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HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY 602 THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION CONTENTS I. ...... 2 The ...... 4 Sumer ...... 5 ...... 6 ...... 8 ...... 10 Persia ...... 11 II. ...... 15 The Land ...... 15 History ...... 17 The Split Kingdom ...... 18 The Wandering ...... 18 Modern Life ...... 19 Contributions ...... 19 III. EGYPT ...... 23 Geography ...... 23 The Old Kingdom (2700-2100 B.C.) ...... 23 The Middle Kingdom (2100-1580 B.C.) . . . . 26 The New Kingdom (1580-1100 B.C.) ...... 26 The Civilization ...... 28 Religion, Culture, and Contributions . . . . . 29

Author: Ethel Hofflund, M.A . Editor: Richard W. Wheeler, M.A.Ed. Consulting Editor: Rudolph Moore, Ph.D. Revision Editor: Alan Christopherson, M.S.

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THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION

The Old Stone Age, in which man primarily with the time when man began to hunted and gathered food, fascinates us. dwell in cities and to communicate in The New Stone Age, in which man learned writing. We shall study Mesopotamia, to farm and raise animals, is exciting. In Israel, and Egypt from about 3500 B.C. this LIFEPAC ®, however, we are concerned

OBJECTIVES

Read these objectives. The objectives tell you what you should be able to do when you have finished this LIFEPAC. When you have successfully completed this LIFEPAC, you should be able to: 1. Name some features of the geography of Mesopotamia. 2. List some reasons for constant warfare among early civilizations. 3. Describe the cultures and religions of the Mesopotamian civilizations. 4. Name contributions made by each of the civilizations of Mesopotamia. 5. Describe the geography, religion, and history of Israel. 6. Name some contributions made by Israel. 7. Describe the geography, religion, and history of Egypt. 8. Name some contributions made by Egypt.

VOCABULARY

Study these new words. Learning the meanings of these words is a good study habit and will improve your understanding of this LIFEPAC. astrology (u strol´ u j e¯ ). Study of the influence of the stars and planets on a person’s future. bureaucracy (byu rok´ ru s e¯ ). Government by groups of officials. burial (ber’ e¯ ul). Putting a dead body in a grave; burying. castor oil (kas´ tur oil). A yellow oil obtained from castor beans. constituent (kun stich´ u˙ unt). A voter having the power to make or change a political constitution. cremate (kr e¯ ´ m a¯ t). To burn a dead body to ashes instead of burying the body. cuneiform (kyu n e¯ ´ u fôrm). Wedge-shaped characters used in the writing of ancient civilizations. dowry (dou´r e¯ ). Money or property that a woman brings to her husband when she marries him. ebony (eb´ u n e¯ ). A hard, black wood.

1 gypsum (jip´ sum). A mineral used for making plaster of Paris and fertilizer. loincloth (loin´ klôth). Piece of cloth worn around the hips. Mesopotamia (mes´ u pu t a¯´ m e¯ u). The land along and in between the Tigris and Rivers. monotheism (mon´ u th e¯ iz um). Belief in one God. Nazi (nä´ ts e¯ ). Member or supporter of a German political party formed by Adolf Hitler. obelisk (’ u lisk). A tall, narrowing four-sided stone with a top shaped like a pyramid. persecute (p e˙r´ su kyüt). To treat badly; to do harm to again and again. Pharaoh (fer´ o- ). Any of the kings of ancient Egypt. potash (pot´ ash). Substances made from wood ashes and used in soap and fertilizers. redemption (ri demp´ shun). Delivered from sin. shaduf (shä düf´). A long rod with a bucket on one end and a weight on the other end used for raising water. ziggurat (zig´ u˙ rat). An ancient temple in the shape of a pyramid with an outside staircase.

Note: These words appear in boldface print the first time they are used in this LIFEPAC. If you are unsure of the meaning when you are reading, restudy the definition given in this LIFEPAC. . - Pronunciation Key: hat, a-ge, c ãre, f är; l et, e- qual, t erm; it, ice; h ot, o-pen, ôrder; oi l; ou t; . cup, p ut, r üle; ch ild; lo ng ; th in; / T-H/ for th en; / zh / for mea sure; / u/ represents / a/ in about, /e/ in tak en, / i/ in penc il, / o/ in lem on, and / u/ in circ us.

I. MESOPOTAMIA

In your study of world geography you you will see how civilization itself learned that geographical factors affect the depended on the discovery of the rich soil way of life in a given area. In this LIFEPAC in the Fertile Crescent.

Review these objectives. When you have completed this section you should be able to: 1. Name some features of the geography of Mesopotamia. 2. List some reasons for constant warfare among early civilizations. 3. Describe the cultures and religions of the Mesopotamian civilizations. 4. Name contributions made by each of the civilizations of Mesopotamia.

Restudy these words. astrology cremate dowry shaduf burial cuneiform Mesopotamia ziggurat

2 F L U G N A I A S E R S S E E N P D A E I P M S A M C A L E A I E

N u r

O R d i U L ¢ E r n Y E M S o B l U y A T S b

B r a N h e

v T B e E i

R W v C N e S

s E n ri E i ig T er C R v N Ri S C s

e E

E t

a A R L r I L h N C

T p U u A R I E E E S L A B ) F I I N d t I A R T a r Y k R N e R k S s E E A e A S F ( A P D A E m E n S u a H a i o e K r r n T h C r y c c m i A e S A r o d L p e a d a a B J e o e C a D S S b A e E H h A I D S s E A r E R E D e R A L e I U s m L M J B e e A A l b a S e G s h u T r e J r A e v

E i R S le Ni N s T i A P h E Y p N G m A E e R R M E T I D E M

3 THE FERTILE CRESCENT

Along and between the Tigris and In 3100 B.C. the southern part of Euphrates rivers in southwestern was Mesopotamia was called Sumer (soo´ mur) a fertile land called Paddan- (pae´ dun and the north was called . Sumer ae´ rum) in Biblical times. We call this area was divided into city-states ruled by Mesopotamia , which is its Greek name. priests and kings. The names of the city- The rich soil began north of the Persian states were Ur, Erech (er´ ek), Lagash (la´ Gulf and extended to in the north. gash), Larsa (lar´ sah), and Nippur (nih´ It followed the eastern coast of the poor). Sargon I of Akkad captured and Mediterranean and the Nile River in . united these city-states. Its shape was that of a half-moon or Ur was the city in which Abraham lived. crescent. The ruins of this city are seen today in Thousands of years before Christ was southern . At one time Ur was the born, farmers discovered this rich soil and capital of Mesopotamia. It was rebuilt in moved into the valleys. With the warm 650 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar II. We see the climate, rich soil, and sufficient water, the effects of geography again: When the lives of farmers became less difficult. With course of the Euphrates River was more settled lives, these early men had changed, the city became part of the time to learn how to write, to trade, to use desert. metal, and to live in villages. Sargon I of Akkad captured the city- Because of the rich, open, flat land, states, one by one, and built a great many other tribes continued to invade the empire, which he ruled from 2334-2279 Fertile Crescent. There were numerous B.C. He established trade with other lands wars and constant changes in the and started the military tradition of boundaries of countries. Mesopotamia.

Answer these questions.

1.1 Where is the Fertile Crescent? ______1.2 What is the Biblical title for Mesopotamia? ______1.3 Why were there constant wars in Mesopotamia? ______1.4 What country was in southern Mesopotamia? ______1.5 What country was in northern Mesopotamia? ______1.6 Who conquered all the states? ______1.7 What Biblical character lived in Ur? ______1.8 What happened to Ur in later years? ______1.9 Why was the Fertile Crescent easy land to invade? ______

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