FIRST RIVER VALLEY

CIVILIZATIONS

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PRE-CIVILIZATION• Stability due to need to control water• Small groups could not regulate waters• Small groups could not defend area

• Predecessors to civilizations• Small farming villages• First appeared in S.W. Asia

• Catal Huyuk as example• Self-sufficient agricultural village in modern day Turkey• Evidence of trade, tool making, artisans• Evidence of complex religion• Specialization of occupations: politics, military• Evidence of metal working (Copper Age)

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CIVILIZATION• Civilization as Advanced Culture• Population dependent on cities• From Latin civitas• Permanent institutions• Politics, Religion; ability to make war

• Social, labor, gender divisions, inequality

• Clearly defined sense of other: barbarian, nomad

• Artisan, intellectual classes favoring technology

• Form of record keeping, specifically writing

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THE MAP OF 1ST CIVILIZATIONS

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ANCIENT HUMOR

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ENVIRONMENT AS CATALYST

• Mesopotamia (land between rivers) • Harsh heat, drought; unpredictable floods *• Few natural resources short of mud • No natural defensive areas such as hills• Area open to invasion by migrating nomads

• People in area must• Provide permanent food supply• Regulate, provide permanent water supply *• Provide defense against invaders• Acquire materials such as timber, minerals

• The Answer became civilization, cities6

TIGRIS-EUPHRATES

“Necessity is the mother of invention” Sumer in S. Iraq was first civilization• Cuneiform, sciences, math aided farming * • Polytheistic religion• Religion was to appease gods, control nature *• Art, architecture dedicated to gods, religion

• Priests, later kings rule city-states• Land owning aristocracy dominate *• Warlike society with slavery• Trade for needed materials *

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LATER MESOPOTAMIANS• Cycle of Civilization• Nomads come in and conquer sedentary people• Conquerors assimilate local sedentary culture• New civilization blends cultures, thrives for a while• “New” civilization grows old, invaded by nomads

• Akkad “First” *• First Empire• Sargon conquered all of Sumer

• Babylonian “First”• City at junction of Tigris-Euphrates• Hammurabi’s Law Code• Laws included in Jewish Torah

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MESOPOTAMIA AS A CHART

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THE NILE RIVER• Society very different from Sumer

• Nile flooded regularly, predictably *• Provided rich soil, Easy soil to farm• Civilization regulated flooding, surveying

• Location isolated, secure *• Pharaoh was considered god-king *

• Theocracy, almost absolute *• Built pyramid tombs for dead• Egypt unified for most of history

• Achievements• Mathematics especially geometry; architecture

• Sciences, Medicine *• Art was both secular and sacred

• Religion was positive, egalitarian in many ways *10

INDUS VALLEYINDUS VALLEY• Arose around 2,500 BCE• Mohenjo Daro, Harappa main cities

• Independent city-states, strong government• Extremely well-planned, coordinated cities• Elaborate writing system (undeciphered)• Religion worshipped mother goddess• Little evidence of warfare until end

• Trade widely including with Mesopotamia

• The Collapse• Devastated by environmental upheavals

• Over-farming, deforestation• Earthquake shifted Indus River Path

• Internal Decline• Destroyed by Indo-European (Aryan) nomads

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HUANG-HE (YELLOW) RIVER• Developed in isolation• Separated by Himalayas

• Steppe, Desert to North

• Seas, peninsulas to South

• Compare with ancient Egypt• Xia Dynasty (Mythical?)

• God-like kings• Taught irrigation, sericulture

• Shang Dynasty• Warlike kings, landed aristocracy; few priests• Feudal structure with ancestor worship• Most people worked land as peasants• Elaborate bronze workings; naturalistic art

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CHINESE WRITING• Ideographic• Writing denotes ideas

• First used on Oracle Bones • Priests asked gods questions

• Wrote questions on bones

• Tossed into fire; cracks read by priests (divination)

• Elitist technique = scholar-bureaucrats• Extremely difficult to read

• Required well-educated class to use

• Only elite had time to learn

• Cuneiform, hieroglyphs had similar effects

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DYNASTIC CYCLE• One ruling family replaces another• The Dynasty Changes• Due to the loss of the Mandate of Heaven

• Stages in Cycle• New dynasty arises, takes control of China• Strengthens rule, reestablishes prosperity, peace• Weakens, becomes lazy, problems arise• Invasions, revolts toss out reigning dynasty

• Shang replaces Xia• Zhou replaces Shang

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MANDATE OF HEAVEN• Chinese political idea• Rulers exercise power given by heaven• Rulers continue to rule if heaven pleased• Heaven will take back mandate to rule• Heaven will replace ruling dynasty

• Indicators of a Lost Mandate• Wars, invasions, military disasters• Over-taxation, disgruntled peasants• Social, moral decline of elite classes• Increased crime, banditry

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HOW THE CYCLE AND MANDATE WORK

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HERITAGES• First heritages• General civilization• Writing systems inherited• Intellectual systems, art copied• Religious, philosophical systems copied• Useful inventions rarely forgotten, easily spread• Social structures, institutions often inherited

• River valley civilizations decline by 1000BCE• All subject to nomadic invasions• Indo-Europeans and Semites were strongest• Geographical centers shifted (all except China)• Introduction of Iron changed societies

• Political Structures often not continued

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CIVILIZATION SPREADS

• Phoenician Sailors in Lebanon• City-states traded across Mediterranean

• Invented alphabet

• Specialists in dyed cloth

• Indo-Europeans• Hittites Introduced Iron, Horses, Chariots

• Lydians introduced coinage to area

• Hebrews in Palestine• Large Semitic migration in area

• Ethical monotheism• Conduct determines salvation• There is only one God speaking through prophets, priests

• God made a covenant with the Jews, his Chosen people

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NOMADS: BARBARIANS?• Sedentary, Nomadic Issues• Pastoral herding on fringes• Seen as savages by settled• Tension between the two

• Interaction vs. conflict• Nomads traded, coexisted with settled areas• Nomads warred on, conquered settled areas• Often protected merchants, allowed trade

• Prior to 1500 BCE little major threat• Chariot Peoples (Central Asian Indo-Europeans)

• Domesticated horse, invented chariot, iron weapons• Pushed into SW Asia, S. Asia, E. Asia, Europe

• Responsible for spread of ideas, trade

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