The Dawn of Civilization (Prehistory – 300CE). Themes of History There are 8 common themes that...
Transcript of The Dawn of Civilization (Prehistory – 300CE). Themes of History There are 8 common themes that...
The Dawn of Civilization(Prehistory – 300CE)
Themes of HistoryThere are 8 common
themes that connect people & society throughout history.
1. Arts & Ideas2. Belief Systems3. Economic System4. Geography &
Environment5. Government &
Citizenship6. Migration &
Diffusion7. Science &
Technology8. Society
History …History is the study of man
& the human experience Prehistory: Before writing History: Writing
Historians & anthropologists learn about past societies by studying culture & artifacts. Culture: A society’s
knowledge, art, beliefs, customs & values
Artifacts: Man made objects from the past Ex: clay pots, coins, tools, etc.
Key DiscoveriesDonald Johnson:
“Lucy”: Partial skeleton proving that man walked upright at least 3mya
Mary & Louis Leakey: Laetoli Footprints: 3.5mya
– earliest evidence that man walked upright
Australopithecine
Homo Habilis
Homo ErectusHomo Sapiens
• “Southern Ape”• 4-5mya in Africa• Upright• Walked on 2 legs
• “Handy Man”• 2.4mya in Africa• Simple stone tools
• “Upright Man”• 2-1.5mya in Africa• Stone tools & axe• Controlled fire• Migrated out of Africa
• “Wise Man”• 200,000ya in Africa• Same as modern man• Migrated around the world• Created fire
Human Migration (Movement) It is believed that humans
first appeared in Africa
About 200,000ya, early man began to move out of Africa To Asia, Australia, Europe
& the Americas
The Ice Age made this movement possible Created frozen land
bridges that connected the continents
The Stone Ages (2.5mya – 3,000bce)Paleolithic Age
(2.5mya – 10,000ya)
Neolithic Era(8000 – 3000bce)
AKA: The Stone Age Major Advancements: Tools People:
Nomads: Moved from place to place following food
Hunter-Gatherers: Men hunted & women gathered plants/berries
Technology: Specialized tools, clothing & shelter
Art: Cave paintings, stone carvings Religion: Animism – the belief
that all things in nature have a spirit
AKA: The New Stone Age Major Advancements: Farming &
better tools Neolithic Revolution (10,000ya)
Development of agriculture & farming!!
Domestication of plants & animals Domestication: selective breeding
of plants & animals to be more useful to humans
People: Pastoralists: Herded live stock Some began to create settlements
Technology: farming tools, pottery, weaving
Religion: More formalized w/gods
• 10,000ya – end of Ice Age
• Warmer climate & new plants
• Man learned to farm
NEOLITHICREVOLUTIO
N
(man begins to farm)
• Domestication of plants & animals
• New farming tools
• Larger & more stable food supply
• Early settlements & farming villages
• Pastoralists herd animals
Man begins to use bronze tools Bronze is metal that is stronger than copper
From Villages to Cities Improved farming techniques
(irrigation) led to a surplus (extra) in food supply
Extra food meant less people were needed to farm
Other people could focus on different jobs
Pottery making, weaving, etc.
Specialization: Being really good at what you do
Division of Labor: Each person has a specific job
Leads to trade
• Type of economy in early farming villages• An economy based on customs & traditions
• Ex: farmers trade food for pottery or blankets
• Still around today…•Ex: S. American tribes, tribes in Africa, the Amish…
7 Characteristics of Civilization Formalized
Religion• Ceremonies, rituals, religious leaders
Developed Cities
• Social & Economic institutions Organized
Gov’t.• Created laws, taxed, oversaw construction
Specialized Labor
• Farmers, tax collectors, builders
Social Classes• Social order based on occupation
Record Keeping & Writing
• Taxes, crop output• Writing beliefs & ideas
Art & Architecture
• Monuments, statues, pictures
Artisans: skilled craftsmen• Pottery, weaving,
Changes in Civilizations Early civilizations relied on
the environment & began to trade for things they did not have
As people traded, they began to share ideas
Cultural Diffusion: Sharing & adopting new ideas, skills, & beliefs.
As civilizations continued to grow, they began to compete with each other for resources, often leading to warfare
The Fertile Crescent Fertile land between the
Mediterranean Sea & the Persian Gulf.
Due to the nutrient rich soil, many civilizations emerged Fertile soil = good for
farming!! Civilization is dependent on
geography
2 major rivers run through the Fertile Crescent Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
Mesopotamia: Land between the rivers
Sumerian Civilization Settled in Sumer
Cities developed around 3,000bce Used mud bricks (example of
how geography influence society)
City-states developed Political unit with a
government
Ziggurats were temples at the center of each city-states Pyramid shaped
Sumerian Religion & Gov’t. Religion was the center of life
Polytheism: Belief in many gods Usually controlled nature,
protected each city-state, & were like humans
Priests initially governed city-states & enjoyed high status
Successful war chiefs became kings & formed dynasties
Dynasty: rulers from the same family
Sumerian Culture
Math & Sciences• Number system based on 60• Used geometry to build cities
& irrigation systems• Invented wheel & plow
• Basic surgery
Arts• Ramps, arches, &
Columns• Cylinder seals
Writing• 1st writing system
• Cuneiform • Used stylus on clay tablets
• Epic of GilgameshGilgamesh Interactive
Trade & Society• Traded with other societies
• Traders became wealthy• Class systems
Mesopotamian EmpiresAkkadians Babylonians Hittites
• Ruled by Sargon I
• 1st permanent Army
• 1st Empire
• Empire: Large area w/many different people
• Ruled by Hammurabi
• Taxed & traded
• Hammurabi’s Code:1st set of written laws &punishments
• Adapted ways ofprevious empires
• Strong military withChariots
• Began ironworking
• Adapted ways of previous empires
Mesopotamian Empires (Cont’d)Assyrians Chaldeans Phoenicians
• Military power with ironweapons =very harsh
• System of roads
• Kings ruled throughLocal leaders
• Library of Nineveh had20,000 cuneiform tablets
• Babylon was the capital
• Nebuchadnezzar II•Built Hanging Gardens
• Calendar based on phasesof the moon
• Used astronomy to predict weather
• Wealthy trading society
• Expert sailors• Dominated trade• Explored
• Alphabet• Influenced Greek& English language
The Hebrews Ancestors of the Jews
Traced back to Abraham
Torah: Sacred religious book 1st 5 books of the Old Testament
The Torah states that God promised the Hebrews “the promised land” of Canaan
Modern day Israel
Abraham led people to Canaan & land was divided into the 12 Tribes
1 for each of Abraham’s sons
Patriarchs: Ancestral fathers of modern Israelites
Abraham & his sons
Egypt & the Hebrews As the Hebrews became powerful,
the kings of Egypt feared & enslaved them
The Exodus: Moses led the Hebrew slaves back to the promised land
40 years in the desert
Moses asked prayed for help & was given the 10 Commandments
Moral laws
After reaching Canaan, Israel became very powerful, but divided around 722bce
Diaspora: Movement of Jews outside of the promised land
Judaism Monotheistic: Belief on only
1 God Believed to be the 1st
monotheistic religion
Believed in: Justice & righteousness Obedience to the law
10 Commandments Mosaic laws govern
worship & prayers
The Persian Empire Cyrus the Great: Created the
largest empire in the ancient world He allowed the many different
people to keep their customs & cultures
Darius I: Rebuilt Persian Empire after Cyrus’ death Created permanent army Satraps: governors of certain
regions w/i the empire It was too big for Darius to rule on his
own
Xerxes: Last strong ruler of Persia
Zoroastrianism New religion based on
dualism Dualism: Belief that the
world is controlled by two forces – good v evil!!
People have free will & can choose to act as they please
Declined after Persian Empire declined However, ideas are still
around today & influenced many other religions
Persian Achievements Blended cultures
Cultural diffusion….
Road system Help rulers communicate with
regions around empire Easy for military to move
around empire
Art Gold cups Stone carvings Columns
Ancient Egypt Civilization developed along
the Nile River in Africa Longest river in the world Very fertile soil (silt) deposited
when Nile flooded
Delta: area around the mouth of the river Richest soil
Divided into two kingdoms Upper Egypt Lower Egypt: Near delta
Menes: United Upper & Lower Egypt
Basics of Egypt Pharaohs: Egyptian kings
Seen as gods
Theocracy: Gov’t. ruled by religious figures Pharaohs were “god-like”
The Pharaoh counted on many people to help him/her rule Bureaucracy: Structured
system of gov’t. officials Vizier: Most powerful; Pharaoh’s
main advisor
Significant Pharaohs Hatshepsut: Only female
pharaoh of Egypt Took over when husband died Funded huge long distant
trading expositions
Akhenaten: Changed Egyptian religion to monotheistic Worship only 1 god (Aten – sun
god)
Ramses the Great: Made peace with the Hittites Most building projects
Egyptian Religion Mainly polytheistic
Osiris: Judge of the Dead Isis: Goddess of nature &
protector of women Horus: God of the sky Anubis: Protector of the dead Amon-Re: King of the Gods
Obelisks: Tall pillars with detailed carvings
Priests cared for the gods & common people played no role
Believed in an afterlife
Mummification Process to preserve the body from decaying
How Egyptians prepared their pharaohs for the afterlife
Pyramids: Burial tombs for the pharaohs Size does matter…the bigger the pyramid, the more powerful the
pharaoh
Egyptian Life Class System
Gov’t. officials & priests, doctors & scribes (writers)
Artisans & merchants Peasant farmers (90%)
Women had more rights in Egypt than anywhere else in the ancient world Worked outside the home!!
Leisure time spent like we do Played games, ate,
swimming…
Egyptian Writing Hieroglyphics: Egyptian
form of writing that used symbols
Papyrus: Plant that was made into paper for writing
Rosetta Stone: Ancient stone with 3 different languages
Hieroglyphics, demonic, & Greek Unlocked the key to translating
hieroglyphics & other ancient texts
..
Art, Science, & Math Huge pyramids & temples
The Great Sphinx Huge statue 65 feet high!!
Basic math & advanced geometry
Studied human anatomy Heal broken bones, remove
tumors, basic surgery…
Ancient India India is a subcontinent
Subcontinent: Large land mass that is part of a continent India is part of the Asian
continent
Two major rivers helped support Indian civilization Indus River Ganges River
Monsoons: Seasonal winds Summer = warm, rainy months Winter = cool, drier months
Indus Valley Civilization Cities:
Well planned with roads in a grid system
Sewer system
Economy: Based on agriculture & trade
Society: Varnas: Four social classes,
which were divided into hundreds of smaller classes called castes.
Hinduism Religion practiced by most
Indians, even today
Believe that life is a pattern of birth, death & rebirth
Reincarnation: process of being reborn
Dharma: Set of spiritual duties Achieving dharma frees one from
the cycle of rebirth (moksha)
3 sacred texts The Vedas Writings inspired by the Vedas Sacred epics (long heroic poems)
Jainism Less ritualistic than Hinduism Can achieve moksha by giving up all worldly possession & carefully controlling actions Strive to eliminate greed, anger, gossip, etc. from their lives
Buddhism Based on the teaching of
Siddhartha Gautama, aka = Buddha
Four Noble Truths & the Eightfold Path are essential to Buddha’s teachings All centered around
overcoming suffering
Nirvana, a state of perfect peace, could be obtained by following the Eightfold Path Freedom from suffering
Middle Way: To live in moderation & avoid excesses
Spread around the world
Ancient China As with other ancient
civilizations, two major rivers supported society in ancient China: Yangzi River Huang He (Yellow) River
As the rivers flooded they deposited rich soil called Loess Just like the Nile left silt
Shang Dynasty (1766BCE) 1st dynasty of China
Governed by a bureaucracy A system of governors
Most of what is known about the Shang came from exploring tombs Afterlife b/c prisoners were
buried with royals
Achievements: Writing Bronze works Architects Astronomy & Calendars Money
Zhou Dynasty (1100BCE) Ruled by the Mandate of
Heaven The gods would support a just
ruler & not allow the corrupt to govern
Dynastic Cycle: Rise & fall of dynasties Just dynasties lasted & those
that were corrupt collapsed
Achievements: Iron working (stronger &
cheaper than bronze) Army Roads & canals Coins Chopsticks
New Philosophies
Based on the teachings of Confucius
People should show love & respect for each other by honoring traditions & rituals
Respect for tradition would restore stability to life & society
Based on the teachings of Laozi
Encouraged people to reject the laws of man & respect the laws of nature
Yin-Yang: Balance of nature Male & Female Black & White Hot & Cold
Confucianism Daoism