Asia

Earth and Its People: Chapter 3 The Cosmopolitan Middle East Overview Known as ?cosmopolitan era? because it was a time of widely shared cultures and lifestyles Diplomatic relations increased flow of goods and ideas Western Asia Mesopotamia divided into two political zones Babylonia-South Assyria-North Kassite Dynasty (Kassites-people from Zagros) came to power in Babylon after Hammurabi Dynasty ?Old Assyrian? kingdom shows importance of trade routes connecting Mesopotamia to Anatolia and the Syria-Palestine Coast ?Middle Assyrian? kingdom engages in campaigns of conquest Hittites came to power in Anatolia(Present day Turkey) Capital-Hatusha believed to be the creators of making tools and weapons of iron Kept iron tools a secret- provided both military and economic advantages

Earth and Its People: Chapter 2 Early China, 2000-221 B.C.E. Geography and Resources China possesses numerous natural barriers which include: The Himalaya mountains to the southwest The Takla Makan Desert, the?Pamir and Tian mountains to the west The Gobi Desert and Mongolian steppe to the northwest steppe - ?a large area of flat unforested grassland? Pacific Ocean to the east This created a great natural isolation and self-sufficiency (though not nearly as dramatically as with Egypt), China comes into contact with other cultures, but refuses to be influenced Mountains make travel, transport, and communication difficult, and rivers are used for east-west movement For this reason, as well as for predictable flooding, rivers are very important Rivers