1 / 11

ANCIENT WEAPONS & TECHNOLOGY

ANCIENT WEAPONS & TECHNOLOGY. MESOPOTAMIA – EGYPT – INDUS VALLEY SHANG – OLMEC- CHAVIN - AEGEAN. Important Concepts. River valley civilizations depended on irrigation to survive Construction required engineering with stone and mud bricks

jui
Télécharger la présentation

ANCIENT WEAPONS & TECHNOLOGY

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. ANCIENT WEAPONS& TECHNOLOGY MESOPOTAMIA – EGYPT – INDUS VALLEY SHANG – OLMEC- CHAVIN - AEGEAN

  2. Important Concepts • River valley civilizations depended on irrigation to survive • Construction required engineering with stone and mud bricks • Metallurgy gave advantages to civilizations that had it over those who didn’t • Stone Age – stone tools inferior to metal tools emerging! • Bronze Age – began c.3300 in the Near East & Europe, then South Asia, and then China by 2000BCE. • Also differed in development of first writing during this time • Late Bronze Age civilizations collapsed around 1200BCE • Iron Age – began after Bronze Age • Encouraged different agricultural practices, religious beliefs, and artistic styles • Includes earliest texts preserved in manuscript tradition • Sanskrit literature & Chinese literature flourished; also Hebrew Bible • Introduction of alphabetic characters • Metal weapons allowed one army to defeat another with inferior weapons • Increased agricultural & craftsmen capabilities

  3. Mesopotamia • Irrigation • Dependent on irrigation for agriculture • Natural spring floods were sudden & violent = unreliable • Cuneiform writing • Artwork – Pottery, carved figurines, jewelry • Clay used for everyday dishes • Mud bricks were primary building material • Agriculture – wheeled carts, sled-like platforms dragged by cattle • Boats & Barges • Metallurgy – used copper alloyed with tin or arsenic to make bronze – sharper edge than stone & easier to repair • Metal tools • Copper working • Glass & lamp making • Textile weaving • Flood control & water storage • Weapons • Daggers, swords, spears, maces • Chariots c.2000BCE • Siege machinery

  4. Egypt • Papyrus & hieroglyphics • Used precious metals & stones in decoration • Buildings required great engineering • Pyramids & elaborate tombs • Construction projects of Ramesses II • Navigation • Sails • Variety of ships • Stern-mounted rudders • Irrigation used Nile flooding to maximize crop output • Mummification – also taught human anatomy • Developed mathematics to measure fields to calculate produce owed to the state • Astronomy  calendar • Weapons • Slings, clubs, throwing sticks, stone maces, stone tripped spears • Horn & wooden bows with stone-tipped arrows • Used obsidian by 4000BCE • Bronze weapons by 3150BCE - spearheads, axes, maces • Composite bow • Standardized weapons & stockpiled arsenals • Chariots – light, fast chariots to shower enemies with arrows 7 retreat before counter attack launched

  5. IndusValley • Grid-like cities • Consistent sizes of mud bricks • Sewage systems • Pottery • Agriculture & warfare incentive for technology • Material culture prominent • Advanced metallurgy • Artifacts include precursors to modern machinery: needles, saws, drill with twisted grooves

  6. Shang Dynasty • Writing on oracle bones • Spun on potters’ wheels & fired pottery in kilns • Produced silk cloth • Metallurgy • Bronze objects a symbol of status & authority • Unlike other cultures, bronze reserved for use of majestic vessels for the state or ancestor worship (not weapons) • Axes, cauldrons, cups, bowls, vases, jars • Some amazingly heavy artifacts – 181lb food cauldron at Met Museum! • Chariots & Bronze Weapons in War • Military advantage over enemies • Completely changed warfare • Used bronze-tipped halberd & spear, compound bow, & horse-drawn chariots • Chariots allowed commanders to supervise troops across great distances • Mobility in battle

  7. Olmec & Chavin • Olmec – limited technological & agricultural capacity, but did spread cultural influence across Mesoamerica • Jaguar-god across Central America • Chavin – metallurgy developed c.500BCE • Silver, gold, and gold alloy ornaments unearthed • Superior-quality textiles, gold crowns, and jewelry found in tombs • Abundant pottery • Monumental architecture

  8. Minoan Civilization • Pottery found across the Mediterranean • System of writing (still undeciphered) • Palaces & fortifications • Weapons • Originally thought to be very peaceful civilization • Daggers & swords have been excavated from sanctuaries, graves, & residences • Archery popular • Hunting scenes depict shields & helmets • Hieroglyphs include bows, arrows, spears, & daggers

  9. Mycenaean Civilization • Linear B writing system • Palaces • Shaft graves • Navigation • Commercial vessels used sails to navigate by wind • Light wooden vessels • Only elite owned metal goods • Bronze weapons

  10. Resources • http://apworldhistory-rochester-k12-mi-us.wikispaces.com/1C.+Basic+features+of+early+civilizations-+Mesopotamia,+Indus+Valley,+%26+Egypt • http://www.indiaheritage.org/science/metal.htm • http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_4000bce_bronze.htm • http://spice.stanford.edu/docs/117 • http://faculty.eas.ualberta.ca/wolfe/eprints/cooke_encyclopedia_chp.pdf • http://www.livescience.com/26275-peaceful-minoans-surprisingly-warlike.html

More Related