Origins of Ancient River Valley Civilizations

1. CHAPTER 1 FIRST RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

2. PRE-CIVILIZATION • Stability due to need to control water • Small groups could not regulate waters • Small groups could not defend area • Predecessors to civilizations • Small farming villages • First appeared in S.W. Asia • Catal Huyuk as example • Self-sufficient agricultural village in Turkey • Evidence of trade, tool making, artisans • Evidence of complex religion • Specialization of occupations: politics, military • Evidence of metal working (Copper Age)

3. CIVILIZATION • Civilization as Advanced Culture • Population dependent on cities • From Latin civitas • Permanent institutions • Politics, Religion; ability to make war • Social, labor, gender divisions, inequality • Clearly defined sense of other: barbarian, nomad • Artisan, intellectual classes favoring technology • Form of record keeping, specifically writing • Do not confuse with “good” or “superior”

4. THE MAP OF 1ST CIVILIZATIONS

5. ANCIENT HUMOR

6. ENVIRONMENT AS CATALYST • Mesopotamia (land between rivers) • Harsh heat, drought; unpredictable floods • Few natural resources short of mud; no wood • No natural defensive areas such as hills • Area open to invasion by migrating nomads • People in area must • Provide permanent food supply • Regulate, provide permanent water supply • Provide defense against invaders • Acquire materials such as timber, minerals

7. TIGRIS-EUPHRATES • “Necessity is the mother of invention” • Sumer in S. Iraq was first civilization • Cuneiform, sciences, math aided farming • Polytheistic religion • Religion was to appease gods, control nature • Art, architecture dedicated to gods, religion • Priests, later kings rule city-states • Land owning aristocracy dominate • Warlike society with slavery • Trade for needed materials

8. LATER MESOPOTAMIANS • Cycle of Civilization • Nomads come in and conquer sedentary people • Conquerors assimilate local sedentary culture • New civilization blends cultures, thrives for a while • “New” civilization grows old, invaded by nomads • Akkad “First” • First Empire • Sargon conquered all of Sumer • Babylonian “First” • City at junction of Tigris-Euphrates • Hammurabi’s Law Code • Laws included in Jewish Torah

9. MESOPOTAMIA AS A CHART

10. THE NILE RIVER • Society very different from Sumer • Nile flooded regularly, predictably • Provided rich soil, Easy soil to farm • Civilization regulated flooding, surveying • Location isolated • Pharaoh was considered god-king • Theocracy, almost absolute • Built pyramid tombs for dead • Egypt unified for most of history • Achievements • Mathematics especially geometry; architecture • Sciences, Medicine • Art was both secular and sacred • Religion was positive, egalitarian in many ways

11. INDUS VALLEY • Arose around 2,500 BCE • Mohenjo Daro, Harappa main cities • Independent city-states, strong government • Extremely well-planned, coordinated cities • Elaborate writing system (undeciphered) • Religion worshipped mother goddess • Little evidence of warfare until end • Devastated by environmental upheavals • Destroyed by Indo-European (Aryan) nomads

12. HUANG-HE (YELLOW) RIVER • Developed in isolation • Compare with ancient Egypt • Xia Dynasty (Mythical?) • God-like kings • Taught irrigation, sericulture • Shang Dynasty • Warlike kings, landed aristocracy; few priests • Most people worked land as peasants • Elaborate bronze workings; naturalistic art

13. CHINESE WRITING • Ideographic • Writing denotes ideas • First used on Oracle Bones • Priests asked gods questions • Wrote questions on bones • Tossed into fire; cracks read by priests (divination) • Elitist technique = scholar-bureaucrats • Extremely difficult to read • Required well-educated class to use • Only elite had time to learn • Cuneiform, hieroglyphs had similar effects

14. DYNASTIC CYCLE • One ruling family replaces another • The Dynasty Changes • Due to the loss of the Mandate of Heaven • Stages in Cycle • New dynasty arises, takes control of China • Strengthens rule, reestablishes prosperity, peace • Weakens, becomes lazy, problems arise • Invasions, revolts toss out reigning dynasty • Shang replaces Xia, Zhou replaces Shang

15. MANDATE OF HEAVEN • Chinese political idea • Rulers exercise power given by heaven • Rulers continue to rule if heaven pleased • Heaven will take back mandate to rule • Heaven will replace ruling dynasty • Indicators of a Lost Mandate • Wars, invasions, military disasters • Over-taxation, disgruntled peasants • Social, moral decline of elite classes • Increased crime, banditry

16. HOWTHECYCLE AND MANDATEWORKTOGETHER

17. HERITAGES • First heritages passed on • Writing systems inherited • Intellectual systems, art copied • Religious, philosophical systems copied • Useful inventions rarely forgotten, easily spread • River valley civilizations decline by 1000BCE • All subject to nomadic invasions • Indo-Europeans and Semites were strongest • Geographical centers shifted (all except China) • Political Structures often not continued

18. CIVILIZATION SPREADS • Phoenician Sailors in Lebanon • City-states traded across Mediterranean • Invented alphabet • Lydians, Hittites in Asia Minor • Introduced Iron, coinage to area • Hebrews in Palestine • Large Semitic migration in area • Ethical monotheism • Conduct determines salvation • There is only one God speaking through prophets, priests • God made a covenant with the Jews, his Chosen people

19. NOMADS: BARBARIANS? • Pastoral herding on fringes • Seen as savages • Interaction vs. conflict • Nomads traded, coexisted with settled areas • Nomads warred on, conquered settled areas • Often protected merchants, allowed trade • Prior to 1500 BCE little major threat • Chariot Peoples (Central Asian Indo-Europeans) • Domesticated horse, invented chariot, iron weapons • Pushed into SW Asia, S. Asia, E. Asia, Europe • Responsible for spread of ideas, trade