(regular, controllable flooding of the river) Strong belief in the afterlife; Book of the Dead Hieroglyphics - complex, pictorial language One female pharaoh - Hatshepsut Influential wife of pharaoh - Nefertiti INDUS VALLEY (developed by 2500 BCE) Writing system only recently decipherable Soapstone seals that indicate trade with both Mesopotamians and China pottery making with bulls and long-horned cattle a frequent motif Small figurines of women Cruder weapons than Mesopotamians - stone arrowheads, no swords Polytheism - naked man with horns the primary god; fertility goddesses Two cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Dara Assumed to be complex and thought to be centralized Limited information, but granaries near the cities indicate centralized control Priests have highest status, based on position as intermediaries between gods and people Differences in house sizes indicate strong class distinctions Statues reflects reverence for female reproductive function SHANG CHINA (developed by 1700 BCE) Oracles bones used to communicate with ancestors Pattern on bones formed basis for writing system; writing highly valued, complex pictorial language with 3000 characters by end of dynasty Uniform written language became bond among people who spoke many different languages Bronze weapons and tools, horse-drawn chariots Geographical separation from other civilizations, though probably traded with the Indus Valley Centralized government, power in the hands of the emperor Government preoccupied with flood control of the rivers Job specialization - bureaucrats, farmers, slaves Social classes - warrior aristocrats, bureaucrats, farmers, slaves Patriarchal society; women as wives and concubines; women were sometimes shamans MESO AND SOUTH AMERICA (developed by 1200 BCE) Olmecs in Mesoamerica: Highly developed astronomy; used to predict agricultural cycles and please the gods Polytheism; religious rituals important, shamans as healers Ritual ballgames Irrigation and drainage canals Giant carved stone heads; probably with religious significance Olmecs: apparently not united politically; unusual for ancient civilizations Chavin: probably political unification; public works operated by reciprocal labor obligations; had a capital city Olmec: craft specializations; priests have highest status; most people were farmers Chavin: Priests have highest status; capital city dominated the hinterlands; most people were farmers
Jaguar symbol important Chavin in Andean region: Polytheism; statues of jaguar men Square stone architecture, no mortar Well-developed agriculture based on maize Unique geography: on coast, in mountains, and in jungle Economic Systems Type of System Types of technology developed rate of Main geographic locations technological development Agricultural societies – cultivate crops 8,000 BCE domestication of plants and animals iron writing systems constant development river valleys in Mesopotamia, Nile River valley, India, China, MesoAmerica, Andes Pastoral societies – domesticated animals 8,000 BCE domestication of horses and camels steppes, grasslands, deserts, mountain ranges Foraging societies – hunting and gathering 35,000 BCE baskets for gathering and storing and hunting tools everywhere until sedentary agricultural societies and then empires took over the most fertile areas Classical Civilizations COMMON FEATURES OF CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS The three areas of classical civilizations developed their own beliefs, lifestyles, political institutions, and social structures. However, there were important similarities among them: • Patriarchal family structures - Like the valley civilizations that preceded them, the classical civilization valued male authority within families, as well as in most other areas of life. • Agricultural-based economies - Despite more sophisticated and complex job specialization, the most common occupation in all areas was farming. • Complex governments - Because they were so these three civilizations had to invent new ways to keep their lands together politically. Their governments were large and complex, although they each had unique ways of governing • Expanding trade base - Their economic systems were complex. Although they generally operated independently, trade routes connected them by both land and sea. CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS Culture Political Organization Social Structure Greece (about 800-300 BCE) Most enduring influences come from Athens: Valued education, placed emphasis on importance of human effort, human ability to shape future events Interest in political theory: which form of government is best? Celebration of individual achievement and the ideal human form No centralized government; concept of polis, or a fortified site that formed the centers of many city states Governing styles varied (Sparta a military state, Athens eventually a democracy for adult males) Athens government dominated by tyrants, or strong rulers who gained power from military prowess; later Slavery widely practiced Men separated from women in military barracks until age 30; women had relative freedom; women in Sparta encouraged to be physically fit so as to have healthy babies; generally better treated and more equal to men
Basic features of major world belief systems BELIEF SYSTEMS BASIC FEATURES, INCLUDING GENDER ROLES MAJOR AREAS Polytheism belief in a number of deities that can be anthromorphic or related to the non-human world everywhere Confucianism Five Relationships Mandate of Heaven East Asia Daoism Yin-Yang, Dualism in Nature, People part of the balance in Nature East Asia Hellenism philosophy; trade and common culture throughout Mediterranean science and technology developments at Alexandria -- Library Mediterranean Hinduism caste system multiple expressions of deities emphasis on ritual prayer sacred texts South and Southeast Asia Buddhism Four Noble Truths Eight-Fold Path Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia Judaism monotheistic, emphasis on daily prayer, sacred text -- Torah Mediterranean world Christianity monotheistic Jesus Christ as savior Gospels, emphasis on saints Mediterranean world and then expansion into Latin West, areas controlled by Byzantines, Ethiopia, India Islam monotheistic Mohammad as prophet Qu'ran, Sufi emphasis on saints Sunni, Sh'ia split Arabian peninsula, Mediterranean world then expansion into Islamic Spain, Persia, India, North Africa, Sudanic Africa Class/Social Systems: social structures a Social stratification Family structure of women The caste system in Indian subcontinent castes: brahmin -- priests merchants farmers untouchables patriarchal and patrilineal ideal: wife and mother but their labor was needed for agricultural work and domestic industries Rare of women rulers. Major slave systems Slaves not be citizens in ancient Greece or Rome. Slaves under Islam could become free if they converted. In all agricultural societies, slavery or serfdom was a common last resort for farmers in debt or in need of military protection. Under Islam, the mother's status determined if the child was free or slave. Female slaves were usually for domestic work, but in large empires female slaves might be brought in the household of the elite to bear children. Under Islam, the mother's status determined if the child was free or slave. Confucian social hierarchy Rulers -- hereditary unless overthrown and challenger gains "mandate of heaven" Civil servants selected by examination (this system is begun during the Han dynasty) Farmers Craftspeople patriarchal and patrilineal wife and mother but their labor was needed for agricultural work and domestic industries. Rare of women rulers. (e.g. Empress Wu during the Tang dynasty)
trading system luxury, non-perishable trade goods: porcelain, silk, gold, salt slaves commonly traded dependent on camel and horse transporation Muslim merchants prominen Silk Road: heart of Afro-Eurasian trade networks, therefore more goods and people involved Compare Indian Ocean with East European trading system dependent on the role of trading cities both centered around bodies of water: Indian Ocean and Black Sea slaves commonly traded syncretism: Indian Ocean -- Swahili as trading language, mix of religions in port cities East European -- Vikings used Byzantine coins and Orthodox Christianity adopted by Russians Indian more extensive sea routes, more technological developments with shipbuilding, use of compass from Sung China, more extensive exchange of goods and ideas, not dominated by any one political or religious group East European -- dominated by Byzantine Christians though others were allowed to participate by paying tribute