the beginnings of civilization

The Beginnings of Civilization

3,700,000 to 587 B.C.

Exploration of Prehistory

Hominidswww.houseofcanes.com/ ordinfo.htm

Key characteristic• Walk upright

Role of Artifactswww.texasbeyondhistory.net/ rubin/images/artif...

• Let us know more about ancient cultures

• Somewhat limited – theories have formed to attempt to explain the past

Lucywww.pbs.org/saf/ 1105/features/eureka3.htm

• Oldest human-like skeletal remains ever found

• 3-4 Million Years old• Found in Africa• Discovery has been

questioned lately over the species of the find

First Humanswww.sonoma.edu/.../ anclub/neanderfacts.html

• Characteristics• Powerful jaw• Receding chins• Low foreheads• Heavy eyebrows

More First Humanswww.public.iastate.edu/ ~cfford/342ggsintro.htm

• Hunter/gatherers• Nomadic• Traveled in clans of

40-50• Men hunted while

women gathered nuts/berries/seeds

Homo Sapienswww.fossils-as-art.com/ images/0200.jpg

• Appeared on the scene between 100,000 and 400,000 years ago

Ice Ageswww.salzburg.com/ freizeit/185_3920.htm

• Several over 1.7 million years

• Warm era that we live in today started about 10,000 years ago – coincides with last ice age

First Homo Sapiens

Neanderthals• Appeared 35,000-130,000 years ago (Old

Stone Age)• Wore animal skins• Used fire• Buried their dead

Cro-Magnons• Appeared about 35,000 years ago• Better tools• Cave Art

• Textbook• History lessons• Religious

Three Stone Ages

OldMiddleNew

Old Stone Agewww.chennaimuseum.org/.../ 02/05/prehist.htm

• Very crude tools• Stones used to throw at

animals

Middle Stone Age www.dungarvanmuseum.org/ index.cgi?art_id=5&pa...

Mesolithic Age• 10,000 to 5,500 years

ago• Not only use stones

but bones• Bows and arrows• Fish hooks• Harpoons

New Stone Agewww.turizm.net/turkey/ history/neolithic.html

Neolithic Age• Development of

Agriculture• Domestication of

animals/plants for food

Characteristics of the Evolution of Civilization

Agriculture to Surplus Production

• People began to grow more food than they would need – allowed people to do things other than farming

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Establishment of Towns/Cities

• With surplus populations could grow

• Families now could be larger

www.turizm.net/turkey/ history/neolithic.html

Division of Laborwww.jupiter.fl.us/.../ BuildingSafety.htm

• In towns/cities people could specialize in one job or another

Evolution of Civilization

Lesser Characteristics

Calendarwww.hcc-nd.edu/images/ Calendars-Oct03.gif

• Needed to track seasons for planting/harvesting and migrations (if needed)

Form of Writingmrspock.marion.ohio-state.edu/.../ cuneiform.htm

• Needed for communication

• Early forms were cumbersome with too many symbols – became better as time past

Early Civilizations

Chapter 2

Peoples of the Fertile Crescent

Section 1

Fertile Crescentxenohistorian.faithweb.com/ worldhis/Hist02.html

• Situated along the Tigris-Euphrates River valleys

• Much like Egypt in that it needed rivers to flood for irrigation

• Rivers begin in mountains of Turkey and flow into the Persian Gulf

Bronze Agedomino.kappa.ro/.../ ist_ilustrata/$file/4.jpg

• Developed as an alloy of copper and tin

• Easily made into tools• Weakness: not strong

enough

Sumerians

• Located in Sumer• Cuneiform• Architecture

• Arch• Class system• Gods were forces of

nature and heavenly bodies

Akkadianswww.utexas.edu/courses/ clubmed/sargon.jpg

Major leader was Sargon• 2334 B.C. to 2279 B.C

• Akkadian empire lasted 150 years

Babylonianswww.globalsecurity.org/.../ images/hammurabi.jpg

• Greatest Leader – Hammurabi• Code of Hammurabi• Rule from 1792 B.C.to

• Much like the Sumerians in many ways

www.fournel.org

Egyptians

Section 2

Egypt: Role of the Nile

• Civilization found upon the Nile River Valley

• Nile River is the longest river flowing north in the World

Nile River• Flows northward –

divided into two parts:• Upper Egypt (South)• Lower Egypt (North)

• Originates at Lake Victoria

• Cataracts (rapids)• Surrounded by two deserts• Flows into delta – then

into the Mediterranean

Nile River: Lifeblood of Egyptwww.wwnorton.com/.../ nawol/maps/MAP3EGYP.JPG

• Nile River floods yearly leaving silt in valleys adjacent to River – provide fertile soil• < Flooding – Bad

crops• > Flooding – Villages swept away

Egypt moves toward Civilization

astro.temple.edu/ ~rguay/rosetta%20stone.jpg • 3000 B.C. –

Hieroglyphics developed

• Language artists have been able to translate the Hieroglyphics with use of the Rosetta Stone

Egyptian Kingdoms

Menesmembers.tripodnet.nl/ ancientegypt/history.html

• Unites Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt in 3200 B.C.

• Begins the first of 30 dynasties of Egypt

Old Kingdom

2680 B.C. to 2180 B. C.

Achievements in Arts and Science

www.astro.utoronto.ca/ ~yao/egypt1999/sphinx.gif

• The Great Sphinx

The Old Kingdom

• Class society• Lower: Peasants and Farmers• Upper: Pharaoh, the Royal Family, Priests,

Scribes, and Government Officials• At end of dynasty the pharaohs became

weaker and the nobles grew stronger• Revolutions began probably because of

famine and lack of food

First Intermediate Period

• Lasted from 2180 B.C. to 2050 B.C. • Time period marked by many civil wars• Period ends as new line of pharaoh comes

to power

The Middle Kingdom

2050 B.C. to 1650 B.C.

Middle Kingdom

• Considered the “golden age” of Egypt• Noble and Priests begin to challenge the

power of the Pharaoh – led to instability• Period also marked by invasions of Hyksos• Disputes arise over how devastating the

Hyksos invasion was on the Egyptians• Hyksos did bring in new tools of warfare:

the chariot and compound bow

Second Intermediate Period

• Begins as Hyksos gain control of all of Egypt – probably because of the weakness of Egypt

• Period ends as new line of rulers come to power

The New Kingdom

1570 B.C. to 1080 B.C.

New Kingdom

• Kingdom centered around their capital, Thebes

• Drove the Hyksos out of Egypt with use of a strong army

• Begin to build an empire• The strongest of the rulers were….

Hatshepsut

• First female to ever hold the title of Pharoah

• Technically co-ruler – with her son

• Kept empire’s boundaries secure and built trade

Thutmose III

• Stepson of Hatshepsut• Continued trend of

mother• Expanded Egypt’s

territory to its largest extent until his death in 1450 B.C.

Amenhotep IV

• First monotheistical leader of Eygpt

• Believed in the sun god, Aton

• Changed name to Akhenaton

• After his death, Egypt returns to polytheism

Nefertiti

• Wife of Akhenaton• political move

against priests of Amon-Re

• moved capital to Amarna

• worshipped Aton, the sun disk

Tutankhamen 1335-1325 BCE

• (King Tut)• ruled nine years,

died at 18• young death meant

burial in the tomb of a lesser person (noble) resulting in preservation

Ramses II (the Great)• Ruled from 1279

B.C. to 1215 B.C.

• Great Builder• Considered to be

the pharoah at the time of the Exodus

Cleopatra

• Becomes ruler in 51 BC when father dies

• Cleopatra sees the end of the empire as Rome takes over

Egyptian Achievements

Arts and Architectureforum.paradoxplaza.com/ forum/showthread.php?g...

• Pyramids – close to perfect symmetry

• Used as tombs for the pharoahs

Science, Math, and Medicine

• Devised a 365 day calendar• Used numbering system based on 10• Used herbs for medicinal purpose• Mummification – preservation of dead

New Centers of Civilization

Sections 3 and 4

Iron Agewww.hants.gov.uk/museum/ ironagem/reception.html

• Iron was smelted (melted) from iron ore

• Much stronger than bronze

• Gave those who possessed iron weapons a huge advantage over those who did not

Hittitesnefertiti.iwebland.com/ hittites.jpg

• Warlike• Among first peoples to

smelt iron• Were from Asia Minor• Invaded Babylonian

area around 1600 B.C.

www.sarissa.org/ images/hittites_reg.jpg

Phoenicians • They lived along the Mediterranean in Palestine.

Their trade was the basis of their prosperity.

Israelites • Minor people south of Phoenicians whose

religion known today as Judaism and has influenced the religions of Christianity and Islam.

Israel and Judah• Israel- King David united all the

territory that becomes Israel with Jerusalem as capital.

• King Solomon expanded the government, army, and trade.

• After the death of Solomon, Israel was broken into two kingdoms; Israel and Judah

Judaism• Monotheistic- the Jews believed in one God

called Yahweh.• Because the Jews believed in one God they were

not accepted by their neighbors.

Assyriansmembers.shaw.ca/ scud/assyrians.jpg

• Warrior like• First people to use

chariots and cavalry in battle

• First to effectively rule a large empire

• Capital was Nineveh

www.bible-history.com/ people/assyrians/map_as...

Chaldeanswww.cts.edu/.../Images/ oldtest/TissNebu.jpg

• Greatest leader was Nebuchadnezzar• Hanging Gardens of

Babylon• Biblical story

• Skilled astrologers• Calculated the length of a

year• Defeated by the Persians

www.faculty.fairfield.edu/ jmac/rs/7hanging.gif

Persians• Greatest leaders

• Medes• Cyrus***• Darius• Xerxes

• Kept large empire• Built extensive road

system• Religious beliefs• Persian army defeated by

Alexander the Great (Macedonian)