Technology advanced in Mesopotamia through irrigation systems, more efficient tools, and the pottery wheel. The Olmec civilization constructed colossal stone heads weighing tons that took thousands to carve, though their purpose remains unclear with multiple interpretations. Laws in early civilizations initially granted women rights but later restricted them, while slavery spread across Mesopotamia and religions influenced behavior through rituals and judgments of the afterlife.

1. By: Cynthia Shoe
Humanities-Colon
B-3

2. Technology was evident in Mesopotamia because
they could make arid plains into farming lands easily by
building irrigation systems. They also made more efficient
tools out of flint and they created the pottery wheel which
made the production of pottery go up a lot. A couple more
things they did was they used casting metals to create
other technologies and spread human-environmental
interaction throughout the land which changed natural
made things to man made things.

3. There is not a lot known about the Ancient Olmec
civilization, but they did find some colossal heads near the
Olmec site. Archeologists don’t really know what the heads
are for, there are about 4 different interpretations for what
archeologists think they were for. The Olmec heads were
made out of basalt rock from the side of a mountain and
carved by hand. They weighed tons and took thousands of
people to make them. They were truly huge.

4. •
•
•
Law:
• In 2000 BCE, women could own property, sue in court, and work many jobs.
• Laws then started making women dependent and restricted to their homes.
• In 2800 BCE, slavery spread across Mesopotamia.
• Laws were supported by religion and strengthened by the army.
Religion:
• Religious ideas influenced behavior.
• Egypt afterlife depended on divine judgment, the deceased lived a good life.
• Grave goods ensured comfort.
• They organized and carried out rituals that celebrated and made requested favors
from Gods.
• They supervised public worship and impressive events.
Art:
• Around 3000 BCE art styles appeared in Egyptian towns.
• After that Egypt started importing expensive wood, copper, ivory, and marble.
• Pottery was also a very important art.

5. Like I said in the Monuments slide, there is not a lot
known about the Olmec civilization. They have found most
if not all of the Olmec jobs though. The social hierarchy is
kind of made out of perspective, but from some information,
you can figure out where some of the jobs go. In the social
hierarchy that I made up, the upper class includes rulers,
priests, and ball players. The middle class includes
farmers, merchants, artists, sculptors, and engineers. The
lower class includes laborers and textile workers.

6. In Mesopotamia and Egypt, the use of the
environment was increased, animals were made into multiuse animals instead of just a one time source and the first
multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, and multi-cultural empire was
established. Kind of like what they call a giant melting pot.
Also, the most important contribution was ideas.

7. In Ancient Egypt, the people made an alphabet
called Hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics were a form of writing
that used symbols. Hieroglyphics were used to record
information and to keep records. They used Hieroglyphics
like we use the English alphabet here. They were very
used to it and good at drawing it so it was easy to read their
Hieroglyphics, unlike us.

8. Cities were more than enlarged villages, the first
cities did not emerge until the populations increased and
then the first cities emerged. In the early cities, the rulers
collected the goods in storage places that were guarded
and controlled. Cities were centers of manufacturing and
big hubs in the trade networks. In one early city-state,
women's mouths were crushed for speaking disrespectfully.
The early cities, were laid out the same way but the
different cities often had wars over territory.

9. • Villages spread out the less easily formed areas like river
valleys.
• Fast resources grew and so did the populations.
• The differences in wealth led to conflict.
• Many empires crumbled.
• A main leadership existed in the early Harrappan
civilization in the Indus Valley.
• Mesopotamia’s afterlife had a loss of identity and ended
in a shadowy world of sadness.

10. • Trade happened along edges of intensively farmed
areas.
• Trading with sedentary people was often.
• Sumer imported timber, marble, metals, and semiprecious stones.
• Evidence shows sea trade connected Mesopotamia to
the Indus Valley.
• There was thriving trade between Mesopotamia, Anatolia,
and Iran.

11. • Papers that Ms. Colon gave us.
• Hawass, Zahi. “Who Was He?” Who Was He? N.p. 2011.
Web.
14 Dec. 2012.
www.kingtut.org/about-king-tut/king-tut/who-was-he
• "King Tut Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television,
19962012. Web. 16 Dec. 2012.
www.biography.com/people/king-tut-9512446