The Past in Perspective Fourth Edition Kenneth L. Feder

1. The Past in PerspectiveFourth EditionKenneth L. Feder Chapter 12 An Explosion of Complexity The Flowering of Civilization in the Old World: Shang, Minoan, and Khmer

2. The Flowering of Civilization in the Old World • Chronicle • The Civilization of Ancient China • Minoan Crete • The Khmer Kingdom • Issues and Debates • Case Study Close-up • Summary

3. Chronicle • In the last chapter, we considered the ancient civilizations of Africa and southwestern Asia • Mesopotamia; Egypt; Indus Valley • Now we turn to the ancient civilizations of Europe and of eastern Asia • Minoan Crete (modern Greece) • Shang China • Khmer (modern Cambodia)

4. The Civilization of Ancient China • Yang-shao • As mentioned in ch. 9, the roots of Chinese civilization can be traced back to the Neolithic sites of the Yang-shao. • The Lung-shan Culture • Lung-shan replace Yang-shao after 5,000 B.P. • Village at Ch’eng tzu-yai enclosed by a giant wall of stamped earth that must have required communal labor. • The Chinese term for the stamped or pounded earth technique used in construction is hang-t’u.

5. The Civilization of Ancient China • Hallmarks of Lung-shan Culture (5,000-4,000 B.P.) • Burials reflecting status differentiation. • Increasing use of metal • Copper; gradually, and importantly, bronze • Bronze used in weapon making • Ornamental jade tubes (ts’ung) • Scapulimancy—divining by interpreting fired animal shoulder blades. • Widespread of evidence of this practice suggests cultural convergence, as with Olmec & Indus valley • Evidence of violence unprecedented in China.

6. The Civilization of Ancient China • Acceleration Toward Civilization • Erh-li-t’ou, dated to about 3800 B.P. • Site 10X larger than anything seen previously; two palaces • Bronze artifacts common; large, impressive burials • The Shang Dynasty • First urban Chinese civilization; set the stage for all later developments • Yin: city ruled by succession of 12 kings, beginning around 2,400 B.P. • Enormous royal graves; dozens of sacrifices • Written language containing over 5,000 characters • Only a fraction have been translated.

7. The Civilization of Ancient China Archaeological sites in China where evidence of the evolution of chiefdom and early state-level societies has been found.

8. Minoan Crete • Minoan Crete • Island only occupied around 8000 B.P. • Rediscovered by Sir Arthur Evans in 1894, who noticed evidence of a temple at Knossos • Names the culture ‘Minoan’ after mythical King Minos • Who Were the Minoans? • Crete settled by people from Greece and Anatolia (Turkey) • Settlers brought their Neolithic food base with them: wheat, sheep, goats, pigs, cattle

9. Minoan Crete • Who Were the Minoans? (cont.) • Island well-positioned to take part in sea trade • Influx of trading wealth seems to have spurred a period of increasing complexity. • A burst of development, centered at Knossos, begins around 5,000 B.P. • Bronze first imported at this time • First monumental edifice – the palace, or temple – constructed by about 3900 B.P.

10. Minoan Crete • The Palace at Knossos • At its peak, covered some 5 acres; contained about 1,000 separate rooms. • Walls covered with magnificent frescoes of dolphins and bulls. • Possessed written language (called Linear A) • Sophisticated water drainage systems • Development halted by earthquake in 3650 B.P. Took off again, however, in the New Temple Period. • This period, the peak of Minoan civilization, lasts from the earthquake of 3650 to the eruption of Thera in 3420 • At its peak, Knossos and its surroundings may have had a population of close to 100,000 people • Largest concentration of people anywhere in the ancient world

11. Minoan Crete • The Eruption on Thera • Sometime around 3420 B.P there was a volcanic eruption on the island of Thera (modern Santorini), 120 km (72 mi) north of Crete. • The devastation weakened the Minoans • Especially their economy, which depended on trade • Soon after, they were conquered by a developing civilization on mainland Greece: the Mycenaeans.

12. Minoan Crete Archeological sites in Crete where evidence of the evolution of chiefdom and early state-level societies has been found.

13. The Khmer Kingdom • The Khmer Kingdom • Swampy southeast Asian lowlands (settled around 4,000 B.P.) were perfect for rice cultivation and permitted the production of a surplus • Growing complexity after about 2,500 B.P. • Development culminates in state of Funan (A.D. 500) • Complex, stratified society, according to Chinese histories • Embraced Hinduism • Chenla civilization comes to prominence thereafter • Jayavarman (ruler) centralizes and bureaucratizes power • Jayavarman II (A.D. 800) founds kingdom of Angkor, the origin of Khmer civilization

14. The Khmer Kingdom • The Khmer Kingdom • Jayavarman II initiates a period of expansion • Oversees construction of great canals and palaces. • Successors built larger and increasingly spectacular pyramids-temples. • By A.D. 944, the capital is moved to Angkor. • Angkor Wat (A.D.1113) • Called the “largest religious structure ever built” • Surrounded by artificial reservoirs (barrays) • Centers on the Bayon, an incredible temple covered with sculpted images of Hindu gods, bas reliefs, columns, and colonnades.

15. Issues and Debates • Why Were the Elites of State Societies So Conspicuous in Their Consumption? • So many precious resources were “wasted” on elaborate burials. Why not build canals or equip troops or feed the poor? • Because elites are all about excess; in fact, they rely on it • Conspicuous consumption is not a luxury, but an expression and, ultimately, perhaps a justification of massive inequality

16. Issues and Debates • Was Minoan Crete Atlantis? • Writings of Plato discuss an a powerful ancient island laid low by the gods. • Some have suggested this fits the description of Minoan Crete, a naval power that was ruined by natural catastrophes. • But Plato also says that the island was home to elephants, that it was located in the Atlantic, and that the Atlanteans were defeated in a great battle, none of which apply to the Minoans. • An interesting idea, but the evidence isn’t strong.

17. Case Study Close-Up • The Terra Cotta Army of the Qin Emperor • 221 B.C., Ying Zheng is the first ruler to unite China. He founds the Qin Dynasty. • On his death in 207 B.C., an amazing memorial is constructed. • An army of over 8,000 life-sized warriors and horses, all made from reddish-brown, fire-baked ceramic called terra cotta. • No standardized molds were used; each figure excavated thus far has a unique pose and unique features. • The memorial was buried with the emperor in his mausoleum and was not known until its accidental discovery, by Chinese farmers, in 1974.

18. Summary • The Neolithic set the stage for the development of sedentary farming villages in various places in the Old World. • In a select few regions, an acceleration of cultural complexity led to the development of a stratified social system that controlled the excess wealth made possible thought the ability to produce an agricultural food surplus.