Download Lecture 01 - Lone Star College

Lecture 01:
The Civilizations of Western Asia and Egypt
The First Humans
Australopithecines, c. 2-4 million years ago
Homo habilis, c. 1-4 million years ago
Homo erectus, c. 100,000-1.8 million years ago
Homo sapiens
Neanderthal,
Homo
c. 100,000-30,000 B.C.
sapiens sapiens, c. 200,000 B.C.
The Hunter-Gatherers of the Paleolithic Age
Paleolithic Age, c.
Nomadic people
2,500,000-10,000 B.C.
Division
of labor
500,000 years ago
Cave paintings
Fire,
The Neolithic Agricultural Revolution (c. 10,000-4000 B.C.)
Characteristics:
growing plants and domesticating animals
Age (c. 10,000 – 7000 B.C.)
Independent development of agriculture
 Middle East, 8000 B.C.
 Balkans, 6500 B.C.
 France, Central Europe, and Coastal Mediterranean, 4000 B.C.
 Western Asia and Nile Valley of Egypt, 6000 B.C.
 Northwestern and Central India, 7000-5000 B.C.
 Southeast Asia and South China, 5000 B.C.
 North China, 6000 B.C.
 Mesoamerica, 7000-5000 B.C.
Mesolithic
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Consequences of the Neolithic Revolution
Neolithic
farms and villages
Oldest in the Middle East
Shift to systematic agriculture
Consequences
Settled in villages and towns
Çatal Hüyük, 6700-5700 B.C.
•Walled city
•Mudbrick houses
Trade
Specialization of crafts
Pottery and baskets
Flint blades
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Change in relationship of men and women
Men work in the fields and herd animals
Women care for children and weave cloth
Fixed dwellings and domestication of animals
Writing
Metalworking
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The Rise of Civilization
Characteristics of Civilization
Urban
focus
political and military structures
New social structure based on economic power
Economic specialization, surplus of crops
Distinct religious structure
The development of writing
New and significant artistic and intellectual activity **
New
Early Civilizations Around the World
Mesopotamia of the Tigris and Euphrates
Valleys of the Indus River
Yellow River in northern China
Central Asia—Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan
Supe River Valley--Peru
Why civilization developed
Rivers
Challenge and response
Material forces created specialization of labor
Management of water resources
Religion provided unity and purpose
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The Ancient Near East
Civilization in Mesopotamia
City-States
of Ancient Mesopotamia
Sumerian city-states, c. 3000-2350 B.C.
•Walls
•Temple atop a ziggurat
•Gods ruled the cities
•Kingship divine in origin
•Economy was agricultural
•Social groups
•Nobles
•Commoners
•Slaves
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Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia
Akkadian Empire, c. 2340-2100 B.C.
Semitic
people
around 2340 B.C. overran the Sumerian cities and established an empire
over most of Mesopotamia**
Empire falls about 2100 B.C.
Amorites (Old Babylonians)
Hammurabi in 1792 B.C. creates a new empire
Established a new capital at Babylon
Code of Hammurabi
Strict justice
Penalties according to class
Performance of work
Marriage and the family
Regulations of sexual relations
Importance of Religion
Influence of physical environment
Human relationships with the gods
Numerous gods and goddesses
Cultivation of Writing and Sciences
Writing in the form of cuneiform (“wedge shaped”)
•Primarily for record keeping which means retention of knowledge
•Communicate important ideas
•Literature - Epic of Gilgamesh
Achievements in Math
•Based on 60 using combinations of 6 and 10
•Geometry to measure fields and erect buildings
•Used 60 to chart the heavens
•Calendar of 12 lunar months (extra month time to time)
Sargon
Egyptian Empire
The
Importance of Geography
Nile River flows from central Africa
Nile Delta
Flooding predictable
Food surpluses
Nile as transport, unifying Egypt
Natural barriers create isolation, protection from invasion
Confidence
Stability
The Old and Middle Kingdoms
The
Old Kingdom
Upper and Lower Egypt united, 3100 B.C.
Old Kingdom, c. 2686-2125 B.C.
•Divine kingship: the pharaoh (“great house”)
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•The
nomarch
The Middle Kingdom, ca. 2055-1650 B.C.
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Stability, golden age
Concern of the pharaoh for the people
Society and Economy in Ancient Egypt
Pharaoh
surrounded by an upper class of nobles
class and artisans
Most people worked the lands
Monogamy and early marriage the norm
Women’s property and inheritance remained in her hands
Merchant

The Culture of Egypt
Spiritual
life in Egyptian society
Provided a sense of security and timelessness
Polytheistic with two groups of special importance
•Sun gods
•Land gods
Egyptian rulers were the “Son of Re”
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The
Art
Pyramids
Tombs
Great Pyramid
and Writing
Art
•Profile, semi-profile, frontal art
•Formulaic and stylized
Writing
•Hieroglyphics
•Means “priest carvings” or “sacred writings”
•Never developed into an alphabet
Chaos and a New Order: The New Kingdom
Hyksos,
ca. 1650 B.C.
Horse-drawn chariots
Egyptians learned bronze for making farm implements and weapons
The New Kingdom, ca. 1550-1070 B.C.
Queen Hatshepsut (ca. 1503-1480 B.C.)**
Amenhotep IV (Akhnaten, ca. 1364-1347 B.C.)
Aten--worship
“Sea People” drove the Egyptians out of Palestine
Empire ends in 1070 B.C.
Domination by Libyans, Nubians, Persians & Macedonians
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New Centers of Civilization
Megalithic structures, 4000 B.C.—Neolithic
The Role of Nomadic Peoples
The
Europe**
Impact of the Indo-Europeans
•From somewhere in the steppe region north of the Black Sea or in
southwestern Asia
•One group into Asia Minor and Anatolia around 1750 B.C. coalesced
with people of the Hittite kingdom
•First to use iron
•Hittites destroyed by another group of Indo-Europeans ca. 1200
B.C.
The Phoenicians & Children of Israel
The Phoenicians
Palestine
Ports of Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon**
Traders and colonizers
Alphabet
The Hebrews: the “Children of Israel”**
Semitic-speaking people
Religiously important
Emerge as distinctive people c. 1200 – 1000 B.C.
United Kingdom
•Saul (c. 1020 – 1000 B.C.)
•David (c. 1000 – 970 B.C.)
•Solomon (c. 970-930 B.C.)
•Control Palestine
•Temple housed the Ark of the Covenant

The Divided Kingdom
Division
into the kingdom of Israel with its capital at Samaria and Judah with its
capital at Jerusalem
Assyrians destroyed Samaria in 722 B.C. and overran the kingdom of Israel
Ten tribes of the Kingdom of Israel were dispersed and disappeared
Two tribes of Judah survived only to face new enemies
Chaldeans defeated the Assyrians and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
Many upper class people of Judah deported to Babylon
Persians destroyed the Chaldean kingdom
People of Judah allowed to return to Jerusalem
The Spiritual Dimensions of Israel
Monotheistic
Yahweh: Omnipotent, just, and good
Expected goodness from his people or they would be punished
Was not removed from the life he created
Three aspects of Jewish religion: Covenant, law, the prophets
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The
Assyrian Empire
Use of iron weapons, create an empire by 700 B.C.**
Ruled by kings with absolute power
System of communication
Well organized army -- infantrymen and war chariots
Use of terror
The Babylonian Empire
Conquered Assyria in 612 B.B.
King Nebuchadnezzar II (605 – 562 B.C.)—capital at Babylon
Conquered by Persians in 539 B.C.
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The Persian Empire
Indo-European-speaking
Under Cyrus the Great (559 – 530 B.C.) huge empire
Conquered Assyria in 539 B.C., treated humanely
Allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem
Reputation for mercy
Cambyses (530-522 B.C.), son of Cyrus, conquered Egypt
Darius I (521-486 B.C.) extended empire but was defeated by Greeks in 490 B.C.
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Civil Administration and the Military
Divided
into 20 provinces or satrapies
collected tribute, responsible for justice and security
System of communication
Royal Road
All subjects were the king’s servants
Professional army of international contingents
Cavalry and infantry
Isolation of the later kings
Satraps
Persian Religion
Zoroaster
Zoroastrianism
Monotheistic
•Ahuramazda, the creator and only god
•Opposed by an evil spirit: Ahriman
•Gave all humans free will and the power
to chose between right and
wrong
•Each soul faced final evaluation to determine if you go to paradise
or an abyss
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