Early Humans thru Phoenicia

WHI.2-3

Early Humans

• Homosapiens – Emerged in East Africa between 100,000 and 400,000 years ago.

– Migrated from – Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas - Hunter-gatherers – survival depended on the availability of wild plants and animals

Early Humans

• Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age) – Hunter gatherer societies during this era overcame limits set by their physical environment.

– Nomads – moved in search of food, water, and shelter – Invented first tools, including simple weapons (made out of stone) – Learned how to use and make fire

Early Humans

• Paleolithic Era – Lived in clans – Developed oral language – Created cave art – about prehistoric life and events

Early Humans

• Neolithic Era (New Stone Age) – Beginning of settled agriculture and permanent settlements – Developed agriculture (domesticated plants) – Domesticated (tamed) animals – Used advanced tools (metal) – Made pottery – Developed weaving skills

Early Humans

• Archaeology – used to find and interpret evidence of early humans and their lives – Archaeologists – study past cultures by locating and analyzing human remains, settlements, fossils, and artifacts – Archaeologists apply scientific tests such as carbon dating to analyze fossils and artifacts

Early Humans

• Stonehenge – archaeological site in England begun during the Neolithic Age and completed during the Bronze Age.

• Lucy – skeleton found in Ethiopia; from her, learned that hominids had learned to walk upright

Emergence of Civilization

• Civilization – complex culture with 3 characteristics: 1. Extra food 2. Large town/city with form of government 3. Different jobs for all

Emergence of Civilization

• Surplus food • Used irrigation to provide water to fields during the dry season • Improved farming = more food = increase in population • Cities – Large – helped to build palaces, temples – Government – rules to guide people’s behavior (enforced rules) • Division of labor – Artisans – skilled workers (ex. Made tools) – Merchants, traders

Emergence of Civilization

• Other characteristics – Calendar – concept of time – Communication – some written, but mostly oral – Pictograms – writing using pictures (Egypt, Sumer)

Do you know where early civilizations were located?

Cradles of Civilization

• River Valley Civilizations (3500 – 500 B.C./B.C.E.) 1. Mesopotamia – Tigris/Euphrates River Valley (in Southwest Asia) 2. Egypt – Nile River Valley and Nile Delta (in Africa) 3. India – Indus River Valley (in Asia) 4. China – Huang He Valley (in Asia) All of these river valleys offered rich soils and irrigation waters for agriculture. They tended to be in locations easily protected from invasion by nomadic peoples.

Cradles of Civilization

• Other Early Civilizations (2000 – 500 B.C./B.C.E) 1. Hebrews – along the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River Valley (in Asia, Fertile Crescent) 2. Phoenicians – along the Mediterranean Sea (in Asia, Fertile Crescent) 3. Nubia – upper (Southern) Nile River (in Africa)

Cradles of Civilization

• Social patterns – Hereditary rulers – kings, pharaohs (dynasty – family of rulers) – Rigid class system – slavery was accepted • Political patterns – First states – city-states, kingdoms, empires – Centralized government – based on religious authority – Written law codes – Ten Commandments, Code of Hammurabi

Cradles of Civilization

• Economic patterns – Metal tools and weapons (bronze and iron) – Increasing agricultural surplus (extra food) – better tools, plows, irrigation) – Increasing trade along rivers and by sea (Phoenicians) – World’s first cities – Slavery – development and practice in the ancient world among most cultures, taking various forms

Cradles of Civilization

• Religious traditions – Polytheism – worshipping more than one god (practiced by most early civilizations) – Monotheism – worshipping one god (practiced by the Hebrews)

Egypt

• The important river to the Egyptians was the Nile River which is the longest river in the world.

•The northern portion of the Nile River branches in a delta (triangular shape) and flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

•Heavy rains = summer floods which leave behind fertile soil.

•Nile River used for transportation and trade.

Egypt

• Achievements – Hieroglyphics – pictographic form of writing • Rosetta Stone – contains Egypt’s written history (hieroglyphics written on stone which was translated) – Papyrus – plant used to make paper – Pyramids – tombs for pharaohs – Calendar – Number system based on ten – Researched the human body

Egypt

• Education – boys could go to school and learn to be scribes (could read and write) • Society based on farming • Trade – controlled by the government – Traded extra food.

– Caravans – groups of people travelling for safety over long distances

Egypt

• Religion – polytheistic – Amon/Amon Ra – creator, associated with the sun – Osiris – judged people after death, associated with the Nile – Isis – Osiris’ wife, goddess of the royal throne • Afterlife – everyone had life after death – Mummifications – organs removed

Egypt

• Egypt had a dynasty (family of rulers).

• Egyptian leaders were called pharaohs. Pharaohs had absolute, unlimited power in Egypt.

• Old Kingdom – When the Great Sphinx and pyramids were built.

– Two social classes: lower (peasants and farmers) and upper (pharaoh, royal family, priests, scribes, government officials)

Egypt

• Middle Kingdom – Foreigners started coming to Egypt from Asia. (ex. Hyksos) – brought chariots and the compound bow – Golden Age of Egypt • New Kingdom – – Began empire – government where one person or group of people rule – Hatshepsut – first female pharaoh

Egypt

• Egypt’s decline – Ramses II (Ramses the Great) tried to hold the empire together.

– Several empires attacked Egypt – Rule ended in Egypt around 300 B.C./B.C.E.

Locations of Egypt and Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia (Land between the Rivers)

•The land where the Mesopotamians lived was called Sumer.

•Sumer was located in southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

•It was part of the Fertile Crescent – land between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea

Mesopotamia

• Achievements – Cuneiform – pictographic writing – Arch – curved structure for an opening (ex. Roof in shape of a dome) – Ziggurats – Sumerian temples (baked brick placed in layers) – First to develop the wheel

Mesopotamia

• Government – kings in charge of city states that didn’t unite • The Sumerians farmed and grew enough to become artisans and traders. They would trade any extra food that they had.

• Only upper class boys attended schools.

• Religion – polytheism – Buried food and tools with the dead (for afterlife)

Babylonians

•Centered around Babylon •Their ruler was Hammurabi – conquered most of the Tigris/Euphrates River Valley -Outstanding political leader and lawmaker -Came up with the law code, the Code of Hammurabi – “an eye for an eye”, very harsh laws (Punishment varied/depended on social status)

Can you find Babylon?

Hebrews

•Founder of Judaism (Jewish religion) – Abraham •The Jews left their land of Canaan to escape drought (no rain) and famine (no food).

•The Jews became enslaved in Egypt.

•Moses – led the Jews out of slavery (called the exodus) •Ten Commandments – laws of the Hebrews •God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Jews formed a covenant (solemn agreement) with God.

Jews

• Diaspora – scattering of the Jews • Founding of Israel – At first, they were nomads made into tribes.

– First king to unite kingdom – Saul – David – king after Saul – Solomon – Israel reached its height of wealth and power under him

Jews

• Judaism – religion of the Jews – Monotheistic - believe in God (Yahweh) – Holy book = Torah – contains the written records and beliefs of the Jews – Ten Commandments, laws – state moral and religious conduct – Began in Jerusalem (holy city)

Persia

•Conquered Babylonians •Cyrus the Great – expanded Persia •Darius I and Xerxes I (father and son) – invaded Greece but failed to conquer •Mightiest empire to date

Persia

• Government – Kings – had a concern for justice (tolerant of conquered peoples – let them keep their culture) – Roads – connected cities in the empire • Ex. Royal Road – 1250 miles 1.

Used by army and postal riders 2.

Linked empire together – Developed an imperial bureaucracy – government organized into different levels and tasks – Satraps – Persian governors

Persia

• Religion – Zoroastrianism – Introduced by the philosopher, Zoroaster, who believed people should receive training for their future life and must choose between good and evil.

– Basic beliefs: • Struggle between the two opposing forces of nature (good and evil) • Idea of final judgment

Persia

• Decline – Kings lost leadership abilities – Conquered by the Greeks

Persia and Phoenicia

Phoenicians

• Phoenicia made up of loose city-states • Little farmable land – Phoenicians traded in the Mediterranean Sea • Phoenicians were great sailors and traders • Phoenician culture similar to Egyptians and Babylonians • Created the Phoenician alphabet