Time Period I 8000 BCE – 600 BCE

Period BCE-600BCE Neolithic Revolution Before 8000 BCE  homosapiens (us) Out of Africa – Modern humans migrate after about 80,000 years ago from Africa – Island hop across Indonesia into Australia by 40,000 years ago – Cross Bearing Strait into Americas circa 20,000 years ago

Civilization (farming) leads to disease, women inequality (& shortness) 8000 BCE – Neolithic Revolution/Agricultural Revolution in Fertile Crescent (Mespotamia) First crops = wheat/barley in Middle East Then rice/China, yams/AFR, maize/AME Farming brings surplus of food – If your food and security…

Domesticated animals start in Middle East – Lambs, goats, cows Only Llamas in South Am. Farming begins independently in several areas – Especially American – Ag settlements (not civs) – Jericho 8000 BCE (Israel) – Chatel Huyuk 7000 BCE (Turkey)

What is a civ? Food surplus Job specialization Writing Art Trade Stratification Army New Tech

Metals during this time are very important First Bronze (copper + tin) – 3000 BCE First Iron (among Hittites in Anatolian Peninsula) – 1300 BCE

Themes Environment altered by humans – Irrigation – Indus, Nile, Yellow all flood Developments from cultural interaction – Trade among empires As civilization progresses, woman’s status declines – Hunters/gatherers egalitarian

River Valley Civs: Mesopotamia Flooding = angry gods Open Geography = causing trouble, less stability Sumer Cuneiform = earliest known writing Epic of Gilgamesh – Flood found in other stories

Govs less centralized – City states Sumerian Advancements Wheel, calendar, 60 base number system

Babylonians take over Sumer Code of Hammurabi – Diff rules for diff classes – Protection of property rights – Super strict – Gender inequality

Mesopotamia, cont. Polytheistic ziggurats Hammurabi’s Code Cuneiform Wheel Gilgamesh

Hittites bring iron to Mesopotamia Diffusion – getting something from another culture Syncretism – merging cultural elements

Major Mesopotamian cultures: Sumer Acadians Babylon Hittites Assyrians Persians

Egypt Nile predictable flooding – Less angry gods & focus on wonderful afterlife 3 kingdoms – old, middle, new Pyramids in old Interact w/ Nubians in middle (comparison of artistic styles, religious symbols, & political legitimacy) More militaristic in new

Pharaoh Pyramids show social stratification Priest in role of huge power  support base for royal power Hieroglyphic writing Papyrus = paper

Compare Zigs, Pyrs, Am pyrs

Compare Cuneiform, Herioglyphics, Mayan Glyphs

Hatshepsut – women ruler – Then Egypt has more status for women than other civs Diffusion of bronze into Egypt from Hyksos

Egyptian Highlights: Polytheistic Social Strat Centralized (more than Meso) Higher status for women Pyramids Hieroglyphics

Indus (Pakistan) (N. India) – Cities: Mohenjo Daro, Harappa Indoor plumbing, peaceful Social stratification evident, but less so than other Bronze Age civs Proof of long distance trade – Indus seals found in Mesopotamia Aryans migrate into N. India after Indus Civ’s collapse Start Hinduism/Caste System  Rig Veda (Indra the Thunder-Wielder, etc.)

China (Shang Dynasty) first Oracle bones (& turtle shells) – Scratch questions in character writing, fire, get answers from ancestors through cracking Zhou (pronounced “Joe”) – Longest dynasty – Create Mandate of Heaven ideology God gives emperor right to rule if he is good Ancestor veneration of emperor’s ancestors is key Maybe a justification to overthrow Shang?

Exceptions to river valley rule Americas – Olmec in Central America – Chavin in Peru

Important groups Indo-Europeans – Rode horses – Spread from C. Asia into other areas (Aryans) Bantu migrations (from 2000BCE) – Sub Saharan Africa – Spread their language, farming and iron Hebrews (first monotheists) Phonecians – Phonetics (becomes modern alphabet)

Religion in U1 Animism – “animating” giving objects spirits – Esp. relevant to Cent. Asia, Americas, & Sub-Sah Af. Hinduism Judaism Zoroastrianism – Battle b/t Good and evil starts here – Arguments for this was first monotheist religion – Good god/bad god maybe polytheistic – Maybe archetype for God/Devil