Download First Civilizations PowerPoint Lecture

PALEOLITHIC, NEOLITHIC, AND
RIVER VALLEY SOCIETIES
Mr. Robert Humphreys
Paleolithic Life- Hunter/Gatherers
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Homo sapiens emerged in Africa
Had larger brain
Developed in Africa and spread out over the world
Paleolithic Life- Hunter/Gatherers
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Paleolithic humans were nomadic huntergatherers
Most important discoveries/inventions- fire and
stone tools
Why would fire be useful?
Tools and innovations geographically specific
What tools might you develop if you life in
Alaska vs. the Mediterranean region?
Paleolithic Life- Hunter/Gatherers
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Developed art- example: cave paintings
Organized into small political groups- kinship
groups or multiple kinship groups called clans
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Not necessarily self-sufficient- evidence of
trade is evident from this period
Beginning of spiritual beliefs to explain the
world
 Animism- belief in spirits of nature
 Shamans- people believed to have special
abilities to cure the sick and influence the
future
Less socio-economic separation than in later
times
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Why do you think nomadic people had less
social stratification than later people living in
cities?
Paleolithic Life- Hunter/Gatherers
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Gender roles: more gender equality than later times
Men: hunting, fishing, defense
Women: gathering, medicine, childcare
Neolithic Revolution
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Climate warmed at end of Paleolithic
End of Paleolithic times- agriculture
discovered (probably by women!)
Small agricultural settlements began to
develop
Neolithic Revolution: change from hunting
and gathering to systematic agriculture
and domestication of animals
Farming first developed in Mesopotamia
around 8000 BCE
Farming slowly developed through trial
and error and discovery, then spread to
other regions
Domestication of animals began with
herd animals like goats and sheep
Spread of Agriculture
Neolithic Revolution
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Geography is key!
 People
domesticated plants and animals that were
already wild in their region
 Wheat
in Middle East
 Rice in Southeast Asia
 Corn in Mesoamerica
Neolithic Revolution
A Chain Reaction
Agriculture
People settle in villages (grow into cities)
food surpluses
specialization of labor
trade
characteristics of civ.
Neolithic Life
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Huge population increase
Pre- Neolithic Population: 5-8 million
By 4000 BCE: 60-70 million
Neolithic Life
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Human interaction with the environment
determined LOTS about Neolithic life
Resources available determined the
types of tools, weapons, homes, foods,
clothing, etc that Neolithic people used
Originally ruled by council of elders but
authority in many places moved to one
ruler over time
Neolithic Life
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Close knit societies with lots of shared
resources- ovens, fields, grain storage,
worked together to build irrigation, clear
land, etc
Private property limited to personal
possessions
Possessions linked to agriculture and
survival- clay pottery, woven baskets,
wool and linen clothing, more advanced
tools and weapons made from metal,
plows
As agriculture led to larger and more
stable settlements, more organization
became necessary
Neolithic people also had interaction
with other groups and there is
archeological evidence of trade
between settlements
Development of Civilization
Characteristics of Civilization
 Cities
 Organized central governments
 Complex religions
 Social classes
 Job specialization and the arts/architecture
 Literature: Reading/Writing
 Increased populations
Cities
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Early cities developed
near rivers
Positives: water supply,
transportation,
communication, trade
Challenges: flooding,
need to develop irrigation
to control water
Led to development of
govt- need to organize
people for building
projects
Government
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Central government needed to control labor, storage of food,
dispersion of food to people, mediate disputes and keep order
Many early governments centered around priests, later warriors or
kings
Eventually governments became more complex and gained new
responsibilities such as: tax collecting, law making, public works,
military organization.
Complex Religion
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Almost all were polytheistic
Gods to represent nature and control human
activities
Priest class developed to gain gods’ favor
through rituals and sacrifices
Early kings regarded as gods themselves or
representatives of gods
Exception: Hebrews were first monotheistsJudaism
Monumental architecture developed to
connect with religious beliefs
Social Classes
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With specialization of labor came social classes
People ranked according to their professions
Generated class differences
 Priests (“We talk to god, you don’t.)
 Aristocrats/warriors (“We have weapons, you don’t.”)
 Common people (“I guess we work...?”)
 Slaves (“Uh, oh!!!”)
Job Specialization and the Arts
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Artisans: people who produce things
Examples: bricklayers, blacksmiths, weavers
Production of luxuries as society moved past subsistence
Metal technology (bronze, then iron)
Monumental architecture- often tied to religion
Egyptian temple
Mayan temple
Mesopotamian ziggurat
Writing
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Probably first used by priests
Chinese calligraphy
Earliest writing used pictographs
Symbols later added to represent words and then sounds
Scribes were trained to read, write, and record information
about religion, trade, government activity
Cuneiform in Mesopotamia considered first writing system
First alphabet later developed by Phoenicians in Middle East
Mesopotamian cuneiform
Egyptian hieroglyphs
Environmental Impact
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Soil erosion- how would this occur from both farming
and grazing animals?
What other problems would occur with intensive
farming over time?
Uniqueness of Civilization
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Civilization was not inevitable
from the Neolithic Revolution
Many people remained nomadic
for thousands of years
Pastoral nomads also
developed- animal herders who
moved around finding food for
animals (important transmitters
of early technology!)
Impact of Geography
• Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable
Mesopotamia • No natural barriers
• Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings
• Flooding of the Nile predictable
Egypt
• Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages
• Deserts were natural barriers
• Indus flooding unpredictable
Indus River Valley • Monsoon winds
• Mountains, deserts were natural barriers
• Huang He flooding unpredictable
China
• Mountains, deserts natural barriers
• Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations
Mesoamerica & • Mountains and ocean natural barriers
• Warm temperatures and moderate rainfall
Andes
• Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations
Journal
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Complete “Worst Mistake” reading for first journal
activity as soon as you come in
Take out powerpoint outline and be ready to go
Four Major River Valley Civilizations
Mesopotamia
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Located in Middle East between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Aka Fertile Crescent and Cradle of Civilization
Why civilization here? Frequent flooding created fertile
farmland, warm climate
Sumerians migrated in Mesopotamia and settled between
5000 and 4000 BCE
Mesopotamia- Sumerians
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Sumerians were divided into independent city-states
Government was a theocracy led by a king who was considered a
god
Kings were military leaders- built huge stone walls to protect cities
Sumerians were polytheistic- cities revolved around a main temple
dedicated to the god of the city- built on top of a ziggurat
Mesopotamia- Sumerians
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Relied on flooding of the Tigris
and Euphrates to fertilize the soil
and help with farming
Flooding was unpredictable so
Sumerians developed irrigation
techniques to control the water
Food surplus led to specialization
of labor and social classes
Lots of trade with other
civilizations over land and by sea
Mesopotamia- Sumerians
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Patriarchal
Social Classes- based on money and occupation
 King
 Priests, officials, aristocracy
 Merchants and artisans
 Farmers
 Servants and slaves
Mesopotamia- Sumerians
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Sumerians developed first
writing system called
cuneiform
Without an alphabet, writing
was extremely complex and
time consuming to learn, so
scribes became a specialized
job
Usually carved into wet clay
and then dried
Mesopotamia
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Because Mesopotamia was a flat piece of land with few natural
boundaries, it was continually invaded
Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, etc.
controlled parts of Mesopotamia at different times in ancient
history
What do you think would allow some societies to conquer others?
Other Key Civilizations in the Middle East
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Babylonians- invaded Mesopotamia and built a
huge empire
 Known
for King Hammurabi’s Code
Other Key Civilizations in the Middle East
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Phoenicians- lived along eastern Mediterranean
 Known
for first alphabet
Other Key Civilizations in the Middle East
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Hebrews (Israelites)
 Judaism-
first monotheistic religion
 10 Commandments
Mesopotamia- Important Achievements
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Writing- cuneiform
Wheel and wheeled vehicles (chariots)
Number system
Bronze
Iron (weapons and tools)
Code of laws (Hammurabi’s Code)
Plows
Literature- Epic of Gilgamesh
Lots more!
Egypt and Geography
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Civilization in Egypt developed along the Nile River
 longest river in the world
 Nile Delta for farming- diffused from Mesopotamia
 Natural boundaries for protection
 Developed irrigation to deal with flooding
 Worshipped gods of nature
Egyptian History and Government
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History of Egypt began around 3100 B.C. when Upper and
Lower Egypt were united and created the first Egyptian
dynasty
Pharaoh- political and religious leader- seen as a god
Bureaucracy- administrative organization helped rule and
carry out orders
Egyptian Religion
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Egyptians were polytheistic
had many gods associated with nature and heavenly bodies
(like the sun)
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flooding of the Nile symbolized new life
Sun god: Ra- why would the sun be an important god?
Egyptian Social Classes
Egyptian Gender Roles
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Men: head of the family
Women: in charge of the home
and children
 More freedom than other
societies- could make
contracts and own property
 wealthy women could
sometimes gain power
through their powerful
families
 4 women became pharaohs
(examples: Hatshepsut and
Cleopatra)
Egyptian Arts and Writing
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hieroglyphics- system of writing
using pictures and symbols
complex system that took a long
time to learn
Egyptians wrote on stone and
later on papyrus
artists were expected to follow
certain formulas and styles
the human body was often shown
in a combination of profile, semi
profile, and frontal view
Monumental architecturepyramids
The Three Kingdoms
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The Old Kingdom
 Labeled as the “Age of the Pyramids”
 In early Egyptian history, opposite sides of the Nile River
were in competition of domination of the land.
 King Menes had managed to unify both Upper and Lower
Egypt around 3100 BCE.
 Egypt had managed to hold its power and influence in the
region for quite some time, ultimately losing it’s power in
2181BCE due to famine and starvation from a drought that
swept the region.
 It wasn’t until King Mentuhotep reunited Egypt and
revitalized under the Middle Kingdom.
 Inaccessible to people; “Too Cool for you” personality.
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The Middle Kingdom
 Labeled as the “Golden Age”
 Due to the economic growth and expansion of the
Egyptian rule.
Very different compared to the Old Kingdom, largely in part
because the Pharaoh was now accessible, considering them to
be a “shepherd to the people”
Life along the Nile flourished with trade, economic gain,
promise in arts and literature.
Pharaohs weren’t buried in the pyramids but rather hidden
tombs to thwart criminals from stealing possessions.
Hierarchy/Social classes created and enforced.
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The New Kingdom (1550-1070 BCE):
 Highly militaristic agenda; Dominated the region and
surrounding areas.
 Kingdom reached it’s height under Amenhotep III, through
new reconstructions and improvements to temples and
buildings.
 Religious movements began to generate steam and cause
problems amongst the Egyptians, which would lead to their
downfall.
 After Amenhotep III’s death, his son Amenhotep IV came to
power and attempted to incorporate this new religious
change into his empire, which proved disastrous.
Egyptian Advancements
- learned math that helped
them to build huge
monuments
- developed a 365 day
calendar
- practice of embalming
(preserving a dead body)
- medical knowledge- treated
broken bones and diseases
Indus River Valley
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first civilization in India
Harappan civilization developed along Indus River
Large cities- Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
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city populations up to 40,000
Laid out in grid pattern (what does this say about govt?)
Sewer systems
Walls of protection
Public wells
Used kiln dried bricks
Indus River Valley- Aryan Invasion
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Harappan civilization weakened
over time, probably due to
natural disasters and
environmental destruction
Conquered by Aryan nomadic
invaders
Began to set up class structure
with Aryans on top (later became
the caste system)
Aryans also brought belief system
that would later become Hinduism
Indus River Valley
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Aryans brought Sanskrit language which was
eventually turned into writing
 Important
 Vedas-
literature- became basis of Hinduism
collection of Aryan hymns, poems, stories
 Upanishads- important religious ideas emerged such as
karma, reincarnation, and brahmin
Ancient China- Huang He (or Huang Ho)
First civilization developed along
Huang He River
1. Xia Dynasty (pre-history)
2. Shang Dynasty (1750-1122 BC
- Mostly a farming society which
was often at war
3. Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BC)
- Began the “Mandate of Heaven”
idea
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Ancient China- Huang He (or Huang Ho)
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the rulers of China under the Zhou
dynasty claimed that they ruled under
the Mandate of Heaven
 believed that heaven (supernatural
force) kept order through the Zhou
ruler
 ruler ruled by a mandate (authority
to command) from Heaven
 ruler is then supposed to rule with
efficiency and fairness towards the
people
 ruler supposed to rule according to
the Dao (“the way”) in order to keep
the gods pleased
 if the gods were not pleased, the
ruler could be overthrown
Ancient China- Huang He (or Huang Ho)
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Chinese believed in supernatural
forces
Used oracle bones to
communicate with the gods
Believed spirits of ancestors could
help them communicate with the
gods
Ancestor veneration very
important- offerings and
sacrifices made to ancestors
Americas
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Civilization didn’t always develop on rivers
Mesoamerica and Andes regions became important
centers for civilization
Developed farming independently of rest of world
Americas
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Chavin developed along coast of Peru
Farmed with irrigation: corn, potatoes,
quinoa
Domesticated llamas for meat and wool
Ruins of large temple at Chavin de Huantar
Americas
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Olmecs built civilization in Mesoamerica
Farmed: corn, beans, squash, avocados
Traded extensively
Built huge pyramids
Developed writing and a calendar
Global Connections
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These civilizations did NOT exist independent of
each other
All of them traded extensively with others (often
with smaller civilizations in the area)
Some traded with each other such as Mesopotamia
and Indus Valley