Civilization in Sumer Part A Pages 92-94

 Engagement question:
What is the meaning of the word “Mesopotamia”?
 Mesopotamia means the land between ‘two rivers’

Vocabulary Words:
 Innovation: A new way of doing things
 Division of labor: Sharing of large jobs so that each worker does only a part of
the job.
 Surplus: Amount of product that is left after needs are met.
 Monarchy: A system of government where a king or queen rules.
 Absolute Authority: Having complete control over an area or country.

 Wrap up:
What are some steps used in division of labor for farming? (Give at least four
steps)
First, someone has to rake the soil. Next, another person has to put the seeds in
the soil. Then, someone waters the seeds and the soil. Lastly, another person
covers the seeds back with soil.

 Engagement Question
How can two rivers help the development of a civilization?

Sumer
 Mesopotamia is known as an area between two rivers.
 The rivers are Tigris and Euphrates.
 Sumerians were able to grow food because of the rich soil on the banks of
the rivers.

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Advances in Farming
 One of the world’s first civilization formed in Mesopotamia in an area called
Sumer.
 Sumerians are known for several achievements and innovations.
 Sumer got little rainfall, so the people had to find ways to use the river
water for their crops.
 They also had to find ways to protect their crops from flooding (too much
water) and drought (not enough water).
 They found ways to change the rivers.
Sumerians built dikes and dams to control the flooding of the rivers.
 They filled reservoirs to help them store water during the drought, and
canals to bring water during the dry (drought) season.
 Sumerians were one of the first people to use wheeled carts to carry
crops and other heavy loads.
 Sumerians used division of labor in farming.
 Sumerians knew that they had to produce enough food or else there would
be disaster.
 They learned to be organized and cooperate with each other.

Government in Sumer
 Sumerians needed a government to keep order, make decisions and manage
conflict.
 The city-states in Sumer were ruled by a king (en)
 The Sumerian king had absolute authority over his people, and he was
believed to be chosen by the gods.
 The Sumerian Kings were ALWAYS men.

 Engagement question:
How did the ancient Sumerians use the dikes and dams?
 They used them to control the flooding of the river.

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Week4 Civilization in Sumer Part B Pages 95-97

 Engagement question:
What is a positive effect of a king having absolute authority?
 He will have complete control and the people will listen to everything he
says.

Vocabulary Words:
 Bureaucracy: A governing group made up of non-elected officials.
 Pictograph: A drawing or symbol used to represent a word or idea.
 Cuneiform: A form of writing that uses symbols to stand for words.
 Social classes: Group of people in the same level of importance in a society.
 Merchant: Someone who buys or sells goods.

Government in Sumer:

 Sumerians kings needed help to rule over several lands and large
areas, so they created a bureaucracy.
 The officials were priests or religious leaders.

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Wrap Up:

What caused the Sumerian en (king) to elect bureaucratic officials?

 He elected the officials to help rule over several lands and large areas.

 Engagement Question:
What is a social class?
 Social class is a group of people in the same level of importance in a society.

Writing and Other Innovations:

 The desire to keep records of FOOD led to Sumerian greatest
contribution to world history - WRITING.
 The first form of Sumerian writing was Pictographs.
 Sumerians improved their writing by using symbols to stand for words.
 Cuneiform – using symbols instead of words.

Inventions:
 A standard unit for measuring an area of land – crop field – iku, now called
acre.
 A standard unit for volume – the quart.
 Calendar.
 Sailboats.
 Potter’s wheel.
 Mixed copper and tin to make bronze tools.

Divisions in Society:

 People in Sumer belonged to different Social Classes.

 There were three Social classes in Sumer:
 Ruling Class: King, government officials, priests, warriors
 Middle Class: Less important government officials, merchants,
carpenters, craft workers, doctors, potters
 Working Class: Slaves, farm workers
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 In all Sumerian societies, men held more authority and independence than
women.
 Men held all the leadership roles, though some women were religious leaders.
 Sumerian women held more rights than women of other ancient civilizations.
 Sumerian women could:
 could own a property.
 could run a business.
 were taught how to read and write in Cuneiform.

 Learning Activity: Categorization:

Let’s categorize the Ancient Sumerian Social class.

 Engagement question:
Can a bureaucracy be considered as an achievement for the government? Why?
 Yes because it is a group elected by the king (government) to help him with
his duties

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Conquests and Empire Building Part APages 98- 100

 Engagement Question:
How do you think ancient civilizations were able to gain more land and power?
 By taking control of nearby lands through war and invasions

Vocabulary Words:

 Conquer: To take over by force.

 Empire: Vast (huge) lands and varied (separate) people that come under the
control of a single government.
 Standing Army: An army with paid, full-time soldiers.
 Taxation: When people pay for the running of their government.

Life in Sumer:
 Sumerian kings kept order within their city states, but Sumer was not a peaceful place.
 The city- states were always at war.
 They fought for riches, land, water and other resources.

Sargon the Great:

 Sargon had once served in the army of the king of Kish (a city in Sumer).
 Sargon killed the king in battle.
 He then gathered his own army and conquered other Sumerian city states.
 Sargon built the world’s first empire.
 Sargon’s empire was ruled from the capital city of Akkad.
 For this reason, the lands united by Sargon became known as the Akkadian Empire.
 As a symbol of his absolute authority, Sargon ordered that every boundary pillar
and city wall be brought down within his empire.
 Sargon maintained his rule by using his standing army.
 He was one of the first rulers to have a standing army.
 Sargon ruled the Akkadian Empire for 56 years.
 His empire lasted even after his death.
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 That is why he is known as Sargon the Great.

Wrap Up:
Put the following events about Sargon in the correct sequence (1-5)

 2 Sargon killed the king in battle

 4 Sargon created the world’s first empire

 5 Sargon brought down every wall and pillar in his empire

 1 Sargon served in the army of Kish

 3 Sargon conquered other city-states.

 Engagement Question:
Would you consider Sargon’s standing army as an innovation? Give a reason for your
answer.
 Yes, it is an innovation because it is was a new way of protecting the land and
Sargon was the first person to use it.

The Rise of Babylon:

 After Sargon’s death, the rulers of the Akkadian empire found it difficult to maintain
control.
 The city of Ur rebelled and took control of the Akkadian empire.
 A group of people known as the Amorites then defeated the rulers of Ur and
took control of Mesopotamia.
 The Amorites were led by the King of Babylon.
 Their empire was called the Babylonian Empire, it was named after their capital city-
Babylon.
 The Babylon kings found new ways to govern their empire where they created a system
of taxation.

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 Wrap Up:

1. Who took over the Akkadian Empire after the death of Sargon?
2. Who were the Amorites?
3. What is the name of the Amorite’s Empire?

 Engagement Question:
What caused the Amorites to name their empire, the Babylonian Empire?
 They named their empire Babylonian Empire because their capital city was Babylon.

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 Week7 Conquests and Empire Building- Part B

Vocabulary Words:
Centralized government: a form of government in which the national government
maintains power.
Code: A set of laws written down in a clear and orderly way.
Principle: A rule or code of conduct; a belief
Chariot: a horse drawn cart used to carry soldiers in ancient times to battle.
Code of Hammurabi
The two Babylonian innovations were; Taxation and centralized government.
Centralized government was the most important innovation of the Babylonians

The code of Hammurabi was the most important set of laws in the Babylonian empire.
It was compiled by the first great Babylonian monarch (king); Hammurabi.
The most important belief (principle) of the code is “the strong shall not oppress the
weak’.
The code consists of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life.
The code covered; private property, military service, land, business deals.
Hammurabi’s code was carved in stone and put in public places for all to see.
Hammurabi’s code lasted but his empire did not.

Wrap Up- Cause and Effect

Use the information from the lesson to answer the cause and effect graphic organizer
CAUSE EFFECT
Hammurabi’s code was put in public places Everyone knows the code
Hammurabi created his codes Hammurabi brought justice to his empire
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 Engagement Question- Answer
Sam and John got into an argument Sam got angry and cut off John’s hand under Hammurabi’s
code what will happen to Sam?
Sam’s hand will be cut off too!!

The Hittites and Kassites

After the collapse of Babylon, Mesopotamia was conquered by several people
Kassites tried for years to take over Babylon but could not.
A group of people called the Hittites robbed Babylon.
They were able to capture Babylon because they were using chariots.
The Hittites did not stay in Babylon for a long time.
After the Hittites robbed Babylon the Kassites were finally able to conquer the city.
The Kassites ruled Babylon for a long time but their control was not very strong.
The Kassites adopted some of the ways of the laws, literature and religion of the Babylonians.

1.Where did the Hittites settle?

They settled in Anatolia where Turkey is today.

2. When were the Hittites discovered in history and by whom?

The Hittites were discovered in 1880 by the archeologist Archibald Henry.

3. Mention the three empires that were consolidated (unified) in 1650

The Babylonian empire, the Egyptian empire and the Hittite empire had been consolidated.

Week9 The Gift Of The Nile Part A

Engagement Question
Where might ancient people settle for long periods of time? Why?
People could settle at places with oases or rivers because these are sources of water

Vocabulary Words
● Predict: To tell ahead of time what will happen
● Inundation: Yearly flooding of The Nile River
● Deity: A God
● Afterlife: Life after death

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The Rise of Egypt
1- It located in the North Eastern of Africa
2- It was boarded on the Mediterranean Sea
3- Most of Egypt is covered with dry deserts
4- It has the world’s longest river; The Nile

The Importance of The Nile:

• People built farming settlements on the delta
• Later on, this place was called Kemet (known as black land) because of the rich dark soil
surrounding it
• The River provided farmland and water
• Egyptians built canals to carry water from the Nile to the fields
• They also built dams to store flood water

The Importance of The Nile:

1- Transportation
2- Farming
3- Source of Water
4- Food
5- Security
6- Trading

1. What was the cause for Egypt’s great civilization?

The Nile River

2. Another source of water for Egyptians is rainfall. (T/F)

False

3. What is the effect of the overflow of the Nile banks?

Destruction to civilization and death of human/livestock.

4. Which country’s weather excessively flooded the Nile?

Ethiopia

5. What makes the Nile one of the most fertile places on earth?
Deposited sediment rich with nutrients.

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 ● Engagement Question
What benefits do rivers supply in general?
Water, transportation, food, security

The Gift of the Nile

1- Egypt’s main transportation route
2- When the rainy season began, the level of the river rose
3- The River gently overflowed its banks

A Source of New Ideas

Too much rain Minimal rain

• No floods
• The nile flooded
• Land and crops dried up
• It washed away crops
from the sun
• It drowned people and
• People went hungry and
live stock
starved

● Ancient Egyptians worked out ways to predict when the river would flood
● Studying the skys they observed inundation occurred the star Siruis reappeared
● This information helped them create a calendar with 365 days

Skill -Timeline
A timeline is a line that shows the chronology (sequence of events) in history. Timelines are
important because they help us recognize how events are related, how much time has passed
between events and the causes and effects of events.

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1. What event happened in 3500 BC? Sumerian city-states grew across Mesopotamia
2. When did the Hittites invade Babylon? 1600 BC

Week10
The Gift Of The Nile Part B

Engagement Question
What caused Ancient Egyptians to create a calendar?
To know when the floods will happen and when it was time to plant and time to harvest

Vocabulary Words
 Mummy: A preserved body
 Cataract: A waterfall
 Nation-state: A region with a united group of people and a single government
 Dynasty: A series of rulers who belong to the same family.
A Source of Religion

- Ancient Egyptians believed in several gods. The belief in several gods is known as
polytheism.
- Ancient Egyptian used stories about gods to explain why acts of nature (such as flooding
and drought) takes place.
- The sun god Re or Ra was the most important god in ancient Egypt.
- Ancient Egyptians believed that Re was born in the morning and died at night.
- They used Re to explain why the sun comes up in the morning and goes down at night.
- Each Egyptian settlement worshipped another god in addition to Re.
- Amon was a sun god worshipped by the people of Thebes. Amon was later identified with
Re and called Amon-Re. Amon-Re became the chief deity of all Ancient Egyptians.

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 1. What event happened in 1670 B.C?
Hyksos invaded Egypt.

2. Which was introduced first chariots or pyramids?

Pyramids

3. When did Egyptians join Ra and Amun to make the king of gods Amun –Ra?
1070

- What is polytheism?
Polytheism is worshipping many gods

- Who is considered as the chief deity of Ancient Egyptians?

Amon- Re

A source of religion(contd.)

Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife. Because of this they found a way to preserve their
bodies and created mummies.

Sequence of making a Mummy

Ancient Egyptians left the heart in the body because they believed all the thinking happened
in the heart.
1- Remove internal organs except the heart
2- Heart was left in the body.
3- Rub the dried body with special oils
4- Cover the body with salt, to dry it and prevent decay.
5- Wrapped the body in a linen cloth 14
 A Source of Unity

- Stories say that King Menes of Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt. He then united the
two kingdoms and created the world’s first nation-state.
- Some experts believe King Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt because of pictures
showing him wearing the double crown (red for Lower Egypt) and (white for Upper Egypt).
Narmer is believed to have started the first Egyptian dynasty

Why did some experts think King Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt?
Because there are pictures that show him wearing the double crown.

Week11: Dynasties of Ancient Egypt Part A

- What is a dynasty?
It is a series of rulers from the same family

Vocabulary Words:
Hieroglyphics: Writing that used pictures to stand for sound, words or ideas
Papyrus: Paper that was used by ancient Egyptians
Pyramid: Burial place (tomb) for ancient Egyptian pharaohs
Prosperity: Economic success
-The Early Period
During the Early period Ancient Egyptians developed irrigation systems (man made ways of
watering crops) and invented plows pulled by animals.
Ancient Egyptians also started using hieroglyphic writings during the early period. Scribes were
involved in writing hieroglyphics.
The writings were done on stone but after a while ancient Egyptians started using papyrus
(papyrus was made from reeds got from the Nile River)
Ancient Egyptians also invented ink (black and red)
The invention of papyrus and ink helped in improving communication in ancient Egypt.
Historians know about Egypt because of all the records left behind.
The history of Egypt is divided into:
1. The Old Kingdom

2. The Middle Kingdom

3. The New Kingdom

4.
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 - What were the achievements in Egypt’s Early Period?

1. Irrigation system and plows

2. Papyrus

3. Hieroglyphics

4. Ink

-The Old Kingdom

- This period is also known as ‘The Age of Pyramids’ because the pyramids were built at
that time.
- The first pyramid was built as a step pyramid. Egyptians built the step pyramids because
they believed the steps would help their kings reach the afterlife.
- The Great pyramid at Giza was built for King Khufu.
- Egyptian kings and local rulers competed for power. This caused Egypt’s prosperity to
decline and the End of the Old kingdom
-
-Why did ancient Egyptians build step pyramids?

Because they believed their rulers will climb the pyramid into the afterlife.

-Week12 Dynasties of Ancient Egypt Part B

- What caused Egyptian prosperity (wealth to decline)?

Egyptian kings and local rulers competed for power.

-Vocabulary Words
Vizier: Chief adviser to a king
Heir: A person that has the right to another person’s property when the person dies.
Annex: To add on.
Nome: Ancient Egyptian districts (neighborhood)
Pharaoh: Ancient Egyptian rulers
-The Middle Kingdom
-The ruler of the Middle Kingdom was Mentuhotep II

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 - Amenmehet was another ruler of the Middle Kingdom. He was the vizier of the previous
king. He took over because the previous king did not have an heir

Egypt had a long period of prosperity in The Middle Kingdom.

- What were the achievements of Amenmehet?

1. He annexed Nubia to Egypt

2. Art, Architecture and Literature improved

Learning Activity- Cartoon Analysis

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 1. What is the difference between
the boy’s dream as a child and
as an adult?
2. Do you believe that people’s
dreams change as they grow
older?
3. Whose dream do you think is
more realistic? Give a reason
for your answer.

The Middle Kingdom- The Hyksos

They are Invaders (Attackers) that gained control of Egypt.
They introduced:
1. Horses

2. Horse drawn chariots

3. New weapons

4. Building for defense

5. The changes introduced by the Hyksos helped Egypt expand during The New Kingdom.

The New Kingdom

- Egypt became the world’s STRONGEST power in the New Kingdom.
The Hyksos were driven out of Egypt.
- Egyptians developed a full time standing army
- Egypt developed a great empire and reached the height of its power under Thutmose III.
Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton) changes brought unrest to Egypt.

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 - Some Egyptians feared that worshipping Aton might anger the other gods.
Akhenaton heir’s, King Tutankhamen allowed Egyptians to start worshipping other deities
( polytheism)

After dynasty 20, Egypt split into smaller parts

Which period of Egypt did the country become the strongest?

Egypt became the strongest in the New Kingdom

- Which ruler allowed the Egyptians to go back to Polytheism?

King Tutankhamen

CAUSE EFFECT

The Hyksos introduced several changes Egypt expanded in the Middle

to Egypt. Kingdom

Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton) ordered Some Egyptians feared that

that everyone should worship only worshipping only Aton might
Aton anger the other gods
The King in the Middle Kingdom didn’t His vizier took over as the king
have an heir.

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