 “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”  What does the quote mean? What is its purpose? Why would this be considered an acceptable action? Is this justice? Warm-up:

  Mesopotamia  Egypt  India  China  Born near rivers  Had cities, writing, law codes, divine kingship  Not in the Western world (still cavemen) First Civilizations

 Ancient Mesopotamia

  City-states: cities which had control of the surrounding countryside  Fought each other for control of resources (i.e. land and water)  Flat land = vulnerable to invasion  Fighting led to empire-building Ancient Mesopotamia

 Hammurabi  1792 B.C. – Empire of Hammurabi  Well-disciplined army of foot soldiers  Divide and conquer enemies  “the sun of Babylon, the king who has made the four quarters of the world subservient”  Built temples, defensive walls, irrigation canals  Trade and economic revival  Created the earliest law code that has been preserved

  Collection of 282 laws, based on strict justice  Keep order, prevent conflict  Severe penalties  retaliation  No equality of individuals  Penalties differed among social classes  Importance of family:  arranged marriages, marriage contracts  Patriarchal – dominated by men  Obedience  Covers almost every aspect of people’s lives Code of Hammurabi

  In groups, read your list of laws  What are they regulating?  Who are they written for?  What are the consequences? Do they fit the crimes?  Are the laws equal for all society? Check it out

Egypt and Divine Kingship

  Founded along the Nile  Floods often, built irrigation system  3 major periods of long-term stability: strong leadership, freedom from invasion, building of pyramids, great cultural activity  Chaotic government and foreign invasion between the periods  Old Kingdom: Pharaohs ruled through divine right, polytheistic  Middle Kingdom: Hykosos invaded with horse-drawn chariots, learned to make bronze weapons and chariots  New Kingdom: Empire Egypt and Divine Kingship

New Centers of Civilization: The Israelites

  The spiritual heritage of the Israelites is a basic pillar of Western civilization  Judaism influenced Christianity and Islam  King Solomon rules as Israelites took over Palestine, Jerusalem became the capital  Israel split into Israel and Judah  Jews practicing Judaism  Jews became stateless  Religion helped maintain their identity when they didn’t have a state The Israelites

  Monotheistic  one god called Yahweh, creator and ruler of the world  Above everyone in nature  Watched over his creature  Punished for wrongdoing, but merciful  Sin  Jewish beliefs are markers of Western tradition:  Humans are separate from and struggle against nature  Have a particular relationship to a Supreme Being, who watches over them  Covenant (contract with Moses), law (social justice) and the prophets (religious teachers)  Gives all people access to God’s wishes The Israelites

Ancient India

  Established in the Indus River valley  Aryans dominated by creating a distinct social structure  Ranks people from high to low into varnas (“color”)  discrimination

  Based on occupation and family networks  Beliefs about religious purity  Higher caste = greater religious purity  Remain in same caste for life  Untouchables not part of caste system  Given menial tasks, like collecting trash and handling dead bodies  Gave a sense of order during chaotic times Caste System

  Single force, or ultimate reality in the universe, the Brahman  If the individual self, the Atman, seeks to know the Brahman in this life, the self would merge with the Brahman after death  Reincarnation, after death the soul is reborn in another form  Achieve union after many deaths  Karma, what a person does in one life affects their future life, moving closer to the Brahman  Support the caste system Hinduism

 Buddhism  Siddhartha Gautama tried to achieve wisdom by seeing the world in a new way  Known as the Buddha, or “Enlightened One”

 Ancient China

  Zhou Dynasty laid the foundations for today’s China  “Mandate from Heaven”  political belief that a ruler was the ruler because Heaven gave him a mandate  Mandate  command, authorization  Family is the core of society  Patriarchal  Devotion to family and one’s ancestors  Stable, yet conservative, society  Han Dynasty extended Chinese borders Ancient China

  Philosopher who traveled all throughout China  How do we restore order to our society? (chaotic times)  Wanted to know how to act morally in the real world  People are naturally good, and can acquire knowledge and virtue  Need virtuous leaders to show the way  Obedience to superiors  Sayings influence Chinese culture Confucius