Studied by 7 people
Characteristics of a civilization
Advanced cities, government, social classes & specialization, religion, writing and record keeping, art and architecture; technology
River valley civilizations
Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China
Mesopotamia
“Between the Rivers” - Tigris and Euphrates, fertile crescent, sumerians the dominant people
The Sumerian City-States
Urak & Ur
Sumerian City-States had…
Ziggurat home of worship to the gods, Irrigation systems, defense from nomadic marauders; military, absolute monarchies
Mesopotamian Empires
Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian
Akkadians
Semitic peoples from northern Mesopotamia
Sargon of Akkad (2370 - 2315 BCE)
Destroyed Sumerian city-states one by one, created first ever empire based in Akkad.
Hammurabi of Babylon (1792 - 1750 BCE)
Improved taxation, legislation. Used local governors to maintain control of city-states, centralized bureaucracy.
The Babylonian empire fell because…
It was destroyed by Hittites from Anatolia
What Hittites invented
The chariot
Code of Hammurabi
Established high standards of behavior and stern punishment for violators, lex talionis, social status and punishment.
When is there an invitation to foreign invaders?
When there is a weakening of central rule
New iron weaponry used by…
Assyrians
Beginning 1300 BCE, by 8th to 7th centuries the Assyrians controlled…
Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, most of Egypt
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (r. 605 - 562)
Takes advantage of internal dissent to create Chaldean (New Babylonian) empire.
They created the first writing system
Sumerians, in 2900 BCE
Sumerians developed this type of writing
Cuneiform
Cuneiform
“wedge-shaped” - reed on clay then baked. Preservation of documents on clay, declines from 400 BCE with spread of Greek alphabet writing script
The Phoenicians were the…
First maritime trade empire, had an extensive maritime trade and communications network, dominated Mediterranean trade, 1200 - 800 BCE
Egypt political organization
Permanent settlements, well-defined social classes; patriarchy, Irrigation projects, trade & diplomatic networks
Egypt writing
Hieroglyphs, Hieratic script
Where Bantu Migrations were
Throughout sub-saharan regions, south and west into forest lands
Bantu Migrations (3000-1000 BCE)
Banana from Malaysia, early evidence of monotheism, brought iron and agriculture
Indus Valley Harappan Civilization
Major society built by Dravidian (Indus) peoples, 3000-1500 BCE
Indus Valley Harappan Civilization location
Indian subcontinent
Major cities of Indus Valley Harappan Civilization
Mohenjo-Daro & Harappa
Mohenjo-Daro & Harappa main ideas
Urban infrastructure - suggests public purpose & centralized authority. Residential district, grid layout, architecture, fortified citadels and temples, broad streets, pools, sewage, granary
Birthplace of Hinduism
Indus River Valley
Hinduism
Aryan beliefs blended with Dravidians’ religious practices
Important practices of Hinduism
Dharma, Karma, Brahman, Atman, Moksha, Meditation/yoga
Varna: The Caste System
Response to growing social complexity and Aryan domination, strict social class hierarchy
China River
Huang He (Yellow River), flows into Yellow Sea, “China’s sorrow”
The Earliest Chinese Dynasties (2200 - 256 BCE)
Xia, Shang, Zhou
Social Order
Ruling classes, great advantage: hereditary rule, tax revenues, monopoly on bronze weaponry
Oracle Bones
Chinese script for communicating with spirit world, determining future, question written on animal bones, turtle shells, heated over fire; cracks examined for omens
Classical Era
Persia, Greece, China, India, Rome
The empire’s fall that ends the classical era
Rome, leads to Byzantine Empire
Persia major dyansties
Achaemenids, Seleucids, Parthians, Sassanids
Achaemenid Administration
Central government, 23 satraps (governors) run satrapies (provinces/territories), system of spies - surprise audits, minimized possibilities of local rebellion
Persian technologies
Standardized currency for taxation purposes, qanat (system of underground canals), massive and extensive road building
Royal Road belonged to…
Persia, 1600 miles, partially paved, postal courier service
Persian Wars (500-479 BCE)
Rebellious Greeks in Ionia - spark of 150 years of war with Greeks
The fall of the Achaemenid empire
Alexander the Great conquers empire (334-331 BCE), becomes part of Greek empire
The Polis
A Greek city-state, highly independent, tyrannies (not necessarily oppressive), early democracies
Sparta
A highly militarized city-state
Athens
A city-state focused on public works and cultural development
The Peloponnesian War (431 - 404 BCE)
A war between Athens and Sparta due to internal tensions
Outcome of The Peloponnesian War
Athens forced to surrender, conflict weakens all city-states
Empire that comes in after the end of the Athenian Greek Empire
Alexander’s empire (Macedonia)
The result of Alexander’s death
A competition for his empire
Hellenistic culture
A blend of Egyptian, Persian, and Indian cultures
Science and Math of Classical Greece
Use of observable evidence, rational thought
Pythagoras developed…
A systematic approach to mathematics, Pythagorean theorem
Hippocrates developed…
An understanding of human anatomy and physiology, “father of modern medicine”
Socrates (470 - 399 BCE)
Philosopher, socratic method
Plato (430 - 347 BCE)
Disciple of Socrates, theory of forms or ideas
Aristotle (389 - 322 BCE)
Student of Plato, influential for centuries, emphasis on empirical findings, reason
Qin dynasty belief system
Legalism, centralized bureaucracy
Legalism
Strict belief system formed to help China reunify
Fall of Qin dynasty (207 BCE) due to…
Civil disorder
Dynasty that came after Qin
Han (206 - 220 CE)
The Han Dynasty had…
Administrative provinces/districts, roads & canals to facilitate military, communication, and trade, imperial university to create educated bureaucracy
Han dynasty belief system
Confucianism, patriarchal social order
Confucianism
Belief system that values filial piety
Technological developments of Han dynasty
Expanded use of iron, cultivation of silkworms, development of paper, crossbow trigger, horse collar, ship rudder, wheelbarrow
Fall of Han dynasty
Economic & social issues, increasing gap between rich and poor due to increased taxes, peasants losing land, yellow turban uprising
Death of Alexander left a…
Political power vacuum
Who made a very important conversion to Buddhism
Ashoka
Who took advantage of the political power vacuum left by Alexander’s death?
Chandragupta Maurya
Maurya empire religion, government
Buddhism, centralized bureaucracy
Gupta empire religion, government
Hinduism, decentralized bureaucracy
Gupta advancements
Natural science & math, plastic surgery, symbol for zero, pi, length of solar year, literature, system of well-built roads w/rest areas, art - Ajanta cave murals, metalwork; gold coins
Ancient Rome location
Center of Mediterranean Sea, center of trade routes
Punic Wars impact on Ancient Rome
Lead empire to control northern Africa, Europe, and parts of southwestern Asia
Patricians
Aristocrats (rich people)
Plebeians
Commoners
In the Roman Republic, senate was made up of…
Patricians
Class conflict in Roman Republic reason
Hierarchical social class system, unequal land distribution
Julius Caesar
Attacked Rome, declared himself dictator for life; assassinated
Augustus Caesar
Increased power and land empire, stabilized empire (Roman empire)
Roman Achievements
Roads, twelve tables, large plantations - commercial agriculture, latifundia - powerful economic powerhourse, need for slaves, Coliseum
Twelve Tables
Basic Roman law code, innocent until proven guilty, right to court and case before judges
Roman Religion
Polytheism based on Greek gods, emperor worship, conversion to Christianity
Who made an influential conversion to Christianity for the Romans
Emperor Constantine
The Edict of Thessalonica did what
Made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire
Daoisim
belief system based on nature, harmony with universe
Confucianism
Belief system based on filial piety; education; educated bureaucracy; civil service exam; proper behavior
Buddhism
Belief system based on enlightenment; meditation; equality Eightfold Path & Four Noble Truths; salvation
Hinduism
belief system based on caste system; kharma; reincarnation; Brahman, moksha
Christianity
Belief system based on salvation monotheistic; Ten Commandments; life after death for all
Events in Post Classical
Fall of Rome/Medieval Europe
Byzantine Empire
Islam
African Kingdoms
Chinese Dynasties - Tang and Song
Mongols
Rise of Europe/Crusades
Americas
Post Classical Chinese Dynasties
Tang & Song
Fall of Rome/Medieval Europe (476 CE)
Roman empire splits in 2 halves
The 2 halves of the Roman Empire after its fall
Medieval Europe & Byzantine Empire
Medieval Europe
western half - inherits Christianity (remaining authority)
Byzantine Empire
eastern half - keepers of Roman And Greek culture; also Christian (under emperor)
Constantinople capital of what empire
the Byzantine Empire
Justinian’s code
Set of laws to bring purpose back to the Byzantine Empire
No imperial authority and invasions that led to manorialism, feudalism describes where
Medieval Western Europe
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