first civilizations middle east egypt india china central america peru
TRANSCRIPT
FIRST CIVILIZATIONS
Middle East
EgyptIndia
China
Central America
Peru
DEFINITION
• Large urban settlements (ie., cities)• Varied and complex social structure• Highly organized government
• Complex religious belief system presided over by professional priests
• Writing system
MESOPOTAMIA
• Means “Land Between Two Rivers”– Tigris on the northwest– Euphrates on the
southeast• Southern most region of
Mesopotamia was called “Sumer”– Characterized by small,
Neolithic farming villages until 3500 BC
Mesopotamia
Sumer
RISE OF SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION• Population explosion around
3500 BC caused the eventual appearance of twelve city-states in the region– Uruk, Ur, Lagash, Nippur, Kish,
Eridu, etc.• City-state includes large, urban
center, surrounded by walls, as well as surrounding countryside– Each had their own ruler,
army, patron god, and set of laws
– Like tiny independent countries
CUNEIFORM WRITINGMeans “wedge-shaped”
“Written” on clay tablets with wooden stylus
Thousands of different characters which evolved over time. Most stood for objects but others represented abstract concepts
Very difficult to master—took years and years of specialized training. Cuneiform writing was therefore not “democratic”—only a small elite had mastered and used it
Motivation for inventing this system was the need to keep commercial records
OTHER SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS• Brick architecture• Bronze tools and weapons• Engaged in trade with places as
far away as Africa and Asia• First money• First schools (trained scribes and
priests)• First Literature– Epic poem– Wisdom literature
• Medicinal drugs• Accurate lunar calendar
GILGAMESH
AKKAD
Akkad was inhabited by a people who had migrated
there from Arabia around 5000 BC. Lived a Neolithic lifestyle and had some trade contacts
with Sumer
Around 2300 BC they were united under the rule of a warrior-chieftain named
Sargon, who then led them in a successful invasion of
Sumer—he took over all the city-states there in a little
over a year
Using Sumer as his power base, he then conquered rest of Mesopotamia and
the Mediterranean coast of the Middle East—creating
world’s first empire
CULTURAL MISSIONARY
• Once he had taken over Sumer, Sargon and his people absorbed Sumerian civilization and became civilized themselves– They then spread their adopted
culture into new Middle Eastern regions when they conquered new territory
– Sargon was thus an unintentional cultural missionary• Spread achievements of the
Sumerians into new regions
POLITICAL EVOLUTION
• Sargon’s empire collapsed a few decades after his death in 2130 BC– In the aftermath, the
Sumerian city-state of Ur briefly dominated the region
OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE
• Ur’s dominance came to an end when the city-state of Babylon seized control over most of the region– Around 1800 BC– City-state controlled by the Amorites• Tribe from Arabia that had moved into Mesopotamia earlier
– Most famous ruler was Hammurabi– Created the “Old Babylonian Empire”
SUMERIAN LEGACY• During the centuries that followed, the Old Babylonian
Empire would also collapse, setting a pattern of rising and falling empires that would characterize the region for the next 3000 years– The original city-states of Sumer would be incorporated
into these empires and in the process, the Sumerian language and the Sumerians themselves would blend into the various new groups who settled in Mesopotamia• But the cultural legacy that had created would
endure to provide the foundation for a Mesopotamian civilization that would dominate the Middle East for the next 3000 years
RELIGION
• Mesopotamians were polytheistic– Believed in numerous
gods and goddesses, each with a special function
• Gods were often cruel, vindictive, petty, and unpredictable– So Mesopotamians
went to great lengths to keep them appeased
Mespotamian God: Marduk
ZIGGURAT
• Never made an important decision without first consulting the gods– Through priests who consulted the stars or engaged in augury
• Built huge temple in center of city for patron god– Called a Ziggurat– Believed that god actually lived in it– Also served as economic center, since ziggurat priests controlled
all the land in city-state and administered it in the god’s name
MESOPOTAMIAN RULERS
• Mesopotamian rulers were never priests– Although they needed
the support of priests to stay in power
• They served as military leaders and political administrators– Part of administrative
responsibility was to enforce the law
HAMMURABI’S CODE• One of earliest written law codes
• Women were legally subservient to men
• Women and children were completely under the power of the male head of the family
• Based on legal principle of “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”– Therefore very brutal in terms of punishments
• Degree of inequality built into the code– Status affected punishment
MESOPOTAMIAN SCIENCE
• Devised multiplication and division tables and formulas for finding cube and cube root
• Measured circles by dividing them into 360 degrees
• Developed science of astronomy– Carefully observed and
recorded positions of planets and stars
MESOPOTAMIAN MEDICINE
• Believed illness was caused by demons entering the body of afflicted person– Devised a number of ways to
drive the demon out and thus “cure” the patient• Chants and magic spells
• Also believed that horrible tasting concoctions would drive the demon out– Some had some real
medicinal value
THE NILE RIVER
• Key to civilization in ancient Egypt was Nile River– Abundant and
reliable source of water for agriculture
– Flooded every year• Leaving behind a
rich layer of silt which fertilized crops
BIRTH OF THE OLD KINGDOM• In 2900 BC, a tribal chieftain from
southern Egypt united all the villages along the Nile under his rule– Zoser– Began period known as the “Old
Kingdom”• 2900-2100 BC
• Old Kingdom endured for 800 years until civil wars and economic burden of building and maintaining pyramids destroyed prosperity and unity– Plunged region into anarchy
MIDDLE KINGDOM
• Around 2000 BC, strong rulers emerged who restored united rule and order– Created Middle Kingdom
• 2000-1800 BC• Cultural life and economic
prosperity revived• For first time, trade links
established with outside world– Palestine, Syria, and Crete
HYKSOS INVASION
• Entered Egypt around 1800 BC• Took control of northern Egypt
and held it for 100 years– Shattered unity and ended
Middle Kingdom• “Warrior-pharoah” Ahmose I
drove Hyksos out around 1600 BC– Restored unity to Nile valley– Started New Kingdom• 1600-1100 BC
RELIGION
• Egyptians were also polytheistic– Gods took various
forms:• Animals– Crocodiles and
cats• Forces of nature–Nile River
• Half human/half animal
PHARAOH• Believed pharaoh was a god– At first he was seen as the human
incarnation of Horus – Later also associated with Amon-
Re and Osiris• All-powerful– But he was expected to use his
power to care for his people• His laws and commands were
supposed to preserve ma’at (harmony and justice)• Often portrayed as a shepherd– Protecting his people
AFTERLIFE• Pyramids, mummification, and tomb art
all related to strong belief in the afterlife– Writing system (hieroglyphics) was
invented to preserve prayers for the dead on tomb walls
• At first, it was believed that only pharaoh and his family could achieve afterlife– In time, access to afterlife became
more “democratic” as upper class and then commoners claimed that they too could enter it
• Afterlife was viewed to contain the same pleasures that people enjoyed on earth but without the pain
MUMMIES
SCIENCE• Demonstrated amazing engineering skills in
building the pyramids
• Invented an effective system of mathematics
• Developed accurate 365-day solar calendar
• Doctors still believed demons caused illness but they could nonetheless correctly diagnose a large number of illnesses– Also understood that unclean conditions
caused infection– Had some knowledge of anatomy
NEW KINGDOM• Ahmose I’s war of liberation again
Hyksos l gave rise to an intense militarism– Led to creation of an empire
with the conquest of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria
• Conquests changed Egypt– Greatly enriched country– Led to creation of professional
army– Increased power of priests– Accelerated commercial and
cultural contacts with other regions
HATSHEPSUT
• Females prohibited from being pharaoh
• She nonetheless dressed like a man and ruled New Kingdom for 20 years– Ruled through her
weak son• Very warlike and
aggressive
AKHENATON
• Tried to replace traditional Egyptian polytheism with the worship of a single god, Aton– Represented by symbol of the
sun– monotheism
• Even built new capital devoted exclusively to Aton and ordered all statues and temples to old gods destroyed– Even made it a capital crime to
worship old gods in any manner
FAILURE
Akhenaton’s attempt to impose monotheistic on a traditionally polytheistic people was resisted by both the masses and priests
He died under mysterious circumstances in 1353 BCMost likely murdered by his wife, Nefertiti
Replaced by his nephew, Tutankhamon, who restored traditional polytheistic religion and tried to obliterate all references to Akhenaton and his god
THE ENDEgypt plagued by invasions by nomads from the Lybian Desert and the so-called “Sea-Peoples” after the death of Akhenaton
Also became involved in a war with the Hittites over Syria and Palestine
war was a draw but it dramatically weakened both empires
As a result of these problems, Egypt declined and abandoned its empire
period of greatness was over by 1100 BC
POWER VACUUM
• Collapse of New Kingdom, Hittite, and other empires at approximately the same time created a temporary power vacuum in the Middle East– Allowed several small
states to establish themselves and prosper for a while
– One was the Kingdom of Israel
THE PHOENCIANS
• Set up string of city-states along Mediterranean coast of Middle East– Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, Berytus
• Sent merchant expeditions throughout the Mediterranean Basin– Spreading Middle Eastern civilization to new areas– Established trading posts in these new regions• Some evolved into prosperous and powerful city-states, ie.,
Carthage
PHOENCIAN ALPHABET• Simplified cuneiform writing system by
reducing it down to 29 symbols– Each standing for a sound– Motivated by their desire to simplify
their record-keeping• Made literacy more “democratic” by
opening up the opportunity for writing to people who otherwise did not have the time and money to master cuneiform writing
• Would be adopted and modified by both the Greeks and Romans– Direct ancestor of our alphabet
ASSYRIANS
• Assyrians were originally a tribe from Arabia who settled in northern Mesopotamia around 1100 BC– Extremely aggressive– Conquered all of
Middle East and Egypt by 900 BC
NASTY GUYS• Assyrians terrorized subjects into
obedience– Routinely employed brutal
terror: mass executions, mass mutilations, torture, and massive destruction of farmland and cities• Policy worked for a long time
but it planted deep and intense resentments in the hearts of their subjects– Remained outwardly
obedient while waiting for Assyrians to weaken in order to get revenge
THE END
• Two Assyrian subject peoples allied together, rose up and annihilated the Assyrians in 626 BC– Medes (from Iran)– Chaldeans (lived in and
around the old city-state of Babylon)
• Assyrian capital of Nineveh was leveled and Assyrian power was permanently destroyed
CHALDEAN EMPIRE
• Chaldeans then created empire, headquartered in Babylon– Called the “New Babylonian
Empire”– Reached its peak during the
reign of Nebuchadnezzar• Turned Babylon into most
magnificent city in the ancient world– Hanging Gardens– Ishtar Gate
BABYLON
Ishtar GateHanging Gardens
PERSIANS
• Chaldean Empire weakened after Nebuchadnezzar’s death and was over-run by the Persians– Indo-European people,
originally from southern Russia
– Led by Cyrus the Great– Created largest empire
in the world up until that time
PERSIAN EMPIRE
PERSIAN ACHIEVEMENTS
• Provided unity to the Middle East for 200 years• Developed efficient administrative system– Satraphies
• Built numerous roads• Created “pony express” type postal system• Tolerated different religions and customs
ZOROASTERIANISM
• Founded by Zoroaster• Taught that there were two gods
who been battling each other since the beginning of time– One was the God of Light and
Goodness, Ahrura Mazda– Other was God of Darkness
and Evil, Ahriman• Human beings had to pick a side
in this struggle, and they did so through their actions
DAY OF JUDGMENT• Ahrura-Mazda will eventually win
the struggle– And this victory will inaugurate
a “Day of Judgment” • All people who supported
Ahrura-Mazda will be rewarded and all those who supported Ahriman punished
• Zoroasterianism stressed ethical behavior before all else– Influenced such later ethically-
based religions as Christianity and Islam
SUMMARY• Middle Eastern civilizations demonstrated enormous creativity and
intelligence– Built magnificent cities, organized governments, performed
sophisticated mathematics, built massive public monuments, engaged in international trade, established schools, advanced the level of technology, and invented writing
• But these civilizations also introduced negative aspects– Inequality, slavery, and the routine use of war to obtain political
goals• Introduction and development of civilization was a mixed blessing– Brought amazing benefits but also introduced problems that
remain unresolved today