Asian

Civilizations

Tigris-Euphrates Indus Huang Ho

Sumerian Harappa Shang

Akkadian Mohenjo-daro Zhou Tang
Assyrian Maurya Qin Song
Chaldean Gupta Han Yuan
Persian Mughal Sui Ming
EARLY
CIVILIZATIONS IN
WEST ASIA
1.Tigris and Euphrates
❑ Sumerian
⮚ Developed the first form of
writing (cuneiform)

⮚ Built the ziggurat

❑ Akkadian
⮚ Conquered Sumer and all
lands between the Persian
Gulf and Mediterranean Sea
1.Tigris and Euphrates
❑ Babylonians
⮚ Developed the first written
legal code, “Code of
Hammurabi”.

⮚ The code owns the famous

line “Eye for an eye, tooth
for a tooth, and life for a
life”.
1.Tigris and Euphrates

❑ Hitites
⮚ They first used
chariots and iron
weapons.

❑ Assyrian
⮚ Feared because of their
violent and cruel ways
⮚ Clay tablets were collected
and housed in a library in
Nineveh
1.Tigris and Euphrates
❑ Chaldean
⮚ Known as the Neo-
babylonian Empire
⮚ Built the Hanging Gardens

❑ Persians
⮚ The biggest and the most
powerful empire of West
Asia.
⮚ Divided the empire into
satrapy
1.Tigris and Euphrates
❑ Hebrews
⮚ They founded Judaism.

❑ Phoenicians
⮚ They were known for their sailing and trading
skills.
⮚ They created alphabet.
⮚ Produced purple dye.

❑ Lydians
⮚ They first used coins in trading.
EARLY
CIVILIZATIONS IN
SOUTH ASIA
2. Indus RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS
❑ Harappa and Mohenjo-
Daro
⮚ Inhabited by Dravidians and
Aryans
⮚ Sanskrit was developed
⮚ Vedas is their holy book
⮚ Hinduism is their religion
2. ganges river valley civilizations
❑ Magadha
⮚ Tried to unify the entire
Indian subcontinent under
one rule
⮚ Invaded territories and
made political alliances
with other kingdoms thru
diplomatic agreements and
thru marriage
⮚ Fell under Persian invasion
2. ganges river valley civilizations
❑ Maurya
⮚ Recovered its freedom after
the death of Alexander the
Great through the
leadership of Chandragupta
Maurya
⮚ Reached its peak during the
reign of Asoka
⮚ Buddhism was born
CIVILIZATIONS IN THE DECCAN
PLATEAU
❑ Gupta Empire
⮚ Reached its golden age during the reign of
Chandra Gupta
⮚ Kalidasa wrote the peom Shakuntala

❑ Delhi Sultanate
➢ Islamic empire established by the Muslim
Turks
❑ Mughal Empire
⮚ Established by Babur
⮚ Taj Mahal was built
EARLY
CIVILIZATIONS IN
east ASIA
Chinese civilization
❑ Chinese civilization is one of the
oldest civilization in the world.
❑ Chinese called their country Zhongguo
which means “Middle Kingdom”.
❑ They believed that China was the
center of the world.
❑ This traditional perspective is called
Sinocentrism.
❑ Because of sinocentrism, they thought
of their emperor as the Son of Heaven.
❑ The emperor’s reign was believed to
have the mandate of heaven, or the
blessing from heaven.
❑ The mandate of heaven became the
foundation of the Dynastic Cycle.
3. Huang Ho
❑ Shang Dynasty
⮚ Used oracle bones
⮚ Used pictograph as the
form of writing
⮚ Downfall was caused by the
Zhou invasion
❑ Zhou Dynasty
⮚ Invaded Shang
⮚ It was the longest reigning
dynasty
⮚ Started the belief of the
Dynastic Cycle
⮚ Started feudalism
3. Huang Ho
❑ Qin Dynasty
⮚ Believed to be where China got
its name
⮚ Led by Shi Huangdi
⮚ Constructed the Great Wall
⮚ Constructed the terracotta army
❑ Han Dynasty
⮚ Started the Civil Service
Examination
⮚ Wu Ti expanded the dynasty with
300 000 warriors
⮚ Achieved the so called “Pax
Sinica”
3. Huang Ho
❑ Tang Dynasty
⮚ Known as the “Great Dynasty”
⮚ Redeveloped Chang’an

❑ Song Dynasty
⮚ Compass and gunpowder were
invented
⮚ Golden Age of China
⮚ Believed to have started
footbinding
⮚ Landscape painting became
famous
3. Huang Ho
❑ Yuan Dynasty
⮚ The first foreign dynasty in
China
⮚ Marco Polo served in Kublai
Khan’s council
⮚ Has a strong military force

❑ Ming Dynasty
⮚ Regained China after Kublai
Khan’s death
⮚ Imposed Isolationism
Among those civilizations, which
one do you like the most?