1. Early Societies in Southeast Asia and the Indo-European Migrations
Chapter 2
Early Societies in Southeast Asia and the Indo-European Migrations

2. Civilization Defined Urban Political/military system
Social stratification
Economic specialization
Religion
Communications
“Higher Culture”

3. Mesopotamia Early Mesopotamia, 3000-2000 B.C. “Between the Rivers”
Tigris and Euphrates
Modern-day Iraq
Cultural continuum of “fertile crescent”
Sumerians the dominant people

4. The Wealth of the Rivers
Nutrient-rich silt
Key: irrigation
Necessity of coordinated efforts
Promoted development of local governments
City-states
Sumer begins small-scale irrigation 6000 BC
By 5000 BC, complex irrigation networks
Population reaches 100,000 by 3000 BC
Attracts Semitic migrants, influences culture

5. Sumerian City-States Cities appear 4000 BC
Dominate region from BC
Ur (home of Abraham, see Genesis 11:28), Nineveh (see Jonah)
Ziggurat home of the god
Divine mandate to Kings
Regulation of Trade
Defense from nomadic marauders

6. The Ziggurat of Ur

7. Political Decline of Sumer
Semitic peoples from northern Mesopotamia overshadow Sumer
Sargon of Akkad ( BC)
Destroyed Sumerian city-states one by one, created empire based in Akkad
Empire unable to maintain chronic rebellions
Hammurabi of Babylon ( BC)
Improved taxation, legislation
Used local governors to maintain control of city-states
Babylonian Empire later destroyed by Hittites from Anatolia, c BC

8. Legal System The Code of Hammurabi
Established high standards of behavior and stern punishment for violators
lex talionis – “law of retaliation”
Social status and punishment
women as property, but some rights

9. Later Mesopotamian Empires
Weakening of central rule an invitation to foreign invaders
Assyrians use new iron weaponry
Beginning 1300 BC, by 8th-7th centuries BC control Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, most of Egypt
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (r ) takes advantage of internal dissent to create Chaldean (New Babylonian) Empire
Famously luxurious capital
Nebuchadnezzar by William Blake

10. Mesopotamian Empires, 1800-600 BC

11. Technological Development in Mesopotamia
Bronze (copper with tin), c BC
Military, agricultural applications
Iron, c BC
Cheaper than bronze
Wheel, boats, c BC
Shipbuilding increases trade networks

12. Social Classes Ruling classes based often on military prowess
Originally elected, later hereditary
Perceived as offspring of gods
Religious classes
Role: intervention with gods to ensure fertility, safety
Considerable landholdings, other economic activities
Free commoners
Peasant cultivators
Some urban professionals
Slaves
Prisoners of war, convicted criminals, debtors

13. Patriarchal Society Men as landowners, relationship to status
Patriarchy: “rule of the father”
Right to sell wives, children
Double standard of sexual morality
Women drowned for adultery
Relaxed sexual mores for men
Yet some possibilities of social mobility for women
Court advisers, temple priestesses, economic activity
Introduction of the veil at least c BC

14. Development of Writing
Sumerian writing systems form 3500 BC
Pictographs
Cuneiform: “wedge-shaped”
Preservation of documents on clay
Declines from 400 BC with spread of Greek alphabetic script

15. Uses for Writing Trade Astronomy Mathematics Calculation of time
Agricultural applications
Calculation of time
12-month year
24-hour day, 60-minute hour

16. Mesopotamian Literature
Epic of Gilgamesh, compiled after 2000 BC
Heroic saga
Flood Story
Search for meaning, esp. afterlife
This-worldly emphasis

17. The Early Hebrews Patriarchs and Matriarchs from Babylon, c. 1850 BC
Parallels between early biblical texts, Code of Hammurabi
Early settlement of Canaan (Israel), c BC
Biblical text: slavery in Egypt, divine redemption
On-going conflict with indigenous populations under King David ( BC) and Solomon ( BC)

18. Moses and Monotheism
Many Hebrews shared polytheistic beliefs of other Mesopotamian civilizations
Moses introduces monotheism, belief in single God
Denies existence of competing parallel deities
Personal god: reward and punishment for conformity with revealed law
The Torah (“doctrine or teaching”)

19. Foreign conquests of Israel
Assyrian conquest, 722 BC
Conquered the northern kingdom
Deported many inhabitants to other regions
Many exiles assimilated and lost their identity
Babylonian conquest, 586 BC
Destroyed Jerusalem
Forced many into exile
Israelites maintained their religious identity and many returned to Judea

20. Israel and Phoenicia , 1500-600 BC

21. The Phoenicians City-states along Mediterranean coast after 3000 BC
Extensive maritime trade
Dominated Mediterranean trade, BC
Development of alphabet symbols
Simpler alternative to cuneiform
Spread of literacy

22. Indo-European Migrations
Common roots of many languages of Europe, southwest Asia, India
Implies influence of a single Indo-European people
Probable original homeland: modern-day Ukraine and Russia, BC
Domestication of horses, use of Sumerian weaponry allowed them to spread widely

23. Indo-European migrations 3000-1000 BC

24. Implications of Indo-European Migration
Hittites migrate to central Anatolia, c BC, later dominate Babylonia
Influence on trade
Horses, chariots with spoked wheels
Iron
Migrations to western China, Greece, Italy also significant 24 24