WOH1023 Key Terms Raymond David Key Terms Stonehenge best known European megalith Initially began as circular ditch and wall enclosure Purpose unclear possibly linked to other worship sites located along the Salisbury Plain utilized for human and animal sacrifices Sumer 5400 1900 BCE collection of city states along Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flood plains Cuneiform earliest form of writing wedge shaped symbols Ziggurat massive step pyramid for religious worship a continual building New mastabas were built by each new king They built mastabas on top of each other to get closer to the gods Old Kingdom Egypt 3100 BCE upper and lower unified by King Narmer who founded the first dynasty Economy and society based on seasonal floods of the Nile River The Old Kingdom lasts until 2150 BCE after years of drought and civil unrest Narmer 1st Pharaoh of Egypt He unified upper and lower Egypt in 3100 BCE Narmer founded the 1st Dynasty Khufu around time of Great Pyramids 2560 2630 BCE Khufu wanted to be remembered by the people How are you my brother He had a giant pyramid built for himself by hand He nearly bankrupted the economy with his giant pyramid building Middle Kingdom 2055 1650 BCE begins with the unification of Egypt by the 11th dynasty But for a century and a half there is disunity The focus of the 11th dynasty was military attack and defense rather than pyramid building For defense fortresses and barracks along with a large standing army were built The pharaoh during the 11th dynasty was Mentuhotep II The 11th dynasty was marked by military ambitions and the construction of fortifications along the Nile Religion polytheistic cult of Osiris 12th dynasty HEIGHT 13th dynasty DECLINE 1650 BCE serves as a time for civil unrest upper Egypt is conquered by seafaring Hyksos There were no BIG problems or wars during the Middle Kingdom however that all changes in the New Kingdom 1 WOH1023 Key Terms Raymond David New Kingdom 1550 1050 BCE begins with the expulsion of Hyksos and the reunification of upper and Lower Egypt under the 18th dynasty In regards to pharaohs this was the most dynamic kingdom Egypt enters a decline after the death of Ramses The New Kingdom collapses around 1069 BCE and Egypt comes under the rule of foreign rulers Egypt was eventually annexed as personal property of Emperor Augustus Hatshepsut 1508 1458 BCE she was the step mother and regent to Thutmose but ruled as pharaoh from 1479 1458 BCE Hatshepsut was female and ruled for her young son until he came of age She got used to the idea of ruling and denied him the throne when he came of age Often masqueraded as a male but successfully established overseas trade relations She built an elaborate mortuary temple at Djeser Djesru only to be expunged by successor Thutmose III Her temple served as a shrine to her and for her afterlife It was built through the emotion of love not as a demand from the Queen The temple was a breeding ground for propaganda linking Hatshepsut to divine conception and birth Thutmose III is suspected for her mysterious death he grew to despise her and had all records of her destroyed Akhenaten 1351 1334 BCE born as Amenhotep but converted to worship of the son Aten and changed his name to living spirit of Aten He was basically a dictator who pissed everyone off especially the priests who were in charge of the economy and would soon be unemployed He decreed Egypt to monotheistic worship of Aten Ra Greek He ordered all other temples closed and priests dismissed He was married to Great Wife Nefertiti and elevated her to equal status He moved away from idealistic portrayals in favor of realistic depictions with his family After Akhenaten s death successors would end sun worship and return to polytheistic religion Ramses II 1303 1213 BCE pharaoh of 19th Dynasty He was the most powerful pharaoh of Egyptian history Militarily campaigns in Middle East Levant and Nubia He fought massive battle against Hittites at Kadesh in 1274 BCE this battle was indecisive and led to the first peace treaty in recorded history He was eventually worshipped as the living god and had a reign of 66 years It is estimated Ramses II had 24 wives had 80 sons and 60 daughters He died at age 93 Egypt enters a decline after the death of Ramses The New Kingdom collapses around 1069 BCE and Egypt comes under the rule of foreign rulers Egypt was eventually annexed as personal property of Emperor Augustus Harappa the Indus River civilization 3300 1300 BCE incorporated the new Bronze Age Culture of the Indus River Valley Harappa was a city grouped together with the cities of Lothal and Mohenjo Daro These were the first cities with centralized planning and a sanitation system 2 WOH1023 Key Terms Raymond David 2600 BCE HEIGHT of civilization with an extensive trade network 1800 BCE DECLINE due to population dispersing east and west This covering the entire river decline can be linked to climate change eastward shifts of monsoon patterns and Indo Aryan migration into the region The Indus River civilization was one of the earliest civilizations and provides important cultural and social history for later societies within the region Rig Veda 1700 1100 BCE a collection of 10 family books Mandalas that were written in Sanskrit It is the oldest example of Indo European writings Origins come from Aryan oral traditions and Indus civilization influences The books were spread throughout the Indian sub continent They would later form the foundation of the Hindu religion as well as Indian society and identity Out of India a modern theory that argues that Veda began with the Indus civilization rather than arising with invading Aryans Hinduism a term given to a variety of religious practices indigenous to India Origins can be traced to Indus mysticism and Vedic myths There is no unified system of belief in Hinduism but rather embraces many local traditions and myths There is no hierarchy like in western religions Tenets include animal worship and avatar deities belief in the eternal spirit and complete freedom of worship and belief Xia Dynasty the 1st recorded Chinese dynasty in Chinese history Yu the Great the mythical ruler of the 23rd century BCE He developed an art of divination and was said to have invented nets for hunting and fishing He was credited with teaching Chinese people dike building and flood control that limited the yellow river which was coined for having frequent and destructive floods Yu the Great ruled from 2070 1600 BCE but there is