First Civilizations

Archaeologist

-Scientist who studies early human traces
-Use excavation of artifacts

Anthropologist

-Study culture/people unique way of life

Paleontologist

-Study fossils (bone/teeth)

Mark Leakey

-''discovered'' footprints
-Looked like human prints
-3.6 million years old (approx.)

Donald Johanson

-Found skeletal remains of an adult female
-Looked human
-3.5 million years ago (approx.)
''Lucy''

Scientists

-Archaeologist
-Anthropologist
-Paleontologist
-Mark Leakey
-Donald Joanson

Human Origins

Australopithecines
-Homo habilis
-Homo erectus
-Homo sapiens
-Neanderthal
-Cro - Magnon

Australopithecines

-B.C 4mil-1mil; found in South and East Africa; Brain size 500cm3
-First human beings to walk upright

Homo habilis

-B.C 2.5mil-1.5mil; found in Eastern Africa; Brain size 700cm3
-First to work with stone tools
-Nickname ''handyman''

Homo erectus

-1.6mil-30,000 B.C; found in Africa, Asia, Europe; Brain size 1000cm3
-Used controlled fire
-Nickname ''up-right man''

Homo sapiens

-200,000 B.C
-Nickname ''Wiseman''

Neanderthal

-200,000-30,000 B.C
-NOT apart of the homo sapiens group
-Buried dead; flower on grave sites
-Use a from of pictures; music
-DNA shows not homo sapiens (1997)

Cro-Magnon

-40,000 B.C
-Found in Europe
-Brain 1400cm3
-Skeletal remains identical to ma

Paleolithic Age

-2.5mil-10,000B.C
-Old Stone Age
-Divisions of Labor

Old Stone Age

-Hunters (hunting for food)
-Nomadic
-Small communities (50 people or less)
-Some form of religion

Divisions of Labor

-Based on gender
-Males = hunter
-Females = babies

Mesolithic Age

-10,000-7,000B.C
-Transition period
-Old stone age - new stone age
-Middle Stone Age

Neolithic Age

-10,000-4,000B.C
-New Stone Age

New Stone Age

-Agricultural Revolution
-Purposeful Farming
-Clear tracts of land
-Slash/Burn
-Domestication of Animals
-Heards purposefully used for food/labor
-Settlements
-Large communities

Bronze Age

-4-3,000 - 1200B.C
-New Metal

New Metal

-Copper and Tin = Bronze
-Bronze is stronger than the other 2 alone
-Stronger weapons could be made
-Iron is stronger than bronze
-Writing introduced to the West during the Bronze Age (3200B.C)

Civilization

-A civilization is a complex culture in which a large number of people share common elements/characteristics
-Characteristics
-Causes

Civ. Characteristics

1. Advanced Cities (large population)
2. Social Classes
3. Job Specialization
4. Writing (record keeping)
5. Religious Structure
6. Political Structure

Civ. Causes

1. Challenge may have forced people to come together in large communities
2. Material Forces (Food)
3. Non-Material Forces (Religion)
4. I don't know

Mesopotamian Civilizaltion

-First civilization of the West
-Sumerians
-Social Ranks/Classes
-Cuniform
-Scribes

Sumerians

-Creators of Meso. Civ.
-Civ. Was made up of City-States
-Mini-nation
-Most used kings (Monarchy)
-Polytheistic (belief in more than one god)
-Backbone of farming
-Engaged in trade

Social Rank

1. Nobles
2. Commoners (80%)(Farmers, Fishermen, Merchants, Shepards, etc.)
3. Slaves

Cuniform

-1st to use writing
-Cuniform comes from Latin word ''Cuneus'' (means wedge)

Scribes

-Writers
-Used wedge shaped stylus to write on wet clay tablets
-Believed that the group began record keeping to keep an amount of food supply
-Record keeping may have evolved from there

Akkadians

-Sargon

Sargon

-Famous leader
-2340 B.C
-1st to create a dynasty in West
-Known as ''Empire Builders''
-Create economy prosperity
-Economy growth
-Cultural growth
-Strong military leader
-The other city-states put under one rule
-Fell due to attacks and invasions by another group

Babylonians (old)

-Hammurabi
-Epic of Gilgamesh

Hammurabi

-Well known ruler
-Strong and capable military
-Economic prosperity during reign
-Cultural advancements
-Best know for Code Of Hammurabi
-Law code with 280 laws
-Laws covered almost every aspect of society
-Very harsh law code
-Known social classes
-Laws were not actually written by Hammurabi rather, the code was a collection of laws taken from other city states

Epic of Gilgamesh

-One of the oldest lit. stories in the world
-Hero: King of Uruck (Gil.)
-People were Polytheistic
-Had use of Chariots (wheel)
-Valued gold/gems
-Story talks about a major flood that destroyed civ.

Egypt

-Initially made up of 2 kingdoms (upper Egypt (south) lower Egypt (north)
-According to legend, King Menes conquered lower Egypt and United 2 Kingdoms
-Made Memphis the capital because its where the 2 Kingdoms meant
-Old Kingdom
-Pharaohs
-Intermediate Period 1
-Middle Kingdom
-Intermediate Period 2
-Hyksos
-New Kingdoms
-Religion
-Osiris
-Art and Writing
-Hieroglyphics

Old Kingdom

-Age of Splendor and Prosperity
-Pyramids built

Pharaohs

-Rulers
-Viewed as gods
-No written law because the -Pharaoh decided laws
-Old Kingdom ended due to inner-strife

Intermediate Period 1

-A.KA. ''Period of Chaos 1''
-Very chaotic time
-Lots of fighting/death
-Power struggle

Middle Kingdom

-Time of Expansion
-Egypt expanded South of Nubia
-Came to a close/end because of inner-strife

Intermediate Period 2

-Period of chaos 2

Hyksos

-Invaded Egypt (came off of Med. Sea)
-Occupied Egypt for decades
-Caused many problems

New Kingdoms

-Empire Phase/Period
-Egypt have conquered Palesthe Reg./coast of Asia

Religion

-Polytheistic
-RA (Amon Re)
-Sun god
-Most powerful

Osiris

-Land god
-God of ''rebirth/underworld''
-Married to Isis (sister)
-Brother (Seth)

Art and Writing

-Lots of artwork uncovered
-Much of it gives insight into Ancient Egypt civ.

Hieroglyphics

-Writing
-1st began writing using clay tablets
-Then evolved to use of Papyrus paper (found across Nile River)

Ancient Near East

-Hittites
-Assyrians
-Economy

Hittites

-Est. a civ. On the Asia Minor
-Civ. Est. by 1500B.C
-Credited w/intro the smelting of the West
-Civ. fell due to an attack on its capital (Hathusas)

Assyrians

-Nineveh (Capitol)
-Developed on the ''plains''
-Because of this they dev. a VERY strong defensive system
-Tremendous amounts of ''military might''
-Social classes
1. Free
2. Slave

Economy

-1st farming
-2nd trade
-Decline began with fall of Nineveh

Palestine

-Phoenicians
-Greatest Legacy
-Hebrews

Phoenicians

-Sea traders
-#1 economy: trade
-Believed they traded as far as the Strait of Gobraltar
-Known to build great ships

Greatest Legacy

-Intro of the concept of an alphabet to West

Hebrews

-Monotheism (belief in one god)
-God of Abraham

Israel

-Abraham
-Famine Occurred
-Moses

Abraham

-Led a group (Hebrews) out of (Ur) Mesopotamia to the Palestine Region
-Issac (son of Abraham)
-Jacob (son of Issac)
-Jacob had 12 sons
-12 tribes of Israel based on the 12 sons

Famine Occurred

-Hebrews then moved to Egypt (because of need for food)
-Hebrews were welcomed at 1st
-Buter later were greatly oppressed (slaves)

Moses

-Led the Hebrews out of Egypt
-Known as Exodus
-Hebrews later settled back in the Region of Palestine along the Jordan River
-Hebrews made up of 12 groups (tribes)
-Hebrews later created kingdoms w/ kings

Hebrew Kingdom

-Saul
-David
-Solomon

David

-Est. Jerusalem as a Capitol for his people

Solomon (Davids son)

-After death of Solomon, the Hebrews split into 2 kingdoms
1. Israel (North) 10/12 tribes
2. Judah (South) 2/12 tribes
-Hebrews (both kingdoms) were conquered by the Assyrians
-Israel fell because of Assyrians oppression
-Judah survived

Hebrews/Jews

Babylonian(New)

Babylonian (New)

-After the ''fall'' of Assyria Babylon rose (again) in power
-Took over Region Assyria once had controlled
-Babylonian have control of Judah
-King of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar 2
-Forced Hebrews into captivity
-Forced them to come to Babylonian
-Babylonian fell again because of Persians
-Cyrus (the great) ruler of Persia
-Conquered Babylonian
-Allowed Jews/Hebrews to return to Palestine

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