1. Social Structure & Family
1.1. Sumerians
1.1.1. In early Sumerian civilization, 80-90% of farmers farmed on land and considered theirs rather than communal property.
1.1.2. With a growth in commerce, Sumerians began using money, and that made weath more easily stored.
1.1.3. Almost all girls were trained how to be a housekeeper ever since they were little. They learned how to cook, grind grain and how to make clothing.
1.1.4. Women hardly ever acted like individuals outside of their families. Women who did act as individuals, were normally royalty or the wife of a man who had power.
1.1.4.1. https://youtu.be/40oqEURKmB0
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. The Shang were skilled in ceramics, bone, stone, jade, bronze, wood and shells.
1.2.2. People in the Shang Dynasty lived off land, but as more time passed, they permanently settled on farms instead of continuing to wander as nomads.
1.2.2.1. https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZh14sBD_UfnlMPknOu61Athle4F9iq7ePpaBLCbC30vL0OBURcr-CT2E
1.2.3. They created a social pyramid. The king was always at the top. Following him, there was the military nobility, priests, merchants and farmers.
1.2.4. The people that built the tombs were normally buried alive with the dead royalty. The middle classes were buried in different sized pits depending on their status. The lowest classes were mostly thrown down wells.
1.2.5. https://youtu.be/98Jb7MFbzGA
2. Economy & Trade
2.1. Sumrerians
2.1.1. One type of job part of the economy was pot making.
2.1.2. Creating the wheel helped jobs for things way easier.
2.1.2.1. http://sumerianshakespeare.com/media/9e52fba4c8055a72ffff8134ffffe415.jpg
2.1.3. Farmers were another thing that really helped for things.
2.1.4. Other jobs were sailors, bricklayers, and shepherds.
2.1.4.1. http://cumorah.com/images/sumerianshepherd.jpg
2.2. Shang/Zhou
2.2.1. Slaves were a pretty large part of the Shang Dynasty.
2.2.1.1. http://img.qihoo.com/qhimg/bbs_img/0_0/1/336/261/877355.jpg
2.2.2. A big part of the economy was grains such as millet.
2.2.3. Pottery and ceramics were a large part of the handcraft industry.
2.2.4. Creating tombs took a lot of manpower so that was also considered to be a part.
2.2.4.1. http://www.drben.net/files/China/City/Xian-Shaanxi-iFiles-All/Xian_Site_Deco/Terracotta_Army/Terracotta_Warriors01QT.jpg
3. Science & Technology
3.1. Sumerians
3.1.1. The Sumerians were the first formal astronomers.
3.1.1.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV_jCzTeR1U
3.1.2. They created the idea of dividing the hour into sixty minutes and the minute into 60 seconds.
3.1.3. They are thought of as creating the first military formations.
3.1.3.1. http://www.crystalinks.com/sumermilitary.jpg
3.1.4. They used three different kinds of boats. First was the sailboat. Second were animal skin made boats. Last was wooden oared ships.
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. A big invention of their time was cast iron.
3.2.1.1. http://jdwisdom.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/5/3/13537499/1347068931.png
3.2.2. This allowed them to make stronger weapons and buildings out of the materials.
3.2.2.1. http://chinesedynastiesd.pbworks.com/f/iron.jpg
3.2.3. They also managed to create crop rotation which helped make better use of the land where they lived.
3.2.4. They could crop soybeans way easier with crop rotation.
4. Arts & Education
4.1. Sumerians
4.1.1. Sumerians created beautiful, elaborate, cylinder seals.
4.1.1.1. https://klimtlover.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/peace-side-of-the-standard-of-ur.jpg
4.1.2. They wrote on tables of clay, later evolving the script that to us is known as cuneiform, or wedge shaped.
4.1.3. Sumerian wasn't really spoken as a language, so it was harder to go to school.
4.1.4. The Sumerians impressed the symbol of the clay tokens on wet clay surfaces.
4.1.4.1. http://quatr.us/westasia/art/pictures/cylinderseal.jpg
4.2. Shang/Zhou
4.2.1. Many Zhou inscriptions on ritual bronzes indicate the importance of ancestor worship and veneration.
4.2.2. They made lots of potteries and ceramics.
4.2.2.1. http://www.artsconnected.org/media/ac/a7/54e4579d907ebe38287e0e8912c9/1024/768/1578.jpg
4.2.3. They made pictograms on things as a new kind of art.
4.2.4. They created large bronze pots and stuff as main art during the time.
4.2.4.1. http://www.christies.com/lotfinderimages/d53481/an_unusual_bronze_bird-form_fitting_western_zhou_dynasty_d5348184h.jpg
5. Government & Leaders
5.1. Sumerians
5.1.1. They were divided into different states and each one had its own ruler.
5.1.2. The ruler played a role as a king or governor. The ruler of a city was most likely the highest priest of their religion which made him more powerful and leading.
5.1.3. Other people that were high up helped do building projects and keep the city running properly.
5.1.4. They also had laws for all of the citizens in the city. If not followed they would be punished.
5.1.4.1. http://2e35f3d7efa41f6a08b9-6590e85903d1168a261ce2e01f6fe2c5.r49.cf2.rackcdn.com/D38C38FF-8198-4AAB-9F6E-E440AE670AD1.jpg
5.2. Shang/Zhou
5.2.1. Early leaders during this time brought the idea of "Mandate of Heaven." The government of the Zhou was actually based on the feudal system.
5.2.2. Mandate of Heaven taught that the leaders gained authority from the gods to rule.
5.2.3. When the Zhou took over the Shang, they believed that god had made it happen and because of them becoming Tyrants.
5.2.4. The Shang was actually advanced during their time. They had a king and the most high level people were related to the king.
6. Religion
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. The gods were immortal and powerful, so Sumerians knew they could be hurt or even killed
6.1.1.1. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT4SOmUuCCXptdOp11VNnB8gtqCs9l1Lyd9-TsjHkD6ArSp-jOcbB0fD_nj
6.1.2. The gods were organized into a caste system. The king is always at the head of the system.
6.1.3. There were seven gods that decree the fates. These were An, Enlil, Enki, Ninhursag, Nanna, Utu and Inanna.
6.1.3.1. https://youtu.be/NYP6YiljyUo
6.1.4. The Chinese philosopher, Confucius, was alive from 551 to 479 BC.
6.2. Shang/Zhou
6.2.1. The four important deities were An, Enlil, Enki and Ninhursag. These four deities created all of the other gods.
6.2.1.1. https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRTiWoi8eSjnlHiEUUEyJE5G23L930qbkGGoLwJiJtp1uJZT6Hly12rIw
6.2.2. They lived in south Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers near the Persian Gulf.
6.2.3. The latter period of the Zhou dynasty began two major Chinese philosophies. They began Confucianism and Taoism.
6.2.3.1. https://youtu.be/WwxO7-3JIYY
6.2.4. A lot of Confucius' teachings and sayings impacted the culture and government of Ancient China.
7. Geography & Agriculture
7.1. Sumerians
7.1.1. They are thought of as the first human civilization ever created. They started of as small villages, but as they grew bigger they became states.
7.1.2. We don't know for sure if the Sumerians created writing or not, but they are the known for the oldest system of writing.
7.1.2.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIP8OVm2KiY
7.1.3. Sumerians had schools and people learned stuff like Cuneiform. They went to temples and used clay tablets as books.
7.1.4. They lived by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
7.1.4.1. https://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/546/flashcards/61546/jpg/uruk1316818233418.jpg
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. The Shang and Zhou Dynasty was south of the Great Wall of China and bordered by the Yellow Sea.
7.2.2. The Chang and Yellow River flowed through their land giving them water and fertile areas.
7.2.2.1. http://www.chinahighlights.com/image/map/ancient/shang-dynasty-map1.gif
7.2.3. The Zhou became taking Shang-style agriculture and built a city based off of theirs.
7.2.3.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqppiHdirc0
7.2.4. They had different styles in some ways but were mostly similar by how they built cities and lived.