CH.  1  –  EARLY  CIVILIZATIONS  civiliza'on  |ˌsivələˈzā  sh  ən|  noun  the  stage  of  human  social  development  and  organizaKon  that  is  considered  most  advanced  :  they  equated  the  railroad  with  progress  and  civiliza7on.  •  the  process  by  which  a  society  or  place  reaches  this  stage.  •  the  society,  culture,  and  way  of  life  of  a  parKcular  area  :  the  great  books  of  Western  civiliza7on  |  the  early  civiliza7ons  of  Mesopotamia  and  Egypt.  •  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  modern  life,  regarded  as  available  only  in  towns  and  ciKes  :  the  fur  traders  moved  further  and  further  from  civiliza7on.  

B.C.  =  BEFORE  CHRIST  

B.C.E.  =  BEFORE  THE  COMMON  ERA    *    

A.D.  =  ANNO  DOMINI  –  LAT.  –  IN  THE  YEAR  OF                    OUR  LORD  (0)  

C.E.  =  COMMON  ERA  (0)  *  

PC  =  POLITICALLY  CORRECT  *  

WHY?  

Before Civilization

•  Prehistory:  before  wriUen  records  appeared  (c.  3000  B.C.E.)  

•  Early  man  and  archaeological  evidence  – Tool-­‐making  hominids  appear  about  2  million  years  ago  

– Neanderthal  (thirty  thousand  to  two  hundred  thousand  years  ago)  

Before Civilization

•  Early man and archaeological evidence – Upper Paleolithic Age, c. 40,000 B.C.E.

•  Homo sapiens sapiens •  Finely crafted tools •  Cave paintings at

Lascaux

Cave paintings from Lascaux (right)

Before Civilization

•  Hunters and gatherers constantly on the move (c. 11,000 B.C.E.)

•  Social, economic, and political consequences – Without domesticated animals, there were no

significant material possessions – Undeveloped division of labor – Acquiring food and tools the top priority – No storable surpluses

The fertile crescent

The growth of agriculture

The  Neolithic  RevoluKon:  New  Stone  Age,  c.  11,000  B.C.E.  

•  The  emergence  of  towns  and  villages  – Emergence  of  villages  –  Jericho  (c.  9000  B.C.E.)  

•  Grain-­‐producing  seUlement  •  Massive  building  program  (walls  and  a  tower)  •  Supported  three  thousand  inhabitants  •  PoUery  used  for  storage  

The  Neolithic  RevoluKon:  New  Stone  Age,  c.  11,000  B.C.E.  

•  The emergence of towns and villages – Food storage

•  Led to inequalities of wealth

•  Tied people to a specific community

– Trade and the exchange of commodities •  Accelerated exchange of commodities and new

ideas

•  Increasing social stratification

•  Social elites

GROWTH  OF  CITIES  

POTTERY  –  TO  STORE  AND  COOK  FOOD  

IRRIGATION  –  TO  STORE  WATER/DIVERT  TO  CROPS  

TRADE  –  TO  ACQUIIRE    RARE  GOODS  

AFFECT  

-­‐  Wealth  gap  –  Some  accumulated  more,  some  less  

-­‐  Religion  –    divine  intervenKon  for  seasonal  needs  (rain)  

-­‐  Social  Class  DisKncKons  –  rulers,  priests,  laborers,  etc  

Urban Development in Mesopotamia

•  Urbanism in the Uruk Period (4300–2900 B.C.E.) – Transition to Sumerian city-states

•  Temple architecture •  Urbanization and expansion of trade routes

•  The development of writing – Recordkeeping

– Cuneiform (“wedge-shaped writing”)

Cuneiform writing

“Necessity  is  the  mother  of  inven'on.”  

How  does  this  saying  apply  to  the  Sumerians?  

The Culture of Sumer

•  Religion – Pantheon of Sumerian gods (around fifteen

hundred of them) – Each city-state protected by its own patron

god •  Redistributive economy and the temple/

warehouse complex

The Culture of Sumer

•  Slavery – Prisoners of war – Slaves as forms of property

•  The Early Dynastic Period begins (2900–2500 B.C.E.) – War leadership and kingship – Conflict between city-states

The Culture of Sumer

•  Science, technology, and trade – High degree of self-reliance and ingenuity – Produced copper weapons and tools –  Invention of the wheel (chariots and carts) – Mathematics

•  Lunar calendar

– Trade •  Acquired raw materials •  Interacted with Egyptians and Persians

The Old Babylonian Empire

•  Hammurabi  – Ascends  throne  in  1792  B.C.E.  – Used  wriKng  as  a  weapon  -­‐  Ruled  as  a  shepherd  rather  than  a  Lugal  (“big  man”)    

The Old Babylonian Empire

•  Law and Society under Hammurabi –  Interweaves political power with religious

practice – United his people politically – Ruled as king of Babylon, the city of Marduk

The Old Babylonian Empire

•  Law and Society under Hammurabi – The Code of Hammurabi

•  Actual rulings of Hammurabi •  The code was probably

never intended to be a code of laws in the modern sense

•  The code as propaganda, used to publicize the king’s devotion to justice

The Code of Hammurabi (right)

The Old Babylonian Empire

•  Hammurabi’s legacy – The creation of a durable state – Helped establish a conception of kingship – The importance of religion