Hist 100World Civilization I

Instructor: Dr. Donald R. Shaffer

Upper Iowa University

Lecture 3China’s Geography

Mountains and deserts tended to isolate China from the rest of the Eurasian landmass during its early history

Like in other places, civilization in China originated along major rivers Yellow River:

The first Chinese civilization emerged in its river valley

Like the rivers of Mesopotamia it wasn’t gentle

Major crops: wheat and millet Yangtze River

Another site of early civilization south of the Yellow

Major crop: rice

Lecture 3Shang Dynasty (1523-1027 BCE)

Ancient Chinese culture developed largely without foreign influences

Earliest known civilization in China emerged under the Shang They were considered mythical

at one time until their existence was confirmed by archeologists

The Shang Dynasty controlled a considerable part of northern China

Achievements Silk cultivation begins Writing developed

Shang EraChinese

pictographs

Lecture 3Zhou Dynasty (1027-221 BCE)

Zhou originated as a tributary state of the Shang In the 11th Century BCE, they

rebelled against the Shang and eventually conquered them

Hence, this dynasty more a political than cultural break from the Shang

“Mandate of Heaven” Zhou cultural accomplishments

Population filled in wide tracts of undeveloped land

Canals and roads built Coined money invented Iron smelted Mandarin system originated

Lecture 3Chinese Philosophies Confucianism

Kung Fuci (551-479 BCE) Synthesized the dominant

Chinese philosophical system, although it only became influential after his death

Main beliefs Definite lines of authority Importance of gentlemanly

conduct Good government a must

Daoism Originated with Lao-Tzu in 6th

Century BCE There was a Dao or “Way of

Nature” People could only be happy if

they abandoned civilization Legalism

Stressed the value of an authoritarian state in maintaining social order

Kung Fuci(“Confucius”)

Lao-Tzu

Lecture 3Era of Warring States

Zhou governance Having brought down the Shang,

the Zhou were aware the same thing could happen to them

Hence, the divided their kingdom administratively

Still this could not stop the gradual descent of China into feudalism

By the 5th Century BCE, Zhou authority had effectively collapsed although they remained the nominal rulers China devolved into a collection

of small states perpetually at war with each other

Lecture 3Nubia

Nubia was a region south of ancient Egypt Cut by the River Nile it was the

best natural conduit between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa

Subject to cultural influences from Egyptian civilization and societies to the South

Nubia heavily dominated by Egypt for much of the BCE Egyptians attracted to Nubia by

gold and other trade goods Egyptians came initially as

traders, but starting in the Middle Kingdom began to come as conquerors and over time spread their control further south

Lecture 3Kingdom of Meroe

Egyptian control in Nubia collapsed at the end of the New Kingdom period Nubians even successfully

conquered Egypt in the 8th century BCE, establishing the 25th Dynasty and living as Egyptians

Eventually a new kingdom emerged in Nubia around the city of Meroe Over time, Egyptian influence

waned and Maroe adopted more of the language, religion, and customs coming from sub-Saharan Africa

Pyramids built at Maroe demonstratethe Egyptian influence over the

early history of the kingdom

Lecture 3Celtic Society (1)

The history of Europe north of the Alps is poorly known until the people there came into regular contact with literate societies along the Mediterranean basin Much of what is known about the

Celts comes from the Romans

The first group in northern and western Europe well known to history are the Celts As the map demonstrates Celtic

society was decentralized and tribal

What tied the Celts together was a language family and broad cultural patterns

Map of the distribution of Celtictribes in the late BCE

Lecture 3Celtic Society (2)

Celtic society was dominated by a warrior elite that had a monopoly on wealth and power Below them was a priestly caste,

the Druids, bard musicians, and the mass of commoners

Religion was the one institution in Celtic society that transcended tribal boundaries

Tribes fought with each other, but tended to unite against outsiders such as the Romans

Agriculture, artisan manufacture, and trade supported Celtic society

An artists impression of a Celticwalled hilltop village located in

what is today Scotland

Lecture 3Pre-Columbian America: Introduction Pre-Columbian is a term that refers to

America prior to the arrival of Europeans in 1492

Isolation The key fact of pre-Columbian history

is isolation The isolation of the population of the

Americas makes the relative isolation of early Egypt, India, and China seem minor by comparison

After rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age 12,000 years ago submerged the Beringian land bridge, America almost entirely cut off from the rest of humanity

The people of the Americas experienced a massive dying off after contact resumed, killing the majority of the Pre-Columbian population of the Americas

Depiction of the land bridgeconnecting Siberia and

Alaska during the last ice age

Lecture 3Mesoamerica: The Olmecs

The highest level of civilization in America before European contact arguably reached in Mesoamerica

This region encompasses modern Mexico and Central America

Olmecs (1500-300 BCE) The earliest advanced civilization in

Mesoamerica The Olmec developed agriculture and

writing (still undeciphered) Basically everything known about the

Olmec based on archeology

They are most famous for their large stone sculptures and the earliest pyramids built in the Americas

They seem to have set the pattern for all subsequent civilizations in Mesoamerica

CarvedOlmechead

Lecture 3South America: Chavin

Just as the Olmecs appear to have been the baseline civilization in Mesoamerica, the Chavin culture appears to have the same status in South America (although there is evidence of earlier civilizations)

They are the first of a series of civilizations to emerge in the Andes mountain region

Existed from roughly 900-250 BCE

Established cultural elements that came to define later Andean civilizations

Llamas as pack animals Crops such as maize in the lowlands

and potatoes in the highlands These crops and trade supported

large urban centers

ChavinStonehead