Chapter 1 Early Civilizations 8000 BCE to 600
Chapter 1 – Early Civilizations 8000 BCE to 600 CE
Terms of Times • • B. C. : Before Christ B. C. E. : Before Common Era (non-Christian) A. D. : Anno Domini (After the year of our Lord) C. E. : Common Era
Paleolithic Age The “Old Stone Age” - ICE AGE! - Crude stone tools and weapons - Nomads “Cave Man”
We move to about 8, 000 BC when village life began in the New Stone Age. . . Also known as the Neolithic Revolution. NEW STONE AGE
A TOTALLY new way of living: From Hunter-Gatherers to Agriculture
INVENTION OF AGRICULTURE • Mesopotamians first to engage in agriculture – Around 8000 BC – 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
Agriculture changed how people lived • Agriculture (Farming) • Growth of Cities • Division of Labor (Specialization) • Trade • Writing and Mathematics
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Self-actualization (self-knowledge, fulfillment of personal potential) Esteem (autonomy, achievement, recognition) Social (belonging, affection) Safety (security, protection from harm) Physiological (Hunger, thirst, shelter)
What does it mean to be civilized? • Characteristics of a Civilization: » Advanced Cities » Complex institutions • Government, Religion, Economy » Specialized Occupations » Record Keeping / Writing » Advanced Technology
Cities • Rivers provided: – water supply – transportation – food supply from animals Euphrates River • Rivers provided challenges: – flooding – irrigation • Required organized, mass labor (corvee) – Construction and repair of canals and irrigation ditches
Institutions: Government • 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
Institutions: Government • Governments became more complex as new responsibilities arose such as: – tax collecting – law making – handling public works projects – organizing systems of defense
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
Complex Religions • Temples often built to honor specific gods and goddesses Egyptian temple Mayan temple Mesopotamian ziggurat
OCCUPATIONS • Needs of agriculture and stability – Clay pottery – Woven baskets – Woolen and linen clothing – Sophisticated tools and weapons – Plow
Job Specialization or Occupations • Artisans specialized in various jobs, such as: – Bricklayers – Blacksmiths • Production of luxuries (Things You Don’t Really Need) • Metal technology
Writing • Probably first used by priests • Earliest writing used pictograms Chinese calligraphy Egyptian hieroglyphs Mesopotamian cuneiform
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
Social Classes • People ranked according to their profession Egyptian social structure Chief Priests Nobles Wealthy merchants Artisans Peasants/farmers Slaves
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!!!”)
BRONZE AGE • Around 3000 BC in Sumer • Use bronze (not stone or copper) • Gives people advantages in warfare
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 Kuwait.
Sumer: City of Ur • • • On the banks of the Euphrates River Religious: Polytheistic Agricultural Economy Irrigation System Bartered for goods
Sumerians invented: • • Brick technology Wheel Base 60 – using the circle. . . 360 degrees Time – 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute 12 month lunar calendar arch ramp Ziggurat (pyramid shape)
Ziggurat – “Mountain of God” Click on the pictures for more information on ziggurats.
Sumerian Writing: Cuneiform is created by pressing a pointed stylus into a clay tablet.
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