ASIAN CIVILIZATION

● MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION

● INDUS CIVILIZATION

● CHINESE CIVILIZATION

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA
MESOPOTAMIA
• Mesopotamia’s name comes from the ancient Greek word for “the land between the
rivers.” That’s a reference to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the twin sources of water
for a region that lies mostly within the borders of modern-day Iraq, but also included
parts of Syria, Turkey and Iran.
• Known as the Fertile Crescent and the cradle of civilization.

SUMER
Sumer was an ancient civilization founded in the Mesopotamia region of the Fertile
Crescent situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Known for their
innovations in language, governance, architecture and more, Sumerians are
considered the creators of civilization as modern humans understand it. Their control
of the region lasted for short of 2,000 years before the Babylonians took charge in
2004 B.C.

SUMER
The people known as Sumerians were in control of the area by 3000 B.C. Their
culture was comprised of a group of city-states, including Eridu, Nippur, Lagash,
Kish, Ur and the very first true city, Uruk.

SUMER
• City-States: a town or city and the surrounding land controlled by it Ur, Erech, and
Kish

• Top : Kings, high priests, nobles

• Middle: lower priests, merchants, scholars

• Bottom: peasant farmers, slaves

SUMERIAN SOCIETY
• Farming and trade: grew dates, grains, and vegetables; raised domestic animals;
grew flax for linen and wove woolen goods; worked as artisans and traders

Education and Religion: only upper-class boys were educated; practiced polytheism;
afterlife

SUMERIAN DISCOVERIES
ZIGGURAT
The Great Ziggurat was built as a place of worship

SUMERIAN DISCOVERIES
• Clay tablets were also used to keep written records.

Form of writing by the Sumerians was known as cuneiform writing. This meant
"wedge- shaped" writing. Called this because the Sumerians used a pointed
instrument to make wedge-shaped characters in clay.

• This writing used about 550 different characters.

EMPIRES IN MESOPOTAMIA
● The Akkadian Empire,

● The Babylonian

● The Assyrian Empire

● The Neo-Babylonian Empire.

AKKADIAN EMPIRE
• King Sargon created the world's first empire.

Soldiers were taught to fight in tight formations.

• King Sargon became the first king to declare that his sons rule after his death.

•The Akkadians developed their own language.

•Artists carved beautiful relief sculptures on stones.

BABYLONIAN RULE OF LIFE

King Hammurabi created a code of laws that applied to everyone in the empire. Code
of laws were written on steles and placed in temples for everyone to see.

The laws and punishments did not treat all people equally and seem harsh compared
to modern laws and punishments.

Babylonian society was unusually fair for its time. Slaves could buy their freedom and
own property. Women could keep their own money and own property.

HAMMURABI CODE OF LAW

The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest deciphered writings of length in the
world (written c. 1754 BCE), and features a code of law from ancient Babylon in
Mesopotamia.

ASSYRIAN RULE OF LIFE

• The Assyrians perfected the use of horses and iron weapons in battle. They also
became greatly skilled at siege warfare.

They used battering rams to break down walls. They used moveable towers to climb
over walls.
The Assyrians honored their powerful kings with beautiful palaces, huge sculptures,
and 2-dimensional sculptures called bas-reliefs.

The Assyrians built some of the earliest aqueducts.

NEO BABYLONIAN RULE OF LIFE

King Nebuchadrezzar restored the splendor of King Hammurabi's time.

King Nebuchadrezzar had inner and outer walls built around Babylon and towers, for
archers to stand on, built, and moats dug.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the great wonders of the ancient world.
The sight of so many trees and bushes rising above the desert landscape was
astonishing.

Neo-Babylonians created the first sundial and made discoveries that led to our
present-day system of a 60-minute hour and 7-day week.

INDUS CIVILIZATION
The Indus valley civilization was one of the world's first great urban civilizations. It
flourished in the vast Indus river plains and adjacent regions, in what are now parts of
Afghanistan, Pakistan and north- western India.

CITIES
Mohenjo-Daro

To the north is a citadel or raised area.In Mohenjo-Daro, the citadel is built on an

architectural platform about 45 feet above the plain.

Harappa

At the upper site of valley, the another city was situated named Harappa. This
civilization is also called Harappa civilization.

RELIGION
Some Indus valley seals show swastikas, which are found in other religions
worldwide, especially in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

Culture
Writing System
Between 400 as many 600 distinct Indus sysmbols have been found on seals, small
tablets, ceramic pots

Arts and Craft

Various sculptures, seals,pottery, gold jewelry and anatomically detailed figurines in
terracotta, broze and steatite have been found at excavation sites.

most famous artwork is the bronze statuette, standing 4 inches (10 cm) tall, known as
“Dancing Girl” found at Mohenjo-daro in 1926 CE.
An equally impressive piece is a soapstone figure, 6 inches (17 cm) tall, known as the
“Priest-King”

Politics & Government

The government divided the region into city states
Governed by powerful Priests-kings
The religion was the basis for their government, with all of their laws coming from
their religious beliefs.
The Indus government was well organized. The government in the Indus Valley was a
monarchy

Chinese Civilization
Before the emergence of the dynasties, China was a primitive society.
Some of the earliest human remains were found in China: Yuanmou Man, found in
Yunnan, Lantian Man in Shaanxi Province, and Peking Man.

Peking Man could use fire and made stone implements. They lived in groups as
hunter-gatherers. This was the first stage of primitive society.
17,000 years ago, evidence suggests Upper Cave Man formed a relatively fixed group
of blood relations.

Ancient Dynasties (Pre-Qin Period)

Ancient China was shaped by several key dynasties, each contributing to the
development of Chinese civilization in unique ways.

This era includes the Xia (c. 2070–1600 BCE), Shang (c. 1600–1046 BCE), and
Zhou (c. 1046–256 BCE) dynasties.

Imperial Dynasties
The imperial dynasties of China represent a significant era in Chinese history,
characterized by centralized rule, territorial expansion, and cultural flourishing.

● Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE)

● Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)

● Three Kingdoms Period (220–280 CE)

● Jin Dynasty (266–420 CE)

● Sui Dynasty (581–618 CE)

● Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE)

● Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE)

● Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 CE)

● Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE)

● Qing Dynasty (1644–1912 CE)

Modern China
The transition from imperial rule to the Republic of China and then to the People's
Republic of China, reflecting shifts in governance and ideology

● Late Qing Dynasty and the Fall of Imperial China (late 19th – early 20th century)

● The Republic of China (1912–1949)

● The People's Republic of China (1949–present)

Literature
Classical Chinese literature includes works like the I Ching, Tao Te Ching, and
various historical texts and poetry.

Art
Chinese art includes traditional painting, calligraphy, ceramics, and architecture,
reflecting both aesthetic values and philosophical ideals.

Architecture
Includes iconic structures like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and traditional
pagodas.

Science and Technology

Medicine: Traditional Chinese medicine, including practices like acupuncture and
herbal medicine, has been a major aspect of Chinese life for centuries.

Economy and Trade:

Silk Road: An ancient network of trade routes that facilitated exchange between
China and other civilizations, contributing to China's economic and cultural
development.

Social Structure
Family and Social Hierarchies: Traditional Chinese society was organized around
family loyalty and respect for elders, with a hierarchical structure that influenced both
social and political organization.