Ch. 1: The Beginnings of Civilization

Sections 1 & 2 Summary

• Prehistory: the time before writing• Evolutionary chain:

AustralopithecineHomo HabilisHomo ErectusHomo Sapiens

• Australopithicine walked upright...importance?– Could use tools for first time

• Homo Erectus was 1st to migrate out of Africa due to climate change

Section 1 & 2 Summary (con’t)• 1st people were nomadic hunter-gatherers– Were nomadic so they could follow animal heards

and plant growth

• Eventually people learned how to farm (called the Neolithic Revolution)...importance?– Could acquire food on a regular basis...importance?• Could give up nomadic ways and live in settled

communities

• With a constant supply of food some people were able to do things other than food production, like trade and become craftsmen

Moving from place to place

Food gained by hunting, fishing, and gathering berries, nuts, and fruits

Section 1 & 2 Summary (con’t)

• With craftsmen, people started working with metal, specifically copper

• Çatal Hüyük was one of the first large villages– Located in modern day Turkey– Has given historians a look into the life of

prehistory people

FOUNDATIONS OF CIVILIZATIONSection 3

The 1st Civilizations

• Rose up in fertile river valleys; 4 locations:– SW Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers– North Africa along Nile River– South Asia along Indus River– China

• Characteristics of civilization:•Developed Cities •Organized Government•Formalized Religion •Specialization of Labor•Social Classes •Record keeping and writing•Art & Architecture

Development of Civilization• 1st cities:– Ur and Uruk in Mesopotamia– Memphis along the Nile– Mohenjo Daro along the Indus– Anyang along the Huang He

• Government formed in response to a need for making decisions and coordinating resources

• Religion developed to explain the working of the forces of nature and the fact of existence

• Political leaders would claim religious leadership roles to legitimize their rule as the will of the gods

Development of Civilization (con’t)

• As farming produced more food, a specialization of labor developed allowing people to become trades and artisans instead of farmers

• As labor specialized, social classes developed based on wealth and occupation

• The first writing was developed to keep track of records such as taxes and trade

• Along with writing calendars were developed to keep track of when to plant and harvest

Skilled craftspeople, such as bakers, carpenters, or metalworkers

Changes to Civilization

• Environmental Influences– Storms, drought, floods, and overuse of land could

cause lose of crops and livestock– Other areas lacked resources like trees or metal ore– This resulted in the creation of trade

• Spreading of Ideas and People– Trade resulted in cultural diffusion– Exposed cultures to skills and technology that they

may not have had allowing for quicker developmentThe spread of ideas, beliefs, customs, and tech. from one culture to another

Changes to Civilization (con’t)

• Competition over land, resources, and trade resulted in warfare to gain control over them

Chapter 2: The Ancient Near East

Rise of Mesopotamia

• Mesopotamia: the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Fertile Crescent

• Built the first canals to supply water to dry fields and dikes tocontrol flooding

• 1st Civilization ofMesopotamia:Sumerians

Strip of fertile land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf

The Sumerians

• Not a unified civilization; lived in individual city-states

• Built buildings of mud bricks• At the heart of each city

was a ziggurat• Polytheistic religion– Each city had an individual

protector god– Other gods controlled all natural forces

Religious temple in the shape of a stepped pyramid

Belief in many gods

The Sumerians

• The importance of religion led to priests being the 1st political leaders

• Developed the 1st writing system called Cuneiform– First used to keep business

records– Eventually used for law and literature• Epic of Gilgamesh

The Sumerians

• Developed the 1st math system based on 60– This is why we divide time into sets of 60 and

circles into 360 degrees

• Developed geometry allowing them to build elaborate structures and irrigation systems

• Inventions and achievements:– Created and used the 1st wheel– Invented the farm plow– Learned how to make bronze (mix of copper & tin)– Performed basic surgeries

The Sumerians

• Trade created a social class system1. Kings, priests, and their aids2. Landowners and merchants3. Artisans, farmers, and laborers4. Slaves

• Gender roles also developed– Men: hold political power and make laws– Women: take care of house and kids

1st Empire

• Empire: collection of different kingdoms and people under a single ruler

• City-state of Akkad formed the 1st empire (the Akkadian Empire) under Sargon I– Conquered all of Mesopotamia– Adopted cuneiform from Sumer and spread it

Babylonian Empire

• Conquered Mesopotamia after the Akkadian Empire collapsed

• Empire established by Hammurabi• Established Hammurabi’s Code– Set of laws and punishments written down for all

to see and applied to everyone (even Hammurabi himself)

FERTILE CRESCENT EMPIRESSection 2

The Hittites

• Conquered most of Asia Minor(modern-day Turkey)

• Used heavy chariots to easilydefeat opponents

• Adopted Sumerian culture,cuneiform, and laws

• 1st people to use iron

The Assyrians• Conquered all of

Mesopotamia and parts of Asia Minor and Egypt

• Experts at besieging cities

• Experienced fighters after generations of war

• Used terror to control conquered people– Killed or maimed captives– Enslaved and resettled

survivors

The Assyrians (con’t)

• Used local leaders to rule small areas at a time• System of efficient roads for quick and easy

communication, marching of armies, and trade• Harshly treated all opponents, causing hatred• Created 1st library of over 20,000 cuneiform

tablets, including Gilgamesh• Instantly collapsed when the Chaldeans

rebelled and destroyed the capital and killed the leaders

The Chaldeans

• Conquered much of theformer Assyrian Empireafter destroying it

• Led by Nebuchadnezzar II• Conquered the Jews,

enslaving them back inBabylon, and the Egyptians

• Built the Hanging Gardensof Babylon (one of the 7wonders of the ancient world)

• Created a new calendar based on the moon’s cycles

The Phoenicians

• Current-day Lebanon• Poor farmland and lack of

resources forced them tobecome expert traders andsailors

• Traded as far south ascurrent-day Sierra Leoneand possibly as far north asBriton

• Created colonies in many places where they traded– Most famous and powerful: Carthage in North Africa

The Phoenicians (con’t)

• Special trade items:– Giant cedar trees– Purple dye (found nowhere else in the world)– Glass (invented glassblowing)

• Greatest achievement: alphabet– Easier than having a

different symbol forevery word

– Modified over timeinto our alphabet

Section 3: The Hebrews

• Settled in Fertile Crescent along the Mediterranean Sea

• Created the world’s 1st monotheistic religion: Judaism

Belief in one God

THE PERSIAN EMPIRESection 4

Rise of Persia

• Lived in modern-day Iran• Lived under control of the Medes but were

allowed to keep their own leaders• Rebellion started by Cyrus the Great– Defeated the Medes, then conquered Asia Minor

and then Mesopotamia from the Chaldeans– Called “the Great” for his compassion• Let conquered people keep their local customs/culture• Freed the Jews from slavery in Babylon, helped them

move back to Israel, and helped them build a new temple

Early rulers

• Cambyses II– Son of Cyrus– Conquered Egypt– Tyrant and “madman”– Assassinated

• Darius I– 1st order of business: put down multiple rebellions– Created a standing (permanent) army focused

around the “Immortals”• Highly skilled and trained soldiers

Darius’ Achievements

• Conquered lands towards India• Conquered Thrace (lands northeast of Greece)– Tried conquering Greece itself but failed at the

Battle of Marathon

• Used local governors called Satraps to rule• Built roads to increase trade• After Darius:– Son, Xerxes, again tries and fails to conquer

Greece– Rebellions and decreased trade weaken empire

Religion: Zoroastrianism

• Created by Zoroaster• World created by the god Ahura Mazda– Source of everything good, true, and pure

• Opposed by the evil spirit Ahriman• 1st religion teaching dualism– Belief that the world is controlled by 2 opposing

forces, one good and one evil

• Belief in an afterlife– Good go to heaven, evil get punished

Religion: Zoroastrianism

• Believed that at the end of time, Ahura Mazda will destroy Ahriman, drive all evil from the world, and the wicked people will be purified, and all souls will be restored to life to live happily together

• Widely practiced throughout Persia• Almost wiped out when Alexander the Great

conquered Persia• Most famous recent worshiper:– Freddie Mercury (lead singer of Queen)

Royal Road• World’s 1st highway• 1500 miles long• Allowed messages to transverse the empire in

only days– Frequent rest stops

where messagescould be passed offto a fresh riderwith a fresh horse