Ancient Civilizations

1. Indus

1.1. India's civilization developed in an area that is dry most of the year. When the river flooded, it left behind rich soil. River water let farmers harvest plentiful crops.

1.2. Scholars have not yet discovered how to read the symbols found on the stone seals and pottery of the Indus Valley. There are too few examples of each symbol to be sure of its meaning.

1.3. Indus cities show a surprising level of planning, they all used a common system of weights and measures. These facts suggest that the Indus Valley people had a strong central government.

2. Egypt

2.1. Egypt’s civilization developed in a river valley with rich soil, ancient Egyptians treasured the Nile River, they knew that without the Nile, their land would be nothing but a sun-baked desert of bright blue skies and dry sand.

2.1.1. Egyptian writing used hieroglyphics. A Hieroglyphic is a drawing or symbol that represents a word or a sound.

2.1.1.1. The pharaohs relied on a Bureaucracy, or a system of offices and officials that handle the business of government. The bureaucracy collected taxes from farmers, Egypt’s bureaucracy and system of taxation were a model for later governments, including those of today.

3. Sumeria

3.1. The rich soil allowed Sumerian to grow many grains, and vegetables, they also raised sheep, goats, and cattle.

3.2. Cuneiform is a system of writing in Sumeria, that uses triangular-shaped symbols to stand for ideas or things.

3.3. In Sumeria, city-states were growing, and as they grew people in different cities began to argue with one another over the control of land and water.

4. Huang

4.1. The Shang kingdom dominated a large part of the region, and became the first documented Chinese dynasty.

4.1.1. Shang kings used oracle bones with written characters carved inside that the Shang kings used to try to tell the future.

4.1.1.1. Much of China is covered by rugged mountains and vast deserts.