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The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History,
Third Edition
Richard W. Bulliet, Pamela Kyle Crossley, Daniel R. Headrick, Steven W. Hirsch, Lyman L. Johnson, David Northrup
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Chapter 2: The First River-Valley Civilizations, 3500-1500 B.C.E.
Maps:
Mesopotamia to 2500 B.C.E.
Estimated Empire of Sargon
Poppa's World History: The Near East
Map of Nippur
Political Change in Ancient Mesopotamia, 3000-1000 B.C.E
Harrapa.com: Geography
Harrapa.com: Sites
Theban Mapping Project
Satellite Map of Nile Delta
Ancient Egypt and Nubia
The Four Old-World River Valley Cultures
General Map of Ancient Civilizations
Satellite Image of Middle East
Images:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Ancient Near East Collection
Explore fifty images from this world renowned museum's collection of artwork from Mesopotamia, Iran, Syria, and Anatolia.
Slides of Mesopotamia
This collection of images from multiple sources offers numerous examples of artwork from ancient Mesopotamia.
Images from World
History: Sumer
Several images or artifacts from Mesopotamia can be found here, including the "Standard of Ur" and an example of cuneiform writing.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Egyptian Collection
Another superb collection from this museum. Notable images included hieroglyphics used in the "Book of the Dead" and statues of several pharaohs.
A New Look at Ancient Culture: Egypt
Explore ancient Egypt at this site. The section on hieroglyphs offers numerous examples.
The Detroit Institute of Art: Ancient Art, Egypt
This collection focuses on Egyptian tombs and other religious expressions.
Harrapa.com
An excellent site. Click "Indus Valley" and then explore artifacts from this ancient civilization. "A unicorn seal" offers extensive description and images of this form of communication.
Images from World History: Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization (ca. 3000 - 1500 B.C.E.)
This site offers a nice image of a cylinder seal from the Indus River Valley Civilization.
Activity One:
It is extremely important throughout your global history course to understand the geographical context of what you are studying. Although the three civilizations you have examined in this chapter were very different, they shared many geographical characteristics. Go to The Four Old-World River Valley Cultures. In addition to their locations in major river valleys, what else did ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus River Valley have in common? Were they located at similar longitudes? Does this suggest that they shared
similar climates and vegetation? With what bodies of water did they have contact? Was it possible for them to trade with each other or with other peoples?
Activity Two:
One of the major themes of this chapter is the influence of the environment on the world views of these ancient peoples. Unlike societies studied in Chapter One, "Nature, Humanity, and History to 3500 B.C.E.," these civilizations left us extensive written
records (although archaeologists have not yet deciphered the script used in the Indus River Valley). After reading about ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt on pages 29-48 of The Earth and Its Peoples (Third Edition), examine the following primary sources: The Babylonian Creation Myth and the Egyptian myth of the Creation by Atum. While analyzing these sources, consider how the environmental conditions in ancient Mesopotamia and the Nile River Valley might have influenced their outlooks on the world's creation. Be imaginative.
Activity Three:
Besides writing, these ancient peoples left behind other sources of information about their world and their world views. As the authors of your textbook state in reference to Egypt, "Archaeologists and historians have gleaned much of what is now known about ancient Egyptian life from this practice of stocking the tomb [of the pharaohs] with utilitarian and luxury household objects." Examine some artifacts from these ancient tombs at Explore Ancient Egypt. To examine this site, run your cursor over the topics at the top of the page and click on the links that interest you. After doing so, make sure to click the arrows at the end of each page until you've completed the exhibit.
Visit at least two exhibits. What do the artifacts that you have analyzed reveal about ancient Egyptian civilization? How can we use archaeological evidence to understand the everyday lives of these people? What aspects of their lives do these artifacts fail to illuminate? You might want to print out some of the images to enhance your argument.
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