Download Ch.1 Prehistoric Humans

Prehistoric Humans and the Rise of Civilization through 500 BCE
I.
Theorizing the Human past
A. Prehistory= before the written word> how do we learn anything about this
period???
1. Paleontology- study of fossil record
2. Anthropology- study of human development (Biological and Cultural)
3. Archeology- study of past societies using artifacts as evidence to develop
theories about their ways of life.
Ex. Use of carbon dating technique to evaluate ages of artifacts and human
remains
B. Early Human Origins and Evolutionary Science
1. Hominids (human-like beings) date back 4 million years and slowly changed
its habits, diet, and brain function over generations
2. Nomadic groups competed over thousands of years for food and shelter and
the general pattern showed “survival of the fittest”
a. Australopithecus: ape-like man
b. Homo habilis: able man
c. Homo erectus: upright man
d. Homo sapien: thinking man
3. Each stage shows improvements in the protein intake of the beings, methods
by which they collectively obtained their foods, group protection, skills, and
communication
4. “Out of Africa” theory indicates that earliest humans migrated out of Africa
between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago
C. Stone Age Societies of early homo sapiens
1. “Challenge and Response” theory portrays humans as encountering difficult
circumstances and either adapting or dying from starvation, climate, or other
threats Ex. ICE AGES
2. Paleolithic Period (Old Stone Age) to Neolithic Period (New Stone Age) saw
advancements in tool making, strategy, hunting and gathering, developing
language, finding and creating shelter, and the use of fire (approx. 500,000
B.C.E.)
3. Cultures (way of life) developed uniquely to the small bands
a. Culture includes language, religion, diet, clothing style, rituals,
education, gender roles, shelters, arts
II.
The Neolithic Revolution
A. Accidental Innovation or Intentional Strategy?
1. Human societies began to slowly shift away from the nomadic huntinggathering lifestyle to an agricultural lifestyle
2. Trial and error produced seasonal crops, taming of animals, and locations of
settling that were ideal for feeding larger groups of humans
Domestication: the intentional use of plant and animal life for their
food value and their by-products
3. Results???
a. Higher survival rates from infancy to adulthood
b. Larger communities began to thrive in more permanent types of
settlements
c. “Many hands make light work”- meaning that more people may have
meant more mouths to feed, but also more specific types of daily jobs could
be divided amongst members of settlements
d. Dawn of civilization followed the Neolithic Period (9000 B.C.E. till 5000
B.C.E.)
III. Emergence of Civilization
A. Civilization= complex society showing social classes, division of labor, political
organization/government, uniform religious beliefs, urban centers, economy, planning
1. Archeology shows urban developments as early as 6000 B.C.E. in parts of the
world
2. By 3500 B.C.E., civilizations had begun to develop in four key areas
a. Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys (modern Iraq)
b. Nile River Valley (modern Egypt)
c. Indus and Ganges River Valleys (modern Pakistan/India)
d. Huang He River Valley (modern China)
3. Fertile soil proved ideal for sustaining larger populations through larger scale
farming
4. Economics and government arose out of necessity for dividing up tasks,
organizing masses of people, and establishing measures of
protection/control/order
5. Mythology became foundation for early human religion and became more
complex as time passed and generations grew more curious about the world
around them
IV. The Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia
A. 5000-3500 B.C.E. Migrants settled in Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys in modernday Iraq (Cradle of Civilization)
1. Rich soil on banks of rivers allowed for agricultural potential that brought
population growth
2. Sumerians began to thrive and develop twelve distinct city-states along the rivers
which shared common culture but were actually rivals
3. Foundations of future civilization arose
a. Government- theocracy: kings were believed to be descendants and linked to
the gods
b. Religion- polytheism: belief in many deities (gods) who influenced all aspects
of life on earth and people committed their lives to pleasing them through ritual,
architectural tributes, and sacrificial offerings
c. Written language- cuneiform: first system of writing which used imprints of
shaped markings (ideographs) on dried clay tablets
WHY SO SIGNIFICANT???
d. Innovations- wheel, irrigation, sun dial, early bronze work, early mathematics,
early astronomy, architectural achievement
ex. Studying stars and building temples revolved around religious dedication of
ancient peoples which can be seen in the ziggurats that still stand today
B. Empires of Mesopotamia
1. Rival peoples of northern and southern Mesopotamia began to make war on
each other for control of land and resources
2. Independent cities were gradually invaded and forced to unite under the rule
of Sargon of Akkad around 2340 B.C.E.
3. 1792 B.C.E. Hammurabi of Babylon established his rule over the warring
states of Mesopotamia
(Hammurabi's Code of Law- written!!! ex. “eye for eye”)
4. Empire: a large politically united territory under a strong central leader with the
ability to tax, control, protect, and expand
V. Egyptian Civilization
A. The Nile River Valley
1. Annual rains and flooding cycle brought enriched soil (silt) from upper Nile near
modern Ethiopia to lower Nile delta near Mediterranean Sea
2. 5000-3000 B.C.E. settlement grew along the fertile banks and Egyptian people
were united under King Menes and the first dynasty of pharaohs began
a. Three distinct periodsOld Kingdom 3000-2200 B.C.
Middle Kingdom 2050-1800 B.C.
New Kingdom 1600-945 B.C.
B. Egyptian Society Revolved Around Religion
1. Theocracy: government and order of society based on faith in rulers, priests,
and their connection to the gods and goddesses that bring society good fortune
2. Egyptians were polytheistic and believed in a hierarchy of deities and that
their Pharoahs descended from the God of the Sun named Re (Ra)
3. Egyptian religion/mythology emphasized natural forces and that life and death
were influenced by their gods that needed praise and tribute
4. Gods and Goddesses were often depicted as being part human and part
animal
a. Re- god of sun
b. Horus- god of sky
c. Osiris- god of Nile, Afterlife
d. Isis- goddess of fertility
C. Life in Ancient Egypt
1. Social Hierarchy or Stratification of roles for people
a. Pharoah= god-king
b. Priests= religious leadership and advisors to king
c. Bureaucracy= agents of government both local and across territory
that make the day to day operations occur
d. Nobility= favored land-holding class
e. Scribes= literate record keepers
f. Artisans= skilled craftsmen
g. Merchants= buyers and sellers
h. Farmers/Peasants= physical laborers
2. Egypt grew to be a society of nearly 5 million people
3. Early Egyptians developed a 365 day calendar, made major advances in
engineering (pyramids, irrigation), medical innovations (mummification), and
record keeping (hieroglyphics), ancient records are often found carved into stone
or written on cloth or early paper made from reeds called papyrus
4. Rosetta Stone discovered in 1799 provided the modern understanding of
Egyptian hieroglyphic by listing a decree in three different forms of writing used
during the Ptolemaic period of Egypt
VI. Alternate Centers of Western Civilization
A. Indo-European Migrations
1. Nomadic hunters, gatherers, and herders who moved around Europe for
centuries whose cultures varied but origins were from one prehistoric language
group (Indo-European languages include Greek, Latin, Persian, Indian,
Germanic) 10,000-2000 B.C.E.
a. Hittites of Asia Minor (Turkey)
b. Hellenes of Greece
c. Latins of Italy
2. Groups of Europe did not thrive in numbers equal to Mesopotamia or Egypt
due to differences in terrain, climate, and difficulties of large-scale agriculture
B. Phoenician Kingdoms and Colonies 1500-500 B.C.E.
1. Mediterranean coastal people of modern Lebanon were long-distance traders
who had a great impact on the economy and literacy till the modern era
2. Early innovation of Alphabetical script and monetary exchange which would be
adopted/expanded by later Empires of the Mediterranean
C. Kingdoms of Israel
1. Biblical history indicates that a Mesopotamian named Abraham led Semitic
Israelite tribes into coastal area of Canaan (Palestine, Judaea, Israel)
WHEN???
2. The Book of Exodus- Old Testament contains story of those who escaped
Egypt and were assisted by God along the way (the plagues, the parting of the
sea, etc.)
3. The Covenant- God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai
which became the framework of the Torah and Hebrew (Jewish) culture
4. God pledged to deliver the Israelites safely into Zion (Canaan) if they
worshipped only Him (Yahweh, Iahoveh) and followed his commandments
a. Monotheism- belief in only one god
b. Foundations of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are found in the early
Hebrew philosophy about God’s singularity and mercy (prophetic faith)
6. The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah 970-720 B.C.E.
a. Israel experience success in defeating the Philistines for control of
Canaan (David and Goliath) and King Solomon’s rule provided much
stability until the Hebrews (Israelites) were taken over by consecutive
empire builders after the 700s B.C.E.
*****Diaspora: people of common cultural/linguistic past scattered by various
circumstances
VII. The Rise of Empires
A. Empire: a large political unit that controls many diverse peoples and a large
amount of territory
1. Why build an empire? BECAUSE YOU CAN!!! Strength in numbers,
technology, and strategy led to belief that it was justifiable to take over those who
could not defend themselves for their resources (land, goods, food, labor, etc.)
2. The strongest empires were initially the masters of metallurgy and their
weapons and armor were the best, but with time diplomacy began to serve
purpose as well
a. metallurgy: knowledge of how to make, manipulate, and shape metals
b. diplomacy: ability to relate to other people peacefully to work out
problems or make agreements usually done through representatives
B. Decline of Egypt Led to Rise of Assyrian Empire
1. 700 B.C.E. rule over Egyptians and many smaller kingdoms lasted for over a
century under strict authoritarian rule
2. Key characteristics of Empire
a. Strong leadership
b. Strong, organized military
c. Efficient communication
d. Strong and efficient taxation
C. The Rise of Persia’s Empire
1. Nomadic Indo-European tribes settled in the plains of Iran and mastered
irrigation and agriculture as early as 3000 B.C.E.
2. Unification began in the 600s B.C.E. under strong monarchies and was
completed by Cyrus the Great who continued to expand into Mesopotamia and
Israel 559-530 B.C.E.
3. Cyrus’ descendants continued to add provinces or satrapies under Persian
control over the next two centuries
a. Cambyses- Egypt
b. Darius I- India, Afghanistan, Greek Asia Minor
4. Persian kings demanded loyalty in exchange for protection and order within
their empire and satraps governed, taxed, and provided services for the king
across the large territory
5. Royal Road connected the Persian Empire and its prized cities such as
Pasargodae, Susa, Persepolis, and Babylon
6. Persians practiced both polytheism and later a form of monotheism called
Zoroastrianism
a. Ahuramazda was creator and in an eternal battle with Ahriman who
represented evil and humans played a role in the triumph of good over bad
7. Decline of the Persian Empire? Collision course with Greece began in the
400s B.C.E. and would continue through the 300s B.C.E. TO BE CONTINUED…