The document provides information about early river valley civilizations that developed agriculture including the Sumerians, Babylonians, and ancient Egyptians. It notes that around 10,000 years ago, people in the Middle East began farming crops in river valleys with rich soil like Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, laying the foundations for permanent settlements. Notable contributions of early civilizations included inventions by the Sumerians like the wheel, plow, sailing boats, system of writing, and advances in areas like law, mathematics, and metalworking.

1. Ancient River Valley Civilizations:
Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the
Israelites
By
Dean R Berry, Ed. D.

2. •Free PowerPoint Version at
•Slideshare.com
•Type PPT Title or dean r
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3. The History of the World: The History Channel
2 hours Excellent!! A Must view Best history film ever
View 10-12 min per day
•https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=c5AGF1Pl4R4

4. About 10,000 years ago people began collecting seeds and planting their
own crops in areas with rich soil and available water sources. Before that,
people were nomads who had to follow herds of wild animals or keep
moving to areas with ripe fruits and seeds. With the invention of
agriculture, people began to create permanent villages. Historical
evidence suggests that agriculture was first developed in the Middle East
and spread to other areas of the world.

5. Class Discussion
•What describes the agricultural
revolution?
•How did it change the way people
lived?

6.  Growing crops on a regular basis made it possible for people
to settle down in small communities and work together. As a
result, permanent, settled communities emerged for the first
time in human history.
 More permanent, settled communities emerged.
 About 10,000 years ago small villages and communities
settled in areas where agriculture could provide food
without searching for food by moving from place to place.
Settlement at

7.  8,000 BCE – 5,000 BCE
Agriculture developed independently in different parts of the world.
Middle East India Central America China Southeast Asia
8,000 BCE 7,000 BCE 6,500 BCE 6,000 BCE 5,000 BCE

8. Growing their own crops and using domesticated animals made life
easier and far more predictable for people. Using new ideas and
innovations became possible.

9. Çatal Hüyük( in modern day Turkey)

10.  8,000 BCE  Largest Early Settlement at Çatal Hüyük
( Modern Turkey )  6,000 inhabitants
Division of labor
Engaged in trade
Organized religion
Small military
 12 cultivated crops

11. Return to the last slide and review the four
characteristics of early settled communities.
Write a description of what
early settled communities
were like.

12. Advanced
Cities
Specialized
Workers Complex
Institutions
Record-
Keeping
Advanced
Technology

13. Class Discussion
•Return to the last slide and review
the characteristics of a civilization.
•Write a paragraph describing the
important characteristics of a
civilization.

14. The first civilizations to lead the way for the development of
humans on earth began in the fertile crescent area of the
Middle East. This area, known as Mesopotamia, spawned the
Sumerians, Assyrians, and Babylonians.

15. The oldest cities in the world were in
Mesopotamia over 6,000 years ago.

16. Jericho was the first walled city in history.
Why do you think the builders of Jericho put a wall around
the city? How do we know this about a city that was
destroyed thousands of years ago?

17. This ancient city was found in Palestine near the Dead sea. It
was in existence over 10,000 years ago.

18. The Ancient City of
Aleppo
It is one of the oldest inhabited cities in history.
Located in modern-day Syria, it has
been occupied for the last 7,000
years. Today, terrorists, rebels, and
major powers are battling in Syria for
control of the area.
In the past, it occupied a strategic
trading point midway between the
sea and the fertile valley of
Mesopotamia.

19. How long ago do you think people
developed and used the idea of
the wheel?
How do you think the earliest
wheels were used?

20. Adapting to the environment took millions of years for primitive
humans. Inventing the idea of using a “wheel” took homo sapiens
over 245,000 years to figure out. About 5,000 years ago North Eastern
Europeans developed the first wheels and used them for push carts.

21. Class Discussion
Which inventions do you think
were the most important in
human history? Explain why.

22. Quick Write
Describe your three choices for
the most important inventions in
history, and why you chose them.

23. Without the ability to write events down,
understanding the history of our ancestors is very
difficult, if not, impossible. In addition, new ideas
and innovations are lost and societies are not able
to build on the great ideas of previous cultures and
civilizations.

24. Throughout the last 8,000 years
many different ancient civilizations
have come and gone and, in most
cases, passed their special
contributions on to others.

25. How Do We Learn About the Past?
About 6,000 years ago, people began to record
their daily lives and create their own history.
Before this, customs and family stories were
passed down by word of mouth from generation
to generation. Unfortunately, as civilizations died
out, some of their histories were lost.

26. River Valley Civilizations History
Channel 3 min video clip
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhz
QFIZuNFY&list=PLPq_ZkiJsB5qX5z9YQ6U
lZ4dkGaWUYLbx

27. The earliest major civilizations began
in river valleys in the Middle East and
Asia thousands of years ago.

28. Class Discussion
Why do you think civilizations
developed along rivers?
See Next Slide

31. There Were Four River Valley Civilizations.
Can you name them?

33. Why did people settle in the Indus
River Valley?

34. Indus River Valley Civilization in
3 min Video Clip
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=ip9DtdYg7yI

35. Indus River Valley Civilization 2
3 min Video Clip
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=hIsrV6lHjgk

36. Ten Facts About the Indus River
Valley People Great for Notes 6 min
•https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=tCql7ENuBps

37. The Nile River was home to the Egyptian
civilization and all of the pyramids.

38. In China the Yellow River provided an ideal
location for the Huang He civilization to develop.

39. Which two rivers provided a great valley in
Mesopotamia for civilizations to develop?

40. Major rivers provided plenty of irrigation
and rich soil for planting crops.

41. The river valleys offered the transportation necessary to
move people and goods throughout the area.

42. Collect Information for a Quick Write
Take notes on the information presented
on the next slide. Be prepared to
describe the reasons why each river
valley was suitable for great civilizations
to develop.

44. Quick Write
Write a half of page in 12 font to
describe the advantages offered by
each river valley for the development
of a civilization.

45. The first area to create a major river valley
civilization was located in Mesopotamia,
which is modern day Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

46. The Sumerian civilization developed along the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia.

47. The rich Mesopotamia river valley included the
region of Sumer in what is Iraq today.

48. The major city of Sumer was an
impressive display of architecture.

49. Sumerians harvested crops grown
near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

50. Ancient Sumer society focused on
family life, religious beliefs, and agriculture.

52. 2400 BC Transportation in ancient Sumer.

53. By 1300 BC Mesopotamia and surrounding
regions began to use chariots for hunting and
warfare.

54. Eventually, most ancient civilizations in the Middle
East used chariots when battling each other.

55. Sumerian Contributions

56. Why were these inventions so
important for the Sumerians?

57. Have you ever seen anyone
use this kind of timer?

58. Believe it or not women have been
wearing make-up for over 5,000 years.

60. Class Discussion
Can you summarize the
important inventions
contributed by the Sumerians?

61. The Sumerians were the first humans to invent a system
of writing. It is estimated that cuneiform was created
around 3200 BC. How many yeas ago was that?

63. Sumerian ziggurats were built
before the Egyptian Pyramids

64. Sumerians administered medicine to the ill.
Doctors used herbs and simple surgery to
treat diseases. Broken bones were arranged
and set for healing.

65. Quick Write
Write about half a page describing your
choice for the four most important
inventions contributed by the Sumerians.
Explain why you chose these three
inventions.

66. Ancient Sumerians worshipped many
gods who were personified and made
in their own image.

67. Sumerian religious symbols represented a
large number of gods.

68. As time passed, the Sumerians were conquered by
another rising civilization known as the Babylonians.

69. The Babylonians defeated the Sumerians and fought off
several other powerful groups, such as the Assyrians, for
hundreds of years to establish the city of Babylon.

70. For the first time in the history of humans, the
Babylonians, under their leader Hammurabi, governed
with a code of laws that all people had to follow.

72. For over 75 years from 606 to 536 BC the Babylonians
controlled most of today’s Middle East territory.

73. The city of Babylon, located at the delta for Mesopotamia, was a
very impressive ancient city.

74. Babylon was famous for it’s hanging
gardens and beautiful landscapes.

75. Have any of you ever been to a modern
city with beautiful gardens like these?

76. Wealthy Babylonians loved gold,
glamour, and good times.

77. Mesopotamia: An overview
Student Project-Well Done View 6 min
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=b_E-WrYX5Fs

78. Class Discussion
Which river valley civilization in Africa
grew up around the Nile River?
What do you know about this civilization?

79. 4,000 BC to 1,000BC

81. River Valley Civilizations

82. What are the major cities of Egypt?
Which bodies of water are important to Egypt?

83. Why were canals used in ancient Egypt?

84. Examine this picture. What does it
tell you about Egypt?

85. What do these pictures tell you
about ancient Egypt?

86. The Pharaohs were at the top of the
government of ancient Egypt.

87. Egypt was a land of ancient
Pharaoh empires.

88. Which two groups had the
power in ancient Egypt?

89. What does this picture suggest life was like in
ancient Egypt? Consider economics, religion,
dress, foods, and travel.

90. Life After Death for Egyptians

91. Funeral directors prepare a noble or pharaoh for burial
as they wrap him into a mummy. Sometimes others
were killed so they could accompany the pharaoh into
the after life.

92. Were the ancient Egyptians right about having their
bodies in the after life? How do you know?

94. Make-up wasn’t Invented by modern Americans.
Ancient civilizations in the river valleys loved make-up.

95. Many of the powerful and wealthy
women of ancient Egypt were beautiful
and adorned with gold and jewels.

96. Who was Cleopatra? Why was she important?

97. Cleopatra was the beautiful queen of Egypt who had a
romance with the powerful Emperor of Rome, Julius
Caesar and later Mark Antony.

98. Why did Julius Caesar of Rome and Cleopatra of
Egypt hook-up? Was love the only factor?

99. For thousands of years the kings
(pharaohs) of Egypt came and went.

100. This gold mask adorned the boy king
called king Tut(Tutankhamun)

102. Ramses II was considered one of the most important
pharaohs in ancient Egypt. He was a prolific builder of
temples, monuments, and sacred tombs.

103. King Ramses II provides one of the best
preserved mummies from ancient Egypt.

105. The river valley in Mesopotamia created the earliest
great civilizations. However, as time passed groups
traveled southwest to Israel, Jordan, Syria and Egypt.

106. History suggests that people took this route from
Mesopotamia and moved westward to occupy the
areas of Damascus, Jerusalem, and northern Egypt.

107. Many of these migrants entering the Canaan
region became known as Israelites.

108. As the immigrants from Mesopotamia entered
what is now Syria, Jordan, and Israel, they spread
out and became 12 different tribes.

109. According to the Old Testament, the tribes
occupied different territories with their own
clans and political organizations.

110. According to the Old Testament,
who were the 12 tribes of Israel?

111. The Bible describes these ancient
Israelis as the sons of Abraham.

112. King David reigned over most of Israel are around
1000 BC. At the time, the twelve tribes of Israel had
on-going political battles and struggles for power.

113. While not corroborated by historical evidence, the
Bible tells the story of David and Goliath.

114. King Solomon was the wise, wealthy
son of King David He had 700 wives.

115. Solomon was King of the Israelites
from 970 BC to 931 BC.

116. The Bible’s Old Testament was created from
series of religious writings collected over
hundreds of years from approximately 900 to
600 BC by the Israelites.

121. Ancient Jews enjoy family life around readings of
the

124. Moses was a legendary figure who was best
remembered for leading the Israelites out of
bondage in Egypt to their homeland.

126. Create You Own Timeline
Use the following two slides
as you make a timeline of
events in ancient Israel.

127. 1500 B.C. - Abraham leads Hebrew people out of
Mesopotamia
1400 B.C. - Hebrew people enslaved by Egypt
1250 B.C. - Moses led the Hebrew people to safely
from Egypt
1250 B.C. - Moses climbs Mt. Sinai and receives the
Ten Commandments

128. 900 B.C. King Solomon made Israel a rich
Empire
1 A.D. Jesus of Nazareth born
33 A.D. Roman soldiers crucified Jesus
33-63 A.D. Disciples write the New Testament
337 A.D. Christianity becomes the religion of
Roman Empire

129. The Rise of Global Trade
We study the ancient civilizations one at a time. But it is important to
remember that many of these civilizations either existed during similar
times in separate parts of the world or followed each other as some
declined and new ones arose. However, by 2,000 BC there were many
civilizations throughout the Middle East and Asia. By 500 BC there were
even more empires and great cities in Europe, Asia, and the Middle
East. Most of these civilizations had friendly or hostile contact with
each other. Friendly contact resulted in trade. In order to benefit from
the best ideas and goods that each culture had, regions used overland
routes or ships to trade with each other.

130. Around 200 BC the empires in the Middle East
began to trade with the Empires of Asia. Silk from
China was highly valued by the regions to the west.
Thus, the silk route was born.

131. Where did the silk route begin and end? How
were the goods transported?

134. Inventions were spread from one area to another because of the
contact created by trade. Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons
came from China and were planted in countries all around the
Mediterranean. Coffee was first grown and used in the Middle East
and, eventually, spread around the world. Paper was invented in
China 2,000 years ago and used by countries everywhere.
Why do you think paper was a huge invention?
How did it impact the world?

136. Quick write
Write a paragraph explaining why
paper was such an important
invention. How did paper change
the world?

137. The Story of the Silk Road
3 min
•https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=Ccxl9yigi90

138. The Silk Road Ancient Trade Routes
5 min animated Ted Ed Excellent!!
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=vn3e37VWc0k

139. Silk Road 3 min
Great for Notes
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=QbynqFeJnPw

140. World Ahoy Silk Road
Animated 5 min
•https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=55YYTZew3aw

141. Class Discussion
Why did established civilizations
gradually disappear?
What might cause a society to
get weaker or to experience
death and destruction?

143. Did any of the great civilizations you have
studied so far create democratic governments
that offered freedom and equality for its
people?
• What kind of governments prevailed in those
civilizations?
• How did that work out for people?

145. A New History of Humanity 7 min
In a Nutshell Animated Excellent!! A Must View
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=czgOWmtGVGs

146. BBC History of Man
59 min Excellent
•https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=XZcz1IMyF08

147. History of the World Since 1492 in Maps
7 min Good for stopping and discussing
•https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=HOQe_3teOpE

148. The History of Everything
In a Nutshell 9 min
•https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=hB437UP8bpc