a brief introduction to civilization - steven a. martin

ABriefIntroductionTo Civilization

StevenAndrewMartin,Ph.D.FacultyofInternationalStudiesPrinceofSongkla University

“BeyondtheGreatWall...Youwillfindnofriends...”

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For2020Coursesin: Eastern

Civilization Western

Civilization SouthEastAsian

Civilization

UnderstandingHistoricalDates

• B.C.(BC)=BeforeChrist(beforethebirthofChrist)

• A.D.(AD)=AnnoDomini(Latinphrase)– “IntheyearofourLord”– TheJulianCalendar(AD525)– Doesnotactuallystandfor“AfterDeath”

• B.C.E.(BCE) =BeforeCommonEra• C.E. (CE)=CommonEra

– TheGregorianCalendar– Doesnotactually[necessarily]standfor

“ChristianEra”

• BP=BeforePresent

• Mya =Millionyearsago

TheuseofB.C. andA.D.wasproposedbythemonkDionysiusExiguus (DennistheLittle)inA.D.525to

representtheentranceofChristintotheworldandas

aturningpointofhistory(i.e.,the“JulianCalendar”).

BCE isthesameasBCCE isthesameasAD

BCEandCEavoidreferencetoChristianity.

TheBC andAD,asdesignateddates,arelikelyoffbyasmanyas10years.

c.=Circa (Latin)=“AroundAbout”

EarlyHumans• Earlyhumanswerehunter-

gatherers.• Theyreliedonanimalsand

plantsforfood.• Theymovedconstantlyin

searchoftheirfood.• Earlyfarmersusedslashand

burntechniques.AftertheIceAges,peoplebeganto

domesticateplantsandanimalsandbuildmud- brickhouses,eventuallyleadingto

permanentsettlements

‘Civilization’isanambiguousconceptAgriculture

ArchitectureArtAstronomyCoins&CurrencyCultureEconomyEducationLegalsystemsMaterialcultureMathematicsMetallurgy

Whatotherwayscanweidentify

‘civilization’?

Politicalorganization(organizationabovethefamilylevel)PotteryReligionScienceSocietyTechnologyTransportationsystemsUrbanizationandCitiesWriting

OntheRoadtoCivilization...• OldStoneAge(Paleolithic)

– 2.6Millionyearsago― 10,000 BCE

• NewStoneAge(Neolithic)– c.12,000BCE– Theriseoffarming

• BronzeAge– Theabilitytosmeltcopperanditsalloy

bronze– c.3,000BCE

• IronAge– Theabilitytosmeltvariousironores– c.1,200BCE– Useofironforcuttingtoolsandweapons

• Prehistory― Beforetheadventof

writingorwrittenhistory

• History― Theperiodoftimeafter

writingwasinvented.― Thediscovery,

collection,organization,andpresentationofinformationaboutpastevents.

The Ages of Man did not begin simultaneously around the world

Howdowestudy Ancient Civilizations?

• Archaeology• Anthropology• Architecture&Monuments

• Writtenrecords• Linguistics• Socialtheory

Whatotherwayscanwestudyancientcivilizations?

WhatisCivilization?

• Civilization(n.)– Arelativelyhighlevelofculturaland

technologicaldevelopment– Especiallyinthecontextofwritingandthe

keepingofwrittenrecords– Theculturalcharacteristicsofa

particulartimeorplace• Civilized(adj.)

– Developedbeyondaprimitivestate– Rationallyorderedstageofcultural

development– Technicallyadvanced

• Civil(adj.)(Latincivilis)– Social;civilsociety– Theactivities,needs,oraffairsof

people(distinguishedfrommilitaryorreligiousaffairs)

Sumer (from3200BCE)

Egypt (from3150BCE)

• Ancientsettlementsandcities– Organizedandsedimentary

communitiesbecamecapableofproducingasurplusofrawmaterialsandengagingintrade

– Cityplanning(grids)areevident,followedbytheadventofrunningwaterandsewagedisposal

• Agrarian(Agriculturalsocieties)– C. 8,000BCE– Thecharacteristicsoffarmersandtheir

waysoflife– Agricultureandanimalhusbandry

• Hunter-gatherer– Culturesweresustainedthrough

hunting,fishing,andforaging– Harvestingofwildgrains

TheSpreadofAgricultureinPrehistory

EasternUSA (4000-3000BP)

CentralMexico(5000-4000BP)

NorthernSouthAmerica(5000-4000BP)

TheFertileCrescent(11000BP)

Sub-SaharanAfrica (5000-4000BP)

TheYangtzeandYellowRiverbasins(9000BP)

NewGuineaHighlands(9000-6000BP)

TheWorldat4000YearsBP

TheWorldat3000YearsBP

GreatCivilizationsoftheWorld

Egyptian (Egypt,Africa)

Sumerian (Iraq,Mesopotamia,CentralAsia)Persian (Iran,CentralAsia)

Greek (Greece,WesternEurope)Roman (ItalyandthegreaterMediterranean)

Chinese (China,EastAsia)Khmer (Cambodia,SoutheastAsia)

IndusRiverValley(Pakistan,SouthAsia)

Aztec (Mexico,CentralAmerica)Mayan (CentralAmerica)Incan (AndeanMountains,SouthAmerica)

Canyounamesome

otherancient

civilizationsoftheworld?

AncientEgypt(c.5000BP)

• TheNileRiverflooded everyyearprovidingfertilefarmlandinthedesert.

• TheEgyptiansdevelopedirrigationandothertechniquestocontrolNilefloodwaters.

Mesopotamia(c.5000BP)• “Thelandbetweenthetworivers”– TheTigrisandEuphratesRivers

• Providedwaterandtransportation

• Yearlyfloodingcreatedrichsoilallowingforagricultureandearlycivilizations

Cuneiform: ‘Sumerian’wastheearliestwritten

languageinMesopotamia

IndusRiverCivilization(c.3000BP)

• c.2300-c.1900BC– IndusValley

civilization(mature)

• c.1900-c.520BC– Norecords.

Indo-Aryanmigrations.

• c.520-c.326BC– Persian

EmpireUnderdirectPersiancontroland/orlocalcontrolunderPersiansuzerainty.

• c.326-c.305BC– Occupiedby

AlexandertheGreatandMacedoniangenerals

IndianCasteSystemOrganizedIndiansinto

fourclasses– Brahmins

• Teachers,scholarsandpriests

– Kshatriyas• Kingsandwarriors

– Vaishyas• Traders

– Sudras• Agriculturists,serviceproviders,andsomeartisangroups

Yellow&YangtzeRiversofChina(c.5000BP) (c.7000BP)?

FUNAN(2000BP)

MainlandSoutheast Asia

KHMER(1000 BP)

• Irrawaddy• Salween• ChaoPhraya• Mekong

Angkor

MekongRiver&TheTonle Sap

IrrawaddyRiverBegan

TheAxialAge800BCE– 200BCE

• Theprofoundemergenceofmalesages,prophets,religiousreformersandphilosophers

– China,India,Iran,IsraelandGreece.

KarlJaspers(1883-1969)Germanhistoricalphilosopher

Ancientcivilizationsaroundtheworldsimultaneously andindependently transformed

Socrates(c.470– 399BCE)Plato(c.428– 348BCE)Aristotle(c.384–322 BCE)

OldTestament(c.500BCE)

Ashoka (304- 232BCE)Vrihaspati (c. 500BCE)Jainexpansion(c. 500– 300+BCE)

LaoTzu(c. 600BCE)Confucius(c. 551– 479BCE)

ChuangTzu(c. 369– 286BCE)

GautamaBuddha(c. 563– 483BCE)

• Greatbreakbetweenordinaryhumanexistenceand“cosmicorder”– Eachculturequestionedand

reinterpretedtheirpreviouscosmologies

• ThecloselytimedchangesinChina,India,PalestineandGreece– regionsthatarewidely

separatedfromeachother– tooremarkabletobedismissed

asaccidental

TheAxialAge(5th CenturyBCE)

Plato (424– 348BCE)Aristotle (384–322 BCE)

TheAxialAge(6th CenturyBCE)

§ Emergenceofnewideas,worldviewsandvalues

§ Radicalchangesinhumanity’sspiritualdevelopmentandbasicreligiousconcepts

§ Majorsourceofmostofourpresent-dayfaithtraditions

§ Newbeginning(morethanjustanincorporationofmankind’straditionalritualsandbeliefs)

Majoradvancesintheworld'spolitical,philosophical,andreligioussystems

• Greatadvancesinreligion,philosophy,science,democracy,andmanyformsofart

• Occurredindependentlyandalmostsimultaneously

• China,India,theMiddleEast,andGreece

• Spiritualfoundationswerelaidwhichhumanitystillusestoday

• Greatreligiousleadersrosetoprominenceattractingamassfollowing

• Eagernessfordiscoveringthefundamentalprinciplesofexistenceandtheimplicationstheyhadonhumanlifeandbehavior

TheAxialAge(5th CenturyBCE)

Huntington's ClashofCivilizations

Western

Hispanidad/LatinAmerican

HinduBuddhistIslamic Orthodox

African

Huntingtonproposedthatpeople'sculturalandreligiousidentitieswillbetheprimarysourceofconflictinthe21st Century

Japanese

Protestant Sinic

CivilizationintheChinese

Context

ForbiddenCity1995

Civilized vs. Barbarian• Cooked(Sinicized)– shufan熟番

• Raw(Barbarian)– shengfan生番

Nei Ren (inner-persons)Wai Ren (outer-persons)

TangDynastyPoembyWangWei

“InWeicheng,thecentraltown,itrainslightlyinthemorning.Allthehousesandthewillowslookfreshaftertherain.Isuggestyouhaveanothercupofwine,becauseassoonasyouleaveYangguanPass,therearenofriends.”

中国

Han-centriccosmos

ZhongguoMiddleKingdom

中国

GreatWallisHere

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Thanksforyourtime

andattention!

APPENDICES

ANIMISM (n.)

§ Theideathatanimmaterialforceanimatestheuniverse.§ Inanimateobjects,suchashills,trees,rocks,rivers,andotherelementsofthenaturallandscape,possesssoulsandcanhelporhinderhumaneffortsonearth.

§ Thebeliefthattheexistenceofindividualspiritsthatinhabitnaturalobjectsandphenomena.

§ Thebeliefintheexistenceofspiritualbeingsthatareseparableorseparatefrombodies.

RelatedtermsAnimisticAnimismAnimateTotemTotemicIndigenousbeliefsystems

IsAnimismatypeof

Polytheism?

ecologicalethics

ETHNICRELIGION

• Areligionthatisparticulartoone,culturallydistinct,groupofpeople.– Donotactivelyseekconverts• e.g.throughevangelismormissionarywork

Universalizingvs.Ethnic

TaiwanAborigines