The Dawn of Civilization(Prehistory – 300CE)

Themes of HistoryThere are 8 common

themes that connect people & society throughout history.

1. Arts & Ideas2. Belief Systems3. Economic System4. Geography &

Environment5. Government &

Citizenship6. Migration &

Diffusion7. Science &

Technology8. Society

History …History is the study of man

& the human experience Prehistory: Before writing History: Writing

Historians & anthropologists learn about past societies by studying culture & artifacts. Culture: A society’s

knowledge, art, beliefs, customs & values

Artifacts: Man made objects from the past Ex: clay pots, coins, tools, etc.

Key DiscoveriesDonald Johnson:

“Lucy”: Partial skeleton proving that man walked upright at least 3mya

Mary & Louis Leakey: Laetoli Footprints: 3.5mya

– earliest evidence that man walked upright

Australopithecine

Homo Habilis

Homo ErectusHomo Sapiens

• “Southern Ape”• 4-5mya in Africa• Upright• Walked on 2 legs

• “Handy Man”• 2.4mya in Africa• Simple stone tools

• “Upright Man”• 2-1.5mya in Africa• Stone tools & axe• Controlled fire• Migrated out of Africa

• “Wise Man”• 200,000ya in Africa• Same as modern man• Migrated around the world• Created fire

Human Migration (Movement) It is believed that humans

first appeared in Africa

About 200,000ya, early man began to move out of Africa To Asia, Australia, Europe

& the Americas

The Ice Age made this movement possible Created frozen land

bridges that connected the continents

The Stone Ages (2.5mya – 3,000bce)Paleolithic Age

(2.5mya – 10,000ya)

Neolithic Era(8000 – 3000bce)

AKA: The Stone Age Major Advancements: Tools People:

Nomads: Moved from place to place following food

Hunter-Gatherers: Men hunted & women gathered plants/berries

Technology: Specialized tools, clothing & shelter

Art: Cave paintings, stone carvings Religion: Animism – the belief

that all things in nature have a spirit

AKA: The New Stone Age Major Advancements: Farming &

better tools Neolithic Revolution (10,000ya)

Development of agriculture & farming!!

Domestication of plants & animals Domestication: selective breeding

of plants & animals to be more useful to humans

People: Pastoralists: Herded live stock Some began to create settlements

Technology: farming tools, pottery, weaving

Religion: More formalized w/gods

• 10,000ya – end of Ice Age

• Warmer climate & new plants

• Man learned to farm

NEOLITHICREVOLUTIO

N

(man begins to farm)

• Domestication of plants & animals

• New farming tools

• Larger & more stable food supply

• Early settlements & farming villages

• Pastoralists herd animals

Man begins to use bronze tools Bronze is metal that is stronger than copper

From Villages to Cities Improved farming techniques

(irrigation) led to a surplus (extra) in food supply

Extra food meant less people were needed to farm

Other people could focus on different jobs

Pottery making, weaving, etc.

Specialization: Being really good at what you do

Division of Labor: Each person has a specific job

Leads to trade

• Type of economy in early farming villages• An economy based on customs & traditions

• Ex: farmers trade food for pottery or blankets

• Still around today…•Ex: S. American tribes, tribes in Africa, the Amish…

7 Characteristics of Civilization Formalized

Religion• Ceremonies, rituals, religious leaders

Developed Cities

• Social & Economic institutions Organized

Gov’t.• Created laws, taxed, oversaw construction

Specialized Labor

• Farmers, tax collectors, builders

Social Classes• Social order based on occupation

Record Keeping & Writing

• Taxes, crop output• Writing beliefs & ideas

Art & Architecture

• Monuments, statues, pictures

Artisans: skilled craftsmen• Pottery, weaving,

Changes in Civilizations Early civilizations relied on

the environment & began to trade for things they did not have

As people traded, they began to share ideas

Cultural Diffusion: Sharing & adopting new ideas, skills, & beliefs.

As civilizations continued to grow, they began to compete with each other for resources, often leading to warfare

The Fertile Crescent Fertile land between the

Mediterranean Sea & the Persian Gulf.

Due to the nutrient rich soil, many civilizations emerged Fertile soil = good for

farming!! Civilization is dependent on

geography

2 major rivers run through the Fertile Crescent Tigris & Euphrates Rivers

Mesopotamia: Land between the rivers

Sumerian Civilization Settled in Sumer

Cities developed around 3,000bce Used mud bricks (example of

how geography influence society)

City-states developed Political unit with a

government

Ziggurats were temples at the center of each city-states Pyramid shaped

Sumerian Religion & Gov’t. Religion was the center of life

Polytheism: Belief in many gods Usually controlled nature,

protected each city-state, & were like humans

Priests initially governed city-states & enjoyed high status

Successful war chiefs became kings & formed dynasties

Dynasty: rulers from the same family

Sumerian Culture

Math & Sciences• Number system based on 60• Used geometry to build cities

& irrigation systems• Invented wheel & plow

• Basic surgery

Arts• Ramps, arches, &

Columns• Cylinder seals

Writing• 1st writing system

• Cuneiform • Used stylus on clay tablets

• Epic of GilgameshGilgamesh Interactive

Trade & Society• Traded with other societies

• Traders became wealthy• Class systems

Mesopotamian EmpiresAkkadians Babylonians Hittites

• Ruled by Sargon I

• 1st permanent Army

• 1st Empire

• Empire: Large area w/many different people

• Ruled by Hammurabi

• Taxed & traded

• Hammurabi’s Code:1st set of written laws &punishments

• Adapted ways ofprevious empires

• Strong military withChariots

• Began ironworking

• Adapted ways of previous empires

Mesopotamian Empires (Cont’d)Assyrians Chaldeans Phoenicians

• Military power with ironweapons =very harsh

• System of roads

• Kings ruled throughLocal leaders

• Library of Nineveh had20,000 cuneiform tablets

• Babylon was the capital

• Nebuchadnezzar II•Built Hanging Gardens

• Calendar based on phasesof the moon

• Used astronomy to predict weather

• Wealthy trading society

• Expert sailors• Dominated trade• Explored

• Alphabet• Influenced Greek& English language

The Hebrews Ancestors of the Jews

Traced back to Abraham

Torah: Sacred religious book 1st 5 books of the Old Testament

The Torah states that God promised the Hebrews “the promised land” of Canaan

Modern day Israel

Abraham led people to Canaan & land was divided into the 12 Tribes

1 for each of Abraham’s sons

Patriarchs: Ancestral fathers of modern Israelites

Abraham & his sons

Egypt & the Hebrews As the Hebrews became powerful,

the kings of Egypt feared & enslaved them

The Exodus: Moses led the Hebrew slaves back to the promised land

40 years in the desert

Moses asked prayed for help & was given the 10 Commandments

Moral laws

After reaching Canaan, Israel became very powerful, but divided around 722bce

Diaspora: Movement of Jews outside of the promised land

Judaism Monotheistic: Belief on only

1 God Believed to be the 1st

monotheistic religion

Believed in: Justice & righteousness Obedience to the law

10 Commandments Mosaic laws govern

worship & prayers

The Persian Empire Cyrus the Great: Created the

largest empire in the ancient world He allowed the many different

people to keep their customs & cultures

Darius I: Rebuilt Persian Empire after Cyrus’ death Created permanent army Satraps: governors of certain

regions w/i the empire It was too big for Darius to rule on his

own

Xerxes: Last strong ruler of Persia

Zoroastrianism New religion based on

dualism Dualism: Belief that the

world is controlled by two forces – good v evil!!

People have free will & can choose to act as they please

Declined after Persian Empire declined However, ideas are still

around today & influenced many other religions

Persian Achievements Blended cultures

Cultural diffusion….

Road system Help rulers communicate with

regions around empire Easy for military to move

around empire

Art Gold cups Stone carvings Columns

Ancient Egypt Civilization developed along

the Nile River in Africa Longest river in the world Very fertile soil (silt) deposited

when Nile flooded

Delta: area around the mouth of the river Richest soil

Divided into two kingdoms Upper Egypt Lower Egypt: Near delta

Menes: United Upper & Lower Egypt

Basics of Egypt Pharaohs: Egyptian kings

Seen as gods

Theocracy: Gov’t. ruled by religious figures Pharaohs were “god-like”

The Pharaoh counted on many people to help him/her rule Bureaucracy: Structured

system of gov’t. officials Vizier: Most powerful; Pharaoh’s

main advisor

Significant Pharaohs Hatshepsut: Only female

pharaoh of Egypt Took over when husband died Funded huge long distant

trading expositions

Akhenaten: Changed Egyptian religion to monotheistic Worship only 1 god (Aten – sun

god)

Ramses the Great: Made peace with the Hittites Most building projects

Egyptian Religion Mainly polytheistic

Osiris: Judge of the Dead Isis: Goddess of nature &

protector of women Horus: God of the sky Anubis: Protector of the dead Amon-Re: King of the Gods

Obelisks: Tall pillars with detailed carvings

Priests cared for the gods & common people played no role

Believed in an afterlife

Mummification Process to preserve the body from decaying

How Egyptians prepared their pharaohs for the afterlife

Pyramids: Burial tombs for the pharaohs Size does matter…the bigger the pyramid, the more powerful the

pharaoh

Egyptian Life Class System

Gov’t. officials & priests, doctors & scribes (writers)

Artisans & merchants Peasant farmers (90%)

Women had more rights in Egypt than anywhere else in the ancient world Worked outside the home!!

Leisure time spent like we do Played games, ate,

swimming…

Egyptian Writing Hieroglyphics: Egyptian

form of writing that used symbols

Papyrus: Plant that was made into paper for writing

Rosetta Stone: Ancient stone with 3 different languages

Hieroglyphics, demonic, & Greek Unlocked the key to translating

hieroglyphics & other ancient texts

..

Art, Science, & Math Huge pyramids & temples

The Great Sphinx Huge statue 65 feet high!!

Basic math & advanced geometry

Studied human anatomy Heal broken bones, remove

tumors, basic surgery…

Ancient India India is a subcontinent

Subcontinent: Large land mass that is part of a continent India is part of the Asian

continent

Two major rivers helped support Indian civilization Indus River Ganges River

Monsoons: Seasonal winds Summer = warm, rainy months Winter = cool, drier months

Indus Valley Civilization Cities:

Well planned with roads in a grid system

Sewer system

Economy: Based on agriculture & trade

Society: Varnas: Four social classes,

which were divided into hundreds of smaller classes called castes.

Hinduism Religion practiced by most

Indians, even today

Believe that life is a pattern of birth, death & rebirth

Reincarnation: process of being reborn

Dharma: Set of spiritual duties Achieving dharma frees one from

the cycle of rebirth (moksha)

3 sacred texts The Vedas Writings inspired by the Vedas Sacred epics (long heroic poems)

Jainism Less ritualistic than Hinduism Can achieve moksha by giving up all worldly possession & carefully controlling actions Strive to eliminate greed, anger, gossip, etc. from their lives

Buddhism Based on the teaching of

Siddhartha Gautama, aka = Buddha

Four Noble Truths & the Eightfold Path are essential to Buddha’s teachings All centered around

overcoming suffering

Nirvana, a state of perfect peace, could be obtained by following the Eightfold Path Freedom from suffering

Middle Way: To live in moderation & avoid excesses

Spread around the world

Ancient China As with other ancient

civilizations, two major rivers supported society in ancient China: Yangzi River Huang He (Yellow) River

As the rivers flooded they deposited rich soil called Loess Just like the Nile left silt

Shang Dynasty (1766BCE) 1st dynasty of China

Governed by a bureaucracy A system of governors

Most of what is known about the Shang came from exploring tombs Afterlife b/c prisoners were

buried with royals

Achievements: Writing Bronze works Architects Astronomy & Calendars Money

Zhou Dynasty (1100BCE) Ruled by the Mandate of

Heaven The gods would support a just

ruler & not allow the corrupt to govern

Dynastic Cycle: Rise & fall of dynasties Just dynasties lasted & those

that were corrupt collapsed

Achievements: Iron working (stronger &

cheaper than bronze) Army Roads & canals Coins Chopsticks

New Philosophies

Based on the teachings of Confucius

People should show love & respect for each other by honoring traditions & rituals

Respect for tradition would restore stability to life & society

Based on the teachings of Laozi

Encouraged people to reject the laws of man & respect the laws of nature

Yin-Yang: Balance of nature Male & Female Black & White Hot & Cold

Confucianism Daoism