Unit 1 Review

1. Unit 1 Review By Alex Martin, Joelle Kwon, Chang Lee, and Anu Khanna

2. Paleolithic Age - In this time there are several events that had happened - Daily life could be considered very relaxing - The women would gather the plants while the men would hunt - This led the hypothesis that women were the ones most likely to initiate the transition to the Neolithic Age - People normally traveled in small groups that consisted of kinsman - Since these societies were based off of small groups, a lot of land was needed to host one group of people - Some of the normal technologies were a little bit of metalworking and other basic technologies that could be used to create a fire or cook the meat - Life during the Paleolithic Age was egalitarian with equality between men and female gender roles

3. Reasons for Transfer to the Neolithic Era - A couple of reasons that some people started to settle down in agricultural societies - A small ice age would have killed off large game. This could lead to more people settling down because there would be a need for agriculture - An increase of population could also lead to an increase of agriculture because there would not be enough land for hunting - Other people started to become agriculturally dependent leading to the deforestation of some places forcing other people into an agriculture society

4. Neolithic Age -During the Neolithic Age societies and civilizations did develop, but most of the people were still considered hunters and gatherers. - Some of the main differences that one can see between the Neolithic era and Paleolithic Era was the change in health. The people who lived as farmers were significantly less healthy than those who lived as hunter-gatherers. There was less variety in the food as well as less enriching crops. There were some main civilizations that arose during this time - Mesopotamia - Egypt - An Early Chinese Civilization followed by the Shang - The Indus Valley Civilization

5. Mesopotamia -Mesopotamia was the world’s first civilization located in what today is modern Iraq between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.They were invaded by the Sumerians in 3500 BC. -Mesopotamia was initially divided into city-states ruled by priest-kings, but those city-states later evolved into empires. The land owning aristocracy had main control over government. Also they developed a formal legal code called Hammurabi’s Code at about 1800 BCE. -They relied heavily on trade with their neighbors in order to achieve what they needed such as timber, tin, stone, copper, and other raw materials not found in their area. -They believed in over 3,000 gods who had control over nature, making them immensely loyal. The majority of the art and literature focused on their gods and religions and they built ziggurats for religious purposes.

6. Mesopotamia -In Mesopotamia, society was structured with the nobles having the most power and highest societal placement and with slaves on the bottom of the social strata. Slaves were used in temples, public buildings or private homes. This society was patriarchal, but women could hold most occupations. -They invented things like the wheel, sail, and plow and are well known for having the first system of writing and numbers. They also had achievements in bronze metallurgy and astronomy. -Because irrigation was needed for farming, the community coordinated, which served as the basis for complex political structures.

7. Egypt -Egypt was a relatively isolated civilization that flooded frequently, but had rich soil that was easy to farm. They eventually regulated flooding by surveying. -Their government was unified for most of history in three kingdoms where the Pharaoh had divine authority. -Egypt’s economy wasn’t that important to them as they had most of what they needed, but participated in some trade. -The Egyptians had thousands of gods and goddesses who had both human and animal qualities. They also believed in the afterlife and would mummify their dead as well as build pyramids and temples for their Pharaohs and for worship. -In Egypt there was very limited social mobility, but women did have more rights. They had hieroglyphic writing on papyrus, mathematics, a calander system, and some medical advancements, and advanced architecture.

8. Early Chinese Civilizations -The early Chinese civilizations developed in isolations along the Yellow River. -Their first dynasty, the Shang dynasty, emerged about 1500 BCE. The aristocracy and emperor dominated their cities that were surrounded by earthen walls. - The Chinese family was at the center of society with women subordinate. -They believed in spirits of family ancestors could bring good fortune of disaster and were well known for bronze and silk. -The emperor in these early civilizations were believed to be chosen to rule by heaven, but if heaven was not pleased another family would be given this Mandate of Heaven. This led to their dynastic cycle.

9. The Indus Valley Civilization -The Indus River Valley civilization was in what today is modern day Pakistan. They emerged around 2500 BCE. -They had culturally unified city-states like Harappa and Mohenjo- Daro. -They mysteriously vanished. The popular theories to explain their disappearance are that there was Aryan invasion or environmental degradation. -Their were polytheistic and largely influenced Hinduism. -The Indus Valley civilizations planned cities with large temples, had an undecipherable writing system, and advanced technology like plumbing systems. -Cities and towns cultivated rye, peas, and rice.

10. The Olmec -The Olmec emerged from Mesoamerica from 1400-400 BCE. They lived in dense tropical rainforest. -The Olmecs were divided into several city-states with a common culture. -The highest rank in the social hierarchy was the chief and once again the society was dominated by aristocracy. Laborers were forced to build temples, palaces, and drainage canals. -The Olmecs were polytheistic whose deities blended male and female, animal and human characteristics. Their religion led to the development of their writing system and calendar.

11. Overview: The River Valley Civilizations - Wheel, alphabets, mathematics were prominent achievements in the River Valley Civilizations - Mesopotamian art and Egyptian architecture later carried on to Greeks, Romans who spread its influence over Muslim and European regions - Jews had much influence in Middle East and provided the first monotheistic religion - Harappan Civilization (Indus Valley Civilization) was destroyed and was unknown for a long time and did not have as much influence as the Chinese civilizations, which existed for thousands of years