The Stone Ages
Paleolithic: hunter-gatherers homo sapiens “wise man”
Mesolithic: ice ages, land bridges, animal skin clothes, bow/arrows, hooks for fishing , canoes
Neolithic: Domestication of animals/plants (sheep, goats, large animals for carry loads), saws, fire, clothes from plants/wool
Mesopotamia
Fertile Crescent (Tigris and Euphrates Rivers) – silt
farmers and irrigation: ditches for water to fields, grazing areas for cattle and sheep
canals connected basins to series fo ditches, made surplus of food, led to division of labor
trading, beginning of cities
Sumerians:
cuneiform-world’s 1st system of writing
pictographs
carts/wagons
ox drawn plow
bronze tools
ziggurat
Babylonians:
Hammurabi- conquered Mesopotamia
Hammurabi’s Code- earliest known collection of laws written down for all to see, laws with consequences
Hittites:
Chariots and iron weapons
Assyrians:
Built roads, collected taxes, made laws
Chaldeans (neo Babylonians):
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon
Hanging Gardens and revived Sumerian culture
Phoenicians:
Fast trading ships along Mediterranean- built trade networks
Created the alphabet
Egypt
Nile River- Lower Egypt at the river delta (triangle) – yearly flooding
Old Kingdom = pyramids- afterlife – embalming body- mummies
Middle Kingdom=stability and order, peaceful period
New Kingdom=
Queen Hatshepsut- new paths for trade routes, female pharaoh
Ramses the Great- strong leader, mighty warrior, Abu Simbel sculptures
hieroglyphics
papyrus
obelisk
King Tut- one of only Egyptian tombs left untouched by raiders- found in 1922
Kush
south of Egypt- neighbors and trading partners
send ebony and ivory
Meroe- large trade network
India
Indus River- Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
Aryan invasion from central Asia
Sanskrit language
worship of cows (bovine worship)
caste system: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaisyas (commoners), Sudras (laborers), Dalits (untouchables)- family based, born and died in caste
Brahmanism
high status of priest- Vedic texts with sacred hymns & poems
Hinduism
Universal spirit- Brahmin
People’s soul (atman) wants to join Brahmin
reincarnation (rebirth) depends on actions in life – karma
polytheistic (many gods)
Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama- born in Brahmin class
left home , fasted, meditated
suffering = wanting what you don’t have
4 Noble Truths
nirvana- state of perfect peace
Buddhist missionaries spread by king Asoka, moved to Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Korea
Mauryan Empire
Candragupta Maurya- spies and army
Asoka- his grandson- converted to Buddhism, improved lives of all people, missionaries
Chandra Gupta II- money into arts, Mahabharata- struggle between good and evil, Bhagavad Gita is most famous passage, metallurgy, alloy, Hindu-Arabic numerals, inoculation, astronomy (discovered 7 planets in our solar system)
China
Shang
oracle bones- “read” to predict the future
bronze, jade
Zhou- land to lords, peasants had small plot of lands
Era of Warring States
3 philosopies:
Confucianism-Confucius taught ethics, moral values most important, know your role in society
Daoism-Laozi taught live in harmony, let things low like water, humans part of nature
Legalism- Han Feizi taught society needs strict laws and punishment, always be ready for war
Qin
Shi Huangdi- uniform law- same rules and punishments everywhere (Legalist), standardized language, new currency, highway network, Great Wall
Han
Wudi- Confucianism official policy w/tests to get a job
Family center of society, respect elders, father = absolute power
Invention of paper- plant fibers into past and dry in sheets
Silk roads- trade silk all the way to Rome in exchange for gold, silver & horses
Over time, less stable, life violent, so Buddhist missionaries from India gave more hope than traditional Chinese, used Daoism to describe Buddhist beliefs Buddhism spreading
Hebrews and Judaism
Abraham – leave home and move to Canaan
famine so Hebrews move to Egypt- pharaoh made them slaves
Moses demands Hebrews’ freedom after a series of plagues strike Egypt
Led out of Egypt- Exodus- 40 years
Given stone tablets- the Ten Commandments
monotheism- only one god, value human life, self-control, and justice
reach Canaan= Hebrews now called Israelites
David- well loved, defeat Philistines, captured Jerusalem, becomes Israel’s new capital
Solomon- builds a great temple
After Solomon’s death, Israel split into Israel and Judah (Jews)
Scattering of Jews outside of Canaan = diaspora
Jerusalem conquered by Greeks, Jews gain independence, conquered again by Romans- Zealots in 66 AD lead rebellion against Rome, main temple destroyed in AD 70. Jews banned from living in Jerusalem
Rabbi- religious leader/teacher, no matter where Jews live, common traditions and high holy days maintain and celebrate history: Passover, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur
Greeks
Rocky mountainous land, separate groups
excellent sailors
polis- city state
Athens
democracy- Pericles’ funeral oration- government when people rule themselves
oligarchy- government rule by few wealthy (aristocrats)
monarchy- rule by king/queen
prized education, literature, the arts
balance of mind and spirit- philosophy, geometry, rhetoric (public speaking), musical instruments
literature:
Homer Iliad and Odyssey
Aesop’s fables
mythology- stories about gods or heroes who caused all events such as thunderstorms to moon rising
philosophers:
Socrates – question everything
Plato- the Academy, people join to discuss ideas
Aristotle- live life of moderation based on reason and balance, logic
mathematics: Euclid- geometry
medicine: Hippocrates- doctor- find out the cause of diseases and keep people healthy
Sparta
life dominated by army, slaves grow crops, ruled by 2 kings who lead the army
Persians- Persian Wars against Greece
Cyrus the Great- ruled largest Persian empire world had seen, allowed people to keep own customs (Jews)
Darius- Persian who organized empire into provinces, new roads, messengers used these roads to travel quickly
Xerxes- Persian Wars- fight against Athens and Sparta (join forces to battle Persians), Persians win Battle of Thermopylae (300 Spartans), but lose to Greeks who win battles of Salamis and Platea
Peloponnesian War- Athens versus Sparta, Sparta wins
Philip II of Macedonia conquers Greeks- wants to conquer Persia but dies
Philip’s son= Alexander the Great- conquers Persians and Egypt- spreads Greek culture; its mixture is called Hellenistic
All 3 kingdoms: Macedonia (including Greece), Syria, and Egypt fall to the power of Rome between 60 & 30 BC
Rome
Legendary beginnings: Aeneas fled Troy and joined Latins to create Romans (in Virgil’s the Aeneid)
Romulus & Remus- Romulus becomes first king of Rome after killing his brother
government:
dictators- rulers with absolute power, power no longer than 6 months
Cincinnatus= farmer elected to defeat enemy, becomes dictator, but steps down after war to return to farm
Republic: patrician (wealthy w/power) plebian (some power, could serve in army, later could vote), poor (no voting/military), slave (no rights, property)
2 consuls- elected each year
Checks and balances of government
450 BC Rome writes Twelve Tables on bronze tables to be displayed for all
forum- where people gathered to meet, shop, public speeches, govt. and religious temples
military:
legions of 6,000 men
3 Punic Wars with Carthage, Rome conquers Carthage and their general Hannibal
Cicero- famous orator (speaker) asks for limit of power of generals, wants order back to Rome
Julius Caesar- conquers Gaul, becomes dictator for life of Rome, allies with Cleopatra in Egypt
March 15, 44 BC- senators (including Brutus) stab Caesar to death
Caesar’s assassination a shock to Romans; many had admired him
Octavian, later named Caesar Augustus & Marc Antony join forces to defeat Brutus and opponents
Octavian goes to Rome, Marc Antony to Egypt. Marc Antony & Cleopatra kill self to avoid capture by Octavian.
Pax Romana – Roman Peace – 200 years until AD 180
Unified currency
Use of silk roads to China
Trace metal, cloths, food
Tickets to circuses, chariot races, gladiator fights
Public baths, enough food for families, country villas
science and engineering:
Romans were practical – want knowledge to help improve lives
skilled engineers and builders
concrete, aqueduct, vaults, large buildings- Colosseum, mosaics, frescoes
language and literature:
written in Latin, language of ancient Rome- influence Romance languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian
Ovid- poetry
Virgil- the Aeneid- the founding of Rome
satire-using wit to playfully making fun of others
Rome and Christianity
conflict between Roman polytheism and Jewish monotheism
Jews start rebellions Romans react by banning Jewish practices,
destroying Jerusalem, diaspora – scattering of Jews
new religion- Christianity- roots in Judaism, based on teachings of Jesus of Nazareth- called the Messiah
much of information of Jesus in the Bible- holy book of Christianity
Romans thought Jesus’s teachings challenged their authority- Jesus crucified, buried, but Christians believe that he rose from the dead three days later- Resurrection
Jesus teaches that people should treat others like self, salvation (rescue of people from sin),
disciples/followers share message of Christianity
Paul- traveled to many cities and wrote long letters explaining the meaning of Christianity
Christianity spreads- Romans worry and kill them, dead Christians= martyrs
Roman emperors outlaw and persecute Christians
slowly Christianity becomes part of Roman society, emperor Constantine becomes Christian, 60 years later, becomes official religion of Rome