The document discusses the four major river valley civilizations - Mesopotamia along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Ancient Egypt along the Nile River, the Indus Valley Civilization along the Indus River, and Ancient China along the Yellow River. It then focuses on the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia, describing their governmental, economic, infrastructure and societal structures from 3500 BCE, including that they had a hereditary kingship and nobility, used agriculture along the rivers, developed canals and architecture, and created one of the earliest systems of writing.

1. Four River Civilizations

2. Four River Valleys Tigris and Euphrates Nile Indus Huang

3. How does geography contribute to… Governmental structures (power, rulers) Economic structures (trade, agriculture) Infrastructure (buildings, canals, roads) Societal structures (religion, art, writing)

4. Sumerians and Mesopotamia 3500 BCE: Move into the fertile crescent. Present-day Iraq.

5. Government King – hereditary (passed down from father to son). Nobles – land owners from patriarchal families (power passes down through the male). “The People” don’t participate. Legal Code (see Hammurabi)!

6. Economy Farmers and city-builders. Use rivers. Plow. Cuneiform for payments.

7. Infrastructure Arch. Canals and ditches.

8. Society Writing before 3000BCE. Clock, circle. Literature, hymns to the gods.

9. So… Sumeria has no natural barriers and is open to invaders. 1700 BCE Hammurabi (Syrian) brings Mesopotamia under one rule – Babylon. Writes the first known legal code.