People and Ideas on the Move• Indo-Europeans: group of nomadic ppl who

came from the steppes• I.E. language has lineage today in Europe, Asia,

Spanish, English, Persian, and Hindi (words on pg 61)

Unexplained Migration• I.E.’s migrate out of the steppes around 1700

BC to different regions. Not exactly sure why. What are some possible explanations?

Hittite Empire

• Around 2000 BC, the Hittites control Anatolia (62). Separate Hittite states form an empire around 1650 BC and make Hattusas its capitol. It dominated for 450 years. They take over Babylon, but can’t defeat or be defeat by Egypt so….. They sign a peace treaty promising to work together against future invaders

• Hittites adapt- they use their own languages domestically, but use Akkadian (Babylonian language) internationally.

• They borrowed ideas of literature, art, politics, and law from Mesopotamia

• Were superior in warfare b/c of superior chariots (light and maneuverable) and iron weapons.

• Due to flights of migration tribes attack the Hittite Empire, ending its reign around 1190 BC

Aryans Transform India• Settled east of the Caspian Sea and migrated toward

the Indus River Valley• Left no archaeological record, but did leave Vedas• Vedas- 4 collections of prayers, spells, and instructions

for performing rituals (*Rig Veda)Caste System Develops• Organized into four groups: Brahmins (priests),

warriors, traders/landowners, peasants. As Aryans migrate into Indus RV, Shudras do the work that Aryans don’t want to

• Skin color distinguishes the classes oftentimes• “untouchables”

Aryan Kingdoms Arise

• Extend their settlements (65)• Originally, chiefs were elected by tribe. Then,

minor kings emerge and set up territorial kingdoms. Magadha was the strongest

• Mahabharata-epic that depicts the struggles between Aryan kings

• Violence and confusion about humans and gods cause new religions to emerge. Guess which…

Hinduism• Cannot be traced back to one founder with a single set

of ideas

Origins and Beliefs• Belief that religion liberates the soul• Upanishads- written dialogues that explain how a

person can achieve “liberation” (moksha)• Reincarnation: soul can be born again and again until

moksha is achieved• Karma- one’s good or bad deeds follow them from one

life to the next to influence their circumstances (caste system)

Hinduism Changes• Originally had three gods (Brahma- the creator,

Vishnu- the protector, and Shiva- the destroyer)• Over time, Vishnu takes on different personalities

(Krishna and Rama). Also, the idea of a “world soul” (Brahman) declines, and people worship Devi (Mother Goddess)

• Today, Hindus are free to worship their own deity or none at all, and can take three different paths toward moksha

Hinduism and Society• Essentially only men at the top could achieve

moksha in their present life• People’s situation reflects their past lives• Hinduism dominated every aspect of a person’s

life (what they could eat, cleanliness, their friends, their clothing, etc.)

New Religions Arise• Jainism and Buddhism

Jainism• Founded by Mahavira, this religion argues that

everything has a soul and should not be harmed (insects, plants, etc.)

• Preach tolerance of religions and do not spread their culture (most still live in India)

Buddhism• Founded by Siddhartha Gautama• Destined for greatness by prophecy

Siddhartha’s Quest• @ 29, leaves his family’s palace for the first time

(four times in all)• 1st- sees an old man, 2nd- sees a sick man, 3rd- sees a

corpse, 4th- a holy man at peace with himself• Interprets this to mean that every person will

experience old age, health problems, and death; but that with a religious life you can escape all these

• Wandered through Indian forests for 6 years seeking enlightenment

• Tried fasting and it didn’t work. Spoke with other religious scholars, and it didn’t work. Finally, he meditated underneath a fig tree for 49 days and reached a conclusion on the cause of suffering. From then on, he was named the Buddha or “enlightened one”

Origins and Beliefs of Buddhism

• 4 Noble Truths- preached to 5 disciples1. Life is filled with suffering and sorrow2. Cause of suffering is people’s selfish desire

for temporary pleasures of the world3. Way to end suffering is to end desires4. The way to overcome desires and attain

enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold Path (69)

• By following the path, one could reach nirvana (release from selfishness and pain)

• Buddha agreed with reincarnation, but rejected the idea of the caste system (b/c of the privileges of the Brahman priests)

• NIRVANA vs. MOKSHA***

RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY• 5 disciples who heard Buddha’s first sermon were

admitted to the sangha• Three Jewels of Buddhism- religious community,

Buddha, and dharma (doctrine)

Buddhism and Society• Monks and nuns vow to live a life of poverty,

nonviolence, and abstinence • Women are allowed in the sangha

Buddhism in India• After Buddha’s death, missionaries spread his faith

all over Asia, except India? Why do you think this is so since it originated there?

Trade & Spread of Buddhism• Along with trading their products, they carried

Buddhism to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and Sumatra. Also along the Silk Roads to China, and then to Japan and Korea.

Minoans

• Minoans- powerful sea-faring people who dominated trade (pottery, swords, figurines, precious metals, art and culture) in the Mediterranean from 2000-1400 BC.

• Live in the island of Crete, on the southern end of the Aegean Sea

Unearthing Knossos

• Discovered around 1900 AD• Named after King Minos, who owned half-

human/half-bull named Minotaur• Women had a higher rank here than most

cultures• Sacrifices to the gods were common (animals

and people)

Mysterious End?

• Ended around 1200 BC• 1470 BC a series of earthquakes hits Crete,

followed by a volcanic eruption on neighboring island of Thera

• Doesn’t wipe them out, but cripples them just enough to make them susceptible to invasion from Greeks (THEORY)

Phoenicians

• Phoenicia is in present day Lebanon• Take over the sea trade after the Minoans• Never united into a country, but instead

created many wealthy city-states around the Mediterranean

• 1st Mediterranean people to venture beyond the Strait of Gibraltar

Commercial Outposts

• Most important cities were Sidon and Tyre (red-purple dye), and Byblos (papyrus) PG 59

• Phoenicians set up city-states in N. Africa, in Sicily (Italy), and Spain

• Greatest was Carthage in N. Africa• Cities were about 30 miles apart

Phoenicia’s Alphabet

• Needed for trading transactions with other countries• Developed a writing system that used symbols to

represent sounds (phonetic)• Neighboring traders typically adopted the Phoenician

alphabet• Few records available because papyrus deteriorates• Trading economy was disrupted when Eastern cities

were captured by Assyrians in 842 BC. Phoenicians were forced to move and set up city-sates in the west

Origins of Judaism• Hebrew (Jews) people lived in Canaan (land God

promised to his people)• First five books of the Hebrew Bible are called the

Torah (in the Old Testament to Christians)• God chose Abraham to be the father of the Hebrew

people • Abraham was a shepherd in Ur (Mesopotamia) who

moves the Hebrew people to Canaan around 1800 BC. His descendants move to Egypt 150 years later

• Hebrews were monotheistic (Yahweh) and didn’t believe in making physical images of him

• Covenant-promise between a god and human

Moses and the Exodus• Hebrews flee to Egypt due to drought and famine.

Eventually were forced into slavery in Egypt by Pharaoh

• Jews called this migration the “Exodus”, and celebrate it during the Passover

• Moses (raised by Egyptian lady) leads the Jews out of slavery in Egypt

• while fleeing Egypt, the Jews cross the Sinai peninsula. Moses climbs Mt. Sinai to pray. God reveals the 10 commandments to Moses and promises to protect the Jews as long as the Jews keep the 10 commandments

Land and People of the Bible

• Jews wander the Sinai desert for 40 years. Moses dies, and the Jews return to Canaan. They switch from nomadism to farmers and herders, and learn new technologies from people in ancient Canaan

• Broken into 12 tribes- God would chose judges to unite the tribes in times of emergency

• Most prominent judge was a woman named Deborah

Hebrew Law• Women typically didn’t participate in religion• Ethical monotheism- Hebrew idea emphasizing right

conduct and worship of one God• Similar to Hammurabi’s Code, but more merciful

Kingdom of Israel

Saul and David Est. a Kingdom• 11/12 tribes fall to Philistines, leader of 12th

was Judah• From 1020-922 BC, Hebrews are united under

Saul, David, and Soloman in what comes to be known as Israel. Saul drives out the Philistines, and his son David founds a dynasty. David’s son Soloman (most prominent) est. a trading empire and builds temples and palaces

The Kingdom Divides

• Solomon’s temples/palaces strained the kingdom’s finances, and men were forced to spend much time working on them, causing them to dislike Soloman.

• After Soloman dies, the kingdom divides. The north remains under the name Israel, and the south adopts the name Judah

Babylonian Captivity

• 738 BC- both kingdoms have to pay tribute (peace money paid by a weak power to a strong power) to Assyria

• Assyrians don’t honor agreement and attack Samaria (Israel) in 725 BC. Judah resists for 150 years, until Babylonians take over.

• 539 BC, King Cyrus (Persian) conquers Babylon and allows Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.