Western Civilization Class

Blog week 4 - 1  Hunter Gatherers, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Egypt ·        200,000 years ago human species emerged in Southwestern Africa. ·        The origins and “ages” of human beings. ·        Earliest Prehistoric age is the Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age) ·        Neolithic Age (New Stone Age) was marked by advanced tool making & beginnings of agriculture. ·        Agricultural revolution = Neolithic Age ·        Population rose due to increase ability to produce a surplus of food. ·        Hierarchies appeared in village life. ·        Women were given more domestic duties. ·        Invention of wheel and plow made it possible to produce enough food for storage. ·   ...

Blog week 4 - 3 Egypt ·       The highlands of east Africa to the Mediterranean sea. ·       The gift of the Nile ·       Environmental Challenges:  o    Below water levels, people would starve because crops would be reduced. o    Above water levels, would destroy houses and seeds farmers needed for planting. o    The vast and forbidding deserts on the other side of the Nile acted as a natural barrier. ·       The Egyptians god-kings, called pharaohs, were thought to be almost as splendid and powerful as gods of the heavens. ·       The type of government in which rule is based on religious authority is called theocracy. ·       They built pyramids for tombs of past kings/pharaohs and their wives.

Blog week 4 - 2  Hunter Gatherers, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Egypt ·        200,000 years ago human species emerged in Southwestern Africa. ·        The origins and “ages” of human beings. ·        Earliest Prehistoric age is the Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age) ·        Neolithic Age (New Stone Age) was marked by advanced tool making & beginnings of agriculture. ·        Agricultural revolution = Neolithic Age ·        Population rose due to increase ability to produce a surplus of food. ·        Hierarchies appeared in village life. ·        Women were given more domestic duties. ·        Invention of wheel and plow made it possible to produce enough food for storage. ·    ...

Blog week 3 - 2  Guns, Germs, and Steel ·       Early River Valley Civilizations 3500 B.C. – 450 B.C. ·       The earliest civilizations formed on fertile river plains. ·       These lands faced challenges, such as seasonal flooding and a limited growing area. ·       Early civilizations developed bronze tools, the wheel, the sail, the plow, writing, and mathematics. ·       Fertile Crescent  à Mesopotamia ·       Environmental Challenges o    Unpredictable flooding. o    A period of time with little to no rain. o    No natural barriers for protection. o    Natural resources were limited and building materials or other necessary items were scarce. ·       “Land between rivers” (translated from Greek) ·       Envi...

Blog week 3 - 1  Guns, Germs, and Steel ·       Early River Valley Civilizations 3500 B.C. – 450 B.C. ·       The earliest civilizations formed on fertile river plains. ·       These lands faced challenges, such as seasonal flooding and a limited growing area. ·       Early civilizations developed bronze tools, the wheel, the sail, the plow, writing, and mathematics. ·       Fertile Crescent  à Mesopotamia ·       Environmental Challenges o    Unpredictable flooding. o    A period of time with little to no rain. o    No natural barriers for protection. o    Natural resources were limited and building materials or other necessary items were scarce. ·       “Land between rivers” (translated from Greek) ·       Envi...