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