated Assyria’s
Babylon famous. army. In 612 B.C. they captured the Assyrian
capital of Nineveh and finally put an end to
Assyria’s cruel treatment of people led the hated Assyrian empire.
to many rebellions. About 650 B.C., the Nabapolasar and his son, the famous
Assyrians began fighting each other over King Nebuchadnezzar (NEH • byuh • khud •
who would be their next king. Because the NEH • zuhr), then went on to build their
Assyrians were not united, a group of peo- own empire. By 605 B.C., the Chaldeans had
ple called the Chaldeans (kahl • DEE • uhns)
were able to rebel.
The Chaldean people had moved from
the Arabian Peninsula into southern
Mesopotamia about 1000 B.C. Their small Web Activity Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com and
kingdom was quickly conquered by the click on Chapter 1—Student Web Activity to
learn more about the first civilizations.
Assyrians but the Chaldeans hated their
new rulers. With the Assyrians busy fight-
ing each other, King Nabopolasar of the
Hanging Gardens
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were
considered one of the Seven Wonders of
the Ancient World. A complex irrigation
system brought water from the Euphrates
River to the top of the gardens. From there,
the water flowed down to each of the
lower levels of the gardens. What other
sights made Babylon a grand city?
Ruins of the
Hanging Gardens
conquered nearly all of the lands the These terraced gardens showcased large
Assyrians had ruled. They made Babylon trees, masses of flowering vines, and other
the capital of their empire, and because of beautiful plants. A pump brought in water
this, the Chaldean Empire is sometimes from a nearby river. Nebuchadnezzar built
called the New Babylonian Empire. the gardens to please his wife, who missed
the mountains and plants of her homeland
The City of Babylon The Chaldeans rebuilt
in the northwest.
the city of Babylon as the glorious center of
their empire. The city became the world’s One Greek historian in the 400s B.C.
largest and richest city. It was surrounded by described the beauty of Babylon. He wrote,
a brick wall so wide that two chariots could “In magnificence, there is no other city that
pass on the road on top of it. Built into the approaches it.” Outside the center of
wall at 100-yard (91.4-m) intervals were Babylon stood houses and marketplaces.
towers where soldiers kept watch. There, artisans made pottery, cloth, baskets,
Large palaces and temples stood in the and jewelry. They sold their wares to pass-
city’s center. A huge ziggurat reached more ing caravans (KAR • uh • VANZ), or groups of
than 300 feet (91.4 m) into the sky. Another traveling merchants. Because Babylon was
marvel, visible from any point in Babylon, located on the major trade route between
was an immense staircase of greenery: the the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean
Hanging Gardens at the king’s palace. Sea, it became rich from trade.
Caspian
ASSYRIA Sea
M
ES
Nineveh MEDES
OP
N
OT
SYRIA
Tig
AM
Mediterranean Byblos W E
ris
Damascus
IA
Sea Eu S
R.
Tyre ph
r
at
es
R.
30°E JUDAH
Jerusalem ARABIAN DESERT PERSIANS
Babylon Susa
EGYPT
CHALDEANS
1. Location How far apart are the 35°N
8. Posing
Questions Write four ques-
4. Analyze How did the tions about the Chaldeans you
Assyrians set up a well- would like answered. Use the
organized government? library and Internet to research
CA 6RC2.0 and write answers to your
questions. CA HR1.
Ancient Forms
of Communication Sculpture of
chariot from
Mesopotamia
Long before the rise of civilization, early people expressed themselves
through paintings. People may have used these images to explain the universe.
Later, people in Mesopotamia began using writing not only to express their
ideas, but also to record important events and tell stories. These include epic
stories of heroes, proverbs about how to live properly, and law codes.
Study the painting and the passages that follow, and then answer the ques-
tions on page 149.
Reader’s Dictionary
old ones: the elders or leaders of the Enkidu (ehn • KEE • doo): Gilgamesh’s
city friend and traveling companion
Cave Painting
One of the earliest forms of communication
was through art. Beginning around 30,000 B.C.,
people began to crush rocks to make powder
for painting on cave walls. The images they
painted include animals, hunting scenes, and
people engaged in various activities. These
paintings may have had a religious meaning
or may have been intended to record events.
Stone monument
showing Hammurabi
(standing)
Mesopotamia? 25,000
40,000 years ago
8. What kinds of contributions did 60°N
years ago
Sumerians make? ASIA
9. How did Sumerian city-states lose power? EUROPE
Section 3 • New Empires 100,000
30°N years ago
10. What helped Assyria build an empire in
Mesopotamia? AFRICA
11. What scientific advancement did the 150,000–200,000 EQUATOR
50,000
0° years ago years ago
Chaldeans make?