APWH 8000 BCE-600 CE Created by: Jenna Jones

Supervising Editor: Michael D Geoffrion

Nomads: Follow the Food

Foraging Societies

Foraging is hunting and gathering

Small groups nomadic groups that follow food

At the mercy of nature

Natural phenomena could endanger entire communities

Few possessions

Pastoral Societies

Domestication of animals

Mostly in mountain regions and in areas that could

not support crops.

Supplemented with small scale agriculture

Mostly egalitarian

Concept of extended family

Pastoral cont.

Social class based on size of herd

Few possessions

(Not an actual fight or lunge for power)…

Settling Down: Neolithic Revolution

Agricultural Societies

Neolithic Revolution=Agricultural revolution

Neolithic revolution when people began

congregating and forming small villages

Relied more on environment (soil and water)

More sense of unity with sustained cultural

interactions

Agricultural Soc. Cont.

Idea of ownership of property

Food surplus=specialization of labor

Irrigation lead to even greater surplus

Civilizations emerge

Impact of Agriculture on Environment

Farming villages changed environment by rerouting

water, clearing land, and building cities

Land and resources reconfigured to fit needs of

growing civilization

Animals used for both food and labor

Metallurgy= reliable tools and weapons

Latter part of Neolithic revolution=Bronze Age

The Rivers Deliver

The Big, Early Civilizations:

Early civilizations

Most ‘great’ civilizations located in river valleys

River gave fresh water, food, and transportation

Civilizations considered large population, with large

land, and distinct culture

Many early civilizations were collections of city

states

Mesopotamia

Means “land between the rivers”- Tigris and

Euphrates

Series of ancient civilization is Mesopotamia: Sumer,

Babylon, and Persia

Part of Fertile Crescent

Sumer: First Major Mesopot.

Civilization

Rose in the southern part of Mesopot.

Cuneiform= writing

Used wheel, developed 12 month calendar, math

system based on 60

Polytheistic; each city state worshipped a different

god

Built temples called ziggurats for gods

Sumer to Babylon

When Sumer declined, city of Akkad rose to power

Akkadians developed first known code of law

Akkad overrun by Babylon

Babylon expanded code of law to Hammurabi’s

Code

Babylon fell because of invasions by Kassites and

Hittites

Cont.

Hittites dominated because they used iron for

weapons

Assyrians learned iron metallurgy

Est. capital at Nineveh

Assyrians hated people who they conquered

Sent large groups into exile

Assyrians defeated by Medes and Chaldeans

Nebuchadnezzar king of Chaldeans

Fell to Persia

Persia

Persians develop Great Royal Road (1,600 miles

from Persian Gulf to Aegean Sea

Lydians

Concept of using coined money for trade

Led to consistent prices and allowed people to save

money

Phoenicians

Powerful naval city states on Mediterranean

Simple alphabet using 22 letters

Hebrews

Religion: Judaism (first Jews)

Established Israel in Palestine

Frequently invaded, but kept identity

Believed to be God’s chosen people

Ancient Egypt

3 Kingdoms: Old, Middle, and New (height in New)

Before Old kingdom, entire river valley ruled by

King Menes

Manage flood waters and irrigation

Pharaohs direct construction of obelisks and

pyramids

Hieroglyphics (writing)

Egypt

Polytheistic- w/focus on life after death

Mummification (mostly elite)

First female rule: Queen Hatshepsut (during New

Kingdom)

Relatively high status of women: could buy and sell

property, inherit property, choose to will property,

and right to divorce.

Still expected to be obedient to men

Egyptian Social

Pharaohs

Priests

Nobles

Merchants

and artisans

PEASANTS

& SLAVES

Egypt decline

Assyrian and Persia conquered parts of Egypt

Later Greeks and Romans would rule Egypt

Indus Valley

Limited contact with other peoples because of

landscape

Connection to outside world by Khyber Pass in

Hindu Kush Mountains

Along Indus River

2 Major cities: Harappa and

Mohenjo-Daro (sophisticated)

Indus cont.

Indus Valley civilization were polytheistic

Had pottery and cotton farming (made into cloth)

Indus decline: Not known why

Cities abandoned

Believed to have been invaded by Aryans

Aryans

Nomadic tribes from north of Caucasus Mtns.

Used horses and advanced weaponry

Est. their religion (Hindu) on Indian subcontinent

Polytheistic

Recorded beliefs in Vedas and Upanishads

Aryans

Idea of caste system

3 classes: warriors, priests, and peasants

Later class of landowners and merchants inserted

above peasants

Priests (Brahmans) and warriors would converge into

one class

Sub castes added later on

Originally movement between classes was allowed,

but became more strict over time

China

Shang China in Hwang Ho River Valley (Yellow River

Valley)

Trade centered civilization

Powerful military, used chariots

Extremely isolated, thought they were center of

civilization

Ethnocentric attitude

Shang family

Patriarchal structure

Believed gods controlled all aspects of peoples’

lives

Veneration

Zhou Dynasty

Wu Wang established Zhou dynasty

Maintained traditions and customs of Shang

Lasted nearly 900 years

Mandate of Heaven: meaning heaven granted

power to Zhou as long as rulers governed justly and

wisely

Zhou

Feudal system: King as ruler, nobles given power of

smaller regions

Nobles became more powerful, and eventually broke

off from empire and developed own state

Bureaucracies developed to control government

better

West Africa: Bantu

Bantu Migrations: farmers in Niger and Benue River Valleys in

W. Africa migrated south and east

Spread language and methods of agriculture and metallurgy

Lasted from 1500BC-1300BC

Migration spurred by climatic changes and population pressure

from migrants to their area

Jenner-Jeno: first city in sub-Saharan Africa

Decentralized

Early Mesoamerica and South Amer.

Olmec: Mexico (1500 to 400 BCE)

Olmec were urban society with surplusses of corn,

beans, and squash

Irrigation techniques and infrastructure

Polytheistic, had writing and calendar

Not formed in river valley

South America

Chavin: Andes (900 to 200 BCE)

Urban civilization with polytheistic religion

Located on coast (access to seafood)

Used metal tools and weapons

Llamas as beasts of burden

Classic Mesoamerican Civilizations

Mayan (300 BCE to 800 CE); southern Mexico to central

America

Collection of city states ruled by same king

Developed complex calendar system

Tikal: most important Mayan political center

Nobody know what happened to them

Disease, natural disaster, warfare, etc.

Mayan

Divided cosmos to 3 parts: heavens, humans, and

underworld

Believed gods created humans out of corn

Mayan warfare to acquire slaves not territory

Slaves=labor

Used ridged field system

Cultivated cotton and maize

Ball courts and pyramids

India and China

Alexander the Great conquered Persian empire

Mauryan Empire founded by Chandragupta

Maurya

Unified smaller kingdoms into one

Highpoint under Ashoka Maurya (converted to

Buddhism)

Strong trade and military

Later Ashoka preached nonviolence and moderation

Rock and Pillar Edicts- big rocks with rules on them

Gupta Dynasty

Mauryan empire declined after Ashoka died

Chadra Gupta II revived the empire

Decentralized and smaller than Mauryan

Referred to as Golden Age

Arts and sciences developed (pi and zero)

Arabic Numerals

Hinduism dominant religion

Caste system (women lost rights)

Collapse after invaded by White Huns

Qin Dynasty (China)

Qin was short lived

Developed strong economy based on agriculture

Powerful army with iron weapons

Unified region under single emperor

Great Wall of China

Qin Shihuangdi- dynasty’s first emperor

Recentralized, standardized laws, currencies, and weights, measures, and systems of writing

Belief system of Legalism

Decline after Shihuangdi died

Han Dynasty

Enemies: Xiongnu (Huns) invaded China

Leader: Wu Ti (Warrior Emperor) Enlarged Han empire

Trade thrived on Silk Road and Buddhism diffused

Civil service system- based on Confucius ideas

Used for government positions

Chinese invented paper, sundials, calendars, rudder, and compass

Decline after Wang Mang used Mandate of Heaven to dethrone emperor (est. Xin dynasty)

Classical Greece

Made of Polis: city states

Shared common culture and identity

2 Main Polis:

Athens: political, cultural, and cultural center of Greece

Sparta: agriculture and militaristic

Austere lifestyle and highly disciplined

3 social groups in each polis

Citizens (adult males), free people (no political rights),

noncitizens (slaves)

Greece

Athens had first democracy (only adult males

participate)

Created by Draco and Solon (aristocrats)

Sparta women had higher status than women in

Athens

Greek polytheistic- Gods believed to possess human

failings

Persian Wars

United all Greece city states against Persia

Victories by Greece at Marathon and Salamis (control

Aegean sea)

After war Greece enters era of peace and

prosperity called Golden Age of Pericles

Golden Age of Pericles

Athens became cultural powerhouse under Pericles

Established democracy for all adult males

Built Parthenon

Delian League: city state alliance against

aggression from common enemies

Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle- truth from

rational thought

Intro of Greek drama

Athens decline

Peloponnesian League: Sparta and other city states allied against Athens

Peloponnesian War: Athens V. Sparta

Athens takes defensive strategy behind city walls

Athens afflicted by plague, killing vast numbers and Pericles

Athens navy lost battle at Syracuse on island of Sicily

Sparta didn’t destroy Athens, later invaded by Macedonians

Macedonians didn’t destroy it, but encouraged Greek culture

Macedonians

Alexander the Great conquered Persia and moved to India

Divided realm into 3 Regions

Antigonid (Greece and Macedon)

Ptolemaic (Egypt)

Seleucid (Bactria and Anatolia)

Macedon adopted and spread Greek ideas

Hellenism: culture, ideas, and pattern of Greek life

Macedon and empires fell after Alex the Great died

Rome

Polytheism with many gods of Greek origin

Social Structure:

Patricians: land owning noble men

Plebeians: All other free men

Slaves

Representative Republic

Made of Senate (patricians) and Assembly (patricians and plebeians)

2 consuls elected by assembly and given veto power over decisions

Rome

Civil laws to protect individual rights

Twelve Tables of Rome

“innocent until proven guilty”

Pater familias- eldest male in the family held power

Roman women could own property

Slaves were 1/3 of population

Roman Military

Carthage was Rome’s first enemy (North Africa)

Wars between Carthage and Rome called Punic Wars

First Punic War to gain control of Sicily (Rome won)

Second Punic War Carthage extends to Northern

Italy and crosses Alps

Rome expected southern attack

Third Punic War Rome invades and destroys

Carthage

Roman Decline

Reasons for decline:

Increased displaced urban population

Roman currency devalued (inflation increased)

Political leaders fighting amongst themselves

Senate weakened

Gave way to first triumvate: Pompey, Crassus, and Ceasar

First Triumvate

Caesar given power over southern Gaul (France)

Caesar pushed Pompey and Crassus out of power

and become “emperor for life”

Caesar assassinated by his senators

Gave way to second triumvate

Octavius, Marc Antony, Lepidus

Second Triumvate

Octavius took most power (renamed Augustus

Caesar)

Became emperor

End of Roman Republic, start of Roman Empire

Rome capital of Western World

Augustus est. rule of law, common coinage, civil

service, and secure travel for merchants

Pax Romana: (Roman Peace)

Roman Empire cont.

Christianity introduced

Originally persecuted, but ended with Constantine

issuing Edict of Milan

Christianity became official religion of Roman Empire

Collapse of Western Roman Empire

Decline started by external pressure (Attila Huns)

Also too big to control

Diocletian became emperor

Made co-emperors for better control

Armies under imperial control

Strengthened imperial currency

Budget on government

Civil war after Diocletian

Constantine

Constantinople in Byzantium

After Constantine died empire divided into East and

West

West suffered more

Major Belief Systems

Confucianism

Developed by Chinese

Political and social philosophy, not religion

Deals mostly with political and social order and place in society

5 fundamental relationship:

Ruler and subject, parent and child, husband and wife, older and younger brother, friend and friend.

Junzi: people who put aside personal ambition for good of state

Ren: sense of humanity and benevolence

Li- sense of propreity, respect, and deference to elders

Xiao- filial piety (respect for family obligation)

Daoism

Dao (Tao): the way of nature, the way of the cosmos

Founder: Lao-tzu (Chinese philosopher)

Image to demonstrate is pot on potter’s wheel, also

use water

Ambition and activism only bring chaos to world

Doctrine of wuwei: disengagement from worldly

affairs

LEGALISM

Used by Chinese in Qin dynasty

Developed in same time period of Confucianism

and Daoism

Peace and order were achievable through a

centralized, tightly governed state

People made to obey through harsh punishment, strong

central gov’t, and unquestioned authority

Worthy professions: farming and military

Hinduism

Began in India with Aryan invaders

One supreme force called Brahma, the creator

Hindu gods were mainfestations of Brahma

Vishnu: preserver

Shiva: destroyer

Life goal to merge with Brahma

Dharma: rules and obligations of caste you’re born in

Moksha: highest state of being

Sacred text is Vedas and Upanishads

Buddhism

Founder: Siidhartha Gautama

Four Noble Truths:

All life is suffering

Suffering is caused by desire

One can be freed of this desire

One is freed of desire by following 8 fold path

Eight fold path: right views, aspirations, speech, conduct, livelihood, endeavor, mindfullness, meditation

Nirvana: perfect peace and harmony

2 sects: Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism