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Ch. 1: The Beginnings of
Civilization
Sections 1 & 2 Summary
• Prehistory: the time before writing
• Evolutionary chain:
AustralopithecineHomo HabilisHomo
ErectusHomo Sapiens
• Australopithicine walked upright...importance?
– Could use tools for first time
• Homo Erectus was 1st to migrate out of Africa
due to climate change
Section 1 & 2 Summary (con’t)
• 1st people were nomadic hunter-gatherers
– Were nomadic so they could follow animal heards
and plant
growth
Moving
from
place to place
• Eventually
people learnedFood
howgained
to farm
(called
by hunting,
the Neolithic Revolution)...importance?
fishing, and gathering
– Could acquire food on a regular
basis...importance?
berries,
nuts, and fruits
• Could give up nomadic ways and live in settled
communities
• With a constant supply of food some people
were able to do things other than food
production, like trade and become craftsmen
Section 1 & 2 Summary (con’t)
• With craftsmen, people started working with
metal, specifically copper
• Çatal Hüyük was one of the first large villages
– Located in modern day Turkey
– Has given historians a look into the life of
prehistory people
Section 3
FOUNDATIONS OF CIVILIZATION
The 1st Civilizations
• Rose up in fertile river valleys; 4 locations:
– SW Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
– North Africa along Nile River
– South Asia along Indus River
– China
• Characteristics of civilization:
•Developed Cities
•Formalized Religion
•Social Classes
•Art & Architecture
•Organized Government
•Specialization of Labor
•Record keeping and writing
Development of Civilization
• 1st cities:
–
–
–
–
Ur and Uruk in Mesopotamia
Memphis along the Nile
Mohenjo Daro along the Indus
Anyang along the Huang He
• Government formed in response to a need for
making decisions and coordinating resources
• Religion developed to explain the working of the
forces of nature and the fact of existence
• Political leaders would claim religious leadership
roles to legitimize their rule as the will of the gods
Development of Civilization (con’t)
• As farming produced more food, a
specialization of labor developed allowing
people to become trades and artisans instead
of farmers
• As labor specialized,
social
classes developed
Skilled
craftspeople,
such as bakers,
based on wealth carpenters,
and occupation
or metalworkers
• The first writing was developed to keep track
of records such as taxes and trade
• Along with writing calendars were developed
to keep track of when to plant and harvest
Changes to Civilization
• Environmental Influences
– Storms, drought, floods, and overuse of land could
cause lose of crops and livestock
– Other areas lacked resources like trees or metal ore
– This resulted in the creation of trade
• Spreading of Ideas and People
– Trade resulted in cultural diffusion
Exposed
cultures
to skills and technology that they
The –
spread
of ideas,
beliefs,
mayand
nottech.
havefrom
had allowing for quicker development
customs,
one culture to another
Changes to Civilization (con’t)
• Competition over land, resources, and trade
resulted in warfare to gain control over them
Chapter 2: The Ancient Near East
Rise of Mesopotamia
• Mesopotamia: the land between the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers in the Fertile Crescent
of the
fertile
land
between
•Strip
Built
first
canals
to supply water to dry
the
Mediterranean
fields
and dikes Sea
to and
the
Persian
Gulf
control flooding
• 1st Civilization of
Mesopotamia:
Sumerians
The Sumerians
• Not a unified civilization; lived in individual
city-states
• Built buildings of mud bricks
• At the heart of each city
was a ziggurat
• Polytheistic religion
–
Each city
had aninindividual
Religious
temple
Belief
in many gods
protector
god
the shape of a
–
Other gods
controlled all natural forces
stepped
pyramid
The Sumerians
• The importance of religion led to priests being
the 1st political leaders
• Developed the 1st writing system called
Cuneiform
– First used to keep business
records
– Eventually used for law and literature
• Epic of Gilgamesh
The Sumerians
• Developed the 1st math system based on 60
– This is why we divide time into sets of 60 and
circles into 360 degrees
• Developed geometry allowing them to build
elaborate structures and irrigation systems
• Inventions and achievements:
– Created and used the 1st wheel
– Invented the farm plow
– Learned how to make bronze (mix of copper & tin)
– Performed basic surgeries
The Sumerians
• Trade created a social class system
1.
2.
3.
4.
Kings, priests, and their aids
Landowners and merchants
Artisans, farmers, and laborers
Slaves
• Gender roles also developed
– Men: hold political power and make laws
– Women: take care of house and kids
1st Empire
• Empire: collection of different kingdoms and
people under a single ruler
• City-state of Akkad formed the 1st empire (the
Akkadian Empire) under Sargon I
– Conquered all of Mesopotamia
– Adopted cuneiform from Sumer and spread it
Babylonian Empire
• Conquered Mesopotamia after the Akkadian
Empire collapsed
• Empire established by Hammurabi
• Established Hammurabi’s Code
– Set of laws and punishments written down for all
to see and applied to everyone (even Hammurabi
himself)
Section 2
FERTILE CRESCENT EMPIRES
The Hittites
• Conquered most of Asia Minor
(modern-day Turkey)
• Used heavy chariots to easily
defeat opponents
• Adopted Sumerian culture,
cuneiform, and laws
• 1st people to use iron
The Assyrians
• Conquered all of
Mesopotamia and parts
of Asia Minor and Egypt
• Experts at besieging
cities
• Experienced fighters
after generations of war
• Used terror to control
conquered people
– Killed or maimed captives
– Enslaved and resettled
survivors
The Assyrians (con’t)
• Used local leaders to rule small areas at a time
• System of efficient roads for quick and easy
communication, marching of armies, and trade
• Harshly treated all opponents, causing hatred
• Created 1st library of over 20,000 cuneiform
tablets, including Gilgamesh
• Instantly collapsed when the Chaldeans
rebelled and destroyed the capital and killed
the leaders
The Chaldeans
• Conquered much of the
former Assyrian Empire
after destroying it
• Led by Nebuchadnezzar II
• Conquered the Jews,
enslaving them back in
Babylon, and the Egyptians
• Built the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon (one of the 7
wonders of the ancient world)
• Created a new calendar based on the moon’s cycles
The Phoenicians
• Current-day Lebanon
• Poor farmland and lack of
resources forced them to
become expert traders and
sailors
• Traded as far south as
current-day Sierra Leone
and possibly as far north as
Briton
• Created colonies in many places where they traded
– Most famous and powerful: Carthage in North Africa
The Phoenicians (con’t)
• Special trade items:
– Giant cedar trees
– Purple dye (found nowhere else in the world)
– Glass (invented glassblowing)
• Greatest achievement: alphabet
– Easier than having a
different symbol for
every word
– Modified over time
into our alphabet
Section 3: The Hebrews
• Settled in Fertile Crescent along the
Mediterranean Sea
• Created the world’s 1st monotheistic religion:
Judaism
Belief in one God
Section 4
THE PERSIAN EMPIRE
Rise of Persia
• Lived in modern-day Iran
• Lived under control of the Medes but were
allowed to keep their own leaders
• Rebellion started by Cyrus the Great
– Defeated the Medes, then conquered Asia Minor
and then Mesopotamia from the Chaldeans
– Called “the Great” for his compassion
• Let conquered people keep their local customs/culture
• Freed the Jews from slavery in Babylon, helped them
move back to Israel, and helped them build a new temple
Early rulers
• Cambyses II
– Son of Cyrus
– Conquered Egypt
– Tyrant and “madman”
– Assassinated
• Darius I
– 1st order of business: put down multiple rebellions
– Created a standing (permanent) army focused
around the “Immortals”
• Highly skilled and trained soldiers
Darius’ Achievements
• Conquered lands towards India
• Conquered Thrace (lands northeast of Greece)
– Tried conquering Greece itself but failed at the
Battle of Marathon
• Used local governors called Satraps to rule
• Built roads to increase trade
• After Darius:
– Son, Xerxes, again tries and fails to conquer Greece
– Rebellions and decreased trade weaken empire
Religion: Zoroastrianism
• Created by Zoroaster
• World created by the god Ahura Mazda
– Source of everything good, true, and pure
• Opposed by the evil spirit Ahriman
• 1st religion teaching dualism
– Belief that the world is controlled by 2 opposing
forces, one good and one evil
• Belief in an afterlife
– Good go to heaven, evil get punished
Religion: Zoroastrianism
• Believed that at the end of time, Ahura Mazda
will destroy Ahriman, drive all evil from the
world, and the wicked people will be purified,
and all souls will be restored to life to live
happily together
• Widely practiced throughout Persia
• Almost wiped out when Alexander the Great
conquered Persia
• Most famous recent worshiper:
– Freddie Mercury (lead singer of Queen)
Royal Road
• World’s 1st highway
• 1500 miles long
• Allowed messages to transverse the empire in
only days
– Frequent rest stops
where messages
could be passed off
to a fresh rider
with a fresh horse