Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a Greek word that means “between the rivers” as it lies between the Tigris and Euphrates which flows through modern Iraq and Syria. Mesopotamia is considered a cradle of civilization. The cradle means “the place or region in with anything is nurtured in its early stages (Khan Academy). The land is made up of hills, plains, and mountains and the early settlers made a living as farmers and harvested timber, metal, and stone from nearby mountains. The lower areas of Mesopotamia were fertile land, with marshy, flat and wide plains, and as the river flowed down, settlers irrigated the land to grow various crops. The early settlers did not have many natural resources, so they had to stay in contact with neighboring settlers in order to get what they needed. Mesopotamia was a place where humans first formed civilization, developed and created governments. The Mesopotamian people were creative and used their
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Because of Ancient China’s large resources and population, there was a demand for strong government. One significant occurrence is when one of the regional dynasties became dominant; their king would become the emperor. The emperor would choose the next king before his death, he would hand over power to a chosen son or relative. The Shang dynasty is the first in China to leave written records and to establish a class structure. Under the Shang rulers’ cities were built including fine palace to house the emperor, priests, and warriors surrounded by massive walls. The skilled craftsmen, and farmers lived outside the walls to support the upper classes with their labor and taxes. Most Shang people were peasant farmers and the lowest levels of society. most communities create their own culture within their communities, but such customs as foods and religious beliefs varied depending on the
The Shang dynasty existed from 1750 to 1046 B.C.E., was located in the Yellow River valley of China. The dynasty was lead by King Tang the Victorious, or for short King Tang. One historian described the Shang as followed, “The Shang was an aristocratic culture — brilliant, luxurious, and savage.” To be aristocratic means to be related to the aristocracy, highest class. A definition of brilliant is impressive and successful, remarkable, display of intelligence.
Fertile Crescent: A region of the east where humans first took up agriculture and established large-scale settlements. The reason they’re important is because Grains provided a reliable source of food that was suitable for consumption when raw by soaking in water. Also the discovery of beer was made using these grains as well which is why this is so important in the history of beer. The Fertile Crescent was discovered around 10,000 BCE.
The Shang Dynasty replaced the Xia Dynasty, around the sixteenth century B.C.E. Their agricultural society ruled by an aristocratic class whose major occupation was war and control over key resources like metals and salt. The Shang king divided his kingdom into a number of territories that were governed by noble military men and order large armies that often fought along the perimeter of the kingdom.
When did the Neolithic Revolution Begin? 10000 BC. Where is Mesopotamia? In the Fertile Crescent. What does Mesopotamia mean?
Civilization is the cooperation between individuals within a region. The first civilizations were Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations. Both civilizations acquired a different environment. However, their environment promoted religion, specifically polytheism. Although their environments were different, both civilizations were in harmony about the existence of many gods.
Throughout most of China 's history, the country has remained rather isolated from from other nations and their influences. Although there are major instances in which outsiders were able to make significant impressions, such as the introduction of Buddhism, or the devastating opium wars. However, on a whole they were able to remain genuinely separated especially when compared to the development of other countries. In ancient China, this proved to be beneficial to their cultural development which is why they were able to become such an advanced and lasting ancient civilization. Without outside influences their culture was able to solidify, grow, and provide important advancements in ancient times, such as the first paper.
The patriarchal society was an epitome of society, and the Kings of the dynasty were given authority by the divinity: "Mandate of Heaven". The era of the Shang was defined by cultural advancements such as metallurgy, calendar, and religious aspects. The Shang were a cultural marvel, producing works of arts characterized by luxury and tradition. While the Yangshao focused on practicality, and were limited by the simplicity of their technology, the Shang combined artistry with that of practicality. Their endeavored to seize power would be a result of both commerce and politics.
Despite these drawbacks from their farming method, the fertile soil brought down from the mountains helped the Sumer and the subsequent civilizations to thrive. Mesopotamia was a crossroads for trade. It connected the eastern civilizations of Asia to the western civilizations like the Anatolia in modern day Turkey. The Tigris and Euphrates were a big part of this economical success. This connection to the outside world allowed Mesopotamian civilizations to receive rare metals and timber (Wandrei, Kevin, 10/27/2016).
Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt were two early human civilizations that lived during the bronze age in harsh desert environments located not far from each other. Both civilizations were built around rivers that they depended on for survival. There is evidence that these rivers had great influence on both the societies politics and culture. Egypt was built around the very strong and reliable Nile River. Ancient Mesopotamia was established in the fertile crescent between the less reliable Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
The River Valley Civilizations of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, The Indus Valley, and China shared a lot of similar geographic qualities. One quality that they shared geographically is that they all have an important and major river going through them which supplies the people with water. In Egypt they have the Nile, in Mesopotamia they have the Euphrates and Tigris, the Indus Valley has the Ganges River and China has the Yellow River. With that said, they all have access to a major body of water that could be used for transportation or for trading goods. Additionally, each civilization has mountains, some more than other, but they all have them and they can be used to protection if under attack.
Lower class consisted of slaves, lower gods and many more. Mesopotamia followed "Hammurabi's code of Law" and China followed "Confucius Golden rule"
A peasant living during the Shang dynasty would work all day in the fields, constantly plowing away in order to produce crops. He would have “lived in sunken houses of stamped earth and made offerings to local gods of the soil and kitchen hearth” (Stearns et al. 57) Living with him would be his wife, whom he probably would not have known previous to their marriage. Similar to any other man throughout all the social classes, he would have had complete control in his household and maintain all of the power. However, he would have very little power in his community compared to the king and nobles.
The Shang dynasty is one of the Chinese dynasties and a great one also. The Shang dynasty is the oldest proven dynasty but Chinese people think that there was one before called the Xia dynasty. The Xia dynasty was believed to be started by Yu the Great. Chinese stories say that Yu the Great solved flooding problems in china. The Xia dynasty is important to the Chinese because the stories about the Xia dynasty told of kings working together.
The 'two rivers’ of the name alluded to the Tigris and the Euphrates streams and the area was known as 'Al-Jazirah' (the island) by the Arabs referencing what Egyptologist J.H. Breasted would later call the Fertile Crescent, where Mesopotamian progress started. Mesopotamia was a gathering of changed societies whose just genuine bonds were their script, their divine beings, and their state of mind toward ladies. Mesopotamia, the locale between these two streams, will be the range of one of the world's initial two human advancements, the other being Egypt. Both are set up somewhat sooner than 3100 BC. By 6000 BC, cultivating settlements dabbed the Middle Eastern scene from Egypt to Iran.
The first non-mythical dynasty that rules China was the Xia dynasty in 2200-1700 BCE. The Xia Dynasty was run by emperor Tu. In 959 AD, a guard called Zhao Kuangyin put to was and won against all the other smaller kingdoms. After his victories he created the Song Dynasty which lasted 319 years.