In The Beginning … - PowerPoint Presentation

In The Beginning… The First Civilizations & Empires

Peopling the Earth

Introduction In 1879, a Spanish landlord, who was an amateur archaeologist, took his 12-year-old daughter Maria with him to examine a cave n their farm in northern Spain: “Ahead was a big dark hole like a doorway. Beyond it was a huge long room. I held my lantern high for a better look. Then, suddenly, I saw big red-and-black animals all over the ceiling. I stood amazed, looking at them.” - Secrets from the Past , Gene S. Stuart, 1979

First HumansHOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS – Human species that emerged as the most successful at the end of the Paleolithic period Recent archaeological and genetic evidence suggests we are all descended from the same group of people who originated about 120,000 years ago in Africa

Paleolithic Age Paleolithic Age – 2,500,000-10,000 B.C. Greek term meaning “old stone,” so sometimes referred to as the Old Stone Age Four hundreds of thousands of years, human beings lived in small communities, seeking to survive by hunting, fishing, and gathering in an already hostile environment Only learned simple tool use, mainly through employing suitably shaped rocks and stick for hunting and warfare Due to the harsh environment and dependency on hunting for survival, most were primarily NOMADS – people who moved from place to place Most were small – two people required one square mile for survival Population growth was slow, partly because women breast-fed infants for several years to limit their own fertility

Paleolithic Age Gradually improved their tool use beginning with crude shaping of stone to wooden implements Speech development allowed more group cooperation and the transmission of technical knowledge Speech also allowed more people to develop rituals, belief systems and even culture Cave paintings were expressions of nature’s beauty and power Belief systems developed to help explain the environment and set up rules for behavior *GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: SHEER SPREAD OF HUMAN BEINGS OVER THE EARTH*

Paleolithic Age Most of the earliest remains come from the present-day countries of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda Gradual migration (needing to find food) steadily pushed humans to go elsewhere Fire and the use of animal skins for clothing enabled people to live in colder climates Two strands developed once migrants had crossed into west Asia One took people to Europe, central and south Asia People crossed the land bridge from Siberia to Alaska and began to spread out reaching the tip of South Amerca One pushed on to east and southeast Asia People crossed to Australia eventually forming the aboriginal population

Neolithic Revolution Neolithic Age – 8,000 -4,000 B.C. *From Neolithic people came several more dramatic developments that changed the nature of human existence: The invention of agriculture The creation of cities Other foreshadowings of civilizations*

Neolithic Revolution Neolithic Age – 8,000 -4,000 B.C. The invention of agriculture most clearly moved humans toward more elaborate social and cultural patterns that people today would recognize The development of agriculture, by that we mean the intentional planting of grains for harvest later, was triggered after the Ice Age Population increased, stemming from improved climate, prompted people to search for new and more reliable sources of food End of the Ice Age saw the end of certain big game animals, thus forcing them to hunt smaller game (i.e. deer and wild boar) in often forested areas As farming and hunting evolved, new animals were domesticated (i.e. goats, pigs, sheep and cattle) using them for meat, skins and dairying

Let’s Investigate… ÇATAL HÜYÜK & JERICHO

Neolithic Revolution Bronze Age The discovery of metal tools dates back to 4,000 B.C.E. Copper was the first metal with which people learned how to work, but very quickly bronze took its place By 3,000 B.C.E. metalworking had become so common place in the Middle East that the use of stone tools disappeared Metalworking was extremely useful to agricultural and herding societies Metal hoes and other tools allowed farmers to work the ground more efficiently Metal weapons were far superior to wood and stone weapons Eventually, the knowledge of metal tools created even further change for activities like artisans – i.e. woodworking became steadily more elaborate as metal replaced stone, bone, and fire in the cutting and connecting of wood

Nomadic Societies Large nomadic societies developed in central Asia, on the fringes of the Sahara desert in Africa and in southern Arabia, not to mention smaller nomadic societies in the Americas and the Andes Mountains First group of NOMADS – cattle- and sheep-herding societies normally found on the fringes of civilized societies; commonly referred to as “barbarian” by civilized societies were the Indo-Europeans in the Middle East and India Some Indo-Europeans groups invaded civilized areas and established their own empires (i.e. Hittites) Some Indo-Europeans migrated into new territory and settled down (i.e. Greeks) Early Indo-Europeans used war chariots drawn by horses, but gradually they developed the equipment needed to ride horses directly Xiongnu …known in Europe as the Huns The Lapps (reindeer herders in northern Europe) Camel herders in Arabia and northern Africa

Nomadic Societies Harshness of the nomadic environment often created competition amongst groups and inevitably times violence Nomads were outstanding fighters…their economic activity required much less time than that of agricultural peoples, so there was more of an opportunity to train for battle Their familiarity with horses and other domesticated animals made for excellent military skills – able to ride long distances and exhaust their enemy They had a reputation for cruelty which was sometimes warranted and sometimes not Society was male dominated Marriages were arranged to promote the interests of kinship groups Polygamy was common for wealthier men Women’s tasks included childrearing, cooking and serving Men’s tasks: care of animals, fighting in battle and leading/governing

Nomadic Societies “Civilized peoples”, from the Romans to the Chinese, often feared and condemned nomads as offspring of evil spirits and seen as the ultimate barbarians Nomadic invasions were important, especially when they were part of larger migrations that could change the population structure and political leadership, BUT…nomads often had a peaceful, mutually beneficial relationship with other societies Often traded with farmers for items such as vegetables, silks, iron tools and weapons In turn, the meat and milk products provided by nomads could help to supplement meager diets for agricultural societies Nomads provided warhorses for civilizations in China, India, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa

Early Civilizations

Emergence of Civilization CIVILIZATION – societies distinguished by reliance on sedentary agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses, and existence of non-farming elites, as well as merchant and manufacturing groups Developed greater amounts of economic surplus and distributed wealth unevenly Developed formal governments Writing which facilitated everything from trade to communication over long distances Developed larger and more important urban centers as cities emerged

Ancient MesopotamiaMesopotamia – “land between the rivers” Between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Located in the ‘Fertile Crescent’ – an arc of land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf By 4000 B.C.E: Farmers were familiar with bronze and copper working and had invented the wheel Well-established pottery industry and different artistic forms Farming (due to the need for irrigation) required considerable coordination among communities and served as the basis for complex political structures

Ancient MesopotamiaBy 3500 B.C.E. the Sumerians had invaded the region and developed CUNEIFORM – form of writing using a wedge-shaped stylus and clay tables At first it used different pictures to represent various objects, but soon shifted to the use of geometric shapes to symbolize spoken sounds Writing and reading remained complex skills so only a few had time to master it Sumerian science aided a complex agricultural society, as people tried to learn more about the movement of the sun and starts, thus founding astronomy Also improved their math Used a system of numbers based on units of 10, 60 and 360…what we still use and rely on today Introduced specific systems, such as charts of major constellations, that have been in use for 5000 years

Ancient MesopotamiaSumerians developed complex religious rituals with each city having a patron god and erected impressive shrines to please and honor them along with other deities ZIGGURANTS – massive towers usually associated with Mesopotamian temple complexes formed the first monumental architecture in this civilization Priests operated these temples and conducted the rituals Sumerians were polytheistic Sumerians believed in the divine force in natural objects, from rivers and trees to even mountains Sumerian creation story and belief in an afterlife of punishment is similar to what we see in the three major world religions today Sumerians political structures were organized in city-states, which consisted of agricultural hinterlands, who were ruled by a king who claimed to have divine authority The government helped to regulate religion and enforce its duties Provided a court system in the interests of justice Kings, noble class and priesthood controlled considerable land, which was worked by slaves; thus, beginning a tradition of slavery in the region

Ancient MesopotamiaThe region was hard to defend and eventually the Sumerians fell to the Akkadians around 2400 B.C.E. King Sargon unified the empire and added to Sumerian art the theme of royal victory f ormed the first monumental architecture in this civilization Around 2200 B.C.E. the Akkadians are taken over by another group…the Babylonians…

Ancient MesopotamiaThe Babylonians united all of Mesopotamian civilizations and were ruled by KING HAMMURABI – most important Babylonian ruler who introduced the most famous early code of law establishing rules of procedure for courts of law and regulated property rights and the duties od family members, setting harsh punishments for crimes Eventually the large political units declined in favor of smaller city-states or regional kingdoms Eventually taken over by the Assyrians and then the Persians, who created large new empires in the Middle East