Name ______Notes 1-3-8

1-3:Development of Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies

Civilization = Social organization of high order. Most agricultural societies are civilizations, with the first civilization existing about 5,000 years ago.

Basic Features of Civilizations (What they have in common)

  • Some sort of economic system
  • Government that provides political and military leadership
  • A social hierarchy
  • Advancements in science and the arts

Core/Foundational Civilizations and the First States

______ (Middle East between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers)

  • ______ = 1stcivilization (began 3500 B.C.E.) in Mesopotamia (“mother civilization”).
  • Mesopotamia mostly had independent city-states (had many cities, ex: Babylon).
  • ______ = 1st form of writing (around 3300 B.C.E.).
  • ______epic = one of world’s oldest literary works.
  • ______Code = Code of laws (albeit a very harsh set of laws favoring upper classes).
  • ______ = Temples
  • Sumerian achievements = Canals, dams, pottery, metalworking (bronze), and created base 60 number system still used in time and navigation.
  • Traded extensively through Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.
  • Mesopotamia later ruled by others, including:

- ______ (1st to use iron efficiently and skilled at chariot warfare)

- ______ (built largest empire in Mesopotamia, skilled cavalry warriors, cruel rulers).

Egypt

  • 2nd civilization (after Sumerians in Mesopotamia), began around 3100 B.C.E. along Nile River.
  • VERY centralized society = Led by apharaoh (viewed as a god) and a small caste of priests.
  • Traded and had big cities (though on a smaller scale than Mesopotamia).
  • Women = 2nd class citizens but had some privileges (could divorce, receive alimony, own property, and a woman even became pharaoh).
  • Egyptian Book of the Dead = Major religious text (religion was polytheistic with main god the sun god (called Ra), pyramids built as tombs, and mummification practiced).
  • Egyptian achievements = hieroglyphs (form of writing), papermaking using papyrus (fibers of reeds), advanced engineering and architecture (ex: pyramids), irrigation, bronze weapons and tools, knowledge of medicine, math, and astronomy (created 365 day calendar).

Indus River Valley

  • Began 2600 B.C.E (ended 1900 B.C.E.) along Indus River in what is today India and Pakistan.
  • Very urban society (over 100 cities), largest 2 cities were ______and Mohenjo-Daro.
  • Had very centralized rule = each city had same layout.
  • Traded extensively, getting all the way to the Middle East.
  • Had metal tools and a written system, though it is still not deciphered to this day.
  • Ended by invasion from foreigners (the Aryans).

Early China and the Shang Dynasty

  • Civilization in China began along the Yellow (or Huang He) River.
  • ______Dynasty = First dynasty of China (began 1750 B.C.E.)
  • Shang used chariot and cavalry warfare, and enslaved their prisoners.
  • Had extensive trade (all the way to the Middle East).
  • Shang contributions = ______ (Chinese writing system), fortune-telling, ancestor veneration, and stressing patriarchal system.
  • ______Kingdom = Area between Yellow and Yangtze Rivers where Chinese civilization began, name implies Chinese considered themselves the center of the world.
  • ______Dynasty = 2nd Chinese dynasty (1045 B.C.E. – 221 B.C.E.) which began after defeating the Shang. Zhou was longest dynasty in Chinese history.
  • ______of ______ = As long as leader ruled wisely and fairly, he could claim divine right to rule.
  • Zhou collapsed b/c of civil war (last part of Zhou rule called period of “Warring States”).

The Olmecs

  • “Mother Civilization” of Mesoamerica (Central America) from 1400 B.C.E. to 400 B.C.E.
  • Differed from “Core 4” civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, China) b/c no major river system.
  • Contributions = art, monumental architecture (carved huge stone heads, built tall mounds), religion (human sacrifice), had large trade network, skilled at pottery and built canals.

Andean Cultures and the Chavin

  • ______ = Most significant of early South American civilizations (along Andes Mountains).
  • Very urban society with strict class distinctions.
  • ______ = Knots in strings for recordkeeping (didn’t have written language).
  • Achievements = Roads, bridges, irrigation, elaborate textiles, and domesticated and used llamas.
  • Religion = worshiped many gods (polytheism), but jaguar god was at the top.

Other Cultures and Civilizations

  • ______ = South of Egypt, played key role in trade (being between Egypt and sub-Saharan Africa) until Nubian kingdom (called ______) was defeated by Egyptians in 1500 B.C.E.
  • ______ = Hebrew civilization began 2000 B.C.E., and they settled Israel 1000 B.C.E. This was the world’s first monotheistic religion.
  • ______ = Began 2000 B.C.E. on island of Crete and influenced later Greek culture.
  • ______ = (1600 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E.) Heavily influenced later Greek culture, Myceneans fought the Trojan War (1250 B.C.E.) that Homer later wrote about.
  • ______= Founded in 753 B.C.E.
  • ______= Controlled land along Mediterranean (1550 B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E.). Biggest legacy was their alphabet, which was basis for Greek and Roman alphabets.
  • Indo-Europeans = Nomads who lived in Eurasia and Central Asia (conquered much of India).
  • ______ = Herders who spread from Niger River throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
  • ______= Conquered Egypt.