Download History 110B World History 1500 to the Present

History 1
History of World Civilizations Part 1
Week 2: Structure of the State, Part 1
Statuary
of a Sumerian
harpist
Looking Back

T/F – Paleolithic people practiced horticulture while
Neolithic people practiced agriculture

T/F You can find downloadable study aids for this
course at websites.rcc.edu/Borses

T/F You need an appointment to see me during
office hours

Which is a better word to describe Paleolithic homo
sapiens: hunter-gatherers or foragers? Why?

T/F Paleolithic people survived mainly by hunting
megafauna
Recap

Last time we discussed how to study “prehistory,”
the years before the invention of writing. We also
explored the differences between human societies
during the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods.

Today we will examine the creation of the state as a
method to bring organization some of the earliest
human civilizations, starting in Mesopotamia, and
ancient Egypt before moving on to other civilizations
in Southwest Asia.
Big Questions of the Day

What does the term civilization mean? Who does the
phrase include? Who does it exclude?

What was it about early, complex civilizations that
required the creation of state structures?

What similarities existed across these early complex
civilizations? [Hint: Think about the structure of the
state that governed these societies]
The Advent of Civilizations
Changing Social Relationships
•
Bands: a few dozen people
•
Tribes: several hundred people, a leader
•
Chiefdoms: thousands, hereditary leader,
increased food production, trade economy,
government
What does the
term “Mesopotamia”
mean?
Geography terms: the fertile crescent
The Tigris and the Euphrates
The Stele of Ushumgal
Writing was a
key innovation in
Early Complex
Societies
Vocabulary:
stele
Term: cuneiform (wedge shaped)
Advice to Ambitious Young Egyptians
from a Royal Scribe (ca. 1350-1200
B.C.E.)

Love writing, shun dancing; then you become a
worthy official. Do not long for the marsh ticket.
Turn your back on stick and chase. By day write
with your fingers; recite by night. Befriend the
scroll, the palette. It pleases more than wine.
Writing for him who knows it is better than all
other professions. It please more than bread and
beer, more than clothing and ointment. It is
worth more than an inheritance in Egypt…
Considering the Power of
the State
Term: state

1) What does it take for a state to develop?

2) What powers do states have and how can
they exercise that power?

3) What roles do people play in allowing a
state to exercise its power?

4) How can a state shape culture?
Pyramid-Shaped Societies
Top: Ruler (The King, Pharaoh,
etc…)

Second tier: religious leaders, scribes,
bureaucrats, etc.
Below: everyone else,
Often divided by
class or caste.
Often captives
and slaves at the
very bottom.
In a pyramid-shaped society,
sovereignty rests at the top. Where
does sovereignty rest in the United
States?
Trappings of Power
Standing before
the Assyrian King
Irrigation and Power in
Sumer
Ancient Sumerian irrigation channels
Who gets credit for making irrigation work?
The City of Ur

The first “city”?

Temple of Ur

Ziggurat
Ordinary Sumerians

No one knows where
they came from

Language different than
the other languages
around them

Started small
A Knack for Invention

potter’s wheel

Wheel (used on
chariots)

The razor

The sailboat
Not pictured:

Sexidecimal system
The Epic of
Gilgamesh
This is a decorative
panel unearthed by
archeologists in
Ur.
Conquerors
and Cultural
Transmission
Geography terms: the fertile crescent
The Tigris and the Euphrates
The
Law Code of
Hammurabi
Ancient Egypt
Three Eras:
1) The Old Kingdom
2) The Middle Kingdom
3) The New Kingdom
Each period was followed by a break-down in
order called the First, Second and Third
Intermediate Periods, respectively
Terms: Ma’at, Pharaoh
Egyptian Writing

Egyptians wrote on papyrus,
created by drying reeds from the
Nile River.

Egyptian pictographs are known
as Hieroglyphics, though there
was a simpler script as well
known as hieratic (priest writing)
Egyptian Religion

Egyptians were polytheistic


Pantheon of gods shifted as
Egyptian history progressed
Book of the Dead
Pyramid of the Pharaoh
Khufu at Giza

What type of labor force would
be needed to construct this?

What type of bureaucratic
organization would be needed to
organize its construction?
Statue of the Pharoah Khufu, from the 4th dynasty,
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
The Lives of Ordinary
Egyptians
Excerpt from Egypt’s
Golden Empire

Terms:

*Hatshepsut

obelisks

The New Kingdom

Thutmosis III

Ma’at

Senemut

Deir el Bahri

Punt
Granite statue of Hatshepsut
Next Up:

“Mesopotamia and the Ancient Egyptians”

Next time we will continue our examination of the
creation of the state as a method to bring
organization some of the earliest human civilizations
looking specifically and the Hebrews, Assyrians and
Persians.

BRING YOUR SOURCE OF WORLD SOCIETIES

We will break into groups and discuss the Law Code of
Hammurabi and the assigned excerpt from the Book of
Exodus.