Examples of the 6 Characteristics of a Civilization

Directions: In this Google Slides Presentation there are various examples of the 6 characteristics of a civilization. They are not in order of PRICES. Your goal is to match the examples with the specific characteristic it demonstrates. Use the Penny Activity as an example of how to match the example to the characteristic.

• Cuneiform: 1^st written records were found in Mesopotamia
• Written in clay tablets
• Used pictograms not letters

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• Hieroglyphics: written language of Egypt
• Also pictograms
• Historians could not translate until the Rosetta Stone (1799)

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• The Shang/Zhou used Characters that changed throughout history to turn into the script used in Mandarin Chinese
• Oracle Bones

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• Historians cannot translate the 1st writing discovered in the Indus River Civ, but we know they were invaded by Aryans who brought Sanskrit with them (and Hinduism)

Mandate of Heaven

• In China each ruler claimed to have a connection to heaven (Theocratic), starting when the Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang Dynasty. They justified the rebellion against the government by developing the philosophy known as the Mandate of Heaven
• The Mandate of Heaven states that only one family is given the right to rule from heaven. Since there is is only one heaven there can only be one ruler at a time. The ruler must be virtuous otherwise they will be overthrown. All dynasties used this philosophy, but no one dynasty has a permanent right to rule. The leader has supreme power so they have a lot of power to get things done.

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Men vs. Women

• Throughout most of history women were considered property of their dads and then husbands. They were mostly restricted to domestic work at home.
• Below you can see the process known as lily footing. Women in China would try to make their feet as small as possible to attract the best marriage arrangement

Empires

• Egypt, Indus River Valley, and the Shang/Zhou were Empires/Dynasties where all cities along the river valley were ruled by one person (Emperor/King/Pharaoh). One leader means that they have absolute power to enforce laws, create roads, buildings, or other public works. As a result, the entire empire is united and uniformity is common among the different cities.
• Ex of public work: Pyramids of Giza, Statues of Ramses (Egypt)
• Ex of uniformity: Grid like pattern of cities (Indus River Valley)

City-States

• Mesopotamia is the only ancient civilization that politically organized itself into city-states because the river sometimes ran dry cutting off direct communication between cities. This means each city was independent and had their own government with a king, but shared similar cultures (religion, language, etc.) to other city-states. Each city-state traded with others but as each expanded looking for land, resources, & water, they fought continually and eventually led to it’s collapse.

Hammurabi’s Code

• Mesopotamia was also the first civilization to write their rules down and, therefore, has the oldest written record of a legal system called Hammurabi’s Code. It is significant because the government is establishing its responsibility towards its people and protecting social order (1st time ever!!!). Hammurabi was the King of the Babylonian city-state.
• There were 282 laws & punishments carved on to stone and placed in city centers for everyone to see. An example of a code was is “Eye for an Eye.”
• There were different punishments for rich and poor because the rich could pay fines, while poor people could not.

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Hinduism

• The Indus River Valley had the oldest religion called Hinduism. A group called Aryans invaded the Indus River and brought with them their holy book called the Vedas (Sanskrit). They believed in multiple gods, but Brahma was the most important who created earth and all life. They divided society into 4 different social classes that determined jobs/marriage/privileges. The highest group was called Brahmin. There was a 5^th class not part of the pyramid called Untouchables that were the poorest class. This religion is still in practice today.

Afterlives

• Religions can also give us a glimpse as to the culture of ancient civilizations. A good example of this is the difference between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Egypt had a more positive perspective on life since the Nile River flooded predictably and provided everything they needed. Therefore, Egypt is called the Gift of the Nile, because it would not have existed in the middle of a desert without the river. However, Mesopotamia’s river was unpredictable making life harsh in ancient Iraq. Additionally, there was little rain and no natural protection from invaders. As a result, Mesopotamians were more pessimistic and their afterlife was even called the “land of no return.”
• However, in 2000 BCE a new monotheistic religion developed in Ur, Mesopotamia which we now call Judaism. It was started by a man named Abraham. (Eye for an Eye / Tower of Babylon “Babel”)

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Economics: Shang/Zhou (China)

By looking at the map you can see China’s physical geography provides protection from cultural diffusion. On land, China is protected by the Gobi Desert, Taklamakan Desert, Tibetan Plateau, Himalaya Mountains, and by water China is protected by the Pacific Ocean. In the north, where there were some vulnerable spots, the Chinese build a series of 19 structures that will turn into the Great Wall of China. This wall was intended to protect China from Foreign invaders and allowed them to follow an international policy of isolationism.

Daoism

For Laozi, only the natural order or a universal force called the Dao (“The Way”) that guided all things, was the most important aspect of life. His book was Dao De Ching (The Way of Virtue). If you seek order and harmony, said Laozi, go up into the hills, sit by a stream, and observe a drifting cloud or a soft breeze. Observe that nothing in nature strives for fame, power, or even wisdom. The cloud, the breeze, and the stream move without effort because they follow the Dao or way.

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Of all the creatures on earth, only humans have failed to follow the Dao. They argue about questions of right and wrong, good manners and bad. According to Laozi, such arguments are pointless.

The philosophy of Laozi came to be known as Daoism. Its search for knowledge and understanding of nature led Daoism’s followers to pursue scientific studies to understand “the way.” Daoists made contributions to the to the sciences of alchemy, astronomy, and medicine.

Confucianism

Confucianism is a way of life based on the teachings of the Chinese scholar Confucius. It stresses social and civic responsibility. It also provides people with an ethical system to follow.

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Confucius was a teacher, and he believed that education was an important part of a fulfilled life. In Confucianism, teachers are highly regarded, and their authority is just below that of a father.

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A key aspect of Confucianism is respect for family members and elders. This led to the practice of filial piety where families honor their ancestors. Families build shrines to honor their deceased relatives. The family offers prayers and food at the shrine. The Chinese believe showing respect for ancestors will ensure continued cooperation and aid from their deceased relatives

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The Analects are the earliest and most authentic record of Confucius’ ideas, recorded by his students. Around 400 BCE, they complied Confucius’ words.

-"Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you." CONFUCIUS'S GOLDEN RULE

• Humans are dependent on their environments and we are heavily impacted by it. Therefore, history is changed by it. Societies need resources and in order to get these resources, we need to own more land, which leads to conquering and war with neighboring civilizations. The more land a civilization owns, the more powerful they are because they control more resources. Sometimes, different societies trade with other civilizations when conquering doesn’t seem like a good idea. However, as all civilizations attempt to do this interaction between various groups occurs frequently through cultural diffusion due to trade, immigration, and warfare.