Chapter Six.

Chapter Six, Ancient Stuff Around 8000 B.C.E to 600 C.E. Main Idea: A 9000 year review from around 8000 B.C.E to 600 C.E.
Chapter Summary: A -Nomads: Follow the Food. B -Settling Down: The Neolithic Revolution. C -The Big, Early Civilizations: Rivers Deliver. D -The Classical Civilizations: Mesoamerica. E - The Classical Civilizations: India and China. F - The Classical Civilizations: Mediterranean. G - The Late Classical Period: Empires Collapse and People on the Move.
Notes: A - Nomads: Follow the Food.
1. The sole focus in the life of the Nomads was to satisfy their basic needs: Shelter and Food.
2. Farming and tools had not yet been invented, so the Nomads had to hunt and gather.
3. Foraging Societies had to move from place to place as the climate and availability of animals and plants dictated.
4. Pastoral Societies often lived in mountanious regions, and tamed animals and used them to produce other food sources, like milk.
Notes: B - Settling Down: The Neolithic Revolution.
1. In the span of several thousand years, from 8000 B.C.E to 3000 B.C.E, groups of people moved from nomadic lifestyles to agricultural lifestyles, and town and city life. This transition is often called The Neolithic Revolution, or The Agricultural Revolution.
2. How it worked: When people learned to cultivate plants, they no longer had to move around for food, as long as there was good soil and a stable source of water. Because they also knew how to tame animals and make simple tools, they always had food, which meant that moving was no longer neccesary.
3. Staying in the same place made things change, because people in a community stayed so close together, it added to their sense of unity and helped them construct buildings and sustain cultural traditions.
4. After living together for long periods of time, a sense of property developed.
5. As farmers began farming more food for more people, there was a food surplus and the extra people no longer had to worry about their daily meals, which allowed them to focus on other things.
6. As agrilcutural societes became more complex, organized economies, governmental structures, and religous organizations began to emerge to keep things as predictable and orderly as possible, suddenly there was a society, and the begginings of a civilization.
7. Impact of Agriculture on the Environment: Farming villages dramatically changed the lay of the land, by diverting water, clearing land and creating farmland where there previously was none. There was also an impact on the animal kingdom, animals were used for food, clothing and for labor.
8. New Technology: Hard rocks like granite were cut into sharp tools, such as hoes ans picks. Pottery was used to make pots for cooking, baskets and nets were weaved for fishing and carrying things, and eventually the invention of the wheel, and obviuosly the cart. But perhaps the greatest discovery of the Neolithic Revolution was the knowledge of how to use metals. The discovery of combining tin and copper to create a stronger metal, bronze, helped not only with making tools, but also weapons. This developement was so significant that some people call the latter of the Neolithic Era, The Bronze Age.
Notes: C - The Big, Early Civilizations: The Rivers Deliver
1. Lots of the big, early civiliations were found near rivers, the river acted as a source of water, also the soil around the river was rich and good for farming. The river could also be home to animals, and edible plants may grow near the it to act as a food source. Rivers are also a vital means of transportation.
2. Mesopotamia: The rivers around Mesopotamia were the Tigris and the Euphrates, many civilizations such as Sumer, Babylon and Persia thrived along their banks.
3. By 3000 B.C.E, Ur, Erech and Kish were the major city-states of the first major civilization of sumer.
4. Sumerian civilization rose in the southern part of Mesopotamia. In addition to successful agriculture and river management, the Sumerian developed a form of writing known as cuneiform.
5. The Sumerians were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped more then one god. Unlike other cultures, each city-state had its own god, that only they worshipped, however there were a bunch of other gods that everyone, in all of the city-states, worshipped together.
6. Disaster often struck in Sumer, no temple could stop the relentless flow of invasions of Sumeria. And by 1700 B.C.E the civilization had been completely overthrown. However, its conquerors adopted many of the Sumerian traditions and technologies.
7. As the Sumerian city-states declined, the city of Akkad, which was north of Sumer, rose to dominate the region. The Akkadians major contribute was that they developed the first known code of laws, which they wrote in cuneiform, which they learned from the Sumerians. However the Akkadians were very soon taken over by the Babylonians.
8. King Hammurabi of Babylon expanded on the idea of a code of laws (which he found out about from the Akkadians) and developed an extensive code that dealt with every part of everyday life. This code of laws is called The Code of Hammurabi.
9. Babbylon quickly fell due to invasions of the Kassites and then the Hittites. By 1500 B.C.E., the Hittites dominated the region, especially because the Hittites used iron, which is much more strong than bronze. Becuase of their new weaponry, the Hittites soon became an incredible military force. News spread fast about this new weaponry, and over the span of a few hundred years, everyone was using Iron.
10. The Assyrians were the first to learn about Iron, and soon they made a disiplined but cruel military, however in a few hundred years, the Assyrians were defeated by the Medes and the Chaldeans.
11. The Chalden King, Nebuchadnezzar, rebuilt Babylon as a showplace of architecture and culture. He extended his empire throughout the Fertile Cresent, as the Assyrians had done before him. However the new babylon was doomed to fall, and a new civilization, the Persian Empire developed into a major world force.
12. The Persians established a giant empire, that by 500 B.C.E. it stretched from beyond the Nile River Valley in Egypt around the eastern Mediterranean through present day Turkey, and parts of Greece, and then easward through present day Afghanistan.
13. To improve transportation and communication throughout the vast empire, they built a series of roads, the longest road being the Great Royal Road, which was 1600 miles long, from the Persian Gulf to the Aegean Sea.
14. The Lydians came up with the concept of coined money, rather then the barter system
15. thehoenicians built powerful naval city-states all along the Mediterranean. They also came up with a 22 letter alphabet, that was much less complex then cuneiform.
16. The Hebrews are significant because of their religous beliefs called Judaism. The Hebrews were the first Jews. They were also Monotheistic, meaning they only believed in one god. By around 1000 B.C.E. they had established Israel in Palastine on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
17. Egypt developed along the Nile River.
18. Egypt had three major kingdoms, Old, Middle and New. It was during the New kingdom when Egypt reached its height. By 1400 B.C.E it stretched from the upper Nile valley, through the eastern Mediterranean regions of Palastine and parts of Asia Minor.
19. Egyptians communicated through a writing system known as hieroglyphic, that consisted of pictures that represented letters or words.
20. Like many other societies, the Egyptians were polytheistic. They also believed in the afterlife, and that you could bring earthly belongings there.
21. The first female ruler known in history was Queen Hatshepsut, who rules for 22 years during the New kingdom. She is credited with greatly expanding Egyptian trade expeditions. Although Egyptian women had more rights then those in Mesopotamia, they were still considered a lower rank than men.
22. Pyramids werent just for burying the dead, they were also the social structure of Egypt. On the top there was of course, the Pharoah is of course, at the top. Followed by the priests, below the priests are the nobles, followed by the skilled artisians and merchants. And at the bottom there are the peasants and slaves.
23. By 1100 B.C.E. and for the next 1000 years, the Egyptian empire fell into decline, and both the Assyrians and the Persians conquered parts of the once-great empire.
24. Like the Mesopotamian and Egyptians, the Indus Valley civilization was built along the banks of a river in, of course, the Indus Valley. They were like many other civilizations, Polytheistic.
25. The Indus Valley is cut off from the rest of the world except for the Khyber Pass through the Hindu Kush Mountains.
26. From approximately 2500 to 1500 B.C.E., the ancient Indus Valley civilization stretched for more then 900 miles along the Indus River.
27. The Indus Valley's two major cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, were each home to perhaps over 100,000 people.
28. Sometime around 1900 B.C.E., the cities of the Indus Valley were abandoned, for reasons that remain a mystery today. All that is known, is that in 1500 B.C.E., the cities crumbled with the arrival of the Aryans.
29. The Aryans were nomadic tribes from the north of Caucasus Mountains. Using horses and advanced weaponry, they easily defeated the remaining population in the Indus Valley.
30. The Aryan conquest of the Indus Valley is the establishment of their religious beliefs on the Indian subcontinent, in particular the belief in reincarnation. The Aryans, yet another polytheistic people, recorded their beliefs and traditions in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Over centuries, these early Aryan beliefs evolved to form the basis of what later became Hinduism.
31. Shang China rose in the Hwang Ho River, also called The Yellow River Valley. It controlled the Yellow River Valley from about 1600 B.C.E. to 11o0 B.C.E.
32. Around 1100 B.C.E. the Shang were ousted by Wu Wang, who established the Zhou Dynasty, which lasted for almost 900 years, the longest any other dynasty has lasted.
33. Because China was to large for one man to handle, the King gave each noble power over small regions. As long as they stayed loyal to him, they would have his protection.
34. The Zhou Dynasty ended in 256 B.C.E.
35. In the Americas, two early civilizations existed: the Olmec, in what we know today as Mexico, from 1200 to 1400 B.C.E., and the Chavin in the Andes from about 900 to 300 B.C.E.
36. Both the Olmec and Chavin were urban societes, both were polytheistic, and neither of them lived next to a river.
37. From about 300 B.C.E. to 800 C.E., the Mayans dominated present-day southern Mexico and parts of Central America.
38. Tikal, the most important Mayan political center, may have been populated by more then 100,00 people.
39. In 321 B.C.E., the largest empire in India rose, this empire was called the Mauryan Empire, which was founded by Chandragupta Maurya.
40. Chandragupta's son, Ashoka Maurya, took the empire to its top. The Mauryan Empire grew extremely wealthy through trade, and it had a powerful military. Ashoka converted to Buddhism after claiming victory in a bloody battle. For the rest of his reign he preached a non-violent lifestyle.
41. Ashoka died in 232 B.C.E., after his death the Mauryan Empire fell into decline, mostly because of economical issues and attacks from the northeast.
42. Between 375 and 415 C.E., the Gupta Empire lead by Chandra Gupta came into existence. Although the Gupta Empire was smaller then the Mauryan, it is often called the Golden Age, because it experianced peace and advancements.
43. The Win Dynasty is China was extremely short, only 12 years long, from 221 to 209 B.C.E. The Qin Dynasty was the dynasty in which the Chinese connected various walls to create the Great Wall of China.
44. The Han Dynasty lasted from 200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. Trade was doing very well on the Silk Road during this time, and Buddhism spread with the trade. Also during this time, the Chinese invented paper, made highly accurate sundials, and calenders, and explored the usage of metals.
45. From 2000 B.C.E. to 500 C.E., Greece and Rome dominated the Mediterranean.
46. Greece was located on the peninsula between the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
47. The Greeks had city-states, and each one was known as a polis. The two main city-states were Sparta and Athens.
48. The Greeks were polytheistic.
49. Often the city-states fought amongst themselves, but during the Persian Wars, they all united to fight against their common enemy. Eventually they drove the Persians back, and entered an era of peace and prosperity, this era is often calle The Golden Age of Perciles.
50. Under the leadership of Perciles, Athens became a cultural powerhouse, Perciles established a democracy and Athens got rebuilt from the Persian Wars.
51. In 431 B.C.E., Athens and Sparta fought against eachother in the Peloponnesian War, with Sparta rising up as the victor. However, out of respect, Sparta didn't destroy the city of Athens.
52. Sparta failed to dominate Athens for long. After the Peloponessian War, the Macedonians, siezed the oppurtunity and invaded Athens, and dominated the entire region. However, out of respect for the Greek culture, they didn't destroy Athens.
53. Philip of Macedon's son, Alexander the Great, who was the tutor of Aristotle, widely expanded the Macedonians dominance. Alexander defeated the great Persian Empire and moved east towards the Indus River.
54. Alexander the Great died at age 33, and along with him, his empire began to fall. It fell because the Macedonians were so focused on Egypt and the east, that the Romans came from the west and overthrew the Macedonians.
55. The Romans were polytheistic, and many of their gods were of Greek origin.
56. The social structure of the Roman Empire consisted of patricians, who were at the top, plebians, who were all other free men, and in the middle. And then at the bottom there were slaves.
57. The Romans fought an extremely long war with Carthage, a city-state in north Africa. It lasted from 264 to 146 B.C.E. This was know as the Punic Wars.
58. After the death of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.E., Octavius, Julius Caesars nephew, took control of the empire and assumed the name Augustus Caesar. Rome was now led by a single person, and there was no longer a republic.
59. Pax Romana means "Roman Peace".
60. A new religeon developed in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions, that religeon was Christianity.
61. In 284 C.E., Diocletian had become emperor and tried to deal with problem via dividing the empire and having co-emperors assist in maintaining the empire. It didn't work.
62. In 322 C.E., the emperor Constantine ordered the building of Constantinople.
63. Mostly everyone was polythesitic except for those who practiced Judaism and Christianity.
64. The Chinese practiced Legalism, Daoism and Confucianism and some practiced Buddhism.
65. Aryans practiced Hinduism. Some empires in India practiced Hinduism and Buddhism.
66. The Jews practiced Judaism. At first it was only the Jews that practiced Christianity, but it quickly spread.
67. A major development in warfare was the stirrup, that was developed among the nomadic societies of the Eurasian steppe and spread to Chinese as early as 300 B.C.E.
68. In India and China women had very little rights, in Rome and Greece women had some rights, but were still considered lower than men.