Unit I: Foundations

8000 B.C.E. - 600 C.E.

Neolithic Cultures: The Dawn of Agriculture

• The “new” stone age was marked by the beginning of agriculture

• Around 12,000 to 6,000 years ago, Neolithic women began a systematic cultivation of plants

• Neolithic men began to domesticate animals

Early agricultural societies in the Middle East

Emergence of Villages and Towns• Jericho was the earliest known

neolithic village, it had mud huts and defensive walls

• Villages developed specialization of labor (pottery, metallurgy, and textiles)

• Society began to be organized into social classes due to private land ownership

The interior of a Neolithic hut

Neolithic Culture

• Over time villages became more complex and evolved into cities

• Some societies developed calendars and religious practices

• The earliest cities began appearing in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers around 4000 B.C.E.

The Tigris and Euphrates River Valley

First Empires of Mesopotamia

• The first cities emerged around 3200 to 2350 B.C.E.

• King Sargon (2370-2315 B.C.E) seized trade roots and natural resources

• King Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.E.) centralized the government, regulated taxes, and based his law on retribution (eye for an eye)

Patriarchal Societies

• Kings and nobles were the highest class

• Priests held high social status• Peasants paid taxes and provided

labor• Men were the head of the

household and women had few rights and often had to wear veils

King Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.E.

The Old Kingdom 2660-2160 B.C.E

• Great pyramids were build at Giza

• It was a period of frequent violence between the Egyptians and Nubians

• The Nubians eventually developed the kingdom of Kush

• Egyptians and Nubians eventually began interacting peacefully due to intermarriage and the Egyptian use of Nubian mercenaries

The Sphinx and Great Pyramid at Giza

Middle Kingdom2040-1640 B.C.E.

• Nomadic horsemen called the Hyksos invaded Egypt and conquered the city of Memphis by 1674 B.C.E.

• The Hyksos used chariots and bronze weapons superior to the Egyptian weapons

• This caused major revolts in the northern part of Egypt

Hyksos warriors and their chariots

The New Kingdom1550-1070 B.C.E.

• The Pharaoh gained in power through the use of a large government and army

• This era was marked by several building projects; mostly temples, palaces, and monuments

• The Pharaoh Tuthmosis III (1479-1425 B.C.E.) built an empire that included Palestine, Syria, and Nubia A bust of Pharaoh Tuthmosis III

The Confucius Way

• Confucian ideas were written into a collection called Analects

• The ideas stressed strong morality and ethics as a way to restore political and social order

• Confucius and his followers concentrated on the formation of junzi or “superior individuals”

Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.)

Daoism: The Flip Side of Confucius

• The founder Laozi preached Dao: the way of nature

• Daoists felt people should be passive and surrender to the laws of nature

• Daoists promoted the doctrine of wuwei: detachment from worldy affairs and a simple life Modern day Daoist monks in China

The Qin Dynasty

• The Qin adopted Legalist policies

• Encouraged agriculture as the way to a strong economy

• Organized a powerful army equipped with iron weapons

• Unified China by 221 B.C.E.

The Dawn of the Han

• Liu Bang restored order to China by 206 B.C.E.

• The Hans focused on centralizing the government using Legalist policies

• Increased the number of government officials

• Continued building roads and canals

• Trained government officials in Confucian schools

Mauryan Dynasty

• Ruled through a tightly organized government system

• Governmental policies were displayed on rocks or pillars

• The Mauryan empire fell apart after the death of Ashoka because of financial problems

Remains of one of Ashoka’s pillars

The Gupta Dynasty

• Founded by Chandra Gupta (375-415 C.E.)

• Smaller and more decentralized than the Mauryans

• Invasion of the White Huns weakened the empire

• The empire broke into large regional kingdoms by 500 C.E.

Painting of Chandra Gupta

Family Life and the Caste System

• India had a patriarchal society and child marraiges were commonly arranged

• Development of trade led to a new caste of artisans, craftmen, and merchants

• The top castes increased in wealth and power

• Old Aryan beliefs and values began to fade

The Roots of Buddhism• Founded by Siddartha Gautama

(563-483 B.C.E.) after he gave up his comfortable life to search for the cause of suffering

• Buddhists believe the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eighfold Path are the way to end suffering– Suffering is caused by desire

• The goal of Buddhists is to achieve nirvana: a state of perfect spiritual independence

Siddartha Gautama

Greek Philosophy• Greek philosophy was based on

human • Socrates encouraged reflection

on ethics and morality• Plato stressed the ideal of

philosopher kings• Aristotle taught that philosophers

should trust their senses to provide accurate information

• Greek philosophy influenced both Christian and Islamic religious thinkers well into the 1500sPlato and Aristotle

The Spartans

• Sparta began to control most of Greece by 900 B.C.E.

• They kept their control by focusing on building a strong military

• Spartans discouraged social classes and lived a strictly plain lifestyle

• Spartans honored discipline and military talent

Traditional Spartan Uniform

The Athenians• Used democratic ideas to

maintain order• Free adult males could be

granted citizenship and participate in government

• Sea trade brought prosperity to the landowners which created social tension between the rich and poor

• Their most popular leader Pericles advanced democracy by increasing the number of elected government officials A stone bust of King Pericles

The Roman Republic

• After the last Etruscan king was deposed in 509 B.C.E. Romans wrote a new constitution

• Rome would now be a republic• Two consuls would be elected

by the patricians (aristocrats)• A Senate would advise the

consuls and approve major government decisions

The Roman Senate in session

Opening of the Silk Roads

• Roads and bridges built during the Hellenistic era became the basis for the silk roads

• Trade exchanges began between India (Bactria) in the east and the Mediterranean civilizations in the west

• Sea trade expanded trade to include East Africa

Trade in the Hellenistic World

Traffic on the Silk Roads

• Silk and spices traveled west from China and India

• Central Asia produced horses and jade that was sold in China

• The Romans produced glassware, jewelry, art, perfumes, and textiles

• Merchants traveled along the roads in stages, trading as they traveled

Roman glasswork (200 C.E.)