6. Olmec 1200BCE –near Veracruz First written lang in Americas (900BCE) Culture influenced later Mesoamerican civs

Complex political gov’t Public buildings/pyramids Agriculture Writing Sculpture

Olmec Culture Religion Polytheistic society Religion was a dominant aspect to Olmec life, and many of the rulers during that time were considered god like/ godly. Full-time priest also had an immense amount of power and influence on the Olmec people.

Social The secular elite (including chieftains) supervised agrarian craftwork and transactions Ruler--> priest/shaman--> elite--> everyone else (commoners)

Diet? Domestic maize Chili, palm nuts, squash Protein – domesticated dog Supplemented with deer, fish, turtles

Eyes, Fangs Rope, held

Were-jaguar baby

The others nomads

NOMADS: BARBARIANS? Pastoralism Seen as savages by the settled Domestication of animals Way of life based on herding Often on fringes Bordered settled areas Seen as savages by the settled 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

1st Civilizations: characteristics and comparasions

Roots in Ag. Rev. Developed form earlier chiefdoms and was gradual So why some but not others? Need for large scale irrigation? Needs of elite groups, warfare, trade? Population density fosters competition for limited ag. land? Origins?

An Urban Rev. Cities most distinctive feature of 1st civs Most impressive to visitors Lay at the heart of 1st civs Capitals Centers of culture Places of exchange Center of manufacturing Cities create more specialization and inequality An Urban Rev. Ishtar gate, Babylon 575BCE

Erosion of equality Hierarchy of class 1st civs and cities magnify inequalities Major turning point in human social history

Upper class Wealth Avoid labor Finest things Top positions Distinguishable by Clothes, houses, Burial treatment by law

Free commoners Majority of population Farmers, artisans, soldiers, etc. Their surplus appropriated to upper class Sometimes resented

Slaves Bottom of social hierarchy Emerged with civilization 1st gen were war prisoners, criminals, debtors Labor Sometimes sacrificed Varied Egypt and Indus had less than Mesopotamia Differed from recent Am. Slavery Not ag., children freed, not defined by race

Hierarchy of gender Civ undermined earlier more equal relationships between men and women Patriarchy emerges 1st civs. Intensive ag (plows) favor male labor But it still develops where there were no plows (Mesoamerica, Andes)

Gender ..whys? (all theory, not necessary to copy) 1. product of social complexity Men less important at home, more available to assume specialist roles Used authority to shape values in ways that benefited men at the expense of women 2. women assoc. with nature due to reproduction roles Civ as master over nature? Women associated with inferior nature? 3. warfare Large-scale military conflict in 1st civs Service restricted to men 4. private property/commerce Need to restrict female sexual activities ->insure inheritance Exchange of wives, concubines, female slaves as part of male commerce

Patriarchy in Practice Mesopotamia: Laws codify family life Regulation of female sexuality Goddesses replaced by male deities Egypt Greater opportunity than most 1st civs Own property, slaves Divorce, marry Poetry suggests affection between sexes

Rise of the State Gov’t central to stability in 1st civs State Defense, irrigation, adjudicate conflicts Serves upper class: protects privilege, requires farmers to give to the city Uses force to secure its will Force not always necessary Claiming authority given by gods

Trade Trade expands during this period from local to regional and transregional. With trade you have the exchange of goods, ideas, and technology It ranges as far as Mesopotamia to Indus Valley

Writing All 1st civs (except Andes) Defines elites Provides means for Propaganda Accurate record keeping/calendars Gives weight to laws Fosters literature, philosophy, learning Can be a threat to rulers

Final note: civilization : the word

Modern Assessment of 1st civs Pro: Art, reflections on life, productive tech, writing Con: Massive inequalities, oppression, slavery, war, subordination of women, epidemic disease

Civilization…as a word Scholars have reservations about the word… Implies superiority, “higher society”, unreservedly positive, implies inferiority It is a clear cut definition between historical boundaries It is deeply embedded in our way of thinking about the world