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CIVILIZATION

CIVILIZATION. CHARACTERISTICS LARGE URBAN SETTLEMENTS (CITIES) VARIED AND COMPLEX SOCIAL STRUCTURE AS MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED IN NONAGRICUTURAL AS IN AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS HIGHLY ORGANIZED GOVERNMENT COMPLEX RELIGIOUS BELIEF SYSTEM WRITING SYSTEM. PIONEER CIVILIZATIONS. MESOPOTAMIA

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CIVILIZATION

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  1. CIVILIZATION • CHARACTERISTICS • LARGE URBAN SETTLEMENTS (CITIES) • VARIED AND COMPLEX SOCIAL STRUCTURE • AS MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED IN NONAGRICUTURAL AS IN AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS • HIGHLY ORGANIZED GOVERNMENT • COMPLEX RELIGIOUS BELIEF SYSTEM • WRITING SYSTEM

  2. PIONEER CIVILIZATIONS • MESOPOTAMIA • “LAND BETWEEN TWO RIVERS” • TIGRIS RIVER • EUPHRATES RIVER • EGYPT • INDIA • CHINA • MESOAMERICA • CENTRAL AMERICA • PERU • PEOPLE ELSEWHERE ONLY MADE LEAP TO CIVILIZATION AFTER THEY WERE EXPOSED TO ONE OF THESE PIONEER CIVILIZATIONS

  3. SUMER • POPULATION BEGAN TO GROW AROUND 3500 BCE • NEW VILLAGES APPEARED • ESTABLISHED VILLAGES GREW IN SIZE AND ABSORBED NEIGHBORING TERRITORY • PROCESS LED TO THE CREATION OF 12 CITY-STATES IN REGION • CITY STATE: URBAN CENTER AND SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE • EACH HAD OWN RULER, OWN LAWS, OWN ARMY • DID NOT GET ALONG WELL WITH EACH OTHER—FOUGHT CONSTANTLY

  4. SUMERIAN CITY-STATE (UR)

  5. CUNIEFORM WRITING • MEANS “WEDGE-SHAPED” • SYMBOL WRITING ON CLAY TABLETS • UNDERWENT EVOLUTION OVER TIME FROM PICTOGRAMS TO MORE ABSTRACT CHARACTERS • SYMBOLS STOOD FOR CONCRETE OBJECTS AND ABSTRACT CONCEPTS • NEARLY 2000 DIFFERENT CHARACTERS IN ALPHABET • TOOK YEARS OF SPECIALIZED TRAINING TO MASTER • RESULT THAT FEW COULD READ OR WRITE

  6. OTHER SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS • BRICK ARCHITECTURE • BRONZE TOOLS AND WEAPONS • ENGAGED IN TRADE • BETWEEN CITY-STATES • WITH AFRICA AND ASIA • INVENTED FIRST MONEY • ESTABLISHED SCHOOLS FOR TRAINING PRIESTS AND SCRIBES • CREATED AN ELABORATE LITERATURE • EPIC POEM (GILGAMESH) • WISDOM LITERATURE • INVENTED MEDICINAL DRUGS • HAD ACCURATE LUNAR CALENDAR

  7. SARGON THE GREAT OF AKKAD • AKKAD • NORTH OF SUMER (CENTRAL MESOPOTAMIA) • INHABITANTS ORIGINALLY FROM ARABIA • MIGRATED TO REGION AROUND 5000 BCE • LIVED NEOLITHIC LIFESTYLE FOR MOST PART • DIVIDED INTO HOSTILE TRIBES • SARGON THE GREAT (2300 BCE) • UNITED AKKAD UNDER HIS RULE

  8. SARGON’S EMPIRE • INVADED AND CONQUERED SUMER • THEN INVADED AND CONQUERED MEDITERRANEAN MIDDLE EAST • CREATED WORLD’S FIRST EMPIRE • UNINTENTIONAL CULTURAL MISSIONARY • CARRIED SUMERIAN CULTURE TO NEW LANDS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

  9. POLITICAL INSTABILITY • SARGON’S EMPIRE COLLAPSED AROUND 2130 BCE • SUMERIAN CITY-STATE OF UR BRIEFLY RISES TO DOMINANCE • UR DESTROYED BY AMORITES IN 2000 BCE AND REGION IS PLUNGED INTO ANARCHY • AMORITES WERE NOMADIC PEOPLE FROM ARABIA • 1800 BCE—CITY-STATE OF BABYLON (NOW CONTROLLED BY AMORITES) CREATES “OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE” • UNDER KING HAMMURABI • ENCOMPASSED MOST OF MESOPOTAMIA AND MEDITERRANEAN MIDDLE EAST

  10. MESOPOTAMIAN RELIGION I • CENTER OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION • POLYTHEISTIC • BELIEVED IN NUMEROUS GODS AND GODDESSES, EACH WITH A SPECIAL FUNCTION • GODS WERE CRUEL, VINDICTIVE, AND PETTY • WENT THROUGH GREAT LENGTHS TO KEEP THEM APPEASED • NEVER MADE A MINOR OR MAJOR DECISION WITHOUT CONSULTING GODS FIRST

  11. MESOPOTAMIAN RELIGION II • BUILT HUGE TEMPLE IN CENTER OF CITY-STATE TO PATRON GOD • ZIGGURAT • PATRON GOD OWNED ALL LAND IN CITY-STATE; ZIGGURAT PRIESTS ADMINISTERED IT FOR HIM • BECAME VERY WEALTHY AND POWERFUL AS A RESULT

  12. HAMMURABI’S CODE • ONE OF EARLIEST WRITTEN LAW CODES • TELLS MUCH ABOUT MESOPOTAMIAN SOCIETY • WOMEN WERE LEGALLY SUBSERVIENT TO MEN • ALL FAMILY MEMBERS WERE COMPLETELY UNDER THE POWER OF THE MALE HOUSEHOLD HEAD • BASED ON LEGAL PRINCIPLE OF “EYE FOR AN EYE, TOOTH FOR A TOOTH” • RESULTED IN BRUTAL PUNISHMENTS • DEGREE OF INEQUALITY BUILT INTO THE CODE • PUNISHMENT VARIED ACCORDING TO THE SOCIAL STATUS OF BOTH THE PERPETRATOR AND VICTIM

  13. OTHER MESOPOTAMIAN ACHIEVEMENTS • IMPRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENTS IN MATH AND SCIENCE • DEVISED MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION TABLES • FOUND FORMULA FOR FINDING CUBE AND CUBE ROOT • DIVIDED CIRCLE INTO 360 DEGREES • OBSERVED AND RECORDED POSITIONS OF STARS AND PLANETS • INVENTED MEDICINAL DRUGS • BY ACCIDENT

  14. ANCIENT EGYPT • Nile River • Provided abundant and reliable source of water • Flooded every year and fertilized its valley with silt • Made possible a rich and diverse agriculture

  15. OLD KINGDOM • Zoser, self-styled “king” from Upper Egypt unites all villages along Nile River under his rule in 2900 BC • 2900-2100 BC • Destroyed in 2100 for two reasons • Civil war • Economic burden of building and maintaining pyramids

  16. MIDDLE KINGDOM • Anarchy, 2100-2000 BC • Strong rulers emerge again around 2000 BC • Reassert united rule • Restored order • 2000-1800 BC • Cultural life revives • Economic prosperity revives • Trade links established with Palestine, Syria, and Crete • Invasion of Hyksos in 1800 BC results in their takeover of Lower Egypt

  17. NEW KINGDOM • Ahmose I, “warrior pharaoh” from Upper Egypt drives Hyksos out of Lower Egypt in 1600 BC • Egypt reunited again under a native ruler • 1600-1100 BC

  18. EGYPTIAN RELIGION I • Gods took various forms • Animals (cats and crocodiles) • Forces of nature (Nile) • Half human/half animal creatures • Pharaoh considered a god • Human incarnation of Horus, Amon-Re, and Osiris • All-powerful/ word was law • Laws and commands expected to preserve ma’at (justice and harmony) • Viewed as shepherd of his people

  19. EGYPTIAN RELIGION II • Strong belief in afterlife, as witnessed by • Construction of pyramids • Mummification of dead • Tomb art • Priests recited prayers to ensure continued existence of dead person’s soul (ka) in the afterlife • Copied them on walls of tombs in hieroglyphics • Originally believed that only pharaoh and his family could attain immortality • Access to afterlife became more “democratic” as time went on • Afterlife contained same pleasures that people enjoyed on earth but without the pain

  20. MUMMIES

  21. OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS • Amazing engineering skills in building pyramids • Effective system of mathematics • Accurate 365-day solar calendar • Doctors could correctly diagnose a large number if illnesses, understood that unclean conditions caused infection, and had some knowledge of anatomy

  22. CREATION OF THE NEW KINGDOM • Ahmose I’s war of liberation against the Hyksos gave rise to intense militarism among Egyptians • Led to creation of empire • Included Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon

  23. RESULTS OF EMPIRE • Greatly enriched Egypt • Led to the creation of a professional army • Increase the power of priests • Temples received a percentage of the spoils of conquest • Accelerated Egyptian cultural and commercial contacts with other regions in the Middle East and Africa

  24. HATSHEPSUT • WOMAN • RULED EGYPT FOR TWENTY YEARS EVEN THOUGH WOMEN WERE THEORETICALLY PROHIBITED FROM BEING PHARAOH • DRESSED LIKE A MAN • VERY WARLIKE

  25. AKHENATON • 1369-1353 BC • Tried to replace Egyptian polytheism with the worship of one god • Aton (represented by symbol of sun) • Built new capital city devoted to Aton • Ordered all statues and temples to old gods destroyed • Even made it a capital offense to worship old gods

  26. AKHENATON’S FAILURE • Akhenaton died under mysterious circumstances • Probably murdered by wife, Nefertiti • Replaced by 12-year old nephew, Tutankhamon • Egypt reverted back to old religion • All references to Akhenaton and his god were destroyed

  27. FALL OF THE NEW KINGDOM • After Akhenaton’s death, Egypt plagued by raids from Lybian nomads and the “Sea Peoples” • Became involved in a long and exhausting war with the Hittites over Egypt’s possessions in the Mediterranean Middle East • Egypt progressively declined and ultimately abandoned its empire • Period of greatness over by 1100 BC

  28. POWER VACUUM IN MIDDLE EAST • Collapse of New Kingdom coincided with collapse of several other Middle Eastern empires • Created power vacuum • Allowed several small states to establish themselves and thrive (for a while) • Kingdom of Israel (founded by Hebrews around 1000 BC) • Civilization of the Phoenicians • Set up string of city-states along Mediterranean coast of Middle East • Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos

  29. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PHOENICIANS I • Merchants par excellence • Sent expeditions throughout Mediterranean Basin • Spread Middle Eastern civilization to new areas • Established trading posts—some of which evolved into cities • Carthage

  30. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PHOENICIANS II • Developed new alphabet • Simplified cumbersome cuneiform alphabet down to 29 characters (each standing for a different sound) • Motivated the desire to simplify record-keeping • Made literacy more “democratic” by opening opportunity for more people to learn to read and write • Became direct ancestor of our modern alphabet

  31. THE ASSYRIANS I • Originally a tribe from Arabia that settled in northern Mesopotamia around 1100 BC • Extremely aggressive • Conquered all of Middle East and Egypt by 900 BC

  32. THE ASSYRIANS II • Routinely used terror to keep diverse subjects in line • Mass executions • Mass mutilations • Torture • Massive destruction of farmland and cities • Terrorized subjects into obedience Nineveh

  33. CHALDEAN EMPIRE • Medes (northern Iran) and Chaldeans (area around Babylon) overthrow and destroy Assyrians in 626 BC • New Babylonian Empire • Reached height under Nebuchadnezzar (604-562 BC) • Babylon becomes most magnificent city in ancient world • Hanging Gardens • Ishtar Gate • Empire weakens in last years of Nebuchadnezzar and is conquered by the Persians shortly after his death

  34. NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S BABYLON

  35. PERSIAN EMPIRE • Created by Cyrus the Great • Largest empire the world had ever seen • Divided into administrative subunits called satraphies • Extensive road network • “pony express” type postal system • Mild rulers who tolerated different religions and customs

  36. ZOROASTERIANISM • founded by Zoroaster • Two divine entities • Ahrura-Mazda (good) • Ahriman (evil) • Both struggling for control of the universe since the beginning of time • Humans chose sides in this struggle through their behavior • Basically good behavior indicated support of Ahrura-Mazda • Basically evil behavior indicated support of Ahriman • Ahrura-Mazda’s ultimate victory will launch a Day of Judgment • His supporters rewarded • Ahriman’s supporters punished • Stressed moral and ethical behavior before all else

  37. SUMMARY • POSITIVE • Enormous creativity and intelligence • Magnificent cities • Organized governments • Performed sophisticated mathematics • Constructed massive public monuments • Engaged in international trade • Established schools • Advanced level of technology • Invented writing • NEGATIVE • Inequality • Between men and women • Between rich and poor • Slavery • Routine use of war to obtain political goals • Civilization was a mixed blessing • Brought amazing benefits • Introduced problems that still plague humanity today

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