Transcript From Human prehistory to early civilizations

THINK-PAIR-SHARE
HOW DO WE KNOW THAT THE TEXTBOOK ISN’T ALL
LIES?
EARLY HUMANS
• Clouded in mystery.
• Little recorded evidence.
• What we dig up.
• Some basic facts:
• People have always had :
• Religion
• language
• Culture
• Various beliefs exist regarding early humans
• History is a story- NARRATIVE
• Hunter-gatherers vs Agriculture
WARMTH
Writing
Agriculture
River Civilizations
Metallurgy
THeocracies
THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION- TRADITIONAL
NARRATIVE
• 10,000 years ago- human began practicing purposeful
agriculture; different crops based on location
• Population increase- political structure
• Established formal communities to pool resources
• Hunter, gathering persisted Africa, Asia, N America, became
tools of cultural diffusion
• Metalworking emerged
CIVILIZATION
• What are the Core Features? 2 minutes with a partner
• (1) Cities, (2) political systems, (3) specialization, (4) Status
distinctions, (5) collaborative building (6) permanent records,
(7) trade, (8) investment in science, technology
• Earliest Civilizations almost ALWAYS by rivers.
#1 TIGRIS-EUPHRATES CIVILIZATION
• Civilization founded, 4,000 BCE
•
early innovations: metal, pottery, transportation, legal system
• Sumerians
• developed writing- CUNEIFORM
• Epic of Gilgamesh- one of earliest examples of literature
• used art to represent gods
• advanced math to understand seasons
• Built ziggurats to worship
• professional priests
• Politics
• City states with divine ruling king
• Hammurabi’s Code- Babylonian king. One of the earliest known WRITTEN legal
codes
• Kings, nobles, priests controlled land, wealthy & slaves
• Trade- Indus Valley
• Religion- Mostly polytheistic- EXCEPTION: Zorostrianism (Persian) monotheistic
• Babylonians followed, then Assyrians, Persians, Jews
THE JEWISH/SEMITIC PEOPLES
•
2000 BCE/BC- Abraham called by God
•
New nation
•
Enslaved by Egyptians- Moses
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10 Commandments
•
Government- Monarchy/Theocracy because King was second in command to God
who spoke through prophets
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Beliefs:
• 1 God
• Torah- Old Testament
PHOENICIANS
1. 1100 BCE/CE
2. East coast Mediterranean
3. Tyre and Sidon
4. Sea traders
5. Hooked on phonics- 22 letter alphabet- precursor to ours.
# 2 NILE CIVILIZATIONS
2nd site of civilization, c. 3,000 BCE on North African
Geography: Nile – trade and water for agriculture
isolated nature, self sufficient resources
Trade: with Nubia (Africa) up and down Nile river
Politics
• Pharaoh ruled as king and god
• constructed elaborate pyramids based on beliefs of afterlife
• Innovation focused on math, medicine, writing heiroglyphics, bright
art
• Monumental architecture: Pyramids
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How does Egypt compare to Mesopotamia during
this time period?
#3 INDIAN CIVILIZATIONS
• c. 2,500 distinct Indus emerged with trade contacts in
Mesopotamia
• Two early large cities
• Mohenjo-daro
• Harappa
 Vedic Age- pre-classical
Invasion by Northern Aryans
Brought the Vedas- sacred books
• writing (Sanskrit)
• Caste System: Brahmans, kshatriyas(warrior), Vaisyas
(traders/farmers), Sudras (common workers), Untouchables.
• Unclear as to destruction of civilization: Invaders or Natural
calamity
#4 CHINESE CIVILIZATIONS
• c. 2,000 Shang dynasty emerged in complete isolation along
the Huanghe River, based on leadership of warrior class
• Politics: Mandate of Heaven- the emperor rules by the
authority of the gods
• Religion based in nature
• Elaborate building projects suggest strong, central control
#5: AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS
1. Chavin
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Andes Region
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Potatoes, maize
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Metallurgy
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Canals
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Foundation of later INca
2.
Olmec
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Location: Central America
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Trade: Jade
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NO RIVER!!!
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Calendar- religious
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Polytheistic
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Disappeared abt. 400 BCE
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Foundation of later Maya/Aztec
MAJOR SHIFTS: THE 5 THEMES IN THIS PERIOD
• Foundational civilizations
• Technology & Building: wheel, writing, astronomy,
mathematics
• Political Systems:
• Hereditary or Divine Monarchies
• City-State or Empire
• Religious Ideas which will have powerful influence LATER…
• Asia focused on nature in harmony with man
• Mesopotamia, Africa focused on distinction between man &
nature
• Jewish, significant regional state in MEast-