Trading Peoples

AP World History

Chapter 3 Notes

Trading PeoplesCivilizations of Egypt & Mesopotamia greatly influenced neighboring people in the Fertile Crescent = the Aramaeans and the Phoenicians

Trading peoples

Traveled by sailing ships & by caravan

Spread languages, customs, and ideas as they traded around the Fertile Crescent

The AramaeansSettled in central Assyria around 1200 BCECapital = DamascusGained control over the trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia

The Aramaeans

Because their caravans crisscrossed the Fertile Crescent nonstop, people learned their language called Aramaic

Main language of the region until the 800sClosely related to Hebrew and ArabicMany parts of the Bible were written in this language

The PhoeniciansCanaan = land between ancient Egypt and SyriaCanaan = modern day Israel, Lebanon, and JordanPhoenicians settled in northern Canaan

The PhoeniciansSailed the seas for trade

Made strong, fast ships using timber in cedar forests

Built a string of towns & cities along their coast

Grew to become city-states

Built confederation (loose union) of city-states

The Phoenicians

Expert navigatorsPlotted voyages using the sun & stars

Took charge of Mediterranean shipping and trade

The Phoenicians

Created an alphabet = series of written symbols that represent sounds

Only 22 charactersEach character represented different consonant soundBasis for our alphabet we use today

The Phoenicians

To protect & re-supply their ships, the Phoenicians set up a network of trading posts and colonies along the coasts of the Mediterranean

Colony = settlement of emigrants

The Lydians

Lived in Asia Minor

This area famous for its gold deposits

First group to develop a monetary system with set prices using coins

Everybody else still bartering = exchanging goods

Soon the concept of money traveled to other societies

The Olmec Civilization

AP World History

Chapter 3 Notes

MesoamericaMeso = means middle

Refers to any cultures that lived in present-day Mexico & Central America

Olmec Civilization

One of the earliest Mesoamerican civilizations

Located near Gulf of Mexico

Knowledge of them comes from excavations of 2 main sites = San Lorenzo and La Venta both discovered in the 1930s

Olmec CivilizationOlmec = known for gigantic stone heads carved from basalt (volcanic rock)

Some more than 9 feet tallSome weighed as much as 40 tonsHeads of rulersBuilt without wheels or “beasts of burden” Olmec moved these heads about 60 miles from the mountains to the sites where they were foundThink about the giant head from Legends of the Hidden Temple! His name was Olmec!

Olmec CivilizationReligion played an important role in the lives of the Olmec

Many carvings found of the main Olmec god = a being with a human body and the catlike face of a jaguarOlmec believed the jaguar god controlled the harvests

Olmec CivilizationEarly Olmec farmers used slash-and-burn farming = farmers cut down trees to clear land & burned whatever was left

Planted maize and other crops among fertile ashes

Problem = soil became exhausted after about 2 years

Farmers then shifted fields & repeated the cycle

Olmec

Olmec often traded with other Mesoamerican civilizations

Olmec artifacts found in other regions

Olmec ideas show up with later civilizations, such as:

Religious ceremonies

Sacrificial rituals

Bloodletting

Game of pok-a-tok

Olmec Civilization as the “Mother Civilization” in Mesoamerica

Because of the influence that the Olmec civilization had on future civilizations within Mesoamerica, it is often referred to as the “Mother Civilization” in Mesoamerica

Pok-a-tok

A ritual ball game = rubber balls were batted back and forth across a walled court

Symbolized the back & forth struggle between this world and the next

Olmec Religion

Olmec rulers = BOTH political leaders AND spiritual leaders

Performed rituals and ceremonies to satisfy the godsTemples and pyramids built where thousands could gather for special religious ceremonies and festivals

Religious Rituals of the Olmec

Bloodletting

Sacrifice of humans, animals, and valuable objects

Bloodletting

Tools used:BladesStingray spinesSharks’ teethObsidian flakesRope with thornsJade “spears”

Sacrifice