1. Religion
1.1. sumerican
1.1.1. They believed in the 7 deities
1.1.2. They practiced a polytheistic religion
1.1.3. Each Sumerian city-state had its own specific deity
1.1.4. Long list of Sumerian deities have been found
1.2. Shang Dynasty
1.2.1. Shang believed in an afterlife in which a ruler would still need his riches and servents
1.2.2. Shang religion centered on the idea of ancestor worship
1.2.3. The steam from food was believed to nourish the ancestors spirits
1.2.4. Shang religion also led to great advances in working with bonze
1.3. Shang image
2. Geography and Agriclututre
2.1. Sumerian
2.1.1. They are located on the Fertile Crescent
2.1.2. In order for the Sumerians to survive they had to be prepared for a variety of of different circumstances because of their environment
2.1.3. The mass amount of food caused them to have more people which made them have a better government
2.1.4. Where they lived was perfect for farming but the climate wasn't very good to its people it was very hot and the rivers would flood
2.2. Shang Dynasty
2.2.1. Geographic features: long rivers, fertile soils, temperature climates, and isolated valleys all distributed
2.2.2. Two major rivers supplied water for China's earliest civilizations( The Chang Jiang and The Huang He)
2.2.3. Annual floods along the Chang Jiang and the Huang He deposited rich soil on the rivers flood plains
2.2.4. Shang China was largely an agricultural society
3. Social Stucture and Family life
3.1. Sumerian
3.1.1. The Sumerian society was thought to have four social classes: nobles, commoner, clients and slaves
3.1.2. In the homes of the poor and rich the husband or father was the master of the household
3.1.3. The nobles included the ruling family, priest, warriors, and family's who owned large areas of land and were wealthy
3.1.4. If a family went into debt the husband or father could sell their family
3.2. Shang Dynasity
3.2.1. China's first civilizations developed in river vallys
3.2.2. Under the Zhou, China's population grew
3.2.3. Chinese civilization began in Huang He valley
3.2.4. Centered on the Huang He valley, Shang China created many institutions that created over into later Chinese cultures
4. Science
4.1. Sumerians
4.1.1. They invented the wheel and potters wheel
4.1.2. The Sumerians are perhaps remembered most for their inventions
4.1.3. They were among the first formal astronomers
4.1.4. They came up with dividing an hour into 60 minutes and a minute into 60 seconds
4.2. Shang Dynasty
4.2.1. They were able to build huge, stable structures such as tombs
4.2.2. Shang astronomers created a precise calendar based on the cycles of the moon
4.2.3. May have created one of the worlds fist systems of money
4.2.4. The Zhou introduced coins to the China
5. Government and Leaders
5.1. Sumerian
5.1.1. The rulers were assisted by preist, scribes and nobles
5.1.2. Before 3500 BC priest ruled Sumer
5.1.3. They created a government that was a combination of monarchy and democracy
5.1.4. The kingdoms of sumer were organized into city-states and kings ruled each city-state for the gods
5.2. Shang Dynaisty
5.2.1. It was founded sometime around 1600 BCE by a virtuous man named Cheng Tang, he overthrew the evil king of the legendary Xia
5.2.2. Was a monarchy governed by a series of kings, 29 or 30 total, over almost 600 years
5.2.3. To help keep order in China the king appointed governor to rule distant parts of the kingdom
5.2.4. The Shang ruling elite had free time to spend in pursuit of leisure activities such as hunting for sports
6. Economy and Trade
6.1. Sumerian
6.1.1. Sumerians used slaves although they were not a major part of the economy
6.1.2. Jobs included sailors, leather- workers, weavers, fishers, farmers, metal smiths, bricklayers, stone cutters, and pottery makers
6.1.3. Their government was based on agriculture
6.1.4. Cedar from Lebanon was prized
6.2. Shang Dynasty
6.2.1. Shang may have created one of the worlds first systems of money
6.2.2. The Zhou learned how to use iron, which became the backbone of their economy
6.2.3. Iron was strong and could be cast more cheaply and quickly than bronze
6.2.4. Iron weapons also helped strengthen the Zhou army, as did new weapons such as the catapult and the creation of China's first cavalry
7. Arts and Education
7.1. Sumerian
7.1.1. The temples were called edubass meaning tablet house. The teacher or priest was called ummia
7.1.2. Sumerian art and agriculture was complex and was primarily used for religious purposes
7.1.3. Fine works in marble and hammered gold have been found
7.1.4. Sumerians created the first formal education system
7.2. Shang Dynaisty
7.2.1. The development of Chinese writing was closely tied to the use of oracle bones
7.2.2. Early Shang texts used picture symbols to represent objects or ideas
7.2.3. Artists created highly decorative bronze vessels and objects
7.2.4. Confucianism is based on the teachings of a scholar named Kongfuzi