Ancient Civilizations and the exceptions

How did the Neolithic Revolution change the nature of human society? Review Question How did the Neolithic Revolution change the nature of human society?

Agricultural Village Societies Kinship groups or lineages Continued their agricultural livelihoods with gathering, hunting, and fishing Few signs of inherited social inequalities Women were farmers, spinners, weavers of textiles Traced their descent matrilineally Large numbers of people could make or enforce rules, maintain order, and settle disputes without going to war

Lineage systems Performed the functions of government but without the formal apparatus of government Did not require kings, queens, chiefs, or permanent officials associated with a state organization Elders could exploit the labor of junior members of the community and sought to control women’s reproductive powers

Chiefdoms Agricultural societies that became organized politically Inherited positions of power and privilege introduced a more distinct element of inequality Chiefs could seldom use force to compel the obedience of their subjects Relied on their generosity or gift giving, their ritual status, or their position or charisma th persuade their followers

Chiefs came from senior lineages They had both religious and secular functions Led important rituals and ceremonies, organized the community for warfare, directed its economic life, and sought to resolve internal conflicts Collected tribute from commoners in the form of food, manufactured goods, and raw materials Items were redistributed to warriors, craftsmen, religious specialists, and other subordinates

Civilization Article Discussion How does the author define civilization? Who creates the concept of civilization Why is using the term "civilization" problematic to describe a group of people?

Civilization Chalk Talk You will have three minutes. Your job is to respond– in whatever way you feel is best– to the statement or question before you WITHOUT SPEAKING. This is a SILENT activity, and all of your ideas should be expressed through writing. Don’t just respond to the initial prompt– ask questions of your classmates’ responses as well. Indicate your thought process by drawing lines between comments or questions and responses. At the end of the five minutes, you and your group members will move to the next prompt. Spend the first few minutes reading over the previous group(s)’ responses, and then join in the conversation. WRITE SOMETHING. Don’t worry if you think it’s too basic or simple– sometimes simplicity is the key.

Review Question What components must a society have in order to be considered a civilization?

What is a civilization? A society distinguished by reliance on sedentary agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses, existence of non-farming elites, and social stratification. Often lead by rulers whose source of power was believed to be divine or had divine support and/or who was supported by the military Large societies with powerful cities and states powerful new systems of rule that mobilized surplus labor and resources over large areas

Location of Ancient Culture Hearths What environmental conditions were needed to develop the first civilizations?

Ancient Mesopotamia

Government Initially, priest-kings rule city- states Sumerians (c. 3500 BCE) City-states evolve into empires Akkadians (c. 2334-2218 BCE) Land owning aristocracy dominated Develop a formal legal codes Hammurabi’s Code (c. 1800 BCE) Babylonians

Religion Believed in 3,000 gods Goal: Appease gods to control nature Art and literature focus on gods and religion Epic of Gilgamesh Contains a story of an epic flood Built ziggurats

Society Slavery was common Patriarchal One could become a slave through war, crime, or debt Slaves were used in temples, public buildings, or private homes Patriarchal Women could hold most occupations Nobles Freemen Slaves

Steele

Economy

Science & Technology Inventions: wheel, sail, and plow Bronze metallurgy 1st system of writing Cuneiform 1st number system Based on units of 10, 60, & 360 Astronomy

Ancient Egypt Relatively isolated Nile flooded regularly, predictably Provided rich soil, easy soil to farm Civilization regulated flooding, surveying Control the Nile; control society

Government Formed by 3000 BCE Unified for most of history Theocracy Early Kingdom Middle Kingdom Late Kingdom Theocracy Pharaoh was a god-king Women could be pharaohs Hatshepsut (1473-1458 BCE) Ramses II

Religion Thousands of gods Relatively egalitarian Believe in afterlife Gods have animal and human qualities Gods & goddesses Relatively egalitarian Believe in afterlife Book of the Dead Heaven & Hell Mummification Pyramids & Temples

Society Social Stratification Slavery common Women have more rights Limited opportunity for social mobility Slavery common Women have more rights Could own property, propose marriage, and demand a divorce

Arts Hieroglyphic writing on papyrus Mathematics Calendar system Geometry Calendar system 365 days (off by 6 hours) Medicine Architecture Pyramids – monumental architecture

Ancient India & China

Indus River Valley Cities emerge around 2500 BCE Culturally unified city- states Harappa and Mohenjo- Daro Mysterious ending Environmental degradation vs. Aryan invasion

Indus River Valley Polytheistic religion Influenced Hinduism Vedism Aryan caste system Planned cities with large temples Undecipherable writing system Advanced technology Plumbing systems

Ancient China Developed in isolation along the Huang He (Yellow) River Shang dynasty emerged c. 1500 BCE Warlike kings & landed aristocracy dominate Cities surrounded by massive earthen walls

Ancient China Chinese Society Chinese Culture Family at center of society Extended-family structure Patriarchy Women were subordinate Chinese Culture Believed spirits of family ancestors could bring good fortune or disaster Ancestor veneration Oracle bones (right) Bronze & silk

Dynastic Cycle Mandate of Heaven—Rulers are chose to rule by heaven and will continue to rule as long as heaven is pleased; if heaven is not pleased, heaven will pass the mandate to another family

The Olmec Mesoamerica c.1400-400 BCE Olmec zone is dense tropical forest High rainfall - over 300 cm/year

Government & Society City-states with common culture Social Hierarchy Highest rank is that of the chief Dominated by landed aristocracy Laborers forced to build temples, palaces, and drainage canals

Religion Polytheistic Religion led to development of a calendar Deities blended male & female, animal & human characteristics Feathered-serpent god (right) Shamans organized religious life Religion led to development of a calendar Major cities = athletic hubs with intricate ball courts for entertainment and devotion to the gods

Art Lacked a writing system Building of clay pyramids and temple mounds – monumental architecture Particular sculptural style Jaguars Fine jade carving Colossal heads

Economic Villages traded with each other People paid taxes to rulers Olmec = “Inhabitants in the land of rubber” – one of their main exports Subsistence farmers who cultivated most of the foodstuffs needed by their villages maize, beans, squash, and cacao, while shipping lightweight products such as ceramics and precious goods (jade, obsidian, or quetzal feathers) to other villages

The Chavin Coastal and highland regions of Peru c.1400-750 BCE Town of 2,000 to 3,000 by 750 B.C.E. but no real cities

Government & Society No Chavin empire Human trophy heads indicate raiding, warfare and violence among local centers before about 900 B.C.E. when the village of Chavin became the focal point. Social Hierarchy Clear distinctions between an elite class, who lived in stone houses, and ordinary people, with adobe dwellings

Religion Polytheistic Major deities were represented as jaguars, crocodiles, and snakes of the Amazon basin. Shamans organized religious life Elaborate temple complex, including galleries hidden passageways, staircases, ventilation shafts, drainage canals, and distinctive carvings. Artwork suggests religion drew ideas from both the desert coastal region and the rain forests. Shamans or priests likely made use of the San Pedro cactus for its hallucinogenic properties.

Chavin Art Jaguar-human images Intricate stone carvings Experimentation with minerals led to the discovery of gold, silver, and copper metallurgy; fashioned metals into pieces of jewelry or other decorative items as well as tools Quipu – no writing

Architecture Building of clay pyramids and temple mounds Ceremonial centers of temples constructed in a characteristic U shape, associated with small-scale irrigation projects, and suggest the growing power of religion leaders. Became a pilgrimage site and training center

Economic Situated on trade routes to both the coastal region to the west and the Amazon rain forest to the east Andean trade routes spread religion and culture Weavers produced elaborate textiles of both cotton and wool from llamas and alpacas.

Oceania Originally settled from Southeast Asia by two different groups of people at widely separated points in time. The first settlers of the Pacific, ancestors of present-day Melanesians and Australian Aboriginals, reached New Guinea and Australia roughly 40,000–60,000 years ago. By 38,000 B.C., these Melanesian peoples had expanded as far east as the northern Solomon Islands. It took more than 30,000 years before the descendants of a second wave of Southeast Asian peoples, together with the Melanesians with whom they interacted, began to venture into the more remote islands of the Pacific.

Government & Society Organized in tribes (clans) Semi-nomadic Chief-based Each tribe controlled a portion of Australia In the other three culture areas, the territory controlled by a given tribe might consist of a portion of an island, an entire island, or even multiple islands

Oceania Religion Polytheistic They also believed in ghosts which were the spirits of dead people. The priestly class organized worship around low stone platforms called "marae" and where stone or wooden sculptures, called "Tiki", that represented gods and spirits, were placated and honored.

Art Lacking writing systems and working primarily in perishable materials such as wood and fiber, the peoples of the Pacific have left little record of their early history or art forms. Rock paintings and engravings Polynesian statuary has a common feature: the heads of its figures are exaggeratedly large

Architecture Worked mainly in wood Used the basic stone blade as a ax When obsidian was available, it was chipped into blades for use as both weapons and tools. Materials also included bamboo and bivalve shells, which take extremely sharp edges. Some fine cutting and engraving was done with boar tusks or with hafted shark and rodent teeth. Animal bones served as gouges, awls, and needles.

Economic Sophisticated maritime technology Semi-nomadic Agricultural expertise

Despite Differences ALL: Produced agricultural surpluses that permitted: Significant specialization of labor Cities Complex institutions Political bureaucracies Armies Religious hierarchies Stratified social hierarchies Long-distance trading relationships within and between civilizations and nomadic pastoralists

Culture as a GREAT unifier Laws Language Literature Religion

Monumental Architecture and Urban Planning Ziggurats Pyramids Temples Defensive Walls Streets and roads Sewage and water systems

Legacy of Ancient Civilizations Ancient civilizations decline by 1000 BCE Subject to nomadic invasions Political and cultural centers shift to new geographical areas (except China)

Exceptions Pastoral Societies Agricultural Village Societies Chiefdoms

Pastoral Societies Nomadic peoples who herd domesticated animals Sheep, goats, cattle, horses, camels, reindeer Move in search of food for their animals Traditionally more stable than hunter-gatherer societies Other groups were able to combine permanent settlements in lowland areas and the movements of animals to more mountanous pasturelands

Geography Develop on marginal land where farming was difficult or impossible Interact with agricultural societies Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, Sahara, parts of eastern and southern Africa

Economy Food-producing economy Could turn grass or waste products into meat, fibers, hides, and milk Useful for transport and warfare

Political Primarily organized in kinship based tribes or clans Periodically created powerful military confederation Attracted to the wealth and sophistication of agricultural societies Cain “tiller of the ground” and Able “keeper of sheep”

Interaction Developers and disseminators of new weapons and modes of transportation that transformed warfare in agrarian societies Compound bows Iron weapons Chariots Horseback riding