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Trading Peoples. AP World History Chapter 3 Notes. Trading Peoples. Civilizations of Egypt & Mesopotamia greatly influenced neighboring people in the Fertile Crescent = the Aramaeans and the Phoenicians Trading peoples Traveled by sailing ships & by caravan
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Trading Peoples AP World History Chapter 3 Notes
Trading Peoples • Civilizations of Egypt & Mesopotamia greatly influenced neighboring people in the Fertile Crescent = the Aramaeans and the Phoenicians • Trading peoples • Traveled by sailing ships & by caravan • Spread languages, customs, and ideas as they traded around the Fertile Crescent
The Aramaeans • Settled in central Assyria around 1200 BCE • Capital = Damascus • Gained control over the trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia
The Aramaeans • Because their caravans crisscrossed the Fertile Crescent nonstop, people learned their language called Aramaic • Main language of the region until the 800s • Closely related to Hebrew and Arabic • Many parts of the Bible were written in this language
The Phoenicians • Canaan = land between ancient Egypt and Syria • Canaan = modern day Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan • Phoenicians settled in northern Canaan
The Phoenicians • Sailed the seas for trade • Made strong, fast ships using timber in cedar forests • Built a string of towns & cities along their coast • Grew to become city-states • Built confederation (loose union) of city-states
The Phoenicians • Expert navigators • Plotted voyages using the sun & stars • Took charge of Mediterranean shipping and trade
The Phoenicians • Created an alphabet = series of written symbols that represent sounds • Only 22 characters • Each character represented different consonant sound • Basis for our alphabet we use today
The Phoenicians • To protect & re-supply their ships, the Phoenicians set up a network of trading posts and colonies along the coasts of the Mediterranean • Colony = settlement of emigrants
The Lydians • Lived in Asia Minor • This area famous for its gold deposits • First group to develop a monetary system with set prices using coins • Everybody else still bartering = exchanging goods • Soon the concept of money traveled to other societies
The Olmec Civilization AP World History Chapter 3 Notes
Mesoamerica • Meso = means middle • Refers to any cultures that lived in present-day Mexico & Central America
Olmec Civilization • One of the earliest Mesoamerican civilizations • Located near Gulf of Mexico • Knowledge of them comes from excavations of 2 main sites = San Lorenzo and La Venta both discovered in the 1930s
Olmec Civilization • Olmec = known for gigantic stone heads carved from basalt (volcanic rock) • Some more than 9 feet tall • Some weighed as much as 40 tons • Heads of rulers • Built without wheels or “beasts of burden” Olmec moved these heads about 60 miles from the mountains to the sites where they were found • Think about the giant head from Legends of the Hidden Temple! His name was Olmec!
Olmec Civilization • Religion played an important role in the lives of the Olmec • Many carvings found of the main Olmec god = a being with a human body and the catlike face of a jaguar • Olmec believed the jaguar god controlled the harvests
Olmec Civilization • Early Olmec farmers used slash-and-burn farming = farmers cut down trees to clear land & burned whatever was left • Planted maize and other crops among fertile ashes • Problem = soil became exhausted after about 2 years • Farmers then shifted fields & repeated the cycle
Olmec • Olmec often traded with other Mesoamerican civilizations • Olmec artifacts found in other regions • Olmec ideas show up with later civilizations, such as: • Religious ceremonies • Sacrificial rituals • Bloodletting • Game of pok-a-tok
Olmec Civilization as the “Mother Civilization” in Mesoamerica • Because of the influence that the Olmec civilization had on future civilizations within Mesoamerica, it is often referred to as the “Mother Civilization” in Mesoamerica
Pok-a-tok • A ritual ball game = rubber balls were batted back and forth across a walled court • Symbolized the back & forth struggle between this world and the next
Olmec Religion • Olmec rulers = BOTH political leaders AND spiritual leaders • Performed rituals and ceremonies to satisfy the gods • Temples and pyramids built where thousands could gather for special religious ceremonies and festivals
Religious Rituals of the Olmec • Bloodletting • Sacrifice of humans, animals, and valuable objects
Bloodletting • Tools used: • Blades • Stingray spines • Sharks’ teeth • Obsidian flakes • Rope with thorns • Jade “spears”