Chapter 1 Early Civilizations Mesopotamia & The Nile

1. Chapter 1Early CivilizationsMesopotamia & The Nile

2. City States of Mesopotamia Figure 1-3 p10

3. III. Civilization in MesopotamiaSumerian Cities • Sumerian Cities • Surrounded by walls. • Mud brick structures • Accumulation of surplus wealth • Ziggurat – the temple Excavation of Warka showing the ruins of Uruk

4. Kingship • King believed to be of divine origin • Theocracy – priests and priestesses had an important role in governance, • gods ruled cities • actual ruling power rested with the king

5. Royal Standard of Ur, 2700 B.C.E. • Rise of surplus of wealth led to a more Militarized society • ruled by a king p11

6. Economy • Agriculture • Commerce and industry (woolen textiles, pottery, metal work) • Imported copper, tin and timber • Utilized the wheel that had been invented by nomads in 3000BCE

7. Society • Four Tiered Hierarchy • Elites • Dependent commoners • elites clients who worked for the palace and temple estates • Free commoners • farmers 90% OF POP, merchants, scribes, craftspeople • Slaves • belonged to palace officials, mostly female slaves to weave cloth and grind grain and to rich landowners who used them for agricultural and domestic work

8. Social Change with Urbanization VIllage Pastoral After 3500BCE – city influences Increasingly organized around raiding & military For some women participated equally Greece & Persia Sauromatian & Saka Rode, hunted, went into battle Married after first kill • Patrifocal • Concentration of wealth • Stratification of wealth • Sexual morality regulated • Paternity & inheritance

9. III. Empires in Mesopotamia • Sargon’s Empire (2340BCE – 2100BCE) • By 2300 – women & sex trade • 2340BCE Sargon, leader of the Semitic people • He used former rulers as governors • Power was a standing army of 5,400 men • He expanded the empire to include all of Mesopotamia and lands westward to the Mediterranean

10. Women During Sargon • Could inherit property • Exercised political power • Sumerian Queens had seals, occupied important positions of influence • Played an important role in temple rituals • Enheduanna, Priestess of the Temple of Ur – Sargon’s daughter • Emergence of “Women’s Work” & Domesticity • Slaves & commoners – produced food, textiles & Ceramics • Scribes, Bakers, Prohpehts, Temple workers

11. Women & Religion • Minoan mother goddess • 2800 BCE • Greek Island, Crete Shamans Cult Leaders Goddesses

12. III. Empires in Mesopotamia • Hammurabi’s Empire (1792- 1750 B.C.E.) • Employed an army of foot soldiers (axes, spears, copper or bronze daggers) • Divided and subdued opponents • Gained control of Sumer and Akkad creating a new Mesopotamia • Called himself sun of Babylon, the king who has made the four quarters of the world subservient • new capital at Babylon

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14. Social Changes • Institutional Patriarchy • Tribute Extraction • Social Stratification – disproportionate power system • beginning of Eurasian Slave trade • Society became a political institution that enslaved numerous members of its population to provide order and stability for itself • Law codes promoted universal standards of behavior • Irrigation & extensive military defense

15. Decline of Women’s status • Generally • Devaluation of social freedoms • Denial of claims to the results of their labor • Reshaping of spiritual expression • Murder of a woman marked down from Capital offense (2000 BCE) to a fine under Hammurabi code (1750BCE • Work became gender based, women paid less if it was the same • Right to inherit ended after 2000BCE • Women’s political & religious positions of power and roles ended by 1000BCE

16. III. Empires in Mesopotamia • The Code of Hammurabi: Society in Mesopotamia (Discussion) • What does the code reveal about culture and society? • PP 18-19 of text • Do the codes evidence a “system of strict justice” or represent a code that is written in the principle of “an eye for an eye” or system of equal punishment? • What type of justice system is it?

17. Stele of Hammurabi • Depicts Kings Divinity • Records the code • Judges encouraged men to sell women & children to satisfy debts p14

18. Changes For women • Right to inherit property eroded after 2000BCE • By 1000 BCE political power passed to men • Decline of women’s spiritual power • Myths emerged that recounted legendary battles between earth goddesses and sky thunder gods arose • By 1000 BCE no longer permitted to take on cultic roles such as priestesses

19. III. Culture of Mesopotamia • The Importance of Religion • Understanding of physical environment • Polytheistic • An – God of Sky (Earth Goddess had originally been more prominent) • Enlil- God of wind • Enki– God of earth, rivers, wells and canals and inventions of crafts • Ninhursaga – goddess of soil, mountains, vegetation • Mother goddess, mother of all children • Gave birth to kings • divination

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21. III. Writing & Sciences • Cuneiform “wedge-shaped” • Oldest texts 3000 B.C.E. • Writing as a form of communication and knowledge transference is only 5,000 years old • Math, Geometry, Astronomy, 12 month Calendar

22. Cuneiform • Developed for record keeping • Scribal education established to produce professionally trained elite scribes • Temples, palaces, military, government Table 1-1 p12

23. Development of Cuneiform3100 – 700 B.C.E The sign for star came to mean “god” or “Sky” p15

24. IV. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” Figure 1-4 p17

25. IV. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • A. The Impact of Geography • The Nile- gentle and predicable • Black land – fertile soil • Red land – deserts to the west and east • Lower Egypt – delta region • Upper Egypt – upstream and to the south • Protected from invasion • Prosperous agricultural economy • Development of trade

26. Old, Middle & New Kingdoms • Periods of Long term stability • Strong Monarchical authority • Competent Bureaucracy • Freedom from invasion • Construction of temples and pyramids • Intellectual and cultural activity

27. Intermediate Periods • Period between the three Kingdoms • Weak political structures • Rivalry for leadership • Invasions • Decline in construction • Restructuring of society

28. First Dynasty of Egypt3100 BCE • King Menes • United Upper and Lower Egypt • Double Crown Created to represent unification • Began the longest civilization in history • Longest home rule in history • Most favorable for women

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30. Old Kingdom • 3-6th Dynasties, 2686 – 2180 BCE • Capital at Memphis • Kingship: the Pharaoh – divine origin • Kings Family - administrative • Ruled according to principle of Ma’at • Conveyed ideas of truth and justice, right order and harmony

31. Development of 4th Dynasty • Bureaucracy • Office of Vizier “Steward of the whole Land” • Responsible to the King • Nomes & Nomarchs • Egypt divided into provinces • 22 – Upper Egypt • 20- - Lower Egypt • Nomarch – or governor administrated and was responsible to the King and Vizier

32. Middle Kingdom2055 – 1650 BCE • Nomes restructured with boundaries and obligations to state clarified • Nomarchs became hereditary officeholders • Collected state taxes • Recruited labor for royal projects • New concern of Pharaohs for the people

33. King Menkaure & Queen • Invasion my Hyksos of W. Asia ended the Middle Kingdom by 1650 BCE • Hyksos prevailed with horse-drawn Chariots • Ruled for 100 years p19

34. IV. D. Culture of Egypt • Four Tiered Hierarchy • God-King • Nobles & Priests • Merchants & Artisans • Extensive trade & international travel • Commoners or farmers • Paid taxes • Military & labor service

35. IV. D. Culture of Egypt • Polytheistic • Sun God – Atum, Re • Air God – Amon • River and land god and goddess – Osiris and Isis, born Horus • Osiris – symbol of resurrection and birth

36. Culture of Egypt - Construction • Complexes or cities of the dead • Incorporated Pyramids • Larger for kings burial, smaller or family • Mastabas • Rectangular structures with flat roofs, tombs for noble officials • Tombs • Rooms furnished and stocked so the Kaor spiritual body could return to a well preserved physical body (mummification)

37. Culture of Egypt – Art and Writing • Hieroglyphics – “priest carvings” or “sacred Writings” • Pictographic like Cuneiform • Developed to record and transmit knowledge • Medical books, literature, record keeping • Children taken to educate as scribes for royalty and government • Opportunity to rise in social status

38. Pictographic writing of Egypt p15

39. IV. E. Egyptian Empire • 18th Dynasty • Pharoahs used new weapons to throw off Hyksos and reunite Egypt • New Kingdom 1550 – 1070 BCE • Most powerful state in the Middle East • Massive wealth displayed by new temples

40. Queen Hatshepsut 1503-1480BCE • First of four women to become Pharaoh • Built the great temple Deir el Bahri near Thebes • Sent out military expeditions • Encouraged mining • Fostered agriculture • Sponsored trade expeditions

41. Women In Egypt • Maintained economic agency • right to inherit property for thousands of years • Monogamous marriage • Could initiate and seek divorce • Women: scribes, bakers, prophets, temple workers • Women’s political agency • Queens • Priestesses- controlled territory as virtual rulers, collected taxes and spent resources • Elite Women could become gods after death,

42. Kingdom of Nubia p23

43. Akhenaten & Religious Change • 18th C Amenhotep (1364-1347 BCE) introduced the worship of Aten, god of the sun disk (Monotheistic Religion) • Changed his name to Akhenaten – Servant of Aten • Closed temples of other gods • Lessened power of Amon-Re and the priesthood at Thebes • Replaced the Capital of Thebes with Akhetaten “Horizon of Aten” in modern Tell el-Amarna

44. Decline of Egyptian Empire • 19th Dynasty under Ramses II (1279 – 1213 BCE) restored Egyptian power • Regained Canaan • 13th Century invasions by “sea peoples” drove borders to original frontiers • 20th Dynasty in 1070 for 1000 years • Libyans • Nubians/Kushites • Persians • Macedonians • Rome