The History of Civilization WELCOME!

Important INFORMATION  Attendance is essential!  There will be two exams – a mid-term and a final worth 50% each  Class will be mostly in a lecture format although student participation is encouraged  ASK questions  You reading material is available from the copy room. Read p on Egypt for next weeks class. The readings are essential!!!

ANY HELP  My office hours:  Wednesday 9-12  Friday 9-12

Why do we study History in IR?  The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of history so we can understand the world today  Human civilization as we know it stretches back 5000 years and has provided the foundation for the world we live in today.

The building blocks of Civilization  Pre-history  Humanoid (humanlike) life has existed on earth for – 3-4 million years  Humans and their immediate ancestors appeared 100, ,000 years ago What continent is home to the people considered to be the earth’s oldest surviving ethnic group? AUSTRALIA

Neolithic Revolution  Around 10,000 years ago human societies became more advanced and civilizations started to evolve. Domesticate plants and animals Practiced agriculture Record keeping Made metal tools (not stone) Complex forms of political and social organization Sophisticated modes of economic exchange

The Earliest “Civilized” societies  Appearing between 4000 and 5000 years ago:  The Sumerian – Babylonian civilization of Mesopotamia  Egypt  The Indus Valley  Early China  What important feature did they have in common?

RIVERS- VITAL to early CIV  Water transport easier and cheaper  Food!  Irrigation  Drinkable water  The Nile  The Tigris and Euphrates  The Indus and Ganges  The Huang Ho (yellow river)

Ancient River Valley CIVS

What causes civilization evolve?  Geography  Environment  Cooperation  Danger  Surplus food  Water  There are many factors that cause civilizaitons to rise up

Best environment for CIVILIZATION  One or more of the following:  No EXTREMES  arable, fertile land  Preferably flat  Reliable source of water  Topography – easy movement  Sea or a river

Humanity and the environment  Humans and their environment – mutually influence each other – geography is not the ONLY factor that shapes a society. But it does play a crucial role.  Human beings have created societies in all but he most inhospitable places.

Key Terms  CIVILIZATION “social organization of a higher order marked by advancements in the arts and sciences”  A “Civilization” must have: art, science, writing, organization, cooperation, trade, government

The Fertile Crescent

What distinguishes a Civilized society from a Barbaric or Primitive society?

Barbarians“Civilized”  Lives in village OR nomadic  Illiterate  Lives in cities  Literate BUT- usually the difference is “we” are civilized “they” are Barbarians. The Ancient Greeks believed anyone who was not Greek was a Barbarian!

Key Terms  State  Nation  An organised society occupying a definite territory and possessing an authoritative government independent of external control. The essence of a state is “sovereignty” or the power to make or administer laws and to punıish people for breaking those laws – (social order)  Ethnic concept used to designate people bound together by language, customs, common memories, common destiny.

Key Terms  Theocracy  Democracy  Autocracy  Hegemony  A theocracy is a state where a god or deity is recognised as the supreme leader or the leader is seen as divine  A government chosen by the people, the rule of the majority  A government where one person possesses unlimited power  Superior influence or power over others- domination