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Unit 1: Foundations 8000 BCE to 600 CE
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Prehistory Prehistoric or Prehistory refers to the time before the advancement of writing.
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Paleolithic Era Paleolithic Era also means Old Stone Age.
The Paleolithic or Old Stone Age began 2 million years ago.
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Lascaux caves (France) 32,000 years ago
Paleolithic Era Humans during this period found shelter in caves. Cave paintings left behind. Lascaux caves (France) 32,000 years ago Purpose?
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Paleolithic Era Homo Sapiens during this period: Were Nomads
Were Hunter-Gatherers Lived in clans The first to make simple tools and weapons. Created cave art Mastered the use of Fire. Developed a language
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Paleolithic Era 2,000,000 BCE – 8000 BCE
Neolithic Era 8000 BCE – 3000 BCE
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World History begins at about 8,000 BC when village life began in the New Stone Age. . .
Also known as the Neolithic Revolution. NEW STONE AGE
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A TOTALLY new way of living:
From Hunter-Gatherers to Agriculture
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Neolithic Era Neolithic Era means the new stone age.
Homo sapiens sapiens during this period: Developed agriculture Domesticated animals Used advanced tools like spears Developed weaving skills
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The Agricultural Revolution
8,000 BCE – 5,000 BCE Agriculture developed independently in different parts of the world. SLASH-AND-BURN Farming Middle East India Central America China Southeast Asia 8,000 BCE 7,000 BCE 6,500 BCE 6,000 BCE ,000 BCE
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The Agricultural Revolution
The Neolithic Age is sometimes called the Agricultural Age Some Nomads turned into Farmers They learned to domesticate (tame) animals They learned to farm their food
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INVENTION OF AGRICULTURE
Mesopotamians first to engage in agriculture Around 8000 BCE Cereal crops Wheat Barley Herd animals Sheep Goats Woman probably first farmer Grain-collecting then noticed that stored wild grain could be grown on purpose
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Agriculture changed how people lived
Agriculture (Farming) Growth of Cities Division of Labor (Specialization) Trade Writing and Mathematics
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Nomadic vs. Agricultural Societies
Hunter/Gatherers vs. Farmers More Free Time vs. Constant Work Temporary Shelter vs. Long-term Homes Small Groups vs. Larger Groups Public Land vs. Private Land
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SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES
Originally ruled by council of elders Authority moved to single leader Close-knit society Communal granaries, ovens, and fields Private property limited to personal possessions
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POSSESSIONS Needs of agriculture and stability Clay pottery
Woven baskets Woolen and linen clothing Sophisticated tools and weapons Plow
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RESULTS OF AGRICULTURE
Required intensification of group organization Neolithic farmers lived in settlements Population from 150 (Jarmo) to 2000 (Jericho) people.
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OUTSIDE CONTACTS Neolithic communities had similarities
Walls indicate some were fearful Others were more peaceful Obsidian and turquoise in Jericho from several 100’s of miles away Either gifts or received in trade Jericho
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Thus…Civilization Began – But Whose Definition?
18th Century European Civilized vs. primitive White vs. everyone else
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What contributes to the Development of a Civilization?
Specialization of labor is the key If everyone has to farm to have enough food, a great civilization won’t develop. If there is a surplus of food, others are free to build, invent, create tools, create art, and build institutions.
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What does it mean to be civilized?
Historians have determined 6-9 characteristics of civilization: Cities as administrative centers Political System based on territory Job specialization Social classes Monumental Building Writing/Record Keeping Long-distance trade Advances in science and art Complex religions
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Cities formed along a River!
Rivers provided: water supply transportation food supply from animals Rivers provided challenges: flooding irrigation Required organized, mass labor Construction and repair of canals and irrigation ditches Euphrates River
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Organized Central Governments
Central authority needed to control: Labor Storage of grain Dispersion of foodstuffs among population Early governments first led by priests Later controlled by warrior chiefs or kings
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Organized Central Governments
Governments became more complex as new responsibilities arose such as: tax collecting law making handling public works projects organizing systems of defense
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Complex Religions Generally polytheistic
Many gods represented natural forces Others controlled human activities Priests and worshippers tried to gain gods’ favor through complex rituals and sacrifice Directed by unquestionable ruling class of priests King regarded as a god or as a god’s agent
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Complex Religions Temples often built to honor specific gods and goddesses Mesopotamian ziggurat Mayan temple Egyptian temple
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Social Classes People ranked according to their profession Chief
Priests Nobles Wealthy merchants Artisans Peasants/farmers Slaves Egyptian social structure
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Social Classes Priestly class is part of the beginning of social differentiation Class structure based on specialization of labor Generated class differences Priests (“We talk to god, you don’t.) Aristocrats/warriors (“We have weapons, you don’t.”) Common people (“I guess we work...?”) Slaves (“Uh, oh!!!”)
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Job Specialization and the Arts
Artisans specialized in various jobs, such as: Bricklayers Blacksmiths Production of luxuries (Items Not Related to Survival) Metal technology
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Job Specialization and the Arts
Created great architecture and art monumental architecture pyramids, ziggurats, big cities huge temples and associated structures to fill the needs of a god-oriented state under the control of the priestly class
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Writing Probably first used by priests
Earliest writing used pictograms Chinese calligraphy Egyptian hieroglyphs Mesopotamian cuneiform
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Writing Symbols later added to represent words and then sounds
Scribes were specially trained to read, write, and record information Religion Trade Government Learning became cumulative
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UNIQUENESS OF CIVILIZATION
Civilization was not simply next inevitable step from Neolithic Age Many peoples remained at simple food-raising stage for thousands of years—without developing any sort of civilization Only five locations developed civilizations entirely on their own Mesopotamia Egypt Indus River Valley China Central America and Peru
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But What About…? Stonehenge Easter Island (2000 BCE?)
(Sometime between CE)
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GEOGRAPHY influenced the development of river valley civilizations.
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Role of Climate and Geography in Early Societies
Imagine how early societies may have been affected by climate/geography. How do you think early peoples responded? What difference would geography make in the long term development of a society?
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Early River Valley Civilizations
Environment Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable No natural barriers Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings Mesopotamia Flooding of the Nile predictable Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages Deserts were natural barriers Egypt Indus flooding unpredictable Monsoon winds Mountains, deserts were natural barriers Indus River Valley Huang He flooding unpredictable Mountains, deserts natural barriers Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations China Mountains and ocean natural barriers Warm temperatures and moderate rainfall Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations Mesoamerica & Andes
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Mesopotamia – Fertile Crescent
Sumer – The Earliest of the River Valley Civilizations Sumerian Civilization grew up along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Iraq.
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Sumerian Writing: cuneiform
Cuneiform is created by pressing a pointed stylus into a clay tablet.
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Ziggurat – Holy Mountain
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EGYPT “The Gift of the Nile”
Hieroglyphics Pyramids Geometry Advances in medicine and surgery Nile River Sahara Desert
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Indus River Valley 2500 BC – 1500 BC
Harappan culture Well planned cities Grid pattern Modern plumbing Built on mud brick platforms Protected against seasonal floods Larger cities Houses built of baked brick Smaller towns Houses built of sun-dried mud brick
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Shang China 1600 BC – 1027 BC Divinations Religion Astronomy Calendar
Yellow River Valley Bronze, jade, stone, bone and ceramic artifacts Advanced culture Divinations Religion Astronomy Calendar Art Medicine
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Shang China 1600 BC – 1122 BC Religion
Human as well as animal sacrifices Regarded their land as only civilized land and called it Zhongguo (Middle Kingdom) Lack of contact with foreigners led to belief in: Strong sense of identity Superiority Center of earth Sole source of civilization
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Zhou China 1122 BC – 256 BC Power to rule came from heaven
Bronze, jade, silver, gold Mandate of Heaven Power to rule came from heaven Power could be removed if ruler not just Veneration of ancestors All must honor family responsibilities Period ended with Era of Warring States
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Mesoamerica and Andean South America 2900 BC – 1400 BC
Maize, chili peppers, avocados, beans Pottery Stone bowls Beads Waddle and daub structures No draft animals
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Mesoamerica and Andean South America 3500 BC – 1400 BC
Andes Textiles technology Sophisticated government Religion Lacked ceramics Largely without art Most impressive achievement was monumental architecture Large platform mounds Sunken circular plazas
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Civilization A civilization is built on what is required of men, not on that which is provided for them. Antoine De Saint-Exupery , French Writer Increased means and increased leisure are the two civilizers of man. Benjamin Disraeli , British Statesman Prime Minister To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization. Toynbee, Arnold , British Economic Historian and Reformer
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Civilization Cities that served as administrative centers
Political system based on control or defined territory rather than on connections of kinship Significant number of people engaged in specialized, non- food-producing activities Status distinctions, usually linked to accumulation of substantial wealth by some groups Monumental building System for keeping permanent records Long distance trade Major advances in science and arts
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Civilization "All peoples from small bands of hunters and gatherers to farmers and factory workers live in societies. All societies produce cultures: combinations of the ideas, objects, and patterns of behavior that result from human social interaction. But not all societies and cultures generate the surplus production that permits the levels of specialization, scale, and complexity that distinguish civilizations from other social organizations. All people are capable of building civilizations, but many have lacked the resource base, historical circumstance, or, quite simply, the motivation of doing so.“ Peter Stearns on culture vs. civilization
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How do civilizations collapse?
Population size and density decrease dramatically Society tends to become less politically centralized Less investment is made in things such as architecture, art, and literature Trade and other economic activities are greatly diminished The flow of information among people slows The ruling elites may change, but usually the working classes tend to remain and provide continuity
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Is it possible to prevent collapse?
Every society must: answer basic biological needs of its members: food, drink, shelter, and medical care. provide for production and distribution of goods and services (perhaps through division of labor, rules concerning property and trade, or ideas about role of work). provide for reproduction of new members and consider laws and issues related to reproduction (regulation, marriageable age, number of children, and so on). provide for training (education, apprenticeship, passing on of values) of individuals so that they can become functioning adults in society. provide for maintenance of internal and external order (laws, courts, police, wars, diplomacy). provide meaning and motivation to its members.
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Unit 1—Foundations 8000 BCE to 600 CE
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