Ancient Stuff

1. Ancient Stuff 8000 BCE to 600 CE

2. The Big Picture • What are civilizations all about? What makes a civilization? • Political, economic, religion • Social levels • Occupations • Use of technology • Art • Communication • Transportation • How does change occur within a society? • CULTURAL DIFFUSION • How are people impacted by, and how do they impact, geography, and climate?

3. At the beginning there was… • Major changes… remember that everything is a chain reaction in history • one event sets up everything • The beginning period • Figuring out farming • What happens when there is enough to eat? • Developing tech and ideas to support a city • And takeover others • Rise of major world religions • Collapse of Classical Empires

4. Nomads: Follow the food • Imagine early people • No cities • No farms • Only tried to satisfy FOOD and SHELTER needs • No advanced tools • Had to FIND shelter and had to FIND food

5. Foraging Societies: Hunt and Gather • Foraging societies = Hunter and Gatherers • Life was dictated by the animals

6. Pastoral Societies: Taming the animals • Characterized by the DOMESTICATION of animals • Usually found in more mountainous regions

7. The Neolithic Revolution • “New Stone” • AKA Agricultural Revolution • 8000 BCE to 3000 BC • Civilizations started by water sources • Learn to cultivate => get to stay in one spot => => Sense of Property with ties to land => Sense of Unity => specialization of society => culture

8. Important consequence… • FOOD SURPLUS • Leads to more complex societies, organized economies, governmental structures, religion • With IRRIGATION more land could be cultivated… leading to greater societal expansion

9. Impact on environment • Changed the landscape • Diverted water • Clearing land • Buildings • Stones cut into for building materials and monuments • Animals used for labor… not just food and clothing

10. The Bronze age • The latter half of the Neolithic period • They had developed in the first half • Pottery • Sharpened stones • Plows • Carts • Sails • wheels • During the Bronze age • Combined copper with tin • Created a harder metal

11. The BIG, Early civilizations: The Rivers Deliver

12. Early civilizations • 3000- 2000 BCE • Mesopotamia • Egypt • India • China • CITY-STATE • The city and the surrounding countryside

13. Mesopotamia • “land between the rivers” • Tigris and Euphrates • Flooding was unpredictable • Early settlements washed away • Eventually built canals and dikes • Encompassed multiple civilizations • Sumer • Babylon • Persia • Part of the FERTILE CRESCENT

15. Mesopotamia Cont… • By 3000 BCE • UR, Erech, Kish • Major City-States

16. Ancient SUMER • Developed CUNEIFORM • Ancient writing form • Scribes • Writer • Wrote laws, customs, treaties • Developed 12 month calendar • Math…60 units (as in 60 seconds) • Developed arches and columns

17. Sumerians Cont… • Polytheistic • Belief in more than one god • Each city has its own god and then there was a collective of gods that all cities worshipped • Built ZIGGURATS • Raised temples to honor the gods • Disasters were due to gods being angry • By 1700 BCE it was no more

18. From Sumer to Babylon to Nineveh to Babylon • The Akkadians (city of Akkad) • Rose after the decline of Sumer • Eventually overrun by BABYLON • Leader: King Hammurabi • HAMMURABI’S CODE: first set of modern legal code • Distinguished between major and minor offenses • Applied to everyone • Distinguished between social classes • Babylon falls to the HITTITES • 1500 BCE

19. Cont… • Hittites • Dominated due to use of iron weapons • Assyrians learn of Iron tech • Ninaveh (capital of Assyria) • Highly disciplined but cruel • Frequent uprisings • Chaldeans took over next • Leader: King Nebuchadnezzar • Rebuilt Babylon as a showplace • Persians then emerge and take over the Fertile crescent

20. Persian Immersion • 500 BCE • Built roads • Great Royal Road • 1600 miles from Persian Gulf to Aegean Sea

22. Lydians, Phoenicians, and Hebrews… OH MY! • Lydians • Came up with money instead of bartering • Allowed more consistent pricing and a reason to save • Phoenicians • Established powerful naval city-states along the Mediteranean • Developed simple alphabet… leads to our modern alphabet • Hebrews (Jews/Judaism) • Monotheistic • Established Israel in Palestine

24. Hebrews…cont… • Believed they are God’s chosen people • Frequently invaded but maintain identity • Nebuchadnezzar enslaved them • Under Persian rule they were freed

25. Ancient Egypt: Stay awhile along the Nile

26. Ancient Egypt • Reached peak around 1400 BCE (New Kingdom) • Three major Kingdoms • Old • Middle • New

27. Egyptian Achievements • Before the Old Kingdom they united under King Menes • Rulers known as Pharoahs • Seen as gods • Constructed Obelisks and Pyramids • Hieroglyphics • System of writing in pictures • Reliable calendar • Engaged heavily in trade

28. You can take it with you! • Egyptians were polytheistic • Belief in the afterlife • Believed they could take their belongings • Believed they could use their bodies in the afterlife…leads to MUMMIFICATION • Preserving dead bodies • Only available to the elite

29. Egyptian Women, Hear them ROAR! • Queen Hatshepsut • First known female ruler • 22 years during New Kingdom • Expanded trade • Women could • buy and sell property • Inherit property • Will their property • Dissolve marriages • Women were still subservient to men • Valued as bearers of children • Females not as educated as male counterparts

31. Ancient Egypt in Decline  • By 1100 BCE until 100 BCE • Conquered by both Assyrians and Persians… then the Greeks and finally the ROMANS

32. Indus River Valley Civilization:

33. Indus Valley cont… • 2500 BCE to 1500 BCE • Khyber pass • “only” way into the Indus Valley • They were cut off from invaders at the beginning • Major cities • Mohenjo-Daro • Harrapa • Home to about 100,000 each • May have had sophisticated water systems • Strong Central government

34. Indus Valley Cont… • Most likely led by a King-Priest • Polytheistic • Indus Industry was top notch • Used potter’s wheel • Grew cotton • Made cloth • Around 1900 BCE the cities started to be abandoned for unknown reasons

35. Arrival of the Aryans • Nomadic tribe from North of the Caucasus Mountains

36. Aryans Cont… • Used horses and advanced weapons to easily defeat Indus people • Began to settle Indus Valley • Most Important fact • Belief system formed HINDUISM • Reincarnation • Polytheistic • Recorded beliefs in the VEDAS and UPANISHADS • Also contributed the CASTE SYSTEM

37. Caste System • Initially Warriors/Priests/Peasants • Later changes to Priests (brahmans)/Warriors/Landowners-Merchants/Peasants • As system evolved movement between classes forbidden • Born into it

38. Early China: SHANG on the HWANG • Shang China rose in the Hwang Ho River Valley • AKA Yellow River Valley

39. Shang Cont… • 1600 BCE to 1100 BCE • Like others they used agricultural surplus to build a trade center • Northern China • Military Power • used chariots • Limited contact with world • Believed they were the CENTER OF THE WORLD

40. Shang Cont… • Called themselves “ALL UNDER HEAVEN” • Accomplished Bronze workers • Chariots and developed the spoked wheel • Pottery • Silk • Devised a decimal system • Highly accurate Calendar

41. Shang’s Family Focus • Extended family important • Patriarchal structure • Led by eldest male • Believed God’s controlled all aspects of people’s lives • Believed they could call on their dead ancestors to advocate with the Gods • Led to greater significance of extended family

42. Enter the ZHOU • Zhou dynasty • AKA Chou • 1100 BCE • Ruled for about 900 years • Believed in MANDATE OF HEAVEN • Heaven would grant power as long as its rulers governed justly and wisely • Similar to DIVINE RIGHT

43. Zhou Cont… • Developed a feudal system • King ruled overall • Nobles given power over smaller regions • King protected nobles in exchange for loyalty • As time passes, the nobles built up power • Kingdoms emerge after splits • Some developed BUREAUCRACIES • Government organizing into BUREAUS • Specialized departments • ZHOU ends in 256 BCE

44. WEST AFRICA: BANTU migrations and the “Stateless Society” • Around 1500 BCE • Niger river and Benue River valleys migrated east and south • BANTU MIGRATIONS • Spurred by climate change • Sahara desert area • BANTU was the family of languages • JENNE-JENO • First city in Sub-Saharan Africa • Not hierarchically organized • Collection of communities

45. Classical Civilizations

46. Classical Civilizations: India • Mauryan Empire • 321 BCE to 180 BCE • Gupta Dynasty • 320 to 550 CE

47. Mauryan Empire • 321 BCE to 180 BCE • Aryan Culture spread (Introduced Hinduism and caste system) • Founded by Chadragupta Maurya • Unified the smaller Aryan kingdoms • Grandfather to Ashoka Maurya • Ashoka was its greatest leader • Rock and Pillar Edicts • Reminded people to live generous and righteous lives • Converted to Buddhism and spread the religion

48. Mauryan Empire cont… • Became powerful through trade • Silk, cotton, elephants • To Mesopotamia and eastern Roman empire • Had a powerful military • Ashoka converted to Buddhism after a violent and bloody battle over the Kalinga • He then started preaching nonviolence and moderation

49. Gupta Dynasty • 320 – 550 CE • Major Leader: Chandra Gupta • Led the “golden age” • Peaceful time • Advances in art and science • Developed Pi and concept of zero • Decimal system of 1-9 • Diffused to Arabs and became known as arabic numerals • Hinduism came back along with caste system • Women lost rights • Collapsed after White Hun invasion in 550

50. Classical Civilizations: China • Qin Dynasty • 221 to 209 BCE • Han Dynasty • 200 BCE to 200 CE