Mesopotamia- “between the waters”

-Greek term “land between waters”

-“Fertile Crescent”

-3500-2350 bce- Sumerians

-1900-1600 bce-Babylonians

-Tigris and Euphrates were unpredictable, damns, dikes, and ditches were built as a result.

-built cities

-highly centralized society governed by ruling class

-“Lugal”-big man

-First to develop written language in Western tradition

-3300 bce-script ewulled cuneiform

-Before 2000 bce- Gilgamesh epic- Sumerian

-Hammurabi (1792-1750 bce)

-Babylonian

-“Hammurabi’s Code”

-harsh, favored ruling class, systematic, consistent set of regulations rather than ruler’s will govern society.

-Polytheistic

-temples

-built of clay

-Ziggurnts-pyramidish

-base- 60 system still used in time and navigation.

Sumerians

Southern Mesopotamia

Civilization

Beginning of agriculture

Neolithic Revolution/Agriculture

1^st to develop cuneiform (formal writing tools)

12-month calendar

Astronomy

# System based on 12, 60 and 360

Ziggurats- temples at top—dedicated

è 1500 BCE, Babylonians conquer Sumerians *compare to Greece and Rome

Babylonians

N of Tigris and Euphrates

Today is Baghdad

Hammurabi’s codes- 1^st set of laws made by secular ruler

Hittites conquered them in 1500 BCE- iron (Hittites) vs. bronze (Babylonians)

Hittites

Iron- good fighters (best in Mesopotamia?)

Dominate around 1200 BCE

Assyrians defeat Hittites (1400 BCE)

Assyria

Capital in Nineveh

Cruel, brutal, which helped spread civilization

Conquered by Chaldeans, who became Babylonians

Neo-Babylonians

Nebuchadnezzar

Built Babylon into the known- “Hanging Gardens”

Conquered by Hebrews

Conquered by Persians

Persia

All Middle East (minus Saudi Arabia) and part of India

Height at 500 BCE

Conquered Turkey

1^st to build empire <- 1^st recognized civilization

Road system armies

Taxes multiple city/state government

Education

Lydians

Made money- 1^st; no more bartering

Phoenicians

Alphabet- phonics; letters, sounds, combinations have meanings- 22/26 of our alphabet

Good sailors and traders

Bring civilization to Europe (Greece)

Hebrews/ Jews/ Israelites

1^st monotheistic in world history

Spread single God idea by conquering and being conquered

Smart- demonstrated useful intelligence y conquering best land

Ancient Egypt

NE Africa along Nile

3 sections- upper, middle, lower

Nile floods regularly- fertile soil irrigation

Most pyramids and tombs in Middle Egypt in Valley of the Gods

Big 3 pyramids in Giza in Lower Egypt

Climate

*Warm *delta

*Good trade because of water

Important cities

Lower- Cairo, Giza

Middle- Thebes

Natural borders

East- Red Sea North- Med Sea

West- Desert South- mountains

Outline:

3500 BCE~ Archaic Kingdom (King Menes unified Egypt in 3100 BCE)

3100 BCE~ Old Kingdom (Pyramids)

2181- 2125 BCE ~ 1^st Intermediate (Political chaos)

2125-1650 BCE ~ Middle Kingdom (Recovery)

1650-1550 BCE ~ 2^nd Intermediate (Hyksus Invasion—Hittites)

1550-100 BCE ~ New Kingdom (create Egyptian empire and A. Kanaten’s religious strategy begins * Monotheism *)

Centralized Government

Compare to Mesopotamia with city-states and empires

Geography

Nile’s rise and fall

Flooding brings new fertile soil

Home

Mesopotamia

Spread by traveling

African culture influence

Culture

Ma’at- truth, justice and order

Scribes (sacred writing)

Pictograms

Politics

Matrilineal descent (inheritance through female side)

Nomarchs- ruled homes

Economy

Use Nile for dikes

Religious

Pharaoh forged powerful alliances with priests and temples – Akhenaton-

Trade

Middle Kingdom trade w/ Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia and Minoan Crete

Women

-second to men

-managed household/education of children

-right to divorce/alimony

-some managed businesses

-some wore high priestesses

-Queen Hutshepsut became Pharaoh

Poor worked as much as men

Welcome them, were equal to men

Went into business

Accomplishments

-hieroglyphics

-pyramids

-papyrus paper

-irrigation/canals/geometry

Greece

Archaic Greece 1650-700 bce (aka Bronze Age)

Minoan civilization and the Mycenaean civilization

Crete: Minoan

-architecture and ruins is the only things left

-strong female priesthood

-good artists; lots of leisure time

-good sailors (island good naval power)

The Mycenaean Civilization

-similar to Minoan; less wealthy, more powerful

-Homer-Mycenaean

-wrote “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad”

Athens-philosophical

Sparta-War!

Factors that brought them together and factors that brought them apart:

-common language

-co-operative supervision of certain temples

-Belief that the Greeks were descended from the same ancestors

-Rugged mountains separating the valleys

-Rivalries between city-states

-separate legal systems

-independent calendars, money, weights, and measures.

-Fierce spirit of independence

Greek Systems of Government

Evolution of the system to a democracy

-Draco

-wrote harsh code of laws

-Solon

-no debts

-courts of appeals

-no debt slavery

-Cleisthenes

-determined males over 20

-First democracy

Golden “Age of Pericles”

460-429 bce

Athenian Social Classes

-Nobility

-Merchants

-Peasant

-Slaves

-Metics (foreigners)

GOLDEN MEAN

**nothing in excess, everything in moderation**

Philosophers

-Socrates

-know thyself

-question everything

-only the pursuit of goodness brings happiness

-Plato

-the Academy

-the world of the FORMS

-The Republic, philosopher, king

-Aristotle

-the lyceum

-“Golden Mean”

-logic

-Scientific Method

Athens grew apart in science, art and drama

Sparta

-Peloponnesian Wars

-“Alexandrian” 324-100bce

-Alexander The Great was Macedonia

Son: Phillip II (unified Greece into Macedonia)

-Alex conquered Persia, Egypt, and Greece

Rome- Systems

First was monarchsà dictatorshipsàRepublicàdemocracy

Geography

On Italian peninsula—southern Europe

Surrounded by Med. Sea

Same latitude as other important early civilizations

Tiber River

Built on 7 hills within river (inland 20 miles)

Most trade passes through “All roads lead to Rome”

Rome is different because it is not primary, it is built off other cultures; Greeks literature, philosophy, and military ideas. Etruscans: writing, religion, and The Arch.

Republican Government

2 consuls

(rulers of Rome)

Senate

(Representative body for patricians)

Tribal Assembly

(Representative body for plebeians)

The Twelve Tables: 450 bce

Provides political and social rights for the plebeians

Roman Forum (a mall~ place~ stretch of grass)

Road system

Innovative road system- roads from Rome to all surrounding cities

“The Apian Way”

Infrastructure

Things needed for growth (mansp./ comm.)

Sewage

Aqueducts

Offered to everyone

Rome is one of most clean

Circus Maximus

Colosseum

Civil War- 100 BCE

Republic begins to break down

Generals:

Pompey Crassus

Caesar

*Part of 1^st Triumvirate

Crossing the Rubicon, 49 BCE

Caesar crosses, marches into Rome, declared a counselor

2^nd Triumvirate

Octavian Augustus Marcus Lepidus

Marc Antony

Octavian Augustus

1^st emperor

Entered Rome in Pax Romana (27 BC- 180 AD) (Roman Peace)

Oct’s viciousness creates:

Stability comfort

Prosperity

*Through absolute power

Greatest Extent- 14 AD

Western Europe

Entire Med. Coast

Middle East

Constantine 312 ce- 337 Ce

Converted empire to Christianity

Before him, Christians were persecuted

Saw w/ size of empire, impossible for one to rule all of Rome

Western Rome

Eastern Rome (capital in Constantinople)

· 476 – W Roman Empire ends; Barbarians take over

Ancient China

One of 4 old-world river valley cultures

Yangtze and Yellow (Hwoang Ho) Rivers

Centered around Yellow River (3^rd largest in world)

Pang Gu

Mystical creator of universe

Slept in egg- woke up, egg cracked

Yoke= earth, white= heavens

“Chung Kuo”= “Middle Kingdom” (they are center of world)

Hsia Dynasty (2205- 1767 BCE)

Yu the Great- stopped Yellow River from flooding

Shang Dynasty (1766- 1027 BCE)

(*Bronze Age Empire- Sumerian, Egypt, Akkad, Babylonians, Hittite, Minoan, Shang, Aryan, Mycenaean)

Known for Oracle bones (1^st recorded writing in China)

Oracle bones calendar (lunar system)

Evolution of Chinese writing- pictographs

Ancestor worship (1st to record it)

Weapon development

Zhou Dynasty (1027- 256 BCE)

Confucius

Teacher/ editor of books

Organize social interactions based on status, age, gender

Wrote“The Analects” to teach his ideas about good government

Civil War

Better weapons, communication systems lead to this: 1027- 600 BCE

Spur for Confucius to learn how to make stability

*After Confucius, China stability led to great art

“Tien Ming”- Mandate of Heaven

Leader- virtuous

Leadership justified by succeeding generations

Could be revoked by negligence/ abuse: people’s will important

DYNASTIC CYCLE

A. New dynasty comes to power

B. Reforms the government—more efficient

C. Lives of commoners improve; tax reduced; farming encouraged

D. Problems begin (wars, invasions, etc)

E. Taxes increase; men forced- work in army; farming neglected

F. gov’t increases spending; corruption

G. Droughts, floods, famines

H. Poor lose respect for country- join rebels, attack landlords

I. Rebel bands find strong leaders who unites them- attack emperor

J. Emperor defeated

The Chin Dynasty

-First centralized government in China

-Legalist government

Legalismàreligious systems “there’s no law and everyone should follow it, rules, way of living.

-Built Great Wall of China

Disadvantages

-censored anything that disagreed with government, book burnings

-killed a lot of old scholars that disagreed with government

-buried protestors alive

The Han Dynasty

Lasted 400 years

-Invented paper

-Buddhism introduced to China

-expanded into Central Asia

Emperor Wudi

-public school

-extended and colonized land

-re-introduced bureaucratic system

Early Chinese Dynasties

Shang Dynasty 1766-1122-bce

Zhou Dynasty 1122-221 bce

Eastern

Western

Last 400 years –warring states

Qin or Chin Dynasty 221-206bce

Shi huangd

Legalist philosophy

Han Dynasty

-classical era

-merit system-bureaucrats

-paper and porcelain invented

-confuscion based society

For 400 years after fall of Han

Era of Division years Sui-Tang

Central government falls and military takes over

India

5000 years old

325 languages

World’s largest democracy

4^th in economy

2^ndin scientists and engineers

3^rd in army

Largest movie industry in world

History of Ancient India

Indus Civilization

2 major cities: Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro

-Harappa is the Athens of India, most advanced

-Mohenjo is the Sparta of India

Indus River

Art focused on fertility gods

Valley Civilizations

Vedic

Earliest written writings from India

Almost same as Hindu(Hinduism evolved from Veda)

Vedas- Hindu scripts

Aryans invaded (or migration, or never happened controversial right now)

-Arians wrote Upanishads

Some of 1^st text of Hinduism

Completed with Vedas (Veda=knowledge)

Invent the cast system

Cast Systems

Brahman (nobility and warriors: kshatriyas)

Peasants (farmers)

Vaishyas

Shudras (servants)

Age ends w/ Persian invasion (under Darius)

Alexander invades—take over India/ Persia

Mauryan Empire (250 BCE)

Last time India under single-leader rule

Ashoka unites India

Indian ruler from Maury

Formed 1^st bureaucracy

1^st useful tax system

Built roads to connect empire

Schools, bridges built

Stabilized/ created better infrastructure

Symbol- 4-headed lion (empires)

1^st ruler to convert to Buddhism

Doesn’t believe in caste system

Causes people to think- Is this right?

Rock and Pillar Edicts: “We will be just, wise, ‘nice’, follow Buddhist principles and tolerance

He died- India becomes disorderly and chaotic

Regional Rule/ Rise of Jainism and Buddhism

Jainists

Hardcore, minimalists

Extremists with not killing (wore masks to protect microorganisms)

Ate what was already dead

Gupta Dynasty (Classical India- same time as Classical Greece, etc.)(2-600 AD)

Tolerant of religion (multiple exist)

Count (Arabic system stolen from Indians), p, invented 0

1^st universities: N of Nalanda

Great art

Figured correct speed/ diameter of earth (rotation around sun)

Veda- means ‘knowledge’ in Sanskrit (classical Indian lengua)