1. EARLY SOCIETIES IN SOUTHWEST ASIA AND THE INDO-EUROPEAN MIGRATIONS
WHAP CH2 POWERPOINT
EARLY SOCIETIES IN SOUTHWEST ASIA AND THE INDO-EUROPEAN MIGRATIONS

2. Civilizations
A civilization is a complex way of life, society, and culture that came to be as people were developing urban settlements.
The defining characteristics of a civilization are: large population centers, division of people into social classes, unique architecture and art styles, written language, stable food supply, technology, some form of government or authority.
One way the civilizations of my chapter grew more complex was by obtaining a food surplus and this had an effect by allowing specialization, so not everyone in the society was involved in agriculture
This made room for new occupations like soldiers, politicians, priests, and artisans that weren't possible to have or necessary before societies obtained a food surplus
Early cultivators that built reservoirs and dug canals is another example of specialization

3. Geography
The early civilizations of my chapter developed in Egypt, Anatolia and Mesopotamia, because they could sustain a large population and this was good for long-term agriculture
Mesopotamia for example means the “land between the rivers” and this refers to the fertile river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates river
The Assyrian Empire was located near the Nile river in Egypt and in Palestine
The Hittite Empire was located in Anatolia where they had access to the Tigris and Euphrates river
Mesopotamia was one of four river valley regions in which ancient civilizations were established
The river valley regions provided important geographic features such as drying soils and seasonally flooding rivers that made irrigation and agriculture possible
Even though Mesopotamia received little rainfall the large amounts of freshwater from the Tigris and Euphrates was enough to sustain them

4. What is a state?
•A state is the land that is currently conquered by an empire or kingdom.
•The most notable early ruler of the state is Hammurabi (reigned BCE) and Sargon of Akkad (reigned BCE)
•The segments of society that supported Hammurabi and Sargon were everyone because of the leaders immense power over the state

5. Expanding and conquering
•The Babylonian empire expanded Mesopotamia and conquered it until about BCE.They did this because of their powerful army and their strategy from going city to city and stationing deputies.
•The New Mesopotamian empire dominated Mesopotamia and conquered it from 650 to 550 BCE.
•The phoenicians conquered and dominated the Mediterranean Sea and Lebanon mountains by their advanced trading and communication networks.

6. The Role of Pastoral Civilizations
Pastoral civilizations had big roles in building empires
A pastoral society is a group of people who lived a nomadic lifestyle and whose society was centered on the tending of herds and flocks
Pastoral civilizations would often pass and spread information between empires and also developed new weapons and modes of transportation that highly affected empires and warfare
Some new technologies that pastoral societies invented were complex horse harnesses, armor, bronze tools for agriculture, wheeled carts, bronze and iron weapons
For example, the Assyrians made use of recently invented iron weapons and borrowed horse-drawn chariots from the Hittites to strengthen their army
Assyrian conquerors made effective use of iron weapons and tools to build their empire

7. The role of culture
•The Mesopotamians used tablets and sculptures to keep history and help keep messages.
•They were brought together by many religions
•had schools and scribes to teach students and help them learn
•Written works included The Epic of Gilgamesh and new studies on astronomy and mathematics
•New writing called cuneiform was a writing system with pictures

8. Architectural forms in early civilization
•Priests and Priestesses lived in temple communities
•Different temple communities had different jobs, some were for agricultural use, some were for banks, and finally some were for textile workers.
•these communities were for wealthy people
•they lived in these communities also to ensure good fortune from their gods

9. Social class and development of art in early civilization
•Sumerians and Phoenicians developed writing and art
•made pictures in hardened clay
•created sculptures that depicted tributes and everyday life
•alphabetic writing was created

10. Early forms of writing in ancient civilization
•earliest known writing came from Mesopotamia
•first started with pictographs than evolved to signs relaying specific words
•Cuneiform writing-graphic symbols to represent sounds, syllables, and ideas
•developed by Sumerians
•impressed symbols on wet clay...when dried and hardened it preserved the message
•Epic Of Gilgamesh

11. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LITERATURE AND CULTURE
In Mesopotamia, people used writing to communicate ideas,investigate intellectual and religious problems , and reflect on their lives and their reason they are alive.
The best known reflective literature from this time is the Epic of Gilgamesh
This epic focused on the experiences of Gilgamesh and Enkindu
It reflected on their religion, particularly their relationships with their gods
It showed themes of companionship and friendship, like Hammurabi’s code focused on the relations of their people with their families and working together
The Mesopotamian writing also led to advances in Astronomy and Mathematics

12. Pre-600 BCE Religion’s Influence
The major religions that influenced other eras were Judaism, Hebrewism, Monotheism, and Phoenicianism
The Hebrew scriptures are the Old Testament of the Christian Bible
The Hebrew story of a devastating flood that destroyed all human society is an alteration of the same story in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
The Hebrews recognized Yahweh as the only true God somewhere around the eighth century B.C.E.
Monotheoism is the belief in the existence of one God, this concept has had an influence on religions later eras such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam

13. Trade
Phoenicians influenced societies because of their maritime trade and communication centers
Had small lands so they were forced into industry and trade
Traded overland with mesopotamians and other peoples, supplying timber, furnishings, and decorative items that went into the Israelites’ temples
Phoenicians even decided to expand their trade routes into the sea and imported raw materials for metal, textiles, pottery, glass, and art
The Phoenicians dominated the Mediterranean trade and established colonies in Rhodes, Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia, Spain, and North Africa
Established trade routes all across the seas and went on long voyages
Mesopotamians traveled from their home to Kanesh by donkey for a voyage of 1,000 miles

14. Social and Gender Identities
When agriculture formed in Mesopotamia, so did social classes
The lowest class was the slaves and the highest was royalties, who were chosen because they were heroic warriors or simply because they were chosen by the gods
Women were able to advise Kings in the courts
Some women were priestesseS who managed the temples
Most women were midwives, shoekeepers, brewers, bakers, tavern keepers, and textile manufacturers
No records of women serving as rulers or holding high-level administrative positions
Men were very strict towards the women of Mesopotamia, as shown in the many laws regarding the behaviors of women

15. CREATED BY:
HUNTER ALBAN
COLE COSTA
BEAU KIMBLE
FELIPE RAMIREZ