HIS 105 Chapter 1 The Birth of Civilization. Earth : approximately 6 billion years old Human-Like...
-
Upload
rosamond-porter -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
0
Transcript of HIS 105 Chapter 1 The Birth of Civilization. Earth : approximately 6 billion years old Human-Like...
Earth : approximately 6 billion years old Human-Like Creatures: appeared 3-5 million years
ago in Africa Erect, Tool-Using Early Humans: spread over Africa,
Europe, & Asia 1-2 million years ago Homo Sapiens: emerged some 200,000 years ago Earliest Fully Modern Human Remains : date to
about 90,000 years ago
Earliest Humans: hunter/gatherers/fishers Agriculture began 8000 B.C.E.
Cultivated plants Raised livestock Made air-tight pottery for food storage
Humans settled in small communities now that they could produce their own food.
Civilization: Characteristics Producers of food Settled and more complex life Increased harvests through use of irrigation Towns and cities with impressive structures Flourishing commerce Developed writing to keep records and and
inventories
Culture Ways of living built up by a group and passed on
from one generation to another It includes:
Courtship practices Child-rearing techniques Material goods: Ex.- types of shelter & clothing Ideas Institutions Beliefs Language
Paleolithic Age (Old Stone)
Dates from 1-2 million years ago to about 10,000 B.C.E.
Small groups of hunters, gatherers, & fishers - not producers of food
Used tools of stone and wood Learned to make and use fire Acquired language to pass on knowledge
Depended on and feared nature Practiced religion and magic to help them with their
fears Sexual division of labor
Men hunted & fished Women gathered plants to eat, had babies, made clothing Because women worked with plants, the beginnings of
agriculture have been attributed to them
The beginning of agriculture began the Neolithic Age
Neolithic Age (New Stone) Began about 8,000 B.C.E. in the Near East Shifted from just hunting and gathering to a
settled agricultural way of life Domesticated animals Domesticated plants Made pottery Wove cloth from flax & wool Cared for crops from planting to harvest
Built permanent buildings like those in Catal Hayuk
Populations grew when there was a steady supply of food
Humans were beginning to control nature and this was an important pre-condition for the beginnings of civilization
Neolithic societies began in: Near East – around 8000 B.C.E. (wheat) China - around 4000 B.C.E. (millet, rice) India - around 5500 B.C.E. (wheat) Americas - around 2500 B.C. E. (corn, beans, &
squash)
Emergence of Civilization4000-1000 B.C.E. Mesopotamia in Tigris-Euphrates River
Valley Egypt in Nile River Valley Indus River Valley Civilization in India Yellow River Basin Civilization in China
All took form during the Bronze Age All had urban centers, monumental architecture,
hierarchical societies, & writing
Cities were administrative, religious, manufacturing, entertainment, & commercial centers
Writing was complex Kings were divine Civilizations had a king, military, aristocrats,
priests, peasants, & slaves
Mesopotamia Emerged around 3500 to 3000 B.C.E. First city was Sumer
Farming community People worked together for survival As more towns formed, there was a need for
central control A king became the central ruler Writing system was cuneiform used for records
and literature like Gilgamesh
Religion Polytheistic Gods of nature People worked to keep gods happy Life was harsh and gods seemed whimsical This led to a pessimistic outlook on life and felt
afterlife would be worse Written about in Gilgamesh – prince is looking
for immortality
Priests used to share the responsibility of governing, but there was a gradual separation of church and state
Ziggurats- temples of mud brick built on mound to be closer to gods and to protect it from flooding; Ex – ziggurat at Ur still exists
Sumer had basic elements of civilization: Well-defined government Hierarchical society Regular economic surpluses Trade, artisans, & merchants Writing Religion UnifiedLasted until about 2000 B.C.E.
Akkadian Empire King Sargon I conquered Sumer and other city-states
of Mesopotamia between 2370 and 2130 B.C.E. and created the Akkadian Empire
Introduced new language but kept cuneiform for records and literary works
Empire lasted only 200 years; overthrown by invaders
Sumerian city-states re-emerged until 2000 B.C.E.
Babylonian Empire Established in early 18th century B.C.E. by
Hammurabi and the Amorites when they unified Mesopotamia
Hammurabi Seen as one of the greatest rulers of early civilizations Brought order out of chaos Had officials around his empire to carry out his laws Codified his laws: The Code of Hammurabi
Code of Hammurabi Listing of cases; what happens if… Regulated the rights of the 3 Amorite classes: free
people, state dependents, & slaves Penalties differed according to social status: fines,
corporal punishment, mutilation, & execution
Accomplishments of Babylonians Extended Sumerian knowledge in astronomy
& mathematics Set up 60 minute hour & 360o circle Expanded commerce Used a common language Built elaborate public buildings, royal
palaces, & the hanging gardens
Babylonian Empire fell around 1600 B.C.E. to the Hittites from Central Asia
The Hittites fell to other invaders and small kingdoms arose from 1200 – 900 B.C.E.
Egypt Emerged N.E. Africa around 3000 B.C.E. Benefited from Mesopotamian technology and trade Flourished for 2000 years but lasted for 3000 years Located in fertile delta along the Nile River Nile flooded at regular, predictable intervals The silt left behind contributed to bountiful crops Because of this, Egyptians felt they were pleasing
their gods and so had an optimistic outlook
Egypt was divided into 2 parts, upper and lower, until united by Narmer, the first pharaoh
Its history has been divided into 3 Kingdoms Old Kingdom 2575-2130 B.C.E Middle Kingdom 1938-1600 B.C.E. New Kingdom 1540-1075 B.C.E.
There were times of instability between each period
Pharaohs Divine rulers who were to keep gods happy Developed large bureaucracy of priests &
officials Local governors supervised irrigation and public
works Most Egyptians were peasant farmers who were
supervised and heavily taxed; some built pyramids for pharaohs like Khufu at Giza
Religion Polytheistic for the most part Amon-Re was the sun god who created the
universe Osiris was god of the Nile and offered the hope of
immortality to masses Pharaoh Amenhotep IV tried to create a
monotheistic faith for his people
Writing Used for texts and records Hieroglyphics - picture symbols Wrote on papyrus made from plant of same name Deciphered finally by a Frenchman named Jean-
Francois Champollian using Rosetta Stone
Science Established 12-month year with 3 10-day weeks Had some working knowledge of some medicines
and contraceptives Knew how to mummify a body
Culture Virtually unchanged for thousands of years stability and optimism reflected in their view of
life and the afterlife Static and stratified society Fairly isolated
Indus Civilization 2250-1750 B.C.E. Known as the Indus-Valley Culture or the
Harappan Civilization Lasted only a few centuries This Indus culture was truly discovered in the
1920s at the Harappa site Today there are 2 main sites Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro plus some smaller towns
They had Bronze tools Large cities with similar lay-outs; population of 35,000+ Writing (not yet deciphered) A diversified social and economic organization
Having 2 cities that are so alike indicates a strong central government with good economic and communication systems
Each city had Walled citadel on raised platform to the west;
contained main public buildings, large bath, and temples
town proper to the east laid out in a grid pattern Each town had a granary, a cemetery, covered
drains and sewers House were built around a central courtyard with
rooms facing inward; no windows
Economy based on agriculture Had cloth woven from cotton Made metal tools Used a potter’s wheel It is believed there was trade between the Indus
Valley and Mesopotamia because Indus stamps have been found in Mesopotamia
Material culture Bronze and stone sculptures Copper and bronze tools and vessels Black on red painted pottery Stone and terra cotta figurines Toys Silver vessels Gold jewelry Some decorative brick work
There were no mosaics, no friezes, and no large sculpture
Religion Dominated by priestly class who were
intermediaries between the people and their gods Fertility and reproduction were the main themes Ritual bathing
Around 2000 B.C.E. the Indus Civilization went into decline
We aren’t sure what caused its demise: Invasion? Flooding? Perhaps a combination of factors
Aryans Semi-nomadic invaders who reached India
about 1800 B.C.E They were horsemen, cattle-herders They brought a new language, a new social
organization, new techniques of warfare, and new religious ideas found in their Vedas, a sacred text
Patrilineal society
Gods were predominantly male Marriage was monogamous but polygamy did exist;
widows could remarry Tribes ruled by chieftain chosen for his military
prowess Originally there were 2 social classes:nobles and
commoners A third was later added: Dasas or darker conquered
people
Later, 4 classes or varnas: Priestly Brahmans Warrior nobles Peasants and tradesmen Servants
Dasas were excluded
This was a precursor to the rigid Indian caste system
Material culture: Semi-nomads who had little Had gray painted pottery Built wood, thatch, or mud-brick houses Measured wealth in cattle Were good at carpentry and bronze work Used gold for ornamentation Made cloth from wool
Planted grains Made and drank Soma, intoxicating drink used in
religious ceremonies Sang, danced, had chariot races, and gambled Artisans made gold products, baskets, cloth, and
pottery Products found their way into Mesopotamia
Religion Polytheists Gods resembled humans Chief god was Indra, god of war and storm Worship based on animal sacrifice or made
offerings of food Increasing formalism as the years passed Not yet the concept of reincarnation or
transmigration
China 4000 B.C.E. agriculture began in the southern end of
Yellow River Raised millet, cabbage, rice, and soybeans When soil was exhausted, the town would move Used axes, hoes, spades, and sickle-shaped knives Had domesticated pigs, sheep, cattle, dogs, and
Chickens Used pottery for storage Lived in pit houses
Traditional history speaks of 3 ancient dynasties: Xia 2205 -1766 B.C.E.; founded by Yu who
controlled the flooding with dikes and canals Shang 1766-1050 B.C.E. ; conquered other tribes
and laid foundation for Chinese civilization Zhou 1050-256 B.C.E.
Shang Made up of warlike nomads Military aristocracy went to war in chariots Non-Shang subject people were the foot soldiers Used spears and compound bows Captured prisoners were enslaved Ruled by hereditary kings with strong authority Made sacrifices to their ancestors who interceded
with the gods; also had human sacrifices
Had writing Had calendar with a month of 30 days and a year
of 360 days; made adjustments periodically Calendar told when to plant and when to harvest Writing taught to those in bureaucracy Bronze first used around 2000 B.C.E. and had
advanced methods of casting Used bronze for weapons, armor, chariot fittings,
and ceremonial vessels
Social Classes Stratifies society Weapons in the hands of aristocrats
King and his court lived in a walled city in spacious houses with opulent lifestyle
Peasants lived outside the city in cramped pit houses, underground hovels
Last Shang kings were weak, cruel, and tyrannical
Subjects rebelled The Zhou conquered the Shang by 1050
B.C.E
Zhou Continued Shang pattern of life and rule Formed agrarian- based city-stae Social hierarchy was similar to Shang Zhou were backward people until they adopted
Shang culture Used Chinese ideographic writing Cast bronze for ceremonial vessels
Mandate from Heaven Explained why Zhou were ruling and not the
Shang Said the “deity above” was appalled by the Shang
wickedness and had withdrawn their favor from the Shang and had given it to the Zhou
Zhou Dynasty lasted until the late 3rd century B.C.E.
Zhou king was the head of the senior branch of the family
Other relatives ruled in outlying towns King had a group of professional bureaucrats
known as the “shi” – educated men who acted as clerks, scribes, overseers, and advisors
Practiced agriculture – mainly millet, wheat, and rice
Had irrigation and iron farm equipment As the population expanded, so did their territory Religion
Human sacrifice ended Males became more dominant in the family
Manners were very important to the Zhou
The rough nomads had become civilized
By 8th century B.C.E., Zhou Dynasty was in decline. Control diminished. Rebellions occurred
Out of this chaos came some of China’s greatest thinkers
Americas 30,000 years ago, it is believed that Asians crossed
over a frozen land bridge called Beringia, to follow herds of animals
They moved into the Americas going southward and to the east
They were hunters, gatherers, & fishermen Found fish and small game to be plentiful Grew maize, potatoes, squash, peppers, manioc,
beans, & tomatoes
As people moved further south, strong states emerged in Mesoamerica –the central part of Mexico and Central America
Before Spanish conquest, its history is divide into 3 periods Pre-Classic 2000 B.C.E. – 150 C.E. Classic 150 – 900 C.E. Post-Classic 900 – 1521 C.E.
Olmecs Earliest civilization 2 centers: San Lorenzo 1200 – 900 B.C.E. And
La Venta 900 – 400 B.C.E. They had monumental structures and plazas They had large sculptures
Andean Civilization In South America Farming was possible in coastal valleys near
rivers They also fished Chavin de Huantar 800 – 200 B.C.E. emerged in
highlands of Peru Had pottery, textiles, & metals
Moche and Nazca were 2 other distinctive cultures in that area
Nazca became known for its lines depicting birds