Origins of Civilization

 Period from 10,000 BCE  Dramatic change from nomadic life to settled farming ◦ Domestication of plants and animals  Development of civilizations in different parts of the world ◦ Earliest cities:  Catalhuyuk—Modern-day Turkey ca. 7,000 BCE  Jericho—Middle East ca. 10,000-9,000 BCE

 Organized Governments  Complex Religions—Polytheism  Job Specialization (Artisans)  Social Classes  Arts and Architecture Development  Public Works  Writing

Legacy Iraq

 Land Between the Rivers ◦ Civilization develops between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers  Many early cities in Sumer—region where the rivers meet  Ur  Uruk

 Writing: ◦ Cuneiform—early form of writing ◦ Epic of Gilgamesh  Heroic story of King of Uruk

 Major city of Mesopotamia ◦ Rises under several kings  Hammurabi  Hammurabi code—first set of laws to be codified  Civil Laws—private rights and matters (business, property, taxes, marriage, divorce)  Criminal Laws—offenses against others  Nebuchadnezzar ◦ Great architecture—Hanging Gardens

 Empire under Cyrus the Great around 539 BCE  Truly united under Darius ( BCE) ◦ Well organized  Divided the empire into provinces (satrapy)  Unified laws  Built Roads  Visible Ruler  Zoroaster: Religious thinker ◦ Monotheism—taught that a single wise god, Ahura Mazda ruled the world  Constant battle against Ahriman, prince of evil ◦ Taught that good would triumph over evil  Legacy in Christianity and Islam?

 Civilization begins in India in the Indus Valley region on the Indian Subcontinent around 2600 BCE ◦ Flourished for about 700 years, but we don’t know much about the civilization  Well planned cities—evident from organized layout ◦ Mohenjo-Dara one of two possible capitals  Abandoned around 1900 BCE—Why? We don’t completely know—language not deciphered

 During the Vedic Age ( BCE ), Aryans invade the Indus Valley ◦ Nomads from across Europe and Asia ◦ Eventually settle in Ganges Basin

 Language: ◦ Sandskrit—Oldest living language, developed ca BC  Religion: ◦ Rig Veda—Oldest Religious scripture (ca BC) ◦ Indus River—sacred, source of life

 Hinduism—grew out of the common culture of India ◦ Diverse, but a few common beliefs  Karma—all the actions of a person’s life that affect his or her fate in the next life  Dharma—the religious and moral duties of an individual. Very important, but vary depending on social factors  Ahimsa—important principal of non-violence ◦ Goal of achieving moksha: to be close to brahman— a single spiritual power that existed beyond the many gods & resided in all things

 Caste System—System of social groups people are born into, rarely changes ◦ Legacy of Aryans who had very strict social structure