Notes
Prehistory and the Neolithic Revolution
- Historians use primary and secondary sources; archaeologists study artifacts and use methods like radiocarbon dating.
- Homo sapiens first appeared in Africa. Paleolithic people were nomadic hunter-gatherers.
- The Neolithic Revolution (from about 10,000 BCE) brought farming and domestication, which created a food surplus, permanent villages, specialization of labor and social classes.
River valley civilizations
| Civilization | River | Key achievements |
|---|---|---|
| Mesopotamia (Sumer, Babylon) | Tigris and Euphrates | Cuneiform, ziggurats, Hammurabi's Code |
| Egypt | Nile | Pyramids, hieroglyphics, pharaohs |
| Indus Valley | Indus | Planned cities, drainage, undeciphered script |
| Shang China | Huang He | Oracle bones, bronze, early Chinese writing |
- Rivers gave water, fertile soil and transport, but floods required irrigation and organized government.
Government and belief
- Rulers ranged from city-state kings to god-kings (pharaohs) and dynasties ruling under the Mandate of Heaven.
- Most early peoples were polytheistic. The Israelites developed Judaism, an early monotheistic faith.
- The Phoenician alphabet spread through trade and shaped later alphabets.
Topics in this unit
Each topic has its own short notes and practice.
Practice
Farming about 10,000 BCE, Egypt united about 3100 BCE, Hammurabi about 1754 BCE, Zhou from 1046 BCE.
A food surplus led to villages, specialization and social ranks.
River valleys offered water, soil and transportation for early farming societies.
Geography encouraged unity in Egypt; Sumer's independent city-states often fought each other.
Publishing laws, as Hammurabi did, made justice more predictable.
The Zhou used it to explain why they replaced the Shang.
Free response
Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.
Free-response question
Early civilizations developed in river valleys in Southwest Asia, Africa, South Asia and East Asia.
(a) Identify TWO ways rivers helped early civilizations develop.
Show the answer and scoring guide
Rivers provided water for irrigation and drinking, and floods left fertile soil for crops. Rivers also served as highways for trade and travel.
Check off the points you earned:
(b) Explain how the need to control rivers contributed to the growth of organized government.
Show the answer and scoring guide
Building and maintaining irrigation canals and dikes required many workers and planning. Leaders organized labor, stored surplus grain and settled disputes over water, which strengthened rulers and officials.
Check off the points you earned:
(c) Compare ONE achievement of Mesopotamia with ONE achievement of ancient Egypt.
Show the answer and scoring guide
Mesopotamians wrote in cuneiform on clay tablets, while Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics on papyrus. Both systems began for record keeping and helped governments track taxes and trade.
Check off the points you earned: