CHAPTER 1

FIRST RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

No warm-up today. Take out your 5 themes of geo. Polytheism

religions chart.

PRE-CIVILIZATION• Small groups could not irrigate rivers or defend• Predecessors to civilizations

• Small farming villages 1st appeared in S.W. Asia (Turkey)

• Catal Huyuk as example• Self-sufficient agricultural village in Turkey

• Evidence of trade, tool making, artisans

• Evidence of complex religion

• Specialized occupations: politics, military, religious

• Evidence of metal working (Copper Age)

CIVILIZATION• Civilization as Advanced Culture

• Cities as political, economic, culture centers• From Latin civitas = cities• Permanent institutions

• Government, Religion, military = War

• Social, labor, gender divisions, slavery

• Clearly defined sense of other: barbarian, nomad

• Technology becomes more important

• Form of record keeping, specifically writing

THE MAP OF 1ST CIVILIZATIONS

ANCIENT HUMOR

Warm-up 9/3 A-3

• Take out your Hammurabi’s Code papers

• Pick 1 law that is economic

• Pick one that is religious

• Pick one that is social

• Pick one that is political

• Bonus: Pick one that is geographic

Warm-up 9/8

• You have a few more minutes to answer the questions from your reading. Gilgamesh epic and Egyptian hymn.

• After warm-up – 20 minutes to work with partner to finish AP study guide.

Partner quiz over AP study guide questions

1) What system did the Zhou use to rule China? Briefly explain how this system worked?

2) What were 2 challenges people faced living in Mesopotamia?

3) In what part of the World did the Olmec and Chavin Civilizations develop? What is something unique about each civilization?

4) Name 3 areas of the World where civilizations developed. Areas not cities!!!

5) What important religious beliefs did the Aryans bring?

6) How would you describe Women’s status in Egypt? What evidence can you use to support that statement?

ENVIRONMENT AS CATALYST

• Mesopotamia (land between rivers) • Harsh heat, drought; unpredictable floods• Few natural resources short of mud; no wood• No natural defensive areas such as Mountains• Area open to invasion by migrating nomads

• People in area must join together to• Provide permanent food supply• Regulate water supply. Irrigate crops. • Provide defense against invaders. Build walls• Trade for materials such as timber and metal

TIGRIS-EUPHRATES

“Necessity is the mother of invention” Sumer in S. Iraq was first civilization

• Cuneiform writing, sciences, math aided farming • Polytheistic religion

• Religion was to appease gods, control nature• Art, architecture dedicated to gods (Ziggurats), religion

• Priests, later kings rule city-states• Land owning aristocracy dominate• Warlike society with slavery• Trade for needed materials

LATER MESOPOTAMIANS

• Cycle of Civilization• Nomads come in and conquer sedentary people• Conquerors assimilate local sedentary culture• New civilization blends cultures, thrives for a while• “New” civilization grows old, invaded by nomads

• Akkad “First” • First Empire• Sargon conquered all of Sumer

• Babylonian “First”• City at junction of Tigris-Euphrates• Hammurabi’s Law Code• Laws included in Jewish Torah

MESOPOTAMIA AS A CHART

THE NILE RIVER• Society very different from Sumer

• Nile flooded regularly, predictably• Provided rich soil, Easy soil to farm• Civilization regulated by flooding, surveying by geometry

• Location isolated – deserts and seas protected• Pharaoh was considered god-king

• Theocracy, almost absolute• pyramid tombs for dead• Egypt unified for most of long history

• Achievements• Mathematics especially geometry; architecture• Sciences, Medicine (mummification)• Art was both secular and sacred• Religion was positive, egalitarian in many ways – all citizens

might enjoy paradise.

INDUS VALLEY

• Arose around 2,500 BCE• Mohenjo Daro, Harappa main cities• Independent city-states, strong government• Extremely well-planned, coordinated cities• Elaborate writing system (not yet deciphered)• Religion worshipped mother goddess• Little evidence of warfare until end

• Devastated by environmental upheavals• Destroyed by Indo-European (Aryan) nomads

HUANG-HE (YELLOW) RIVER

• Developed in isolation

• Compare with ancient Egypt• Xia Dynasty (Mythical?)

• God-like kings• Taught irrigation, sericulture

• Shang Dynasty• Warlike kings, landed aristocracy; few priests• Most people worked land as peasants• Elaborate bronze workings; naturalistic art

CHINESE WRITING

• Ideographic• Writing denotes ideas

• First used on Oracle Bones • Priests asked gods questions

• Wrote questions on bones

• Tossed into fire; cracks read by priests (divination)

• Elitist technique = scholar-bureaucrats• Extremely difficult to read

• Required well-educated class to use

• Only elite had time to learn

• Cuneiform, hieroglyphs had similar effects

DYNASTIC CYCLE

• One ruling family replaces another• The Dynasty Changes• Due to the loss of the Mandate of Heaven

• Stages in Cycle• New dynasty arises, takes control of China• Strengthens rule, reestablishes prosperity, peace• Weakens, becomes lazy, problems arise• Invasions, revolts toss out reigning dynasty

• Shang replaces Xia, Zhou replaces Shang

MANDATE OF HEAVEN

• Chinese political idea• Rulers exercise power given by heaven• Rulers continue to rule if heaven pleased• Heaven will take back mandate to rule• Heaven will replace ruling dynasty

• Indicators of a Lost Mandate• Wars, invasions, military disasters• Over-taxation, disgruntled peasants• Social, moral decline of elite classes• Increased crime, banditry

HOWTHECYCLE AND MANDATEWORKTOGETHER

HERITAGES

• First heritages passed on • Writing systems inherited• Intellectual systems, art copied• Religious, philosophical systems copied• Useful inventions rarely forgotten, easily spread

• River valley civilizations decline by 1000BCE• All subject to nomadic invasions• Indo-Europeans and Semites were strongest• Geographical centers shifted (all except China)

• Political Structures often not continued

CIVILIZATION SPREADS

• Phoenician Sailors in Lebanon• City-states traded across Mediterranean

• Invented alphabet

• Lydians, Hittites in Asia Minor• Introduced Iron, coinage to area

• Hebrews in Palestine• Large Semitic migration in area

• Ethical monotheism• Conduct determines salvation

• There is only one God speaking through prophets, priests

• God made a covenant with the Jews, his Chosen people

NOMADS: BARBARIANS?

• Pastoral herding on fringes• Seen as savages• Interaction vs. conflict

• Nomads traded, coexisted with settled areas• Nomads warred on, conquered settled areas• Often protected merchants, allowed trade

• Prior to 1500 BCE little major threat• Chariot Peoples (Central Asian Indo-Europeans)

• Domesticated horse, invented chariot, iron weapons• Pushed into SW Asia, S. Asia, E. Asia, Europe

• Responsible for spread of ideas, trade

Warm-up 9/11

Dear Ancient Chinese mystic philosopher,

I’m angry that the city counsel voted not to fund the new homeless shelter. I am thinking about organizing a protest and march to disrupt the city’s traffic. What do you think I should do?

What advice would Lao Tze and Confucius give to this person?