70 i PERIOD 1 Technological and Environmental Transformations (to c. 600 B.C.E.)
- The Egyptian civilization was similar to the
Sumerian civilization
(A) in its reliance on natural defense barriers
(B) in its system of social stratification
(C) in its political structure
(D) in the extent to which its culture was
diffused
(E) in the nature of the flood pattern of its
major rivers
2. The earliest civilizations in both the Eastern and
Western hemispheres were similar in
(A) their location at similar latitudes
(B) their technological knowledge
(C) their reliance on the flooding of major
rivers in their midst
(D) their practice of polytheism
(E) the extent of their trade contacts with
neighboring peoples
from Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean about
2000 b.c.e. In the account recorded in the Bible, the descendants of Abraham migrated
to Egypt. They later left Egypt, embarking on a journey called the Exodus under a leader
named Moses. In the biblical account, the Exodus was marked by the giving of the Te n
Commandments, or moral law of the Hebrews. Returning to the land of Canaan, or Pal-
estine, they established a theocracy, or a government ruled directly by God.
The heart of Judaism was a covenant, or agreement, between God and Abraham in
which Yahweh would be their god and the Jews would be his people. The history of this
covenant relationship became the basis of the Tor a h, or the Hebrew scriptures.
After years of observing the governments of neighboring kingdoms, the Hebrews estab-
lished the kingdom of Israel about 1000 b.c.e. with is capital at Jerusalem. The kingdom
eventually divided into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyr-
ians in 722 b.c.e. Its inhabitants were scattered throughout the far reaches of the Assyrian
empire, constituting the fi rst Jewish diaspora, or exile. The southern kingdom, called
Judah, endured until 586 b.c.e. Conquered by the Chaldeans (from approximately the same
territory as the Babylonian Empire), the people of Judah were carried off into captivity into
Babylon. After Cyrus conquered the Chaldeans and allowed the Jews to return to Palestine
70 years later, Palestine remained under Persian rule until it became the province of Judea
under the Roman Empire in 63 c.e. In 132 c.e., after they rebelled against Roman rule, the
Jews were spread throughout the Roman Empire in a second diaspora.❯ Rapid Review
Beginning with Sumer in Mesopotamia about 3500 b.c.e., civilization grew along the
river valleys of the Tigris–Euphrates, Nile, Indus, and Huang He. These civilizations were
characterized by community cooperation necessary to manage irrigation and fl ood control
systems. Later their cooperative efforts were further organized to form the beginnings of
political institutions. The knowledge of metallurgy led to the refi nement of tools, weap-
ons, and objects of art. Writing systems were developed, and social stratifi cation became
apparent. In the Americas, civilizations and societies made notable strides in mathematics,
astronomy, and architecture.❯ Review Questions