Ancient Civilizations

1. Shang/Huang

1.1. Shang used pictographs mostly, but before that they used oracle bones, which were used to tell the future

1.2. Shang's government was based off of the Shang Dynasty, which was a family that dominated China, and created a food surplus.

1.3. Shang's geography consisted of mountains and deserts and river valleys. The two main rivers in the valleys were the Huang and the Chang.

1.4. The Shang Dynasty had huge cities with very strong social classes, and the kings were believed to be sacred.

1.5. How did the Shang Dynasty become so powerful?

2. Sumeria

2.1. Sumeria used Cuneiform and pictographs for writing. The pictographs started first, which then evolved into cuneiform.

2.2. Sumeria's government started as being ruled by priests. After wars happened, the military leaders would keep control of the city, which led to Sumeria's first kings.

2.3. Sumeria's geography included two rivers, the Euphrates, and the Tigris. The area between the rivers was called the Fertile Crescent, which included rich soil.

2.4. Sumeria had a female leader at one point.

2.5. Why did Sumeria change their writing system?

3. Indus

3.1. Researchers actually haven't quite figured out what the markings left behind from the Indus civilizations mean. There is too little information for us to determine what their writing system could have been.

3.2. We also don't know exactly what kind of government they had, but we assume they had a strong central government. They also had a citadel, which was assumed to be the center of government and religion.

3.3. The Indus have a fairly dry climate. The Indus River was also a huge influence in the agriculture of the land, and helped produce food.

3.4. The Indus River Valley Civilization developed some of the first precise measurement techniques.

3.5. Why aren't we able to determine the Indus Civilization's writing style?

4. Egypt

4.1. Egypt used hieroglyphics for writing, which is a symbol or drawing that can represent a sound or word.

4.2. Egypt was ruled by a Pharaoh, and the pharaohs's relied on bureaucracy, which taxed farmers and helped create a food surplus.

4.3. Egypt's geography was a very hot desert which included the Nile River, which helped the soil to grow crops.

4.4. Ancient Egypt Civilizations were one of the first to develop writing systems.

4.5. Who were the people who could write in Egypt called?