1. Geography & Agriculture
1.1. Sumerians
1.1.1. Sumerians lived in the Middle East in present day Iraq mostly near the now capital city of Baghdad. Watch beginning of video (about 1 minute).
1.1.2. The word Mesopotamia comes from the Greek meaning land between Rivers. Referring to the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.
1.1.3. The Sumerians were some of the first people to use the plough, normally pulled by oxen.
1.1.4. The main crops that they planted were barley and wheat. They also had gardens with beans, peas, cucumbers and lentils. Along with those vegetables they grew grapes, apples, melons and figs.
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. Like the Sumerians the first Chinese civilizations formed in river valleys. The two main rivers that supplied the Shang and Zhou people were the Yangzi and the Yellow.
1.2.2. The areas around the rivers that the ancient peoples lived around would annually flood from both of the Rivers moving large amounts of soil.
1.2.3. Because of the flooding and moving of soil, the flood plains would become very fertile farm land. These very wet fertile farmlands were an ideal areas to plant rice.
1.2.4. In certain regions along the river, the climate would allow for only certain types of crops could grow. In the warmer climate rice was the crop of choice. In the colder and dryer climate wheat and millet would flourish.
2. Government & Leaders
2.1. Sumerians
2.1.1. Priests had high status in Sumer and initially governed the city-states.
2.1.2. The war chiefs began to rule as kings later as the city-states battled for domination.
2.1.3. One of the more famous Sumerian kings was Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was believed to have super human strength.
2.1.4. As time progressed many of the kings formed dynasties meaning that their families would remain in power.
2.2. Shang/Zhou
2.2.1. During the Shang period China was ruled by a powerful monarch.
2.2.2. At the capital city of Anyang Shang kings had a court of nobles who helped to keep the kingdom safe.
2.2.3. The king appointed governors to rule distant regions of China.
2.2.4. The Shang were later conquered by the Zhou who claimed that it was the Mandate of Heaven.
3. Religion
3.1. Sumerians
3.1.1. The Sumerians practiced polytheism which is the worship of many gods.
3.1.2. They believed that the gods controlled all natural forces. For example the god Enili controlled the air and storms. They also believed that a god protected each city-state.
3.1.3. The Sumerians believed that the gods were like humans in many ways. They ate, drank, fell in love, married, and fought just like humans.
3.1.4. Because of their beliefs the Sumerians worked hard to impress the gods. They built ziggurats and temples where priests offered the gods gifts such as food and drink.
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. Historians draw most of their conclusions about the Shang's beliefs from the study of royal tombs. The Shang people buried bronze, jade, and hundreds of soldiers with their highest rulers. From this historians conclude that the Shang strongly believed in an afterlife.
3.2.2. Shang religion centered around ancestral worship. They offered gifts to their deceased ancestors in order to keep them happy and fulfilled in the afterlife.
3.2.3. Many new Chinese philosophies were created as a result of the conflicts during the Zhou period two of which were Confucianism and Daoism. These philosophies were based on religion and their strong belief in the ancestral worship.
3.2.4. Confucianism is the belief that people should treat each other with love and respect by practicing traditional manner and rituals. Also that respect and working together will advance society. While Daoism encourages people to move anyway from the laws of society and toward the laws of nature.
4. Social Structure & Family Life
4.1. Sumerians
4.1.1. As the Sumerians became more advanced a social hierarchy developed. At the top were kings and priest. Next were large landowners and wealthy merchants. Below them were most of the Sumerian people such as artisans, farmers, and laborers. At the very bottom were slaves.
4.1.2. Sumerian men held political power and made laws to govern the Sumerian people.
4.1.3. Sumerian women took care of the house and children. They did this so the men could focus on politics.
4.1.4. A few upper class women received educations and served as priestesses in temples. However most women did not receive education.
4.2. Shang/Zhou
4.2.1. Shang China was an agricultural based society. Most people spent their time in fields tending to crops. However from time to time farmers were called to battle or to work with slaves on building projects.
4.2.2. Not only the lower classes had free time to do leisure activities. Even the most elite rulers and wealthiest members of the society had free time to collect expensive objects such as bronze and jade.
4.2.3. In ruling Shang families the kingship was very odd. Instead of going from father to son it went from brother to brother or brother to nephew. So having no many male children was very important to Shang families.
4.2.4. For all people during the Shang dynasty family was very important. The oldest male of each family was the head of the household. Children were expected to be respectful, obedient, and never argue. If any of them stepped out of line they were severely punished.
5. Art & Education
5.1. Sumerians
5.1.1. They developed a writing system whose wedge-shaped strokes would influence the style of scripts in the same geographical area for the next 3000 years.
5.1.2. Sumerian architecture includes the use of arches and columns inside the ziggurats.
5.1.3. Probably the Sumerians most famous creations were the cylinder seals used to create a signature in order to sign important documents.
5.1.4. The Sumerians also developed a number system with the base of 60. They divided time into 60's ( 60 second minutes and 60 minute hours).
5.2. Shang/Zhou
5.2.1. The development of ancient Chinese writing was closely linked to oracle bones.
5.2.2. Artists created highly decorative bronze vessels and objects.
5.2.3. Under the rule of the Zhou the farmers of China learned new techniques of farming creating a surplus in food.
5.2.4. When rulers of the Shang dynasty died their tombs were decorated with finely crafted pots and jewelry.
6. Economy & Trade
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. The Sumerians used small irregular shaped items called clay tokens to count agricultural and manufactured goods.
6.1.2. Sumer lacked many raw goods so they had to obtain materials such as wood and metals through trades with other tribes.
6.1.3. Sumer traded woven textile goods for building materials including wood and stone with other civilizations across Southwest Asia and beyond.
6.1.4. Many jobs were needed in the new civilization including pottery makes, stonecutter and metal smiths.
6.2. Shang/Zhou
6.2.1. There is evidence that the Shang created the first monetary system.
6.2.2. Iron became the backbone of the Zhou economy after they discovered how to work it.
6.2.3. As cities grew so did the roads and canal systems increasing trade throughout the empire.
6.2.4. The Shang system had slaved as an integral part of the economy.
7. Technology & Science
7.1. Sumerians
7.1.1. Most Sumerians used tools made from clay, stone and timber. They also were some of the first people to utilize the plough in farming.
7.1.2. gg
7.1.3. Towards the end of their civilization, they started using copper alloy tools and in some cases iron.
7.1.4. The Sumerians were some of the first people to use mud bricks to build their villages. They also used plaster as a cement for building.
7.1.5. Although it is not known who actually invented the wheel, the earliest known wheels were made by the Sumerians. The wheels were made using pottery.
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. The Shang and Zhou civilizations were the first to industrialize bronze into tools and weapons by casting the bronze over heat.
7.2.2. They also industrialized iron using it for almost everything from weapons to bowls. Iron was a great metal to use as it was in excess and cheap.
7.2.3. The casting of iron into weapons vastly helped their army as well, modernizing their military in many ways. They also began using the catapult as a very effective weapon. Watch video from 3:00 to 3:30.
7.2.4. The Shang and Zhou people also began building roads and canals improving their transportation and communication between settlements.