Lecture 3

1. Lecture 3 Hist 100 World Civilization I Instructor: Dr. Donald R. Shaffer Upper Iowa University

2. Lecture 3China’s Geography • Mountains and deserts tended to isolate China from the rest of the Eurasian landmass during its early history • Like in other places, civilization in China originated along major rivers • Yellow River: • The first Chinese civilization emerged in its river valley • Like the rivers of Mesopotamia it wasn’t gentle • Major crops: wheat and millet • Yangtze River • Another site of early civilization south of the Yellow • Major crop: rice

3. Lecture 3Shang Dynasty (1523-1027 BCE) • Ancient Chinese culture developed largely without foreign influences • Earliest known civilization in China emerged under the Shang • They were considered mythical at one time until their existence was confirmed by archeologists • The Shang Dynasty controlled a considerable part of northern China • Achievements • Silk cultivation begins • Writing developed Shang Era Chinese pictographs

4. Lecture 3Zhou Dynasty (1027-221 BCE) • Zhou originated as a tributary state of the Shang • In the 11th Century BCE, they rebelled against the Shang and eventually conquered them • Hence, this dynasty more a political than cultural break from the Shang • “Mandate of Heaven” • Zhou cultural accomplishments • Population filled in wide tracts of undeveloped land • Canals and roads built • Coined money invented • Iron smelted • Mandarin system originated

5. Lecture 3Chinese Philosophies • Confucianism • Kung Fuci (551-479 BCE) • Synthesized the dominant Chinese philosophical system, although it only became influential after his death • Main beliefs • Definite lines of authority • Importance of gentlemanly conduct • Good government a must • Daoism • Originated with Lao-Tzu in 6th Century BCE • There was a Dao or “Way of Nature” • People could only be happy if they abandoned civilization • Legalism • Stressed the value of an authoritarian state in maintaining social order Kung Fuci (“Confucius”) Lao-Tzu

6. Lecture 3Era of Warring States • Zhou governance • Having brought down the Shang, the Zhou were aware the same thing could happen to them • Hence, the divided their kingdom administratively • Still this could not stop the gradual descent of China into feudalism • By the 5th Century BCE, Zhou authority had effectively collapsed although they remained the nominal rulers • China devolved into a collection of small states perpetually at war with each other

7. Lecture 3Nubia • Nubia was a region south of ancient Egypt • Cut by the River Nile it was the best natural conduit between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa • Subject to cultural influences from Egyptian civilization and societies to the South • Nubia heavily dominated by Egypt for much of the BCE • Egyptians attracted to Nubia by gold and other trade goods • Egyptians came initially as traders, but starting in the Middle Kingdom began to come as conquerors and over time spread their control further south

8. Lecture 3Kingdom of Meroe • Egyptian control in Nubia collapsed at the end of the New Kingdom period • Nubians even successfully conquered Egypt in the 8th century BCE, establishing the 25th Dynasty and living as Egyptians • Eventually a new kingdom emerged in Nubia around the city of Meroe • Over time, Egyptian influence waned and Maroe adopted more of the language, religion, and customs coming from sub-Saharan Africa Pyramids built at Maroe demonstrate the Egyptian influence over the early history of the kingdom

9. Lecture 3Celtic Society (1) • The history of Europe north of the Alps is poorly known until the people there came into regular contact with literate societies along the Mediterranean basin • Much of what is known about the Celts comes from the Romans • The first group in northern and western Europe well known to history are the Celts • As the map demonstrates Celtic society was decentralized and tribal • What tied the Celts together was a language family and broad cultural patterns Map of the distribution of Celtic tribes in the late BCE

10. Lecture 3Celtic Society (2) • Celtic society was dominated by a warrior elite that had a monopoly on wealth and power • Below them was a priestly caste, the Druids, bard musicians, and the mass of commoners • Religion was the one institution in Celtic society that transcended tribal boundaries • Tribes fought with each other, but tended to unite against outsiders such as the Romans • Agriculture, artisan manufacture, and trade supported Celtic society An artists impression of a Celtic walled hilltop village located in what is today Scotland

11. Lecture 3Pre-Columbian America: Introduction • Pre-Columbian is a term that refers to America prior to the arrival of Europeans in 1492 • Isolation • The key fact of pre-Columbian history is isolation • The isolation of the population of the Americas makes the relative isolation of early Egypt, India, and China seem minor by comparison • After rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age 12,000 years ago submerged the Beringian land bridge, America almost entirely cut off from the rest of humanity • The people of the Americas experienced a massive dying off after contact resumed, killing the majority of the Pre-Columbian population of the Americas Depiction of the land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska during the last ice age

12. Lecture 3Mesoamerica: The Olmecs • The highest level of civilization in America before European contact arguably reached in Mesoamerica • This region encompasses modern Mexico and Central America • Olmecs (1500-300 BCE) • The earliest advanced civilization in Mesoamerica • The Olmec developed agriculture and writing (still undeciphered) • Basically everything known about the Olmec based on archeology • They are most famous for their large stone sculptures and the earliest pyramids built in the Americas • They seem to have set the pattern for all subsequent civilizations in Mesoamerica Carved Olmec head

13. Lecture 3South America: Chavin • Just as the Olmecs appear to have been the baseline civilization in Mesoamerica, the Chavin culture appears to have the same status in South America (although there is evidence of earlier civilizations) • They are the first of a series of civilizations to emerge in the Andes mountain region • Existed from roughly 900-250 BCE • Established cultural elements that came to define later Andean civilizations • Llamas as pack animals • Crops such as maize in the lowlands and potatoes in the highlands • These crops and trade supported large urban centers Chavin Stone head