Civilizations and Agrarian Societies

Class Schedule and Exam Information

  • Upcoming class sessions are slightly unusual in timing.

  • Phones should be powered off and put out of reach during lecture.

  • Focus is on Unit 3: Civilizations.

  • The Unit 3 Exam is scheduled for Thursday, November 20.

  • Class Session Changes:

    • November 13: No class due to lecturer attending a conference.

    • Full class meetings on Tuesday and Thursday of this week.

    • Next week: Only Tuesday class.

    • Canvas assignment will include synchronous and asynchronous parts (details to be announced).

    • Return to class on Tuesday, November 18, before the exam.

Unit 3 Overview: Civilizations and Agrarian Dynamics

  • Unit 3 focuses on the dynamics of accumulation and exchange within agrarian civilizations.

  • Agrarian civilizations span from the late fourth millennium BCE to over 1,500 CE.

  • Key civilizations studied:

    • Tang Dynasty China

    • Fourth Century Rome (Roman Empire)

    • Aztec Empire

    • Islam

  • Analysis of primary sources from each civilization to understand their characteristics and evolution over time.

  • Consideration of historical lenses and models to interpret history.

Learning Objectives for Module 11

  1. Recognize main features of agrarian civilizations and empires.

  2. Describe both positive and negative aspects of development during agrarian civilizations.

  3. Relate characteristics of agrarian civilizations to specific geographical regions and times.

Cosmic History and Complexity in Agrarian Civilizations

  • Module revisits cosmic history and explores different models of historical development.

  • Emphasis on David Christian's and Eric Chasen's approaches to the development of complexity in agrarian contexts.

  • Importance of applying various historical models to assess and generate questions about agrarian civilizations.

Session Focus: Trends in Agrarian Civilizations

Structures in Agrarian Civilizations

  • Examining how agrarian communities evolve over time.

  • Noteworthy structural feature: Positive feedback loop in agrarian production and innovation.

    • Population growth leads to increased exchange of information and innovation, which supports increased agricultural production and nutritional resources.

  • Visualization of positive feedback loop via Chase's curve:

    • Illustrates the rising levels of complexity of matter over time on a logarithmic scale.

Population Dynamics and Historical Context

  • The era of agrarian civilizations spans approximately 4,000 years.

  • Population variations are depicted through graphs showing gradual rises and falls over this timeframe.

  • Understanding of complexity in human societies requires deeper examination of what drives these fluctuations in population and societal change.

Key Features of Agrarian Civilizations (According to David Christian)

  • Agrarian civilizations are characterized by two main features:

    1. Growth of States and Empires

    • Average size of states and empires increased over time.

    • Growth correlates with an economic function centered on wealth accumulation.

    • Agrarian wealth accumulation is primarily derived from peasant labor in agriculture (especially storable cereal crops).

    1. Expansion of Networks of Flows

    • Refers to the exchange of people, goods, ideas, wealth, etc.

    • Flows increase over time, leading to a more interconnected world.

    • Relationships between energy flow density and the characteristics of flow networks.

Centers of Gravity and Hub Regions

  • Differentiation between centers of gravity (focus on accumulation) and hub regions (focus on exchange).

  • Centers exemplify regions of wealth and state growth, while hubs highlight networks of flow and exchange.

Hierarchies in Agrarian Civilizations

  • Analysis of hierarchies involves understanding:

    1. Hierarchies of Class and Power

    • Social structures represented by producers, local elites, and ruling powers.

    1. Hierarchies of Geographical Networks

    • Different densities of exchange networks between centers and hinterlands.

  • Networks are characterized as:

    • Bulk Goods Networks: Limited by the cost-effectiveness of transporting low-value items over long distances.

    • Political and Military Networks: Exchanges dictated by power dynamics and territorial control.

    • Prestige Goods Networks: High-value goods traded over long distances due to their economic viability.

    • Information Networks: Ideation and communication channels that are the least expensive to disseminate and the most extensive.

Key Examples of Exchange Networks and Influences

  • Silk Roads: A prominent, uncoordinated network of trade routes connecting East and West, significant for cultural exchanges (e.g., goods and ideologies across regions).

  • Introduction of Buddhism as an idea traveling swiftly to regions such as China around the first century CE, following the Silk Road dynamics.

  • Abbasid Caliphate's trade networks established lucrative connections beyond its political control, facilitating the movement of ideas and goods across vast distances.

Conclusion and Class Discussion

  • Reflection on the dynamics of agrarian civilizations, emphasizing the interplay of structural changes, economic functions, and cultural exchanges.

  • Preparation for deeper analysis in future sessions, with focus on methods of accumulating wealth and the role of exchange in developing civilizations.

  • Questions encouraged to further explore the themes presented.