FOUNDATIONS OF FOUNDATIONS OF CIVILIZATION CIVILIZATION
Feb 25, 2016
FOUNDATIONS FOUNDATIONS OF OF
CIVILIZATIONCIVILIZATION
The Neolithic RevolutionThe Neolithic Revolution What was it?
8000 – 3500 BCE Why did it happen? Dwindling game? Why was it such a big deal?
Agricultural GrowthAgricultural Growth Led to permanent settlements
(usually along rivers/lakes) Increased population. More people living in smaller
spacesGreater opportunity for conflict &
growth. Growth= language, religion, society
Conflict= crime, disease, disorder
What makes a Civilization?What makes a Civilization? What are the primary elements of a
civilization? Come up with what you think are the primary
elements of civilization. Limit your list to 10 items
Consider why you feel those items should be recognized as primary elements of civilization
Primary Elements of Primary Elements of CivilizationCivilization
1) Urban Focus Cities become the center of CREPS* development2) Distinct Religious Structure Gods are crucial to success of civilization3) New Political and Military Structures Organized government bureaucracy rises to meet
administrative needs of population Armies organized to gain/maintain land and
power
*Cultural, Religious, Economic, Political, Social
Primary Elements of Primary Elements of Civilization Civilization (cont’d)(cont’d)
4) Social Structure based on economic power Top: Kings, priests, warriors, political leaders Free Common People: Artisans, farmers Bottom: Slaves5) Development of Communication/Writing Used by upper class for record keeping6) New and significant artistic and intellectual
activity For example, monumental architecture (religious)7) Arable land and a good location Allows for food surplus, population growth, and
survival
River Valley CivilizationsRiver Valley Civilizations
Ancient MesopotamiaAncient Mesopotamia“Land between the Rivers”“Land between the Rivers”
Sumer—southern Fertile Crescent (4k-2k BCE)
Civilization of city-states bound together by a common culture
A Hostile LandA Hostile Land Geography Water—unpredictable flooding/drought
(too much or not enough)
Hostile NeighborsHostile Neighbors Defense problems
open, flat land w/no natural barriers for protection
Scarcity of ResourcesScarcity of Resources Resources—limited Lack of forests
= no wood Few mineral/metal
resources WHAT DID THEY
HAVE? Dirt, rock and sand
Perseverance Perseverance Solutions Water---irrigation systems Defense— walled cities and standing armies Resources—broad trading networks with
other regions
Religion - Enter the Religion - Enter the SupernaturalSupernatural
Polytheistic Gods had human qualities
and emotions Interference into human
lives—hostile/care Afterlife—”Land of No
Return”; no joy or emotion, bleak dismal
The ZigguratThe Ziggurat
ZigguratZiggurat
Evolution of Religion in SumerEvolution of Religion in Sumer
Society ruled by kings & priests
In war, power put in hands of military leader
As wars became more common, more military leadership
King eventually a military leader & religious leader
Social ClassesSocial Classes Upper Class
royal families, nobility, priesthood
Middle Classes wealthy merchants, scribes
Lower Classes laborers, farmers
Slaves foreigners captured in war,
family members sold into slavery, criminals; not a permanent situation
Sumerian Sumerian AccomplishmentsAccomplishments
Successful agriculture, river management Writing, (cuneiform) Use of wheel 12 month calendar, geometry Polytheistic Ziggurats
Decline and FallDecline and Fall
A millennium of war (3000-2000 BC)
Power changes from on City-State to another
CollapseCollapse Overrun by the Amorites
from the north in about 2000 BC
Amorites were Semitic (ancestors of modern Arabs and Jews) invaders from eastern Syria
Akkadians Overthrew Sumerians 1700 BCE
Babylonians overthrew Akkadians Hammurabi, Code of Law
Fell to Kassites, then Hittites 1500 BCE
Hittites-iron, then fell to
Collapse (cont’d)Collapse (cont’d)
Assyrians organized, cruel, moved capital (Nineveh),
exiles, cultural diffusion Conquered by Medes, Chaldeans, rebuilt
Babylon Eventually becomes part of Persian empire TRENDS OF MESOPOTAMIA
Difficulty maintaining powerCity-state to Empire
THE PHOENICIANSTHE PHOENICIANS
The PhoeniciansThe Phoenicians
“Purple People” Famous for purple cloth and dye
Called “carriers of civilization” because they spread Middle Eastern civilization around the Mediterranean.
Trade via Ship mainly on the Mediterranean Lacked good farmland (Lebanon)
Accomplishments Sailing
Lebanon known for cedar trees, made strong ships Trade Most important contribution – Phoenician Alphabet – 22
Egyptian OverviewEgyptian OverviewRich soil, gentle flooding 3 Kingdoms water management, pyramids,
astronomy, hieroglyphs, calendar, gold, spices
Polytheistic Women rulers, buy, sell property,
inherit, will property, dissolve marriages, still subservient to men
Hierarchy: pharaoh, priest, nobles, merchants, artisans, peasants, slaves
Conquered by (1100 BCE) Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Islam, Ottomans, Europeans
Earliest EgyptEarliest Egypt c. 6000 BCE Agriculturally based 3600 BCE – cities/economies along Nile Little social stratification Writing
Began around 3500 – 3000 (hieroglyphics…hieratic…demotic) Nomes – administrative districts Narmer or Menes unified Egypt…? Polytheistic Society No records of city-states The Rosetta Stone Did they make pyramids? No, tombs! (mummified!) Increasingly became more and more complex
Population, social strat., culture… Irrigation(shaduf)
Old KingdomOld Kingdom Monumental Architecture
Step pyramids Increased administrative and
economic organization Trade extends from North to South Downfall
Weak central power and increasing nomarch power
2181 BCE Old Kingdom falls and parts ruled by nomarchs
First Intermediate Period 100 yrs of disunity
MiddleMiddle KingdomKingdom 2050 BCE - King Mentuhotpe reunites
Egypt Revived trade along Nile to Palestine and
trade along the Mediterranean Fine art and literature flourishes More organization and power than ever
before Becomes an empire
Power spreads to Nubia and Middle East Ends with invasion of the Hyksos and
Nubian pushing Egyptians out
New KingdomNew Kingdom Established after the Second Intermediate Period (1650 – 1550 BCE) 1550 BCE – 1050 BCE Hyksos expelled
Rises and establishes an empire Largest Egyptian empire ever
Parts of Mesopotamia Colonies were more for revenue and less for governance/land holdings
Notable pharaohs Ramses II – rebuilds parts (temples, palaces) Hatshepsut – female ruler Amenhotep – changes name to Akhenaten, adopts a monotheistic religion (never catches on)
Weakness allows them to be overtaken by outsiders in the future.
Indus ValleyIndus Valley
Indus Valley: 2500-1500 Indus Valley: 2500-1500 BCEBCE
Outside contact more limited
Kyber Pass connection to outside via trade
Harrappa, Mohenjo-Daro Largest Cities (40K
– 100K)
Mohenjo-daro : aerial view
Mohenjo-daro view of the “Citadel”
The “Great Bath”
another view of the “Great Bath”
view of a small, side street
looks like a small tower, but actually it is a neighborhood well
A bathroom on a private residence
A public well in Harappa, or perhaps an ancient laundromat...
A large drain or sewer
CharacteristicsCharacteristics Literate society (writings on bricks and
seals) Master-planned cities as focal point Water system Strong central government Polytheistic Written language Pottery, cotton, cloth Standard weights and measurements Grain storage
Harappan granary
DeclineDecline Cities abandoned, reason unknown domination of an indigenous people ?
who rebelled ? foreign invasion? gradual decline ? climate shift: the monsoon patterns flooding destruction of the forests migrations of new peoples: the Aryans
Possible route of the Aryan invasions
Aryans arrive 1500 BCEAryans arrive 1500 BCE From Caucasus Mtns. Black/Caspian Sea Aryans – Lighter Skinned Dravidians - Darker Nomads who settled Vedas, Upanashads Sacred/historical texts of Aryans
basis for Hinduism Caste system warriors, priests, peasants later re-ordered: Brahmins (priests), warriors, landowners-
merchants, peasants, untouchables (out castes)
Caste System, 1000 BCCaste System, 1000 BC skin color ritual purity “Us--Them” feelings divine order of four castes
Caste System (“Varnas”)Caste System (“Varnas”) Brahmins: the priests Kshatriyas: the warriors Vaisyas: merchants and peasants Sudras: non-Aryans
Caste system, con’tCaste system, con’t produced by Brahmins literature emphasized the divine order hierarchical relationship inheritance and marriage the most powerful organizer of Indian
society thousand of castes today
CastesCastes define a person’s social universe define a person’s standard of conduct define a person’s expectations define a person’s future define how a person deals with others
China: Shang on the China: Shang on the HwangHwang
Shang: 1600-1100 BCEShang: 1600-1100 BCE Stable agri-surplus, trade-centered N. China, walled cities, strong army, chariots “The Middle Kingdom” World View Trade with Mesopotamia Bronze, pottery, silk, decimal system,
calendar, water control Patriarchal, ancestors as advocates w/the
gods Stratified into nobles and commoners Ability to control floods led to increased
power
It’s Zhou TimeIt’s Zhou Time Replaced Shang around 1100 BCE Ruled 900 years, kept customs, traditions Mandate of Heaven and the dynastic
cycle Feudal system, nobles gained power,
bureaucracies, middle class emerges War amongst feudal kingdoms, collapse
256 BCE This is the time of Confucius and Lao Zi
THE HEBREWSTHE HEBREWSFrom Establishment to Exile to
Expansion
EstablishmentEstablishment Left a great legacy – monotheistic religion 3000 years prior to Christ Nomadic people Settled along the edges of the Arabian Desert between
Mesopotamia and Egypt. Twelve tribes descended from Abraham(the patriarch)
settled in Canaan but many drifted south, possibly as a result of drought to Egypt.
They lived in peace in Egypt until they were enslaved Appx. 1200 B.C. - The Jews were led out of Egypt by
Moses. Moses led the Hebrew people to Mt. Sinai where they
received the Ten Commandments. Moses then led the Jewish people to the promised land
after wandering through the desert for 40 years but he was not allowed to enter
Establishment:Establishment:Hebrew Rulers and Hebrew Rulers and
KingdomsKingdoms Palestine was now the homeland of the Hebrews but it was inhabited by Canaanites and the land was also susceptible to invasion by other groups of people such as the Philistines The 12 Tribes had to find a way to unify and combat these invading nations. 1029B.C.E. – tribes agree to follow one King King Saul – impressive fighter but unable to win when it was necessary There was a power struggle between David battled Saul and David was victorious
He became king. David was a gifted military leader and completed the conquest of Canaan. Created political unity, established a Hebrew state and capital at Jerusalem
Establishment:Establishment:Hebrew Rulers and KingdomsHebrew Rulers and Kingdoms
King Solomon Brought splendor to the Hebrew nation Known as a shrewd diplomat and great
builder Strengthened the army, rebuilt and
fortified cities and constructed a temple, constructed ships and traded with the Phoenicians
ExileExile and Babylonian and Babylonian CaptivityCaptivity
721 B.C.E. – the northern Kingdom of Israel was exiled by Sennacherib of Assyria(Assyrians)
These Exiles drifted into assimilation and became known as the “Lost Tribes of Israel”. One theory is that that one tribe eventually made it to Ethiopia
586 B.C. E. – The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed Thousands of Jews were forced into exile in Babylon This exile lasted 60 years However, in that time, their passion for their
homeland never faded and they did not assimilate Psalm 137, “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! Let my
tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest Joy”
ExpansionExpansion 539 B.C.E. – King Cyrus the Great begins
to allow the Jewish people to return home Some Jews stayed behind and became
the first Diaspora of the Jewish faith They replaced sacrifices with prayer in
synagogues which replaced The Temple
JIGSAWJIGSAW Number 1 – 5
Using your assigned group, collaborate to create a listing/summary of the information essential to gain an understanding of your element. You should utilize any resources you have available
Convey that importance to your home group
As an individual, create a visual that can convey meaning for all elements
Group TopicsGroup Topics GROUP 1
Element: SSWH1.a Describe the development of Mesopotamian societies including the religious, cultural, economic, and political facets of society including Hammurabi's law code.
GROUP 2 Element: SSWH1.b Describe the relationship of religion and political authority
in Ancient Egypt. GROUP 3
Element: SSWH1.c Explain the development of monotheism including the concepts developed by the ancient Hebrews and Zoroastrianism.
GROUP 4 Element: SSWH1.d Identifying early trading networks and writing systems
existent in the Eastern Mediterranean including those of the Phoenicians. GROUP 5
Element: SSWH1.e Explain the development and importance of writing including cuneiform, hieroglyphics, and the Phoenician alphabet.