Pre-History

@8000 B.C.E. to 2500 B.C.E.

Dawn of History

Paleolithic Age – 1st tool makers- Old Stone Age

- hunting gathering groups- nomadic- moved into caves – used fire

- Belief in Spiritual World – evidence from 30,000 years ago

- cave paintings- small “earth mothers”- buried dead

Neolithic Age11,000 years ago

• New Stone Age– permanent villages– domestication of animals– grow food

• Results in increased population • Develop calendars

Dawn of History

Paleolithic Age – 1st tool makers- Old Stone Age

- hunting gathering groups- nomadic- moved into caves – used fire

- Belief in Spiritual World – evidence from 30,000 years ago

- cave paintings- small “earth mothers”- buried dead

Civilization5 Characteristics

• Specialized Workers: - leads to social classes

• Complex Institutions: government and religions

• Advanced Cities: start in river valleys

• Record Keeping: writing develops, need to keep track of food

• Advanced Technology: metal working, wheel, plow

Civilization Spreads

• City State – political unit– City and surrounding farms and villages– Controlled by strong rulers

• Empires – group of states or territories controlled by one leader

• Needed to prosper:– Adequate rainfall– Soil replenished– No natural disasters– Alternative natural resources could be found

Mesopotamia

• Geography:– Fertile Crescent– Mediterranean Sea - north – Persian Gulf – south/west– valley between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Managing flood waters essential to survival of civilizations

Sumer

• 1st known civilization – (@3,000 B.C.E.)– Polytheism – worshiped many gods

• Built ziggurats• Good warriors – leads to hereditary rulers

– Cuneiform – system of wedge shaped writing– Number system – based on 6

Akkadians

• North of Sumer– invaded and over ran Sumer @2340B.C.E.– Sargon – set up first empire in history– Short lived

Hammurabi@ 1792 B.C.E.

• Leader of Babylon– gained control of Sumer and Akkad– encouraged trade– built temples and strong defensive positions– Code of Hammurabi

• wrote down existing laws (1st in history)• Held government responsible to enforce laws

Egypt

• Geography: existed along Nile River – black land – flood plain (5 miles each side of

river)• silt deposits – very rich farm land

– red land – desert - protection– Lower Egypt – delta in north - Mediterranean– Upper Egypt – south – elevation reference

• Cataracts – (rapids/waterfalls) – barriers to invasion

Government

• Pharaohs – God-kings– Leaders of everything

• Theocracy – government rule based on religion

Old Kingdom2700 – 2200 B.C.E.

• Pyramids– burial tombs– symbolize strength– power struggles, crop failures, high cost of

building – leads to collapse of Old Kingdom– No more pyramids built

Contributions

• Hieroglyphics – ‘priest carvings’– Deciphered with Rosetta Stone in late 1800’s

• Mathematics – numbers for counting, adding and subtracting – tax collection

• Engineering – design and build pyramids• Medicine – performed surgeries• 12 Month Calendar – accurate to within 6

hours– Needed to keep track of Nile floods

Middle Kingdom2500 – 1800 B.C.E.

• Tough times: Nile not rising– Corrupt government, rebellions

• Delta invaded

• CULTURAL DIFFUSION – cultures come in contact, ‘winning culture’ takes best of conquered culture as their own

• Strong leaders drive out invaders – set up New Kingdom

Iron Age@ 1400 B.C.E – Last Old Age

• Tools –cheap to make

• More weapons available – lower cost, more people can afford them

• Better, cheaper weapons creation of new empires

India

• Geography:– 2 major rivers

• Indus - west• Ganges - east

– Mountain Ranges – north (Himalaya & Karakoram)– Subcontinent of Asia– Deccan Plateau – dry, hilly– Coastal Plains – most of population lives there– Monsoon – seasonal winds – warm rain or cold dry air

Harappa @3000 B.C.E.

• 1st Civilization of India– occurred in the Indus River Valley– archaeological evidence – mud brick platforms for houses– city streets in grid patterns

Technology

Mohenjo-Daro

- planned city – underground sewer systems

- streets - paved

- plumbing – running water in houses

- where did the people go?

China

• Geography:– River valleys: Huang He and Yangtze– mountains: south and west (Taklimakan and

Himalaya)– deserts – west and north (Gobi and

Taklimakan)– plateau – Mongolian – north, Tibet -SW– + great protection from invasion– Negative – only 12% of land good for farming

Xia Dynasty@2000 B.C.E.

• 1st Dynasty– Yu – leader

• mathematician• engineer• able to manage the flooding of Huang He river

and tributaries – settlements grew

Shang Dynasty1700 – 1027 B.C.E.

• 1st written records

• Anyang - capital city – made primarily of wood– wall built around it for protection– professional warriors used for defense

Culture

• Middle Kingdom – halfway between heaven and earth

• Family – core of all in China

• Filial Piety - eldest male made all family decisions

Social Classes

• Nobles – owned land– Governed villages– Sent tribute to king in exchange for control of

territory

• Peasants – worked the land– Paid taxes to nobles– Worked for nobles when necessary

Religion

• Ancestor worship – spirits of deceased relatives of fathers family could bring good fortune or disaster to living family members– Not seen as gods

• Oracle bones – used by priests to consult gods

Writing

• Spoken v written language – not linked

• Positive of written language: can read Chinese no matter what dialect is spoken– Helps to unify China– Makes control of people easier

Zhou Dynasty1027 – 256 B.C.E.

• Mandate of Heaven

• Impersonal Law of Nature– Order of universe kept through king – king rules because of talent and virtue– follow Tao (Way) – will keep mandate– fail – new king will be selected by gods and

replace him

Dynastic Cycle

• King – represents heaven – NOT a divine being– allows overthrow of evil or bad emperor– when king loses mandate – will be replaced

by one that heaven favors– belief in dynastic cycle works in China until

1912

(page 54 in text – diagram)

Feudalism

• Political system – nobles (lords) are granted use of lands that legally belong to the king– Nobles owe military service to king and

protection to people that live on land

• Obligations between rulers and people – peasants work for nobles – get protection

Technology and Trade

• Roads and canals – improve trade and agriculture

• Coined money – improved trade – shows strength of central government

• Cast iron – blast furnaces devised – makes it easier and cheaper to work metal

• Cities get bigger due to all of this

Warring States Period

• Invaders from north – 771 B.C.E. start moving in

• Fights among Chinese noble families – attempting to gain neighbors territory

• Warlords gain control – loss of central government leaves warlords in control