Chapter 3: The First Civilizations

Chapter 3: The First Civilizations

Historical Periods

• The past is categorized into eras, reflecting significant shifts in people's lives.
• Ancient Era: Approximately 3000 BC to 476 AD.
• Medieval Era: From 476 AD to 1500 AD.
• Modern Era: Spanning from 1500 AD to 1945 AD.
• Postmodern Era: Beginning in 1945 and continuing to the present.

Ancient Era (ca. 3000 BC – 400 AD)

• A time period associated with the rise of the first civilizations in Asia.
• This era witnessed the development of the earliest empires.
• The Eastern part of the world was the most advanced.

Medieval Era (Middle Ages, 474 AD – 1500 AD)

• This era is situated between the Ancient Era and the Modern Era.
• During this time, the West's power began to expand.

Modern Era (1500 - 1945)

• The West's dominance grew across the globe.
• Global wars, including World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) happened in this era.

Postmodern Era (1945 - present)

• The East seeks to match the West's influence and wealth.
• The Fourth Industrial Revolution emerged.
• New global conflicts involving weapons of mass destruction, global pandemics, and climate change arose.

Historical Dates

• Christian historians use "BC" and "AD."
• BC indicates events before Jesus Christ's birth.
• AD (Anno Domini) signifies events after Jesus' time.
• BCE (Before the Common/Current Era) and CE (Common/Current Era) for date-keeping.

Timeline Usage

• Illustrates chronological sequence of dates or events from earliest to latest.
• Used to enhance understanding the sequence of data events

Civilization

• Per National Geographic, civilization describes a complex way of life that came about as people began to develop networks of urban settlements.
• Pertains to people with developed resources and skills in aspects like religion, government, law, economy, and military.
• Barbarians are the opposite of a civilized society.

Culture and Conflict

• Two recurring experiences in a civilization are culture and conflict.
• Culture consists of the total intelligent human achievements in a society, such as religion, language, customs, laws, economy, arts, and music.
• Conflict arises from disagreements, differing interests, rivalry, and internal or external challenges.

Pattern for Civilizations

• Civilization appears when crude and barbaric people develop cultural and civil activities, like in Mesopotamia.
• Conflicts and natural events can destroy civilizations.
• Mesopotamians quarreled often.
• The history of the first civilizations demonstrates the pattern of culture in future civilizations.

Fertile Crescent Significance

• West Asia has a crescent-shaped region known as the "cradle of the first civilization."
• Tigris and Euphrates Rivers originate in the mountains of Turkiye, ending in the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf.
• People made the earliest known writings and invented cultural achievements in the Fertile Crescent.
• Kings and emperors built the first empires and made laws there.
• Earliest people, places, and events mentioned in the Bible are there.
• Birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
• Location of frequent conflicts.
• Middle East, holds the largest number of overseas Filipino workers (OFW).

Mesopotamia over Turkiye and Egypt

• Sumerian civilization (ca. 3500 – 5500 BC) developed earlier than the Egyptians.
• Goebekli Tepe, a "Potbelly Hill," in Southeast Turkiye was established earlier (ca. 9500 BC.)
• Goebekli Tepe was only a small temple, and its carbon dating proved inconsisten

Three traits of Fertile crescent

• Extensively studied.
• Located on the oldest river
• There is abundant oil in West Asia.

The Sumerians (5500 – 2300 BC)

• The first inhabitants of Mesopotamia.
• They created Cuneiform, the first written language.
• They had the first farms and houses
• Also the first cities and temples.
• The first governments and written law.
• Henry Rawlinson discovered Behistun Rock, the first written language.
• They have the Code of Ur-Nammu (2100 BC)

Rise of Empires

• Empires are wealthier, larger, and more militarily asserted than city-states
• Traditionally, they start from an ambitious leader conquering to gain more power.
• Tributary State pays tributes but retains independence.
• Vassal State loses independence and becomes enslaved to the empire.

Akkadia (2334-2154 BC)

• The 1st regional empire was the largest and most unpopular.
• Largest area in Mesopotamia (800,000 sq.km)
• A cruel religious policy of forcing others to worship their Akkadian gods was implemented.
• Sargon the Great was the first Akkadian king.
• Naram-Sin captured Anatolia, parts of Arabia and Persia.

Akkadia Contributions

• Known as first empire in history.
• Set the pattern for military conquest, dictatorship, and cruel treatment.
• Founded the first political dynasty.
• Introduced government of dictatorship and theocracy.
• Enheduanna was the chief female priestess of the state.

Fall of Akkadia

• The mixture of religion and politics made Akkadia the most hated in Mesopotamia.
• The shortest-lived empire.

The First Babylonian Empire

• The First Babylonian Empire known as the brightest, most popular, and most influential.
• Made good laws for the people (Hammurabi's Code = first written legal code).

Babylonian Contributions

• Developed the first numerical system.
• Devised a calendar with 30-day months and recognized the existence of a year.
• Charted the movement of celestial bodies, including the sun, moon, and stars.
• Established formal schools for boys' basic education.
• Wrote 2,000 books of knowledge an promoted Cuneiform writing.
• Practiced medicine.
• Hammurabi´s Code served as there first written law.

The Assyrians

• Known as the fiercest to the first Christians.
• Cruelest, most terrifying, and the longest empire in Mesopotamia.
• Invented horse cavalry, chariots, siege towers, and battering rams.
• The first tribal group converted to Christianity in the first century AD.
• Greatest King - Tiglath-Pileser III.

Assyrian Contributions

• The longest empire in Mesopotamia lasted for nearly two millennia.
• Spread the Cuneiform language.
• Extensive road networks lasted longer than their empire.
• Tablet library was ancient world's first.
• Introduced the first army and military technology.
• Also the first tribal group to convert to Christianity.

The Second Babylonian Empire

• They were from Dark-race Semitic from the south Mesopotamian marshes.
• Calling themselves the New Babylonian Empire, they stretched the prestige.
• Shortest ruling time, being only 86 years.
• Remembered for capturing the Jews to their Babylonian 7 year captivity, from 586 - 516 BC.
• Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest Chaldean king, developed the Hanging Garden and the capital of Babylon.

Chaldean Contributions

• Nebuchadnezzar's creation: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was one of the world's Seven Wonders.
• Recognized the rise and fall of many kingdoms, ending in one last kingdom "that would never end."

The Hittite Empire

• Iron and the First Peace Treaty.
• The last Mesopotamian empire to disappear in the Bronze Age collapse.
• The ancestors of the modern Turks were partly European and partly Asian.
• Discovered how to make iron tools, began the Iron Age.
• The Hittites, “the people of Hatti,” were named after Hatti, their southwestern Asian homeland.
• Challenged Pharaoh Ramses II for supremacy in the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BC), the largest chariot battle ever.

Hittite Contributions

• Pioneered the use of iron metal.
• Established practices for writing agreements (treaties).

Civilization spreading

• Mesopotamian peoples directly transferred their culture through various means of contact.
• Archaeological discoveries point for connections between Mesopotamia, India, and China, some cradles of civilization.
• The ancient Mesopotamians and Indians shared gods and customs.

Direct Contacts

• Early people planted the same cereals, figs, dates, and vegetables, just like the Mesopotamians.
• Artifacts excavated in the Indus Valley possessed Sumerian traits.

Indirect contacts

• Social networks have socialized in almost all past eras, like one does today
• Those networks may be good or unwanted so one should choose carefully who to include,
• The Phoenicians are a great spread of trade and writing.
• Civilizations spread by blending cultures or even cultural fusion.
• Philippines were created from Asian, European, Latin and North American culture.

How Civilizations End

• In 1200 BC, there was a sudden collapse of civilizations .
• This led to famine and great mass migrations to South Asia.
• Civilizations ended due to earthquakes, drought, climate change, famine, economic depression, and invasion.
• Led the of Greece and Rome in the middle ages

Ancient collapse

• The Bible, history, and science state that Bronze Age civilizations collapsed.
• Bible verses in Genesis 10 state that human achievement made them want to construct more and more which led to conflict.
• This theory is backed up with history.
• Ancient history also states there were land invasions, natural calamities and internal rivalry.

Science conclusion

• The earthquake was caused by natural causes at 1200BC and the rainfall was reduced by 30-50%.
• Followed by natural disaters.
• Drought was also caused for three hundred years, people could not come hom
• Not only Mesopotamia but also Egypt, Greek islands and South asia

Conclusions

• The lesson is for us to have time .
• These cultures would be impossible to live without
• The civilizations we have that occur stimultaneously are the reasons why humans survived conflicts and catastrophes.

Mesopotamia's Gifts

• First political systems based on class, gender and wealth.
• First cities made for groups of people to live.
• The creation of the wheel.
• First written word.
• Creation of literature.
• First written laws.
• First use of numbers to measure areas.
• First uses of astronomy.
• Metal tools, pottery, sails, temples and schools established.
• Religion with temples and ziggurats established.

Mesopotamian Society

• Using medicine as a system.
• Using economy with trade.
• Creating governments with kings, and laws and treating each other cruelly.
• Establishing treaties with each other .

Chapter 4: When Asians Shaped the World

Traders, Bankers, Victors, Teachers

• Phoenicians were key traders, spread civilization.
• Jews key bankers throughout history.
• Christians key victors spreading their religions
• Persians were the first global empire.
• Moors were key teachers.

Objectives for the book

• Recall the key historical Asian contributions.
• Understand what contributions Asia made.
• Appreciate Asia's contribution to the world

The Phoenicians

• The essential people for spreading civilizations.
• The first business people.
• Did not have a solid nation but lived in small states
• Key states were, Carthage(Tunisia). Tyre and Biblos and Sidon.
• Descendants of the Phoenicians include, Lebanese and people in Cadiz (spain).

Phoenician contributions

• Spreading the alphabet with skill of writing.
• Social networking and method of credit.
• Key seafarers and according to Greeks the sailed from Mediterranean to Africa.
• First key shipbuilders of the world, creating the purple die.

Jewish People

• They are know as the chosen people.
• The only people with a genealogy that extends to Adam and Eve
• A key point in their religion
• There religion is also well known.

Diaspora

• Romans destroyed the Jewish temple where lots were murdered
• Their dispersal led them to statelessness.
• Judaism can mistaken as a western religion.
• Early Jesus came from Asia but became prominent in the West for separate reasons

Jewish Finance

• Jews needed to find a way to survive.
• They found only livelihood in money lending and trade.
• Key players in money lending because other religions banned the process in general.

Jewish religion

• Main part of the religion is monotheism, believing in god, and being linear with time.
• Key religions came from Jewish roots and the bible.
• Some well known figures in Jewish history are prophets.
• Inventors and scientists make up the rest.
• Key financial contributors were Jewish.

Christian Background

• Winning over the Romans by unconventional methods.
• Empires and kingdoms eventually replaced the Roman Empire.
• Christianity began in Palestine with Jesus who lived from (AD 1-33).
• One of the largest religions and he made disciples.

Christians and romans

• Attracted pagan followers for promising salvation.
• Their prayers led to miracles to inspired other.
• Valued reading, hard work and good conduct.
• unusual recruitment and always helped others

Religion

• Helping as empires declined.
• Standing out due to helping with confidence.
• Sharing each other's resources and the charity of everyone.
• Helped others, regardless of who they harmed.
• Other peculiar appeals, helping women when they were seen inferior.

Spreading

• Assyrians became the first to convert.
• Mongolians were turned, including Genghis khans mother.
• Christianity came to Tang Dynasty when he arrived in 635 AD.
• Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine favored Christians
• Built a Capital Constantinople, where in AD 567 the Church of Hagia Sophia became the first Christian Basilica.
• West missionaries helped the religion spread.

Today

• Made over 2.4 billion by 2020.
• Majority can be found in Europe and North America.
• In Asia the can be found in philippines and South Korea.
• Philippines was first Christian nation in Asia.

Impacts

• Helping save people regardless of age.
• Calling for a stop on barbaric practices in asia and other parts of the world.
• Promoting moral and ethics.
• Helped by transferring science through schools, knowledge, etc.
• Promoting individual needs.
• Time travel has a end to what the belive.

Persians

• Five empires, (1) the Achaemenid/ Medo-Persian of Cyrus the Great.
• The Parsian Empire kept the peace, and promoted trade in the world
• Before the Romans there was the Persians.
• Very influential in culture , even more than Mesopotamia.

Persia

• Two enemies were Rome and Greece, and there cultures belittled Persias achievements.
• Today Parsia and West are still in conflict
• Carried a long conflict with Rome, one being over 700 years.
• Fell to Alexander the Great.
• Alexander the Great helped to spread there culture after he took control.

Cyrus The Great

• Built the largest Asian Empires
• Ruled countries on three continents.
• Controlled large are in what today is Iran.

Persian empires

• Cyrus the Great was their ancestor
• Had good traits, for their people.
• Their leaders did not want to be popular but to be feared and respected.
• Made of Nomads and had great skill at creating carpets.
• Spoke languages like Parsi and Farsi.
• Great leaders such as Darius created the coin.

Macedonia

• However, the territory began to fall to new leaders.
• But there was still a mix with western and east culture.

Persia fall

• The Parthian(Arsacid) or Second Persian Empire (247 BC 224 AD)- Was the most powerful in history.
• This empire had some of the main features such as being founded during the region and it includes an area of 1.8 million km2
• There was the Sasanian Empire which was the longest in history.
• The trade allowed the Sassies to gain power, however the persian culture was high, and also the products were in high demand.
• Persian had lost identity in the 7th century.

Shias

• However, the Shias made a civil was in the islamic empire.
• Civil was started by a great lost leader.

Archeological Findings

• The country is known for that and ranks seventh in the world.
• One of the religion that is now being spreaded today is Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest and the ancient religion that was founded my Zarathustra (660-583Bc)
• The governments are know for being federal with Local's Autonomy
• Persians were tolerant making sure there's was respect for human rights

Persians art

• Persian used the arts when it came to design.
• The Behistun rock was another feat found with there.
• They had a great way of drawing the griffon.
• Daric was the first way to get a world cureecny and was also know to be the first way a postal mail was used.
• Many people who were famous in the bible and other areas can attribute it to Persians culture.

Teachers: Moors

• From the desert tribes to world empires.
• The Moors were people of the book , and the books were used to read the holy books.
• The book people helped the Moors and so they treasured each and everyone's treasure and without them there won't no Renaissance.
• Moors founded regional caliphates like the ottoman in (1300-1918 AD) which makes up half of the Philippines.

Moors founding

• first regional Islamic kingdom named after the Umayya Dynasty which made everything.
• The Umayyas people made sure to to set the capital with other tribes.
• The Umayya caliphate, last for over a century making sure to control west asia.
• This was founded with bag dad and Iraq .
• Made for the byzatine empire and for those lost

Saladin

• Saladin the great was the first Champion
• They had an ottoman called (1400-1918 ad) which lead many people through the world.
• This lead the fall of many people such as Constantinople .
• This meant the ottoman became the only super power for about five centuries.

Sultan

• The greatest Sultan was Suleman and magificent.
• He help with the Ottoman golden age, and there military laws. The image is well known and now it appears to be the us capitol.
• The expansion ended to become what it is today such as turkey and Iraq.