AP WORLD HISTORY

Period 1, 2, & 3

8000BCE – 1400CE

Period 18000 BCE – 600 CE

5% of Test

The Paleolithic Age• Most of human pre-history Paleolithic (“old”

stone age) – Small-scale groups – 30 w/ yearly 500– Gathering as important (or more) than hunting– Human impact on environment minimal– Human migrations and settlement influenced by

disease vectors– Warfare, but rarely– Women equal (or nearly so) sometimes deified– Religion animistic or totemistic– Egalitarianism

The Neolithic Transition• Melting of ice sheets (Holocene epoch) opened

fields, reduced game• Haphazard then deliberate cultivation led to

domestication of grains and legumes• Stationary food supply meant permanent

settlements• Early Neolithic villages populations ~500-1000• Large settlements not possible through “dry

farming”• A few larger towns like Jericho and Catal Huyuk• Copper metallurgy, but most tools stone

Domestication

• Areas of world with most domesticable plants and animals got jump-start

• Animals, starting with dogs, domesticated to become docile, easily controlled, more nutritious, and unintelligent

• Plants underwent “un-natural selection”; non-useful plants extinct while useful given advantage & took over ecosystems

The Urban Revolution• Settlement around river valleys• Much higher population density, which brought:

– Diseases (esp. through livestock)– Social stratification (even slavery)– Increased warfare w/nomadic peoples– Polytheistic religions, sometimes anthropomorphic

gods– Lower status of women– Lower nutrition, average height, and life expectancy– More complex forms of state– Direct manipulation of environment; intensive

agriculture– Specialization, leading to technological advances

Technologies

• Metallurgy: from copper to Bronze, which created an elite warrior class in some societies

• Hydro technologies: dikes, dams, irrigation canals

• Astronomical observation and recording

• Writing – the beginning of history

• The wheel, levers and pulleys, the chariot

The concept of “Civilization”

• Civilization associated with settled agriculture, esp. urban areas

• Associations are “good”, i.e. civilized vs. “barbarian”

• Nomadic peoples don’t count

• Arguments against:– Civilizations caused chronic problems

-- Nomads played crucial roles

Four major river valley civilizations

• Mesopotamia – Tigris & Euphrates rivers

• Egypt – Nile River

• India – Indus river

• China – Yellow River

Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India were influenced by each other; China was relatively independent

Independent Invention v. Diffusion

• Technologies spread through trade, warfare, migration, etc.

• Many are acquired “whole” from other civilizations; sometimes modified

• Others are invented independently – sometimes resulting in better technology

• Process of diffusion and syncretism essential to Afro-Eurasian patterns

Mesopotamia vs. Egypt

EGYPT

-- Regular, predictable flooding of Nile

-- Hot region, but not as hot as Mesopotamia

-- Valley surrounded by desert meant isolation (initially), low danger of attack

MESOPOTAMIA

-- Irregular, unpredictable flooding of Tigris and Euphrates

-- Hot, dry region

-- Open plains location meant frequent invasion

Influence of Geography

• Geographic circumstances heavily influenced early river valley civilizations

• “Geographic Determinism”

• Influence is reciprocal: Cultures are influenced by nature but in turn influence nature

Mesopotamia v. Egypt – Religion

• Egypt– Gods as benevolent

and predictable– Rituals stressing

regularity and cyclical nature of life

– Afterlife orderly, predictable, pleasant

• Mesopotamia– Gods as violent,

unpredictable– Ritual stressing

sacrifice to appease gods

– Afterlife dark, dusty, and unpleasant

Mesopotamia v. Egypt -- PFOS

• Egypt– Local kingdoms unified

in 3100 BCE by MENES

– Centralized government

– Few cities; mostly ritual centers

– Rulership shifted from upper to lower Egypt (Thebes & Memphis)

– Law word of Pharaoh

• Mesopotamia– City-states unified by

Sargon of Akkad, but unstable unity

– Imperial rule– Cities focus of

civilization; large, urban populations

– Rulership shifted from city-state to city-state through conquest

– First written law

The Indus Valley

• Script not translated so little info• Had bronze metallurgy• Uniform weights & measures indicate centralized

government• Urban culture w/ infrastructure (e.g. waste

disposal, public baths, etc.)• Cotton cultivation for textiles; legumes for food• Traded with Mesopotamia & Egypt• Yogic, pre-Aryan religion• Collapse result of catastrophic environmental

events leading to SYSTEMS FAILURE

The Yellow River

• Developed independently of other river-valley civs; no evidence of trade

• Focus of early civ was control of Yellow River; earliest hero Duke of Zhou

• Cast Bronze metallurgy• Cultivation of millet in north, rice in south• Decentralized politically; divine kingship w/

sacrifice• Writing system; oracle bones

Bronze-Age Empires

• Possession of bronze allowed military innovators to conquer others

• Empire: area of centralized control over diverse peoples

• Land Empires, e.g. Assyrian

• Maritime Empires, e.g. Phoenician

• Developed new ways of ruling, etc.

• Empires pass through stages

Bronze Age Empires

• Extensive trading networks allowed empires to exist without river-valleys

• Marked social stratification; possession of Bronze by elite

• Chariot warfare and other innovations; siege engines

Fall of the Bronze Age

• Starting in 1200 BCE, most Bronze Age civilizations fell

• Invasion by nomadic peoples (e.g. Aryans from central Asia)

• Invasion by diverse groups (e.g. “Sea Peoples”)

• Systems failure followed defeats and in-fighting (e.g. Trojan War)

Period 2600 BCE – 600 CE

20% of Test

Rise of Classical Period Civilizations

• Nomadic invaders assimilated into local culture, creating syncretic cultures

• Influence of river-valley cultures continued, e.g. Egyptian and Mycenaean on Greek, became “Cultural Hearths”

Political Forms of State

• An Empire or Civilization can have any of the following political forms of state:– Monarch: Rule by one person (e.g. King)– Theocracy: Rule by priests– Oligarchy: Rule by a small group of elite– Aristocracy: Rule by a traditional elite class– Democracy: Rule by vote of citizens

Common themes of Classical Civilizations

• New patterns of social inequality• Sophisticated Bureaucracy• Formalized cultural systems• Universal religions• A Lingua Franca• Internal and external trade• Infrastructure• Rigid gender roles• Iron metallurgy• Large populations

Case Studies - Greece• Greek city-states not unified until threatened by

Persian Empire (dry-farmers)• Some poliis (city-states) democratic• Influenced by Mediterranean cultural hearth;

“Greek” is cultural not political• Traded wine, olives, pottery in Mediterranean• Women had lower status; worst in Athens• Rationalism under Socrates, Plato, Aristotle• Architecture: Parthenon• Fall: Fighting between city-states made

vulnerable to Macedonians (Phillip II & Alexander)

Case Studies: Rome• Developed around Tiber river; Latins

enslaved by Etruscans

• Ca. 500 BCE broke free, established Republic (democratic government)

• Conquered Italy, then the Eastern & Western Mediterranean (conflict w/Carthage = Punic Wars)

• Fought to expand empire into Gaul and beyond

Case Study-Rome

• Traded with China along silk road, dominated Mediterranean trade, traded with Coastal Africa India through IO & Saharan networks

• Developed written law code (12 tablets), concrete, the Roman Arch (improved), road system

• Co-opted Greek culture; revered (& stole) Egyptian

• C. 30 BCE – Civil conflict leads to EMPIRE• Empire lasted until c. 400 CE – moved to

Byzantium

Case Study: Rome

• Fall result of several interrelated factors:– Decline of small farmers and subsequent

unemployment– Nomadic migration and invasions (German

and Central Asian peoples)– Expense of maintaining extensive borders– Decadence of wealthy; loss of “civitas”– Disease and environmental problems

Case Study: Gupta & Maurya India• Limited political centralization• High taxes – 25 – 50%• Religions of state: Buddhism under Ashoka,

Hinduism under later rulers• Status of women higher than Rome or China,

but still not equal (e.g. Sati)• Theater-state and use of rituals extensive• Traded with Africa, Europe, Asia• Important innovations: 0, fractions, inoculation• Fall result of overspending on military

Case Study: China

• Kingdoms unified by Chin Shihuangdi• Great Wall, coinage, weights & measures• Development of Daoism and Confucianism• Legalistic policies led to fall after death• Han Empire (200 BCE – 200 CE)

– Lingua Franca Mandarin Chinese– Han ethnic group dominant over others– Constant threat from central asian nomads– Trade with Rome and India through Silk Route and IO

Trade Network

Case Study: China

• Confucian Exam System used for some positions

• Synthesis of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism developed – “Han Synthesis”

• Fall of Han due to several factors:– Invasion by nomadic peoples on horseback– Corruption & cabalism in government– Natural disasters, disease, drought– Infrastructural failure (esp. Yellow River)

Case Study: Mayan Culture

• Had roots in older “hearth” of Olmec & Toltec• De-centralized city states – “MAYAN” is a culture like

“GREEK”• Social stratification – urban elite• Trade limited & for light, high-value objects• Reverence of Jaguar• Primary crop: Corn but also beans• Conquest of Aztec (c. 1200 CE) resulted in Imperial

Control• Systems failure for some states – environmentally

unsound practices• Astronomical science, zero

Fall of Classical Period Civs

• Commonalities:– Nomadic invasions– Loss of trade contacts– Disease & natural disasters– Loss of civic impulse & governmental

corruption– Transition from centralized to decentralized

(sometimes “feudalistic”) PFOS

Period 3600-1450

20% of Test

• Major transitions– Development & expansion of Islam– Expanding zones of trade/expanding

networks– Spread of religions– Mongol empire– Chinese renaissance– European middle ages & renaissance– Plague pandemics– Growth & role of cities

Development & expansion of Islam

• Impact on economy & trade– As a business law

• Impact on culture– Sharia & the five pillars– gender

• Political structures– The Caliphate – Sultanates– Mali

• Arts, sciences, technologies

Expanding zones of trade/expanding networks

• Growth & expansion of major trade routes– Impact of Islam– Impact of technology

• Camels• Dhows

– Nature of trade• Indian Ocean basin• Trans-Saharan• Silk Road

Spread of religions

• Christianity– Schism: East vs. West

• Buddhism– Trade routes– Order of diffusion– syncretism

• Islam– By conquest– By trade

Mongol empire

• Political Impacts– China– Russia– Middle East

• Economic impacts– Trade– Tax farming

• Military impacts– Diffusion of military technologies

• Social Impact– Spread of plague– China

Chinese renaissance

• Sui-Tang-Song• Commercial revolution• Maritime trade• Invention & innovation• Urbanization• Impact on East Asia• Zheng He• Compared to European Renaissance

European middle ages & renaissance

• Political, Economic, and Social form of Middle Ages

• Restructuring: Rise of cities, national kingdoms, decline of church power

• Impact of Crusades on trade

• Rise of city-states

• Impact of plague & commerce on serfdom

• Reformation

Growth & role of cities

• Cities as centers of innovation

• Rise of city-states

• Urban vs. Rural

• Influence of cities on politics

• Roles of cities– As trade centers– As religious centers– As political capitals

Rise of Islam

• Sassanid & Byzantine (Roman) Empires w/ state religion

• Arabs as intermediaries

• Trade caravans & oasis cities

• Prior exposure to Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism (of Persia)

• Oral culture

• Clans & Tribes – constant warfare

Why were the Muslims successful?

• Byzantine & Sassanid empires weak

• Motivation of Muslim

• Brilliance of commanders

• Combination: multiple causation

Dar-Al Islam

• Spread through conquest and trade• Indian Ocean Network: provided common

culture and legal code, increasing trade; spread into Fuxian province of China

• Silk Road: Influenced central Asians, did not get into China (Battle of Talus River)

• Trans-Saharan network: Spread across e-w axis, first Muslim influenced kingdom Ghana (800 CE)

• Spread of Islamic architecture, law (Sharia), and education (madrasas)

Women’s rights under Islam and elsewhere

• Women under Islam had more rights than others (e.g. Divorce, property ownership)

• Adopted head covering like European and Persians

• Muhammad’s first wife older (causation?)• Women participated in Muslim civil war• Europe, East Asia – more repressive:

Christianity & Confucianism• Americas – More roles and rights for women

Sunni vs. Shiite split

• Death of Caliph Uthman led to conflict over succession

• Muslim community – Umma – wanted to vote

• Shia wanted bloodline of Muhammad – Ali

• Civil war followed – schism

• Today: Iran is Shia, most of rest mixed or Sunni

Highlights of Caliphate

• Abbasid caliphate height of expansion and sophistication

• Baghdad population over 1 million, center of artistic and intellectual activity

• Water sources brought to most areas• Eventually hired Turkish soldiers (Mamluks) to

fight for them – later taken over• Ended with execution of last Caliph by Mongols

(except in Egypt)• Conflict with Western Europe over access to

holy sites, trade – The Crusades

Coda: The World by 1000CE

• Europe – decentralized, feudalistic, heavily influenced by Christianity, economically cut off; Iberia ruled by Moors (Muslims)

• East Asia – (China) centralized c. 600 CE under Sui-Tang-Song; active trade, initial influence of Buddhism followed by persecution; influence of China on Korea, Vietnam, and Japan great

Coda: The World at 1000 CE• Central Asia: Decentralized and tribal, but

caravan cities & trade entrepots along Silk Road• North Africa: Islam spreading, Ummayad

Caliphate in N. Africa & Iberia; Trans-Saharan trade healthy; Muslim states (e.g. Mali)

• Sub-Saharan Africa: trading on Swahili coast (east); Great Zimbabwe in-land; much untouched by outsiders b/c geographic & micro-parasitic obstacles; Bantu Migration provided cultural continuity

Coda: The World In 1000 CE

• The Americas– Central America: Pre-Aztec Mayan Classical Age– South American (Peru): Pre-Incan Moche culture– North America: Hopewell & Anasazi cultures;

decentralized & tribal otherwise

South Asia (India)

--Delhi Sultanate in N. India, Rajputs in Himalayan foothills

-- Decentralized otherwise, with trade zones on coasts and Gujarat