• Sumerian cities developed into city-states, self-governing regions that included a city and its surrounding area. • The people in the city-states practiced polytheism. Each city-state was ruled by a king. This position became hereditary. October 31 • Social groups developed in Sumerian city-states. These groups included an upper class, a middle class, and a lowerclass. November 1 • Sumerians created many inventions including a writing system called cuneiform, the wheel, and the wooden plow. Many of these inventions were copied and improved upon by later civilizations. November 2 • Sumerians wrote the world’s oldest story, an epic poem called the Epic of Gilgamesh. • Around 2340 b.c., an Akkadian named Sargon united Sumer and Akkad. In doing so, he formed the Mesopotamian Empire, the world’s first empire. November 3 NO BELL WORK November 6, 2016 • Eventually, the Assyrian Empire extended from the Persian Gulf in the east to the Nile River in the west. The empire’s capital was at Nineveh. The empire was ruled by a king and was divided into provinces. November 7 • The Assyrians modeled their culture on the culture of the Babylonians. • Around 600 b.c., the Chaldeans conquered the Assyrians and formed the New Babylonian Empire. November 8
China • People in China first settled along the Huang He, or Yellow The Huang He provided early China with rich soil, but it also often flooded and has cost millions of lives. • The Chang Jiang, or Yangtze, is another river in China and the longest river in Asia. Early farmers grew rice along its shores. January 26 • Mountains and deserts cover much of China. The mountains and deserts limited contact between China and other civilizations. • China’s first dynasty was the Shang. Shang kings ruled China from 1750 b.c. to 1045 b.c. The Shang king was the political, religious, and military leader. January 29 • Warlords, who ruled territories, and other royal officials formed an upper class of aristocrats. Most Shang people, however, were farmers. • The worshiped many gods. They honored their ancestors and used oracle to seek guidance. January 30 • Early Chinese writing used pictographs and ideographs. Chinese artists of the time made beautiful objects of bronze. They made vases and dishes from clay and carved statues from and jade. • The Zhou dynasty followed the Shang. The Zhou ruled for more than 800 Zhou kings had strong armies and soon ruled over a larger territory than the Shang. Do not write on desks. January 31
• Zhou kings claimed that the Mandate of Heaven gave them the to rule China. The Mandate of Heaven is the belief that the Chinese king’s right to rule comes from the gods. • The period from 400 b.c. to 200 b.c. is known as the “Period of the Warring States.” During this time, aristocrats ignored the king’s commands and fought with each other. February 1 • Early Chinese society was made up of four social classes: aristocrats, farmers, artisans, and merchants. • Chinese aristocrats were wealthy. They lived comfortably and owned large plots of land. • Most Chinese people were farmers who rented fields from aristocrats. Farmers had to pay taxes and work one month a year on government projects. In wartime, they were forced to serve as soldiers. February 2 NO BELL WORK February 5 • Chinese families practiced filial This means that children obeyed and respected their parents and took care of them when they got old. The work done by Chinese men—farming, fighting wars, and running the government— was considered more important than the work done by women. Women’s major responsibility was raising children and seeing to education. Women also managed household affairs and family finances. February 6
February 27 • The Chinese developed a way to manufacture paper and to print books using wooden blocks and ink. Later, Chinese printers developed movable type, which allowed them to print books more efficiently. • Gunpowder provided the Chinese with effective weapons, and improvements in shipbuilding and navigation allowed the Chinese to travel and trade far from home. February 28 • The Tang and Song dynasties were a golden age for Chinese culture. Poets celebrated nature and the shortness of life in their writings. • Landscape paintings portrayed nature as a great unknowable force. Painters often wrote poems in calligraphy on their artworks. • During the Tang dynasty, Chinese artisans became skilled at making porcelain, a light, fine pottery that became prized around the world. March 1 • The Mongols became the first non-native rulers of China. They were skilled warriors and horsemen who used terror to defeat their enemies. • Genghis Khan united the Mongols and led them to conquer northern • The Mongols proved to be effective and peaceful rulers. Since many trade routes were now under Mongol control, people could trade in peace and grow rich. March 2 • By a.d.1279, Kublai Khan finished conquering China and established the Yuan dynasty. He set up the capital city in Khanbaliq (now Beijing). • The Mongols were culturally different from the Chinese and lived separately from them, but they were tolerant of China’s religions. • China prospered from trading overland and overseas. Goods came by ship from all over the world. European travelers, such as Marco Polo, began to explore China’s vast empire. March 5