HIST 101 Notes PDF

HIST 101 Notes Ancient Mesopotamia and Mediterranean Societies Human civilization moved from out of Africa into Mesopotamia, the reason for that is because of the two rivers (Tigris and the Euphrates). The land located between the two rivers is known as the fertile crescent. When...

HIST 101 Notes Ancient Mesopotamia and Mediterranean Societies Human civilization moved from out of Africa into Mesopotamia, the reason for that is because of the two rivers (Tigris and the Euphrates). The land located between the two rivers is known as the fertile crescent. When coming on the river, they needed to know how dry it gets and when the river would flood (of course, flooding isn’t bad, but you also need to prepare for it) due to the lack of an irrigation method. Society: Sumer (5500 B.C.E – 2340 B.C.E) - Political System (Sumer was a monarchy) - City of Ur - Ziggurats - Inventions - The Epic of Gilgamesh - If you were of nobility, you usually owned land - Commoners were everyday people The City of Ur - Ziggurat (All Ziggurats were temples, such as the Temple of Ishtar, which was very large). - They also had a more “Greek” aspect to their religion; the more major they were in society, the more attention people often paid to them (Ishtar vs Enki, for example), but even then, they didn’t necessarily think about it as “Major” and “Minor” gods. - Marduk was worshipped in the temple of Ishtar, but later, he became a major god for Babylon. - (Also, they were knowledgeable planners). - It was built quite literally next to the Euphrates River. - It contained a West and North Harbor.  - The Nobility was more in the center of the city (more religious area), the further you move away from it, the lower the socioeconomic status is. - You could say that this started the trend of wealth disparity in cities (like New York, the closer you are to Manhattan, the more money you’re likely to see). - The Language that the Sumerians gave us was Cuneiform; the first instance of it seen was around 3200 B.C. - They also used (for metals) Arsenic, Tin, Bronze, and more. - The Epic of Gilgamesh was an oral story; he was believed to be a demi-god as well (The Story of the Great Flood being one of the more popular stories). Class Lecture 8/28 Babylon (c. 1800) - Political Organization - Hammurabi, the most famous king of Babylon who created “Hammurabi’s Law Code” (1792 to 1750 B.C.E) - Each different city in Babylon had different codes. - Examples: In City 1, Bob the peasant murders a nobleman. In City 2, he murders another peasant. In City 3, he murders a slave. In City 4, he kills a woman. In City 1, Bob is murdered, in City 2, he’s imprisoned/banished/killed by the family, in City 3, he must pay a fine to the slave owner. In City 4, depending on the woman’s status, nothing happens, or he must pay a fine. - Slaves had more social standing than women, sadly, in that course of history, slaves could work themselves out of slavery, but women couldn’t work themselves out of being a woman. - Hammurabi created a universal law code for every city; every punishment was the same for every town. - A law code reflects the society in which it was written; it’s also a reflection of the person/persons who wrote it (their beliefs and biases would be put into the laws) - Two variants (biases) of law code: You can poke out someone’s eye unless they are of a different social status than you and gender. Assyrians (1350-607 B.C.E) - Pony Express - Gained the use of iron as a weapon - First people to hone their skills using biological weapons - The Pony Express allowed the army to keep supplies in “Warehouses” (more so posts) - Because of the Pony Express, they had an army of about 50,000 - Fall of Assyrians by Chaldeans or neo-Babylonians  Phoenicians (1600-300 B.C.E) - Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos - Operated more on the Mediterranean - To protect from bugs, most of their ships are made from Cedar - Indigo was a color of status, if you were caught wearing it and you weren’t nobility or royalty, you would be executed. - They were traders also; they made the very first language with an alphabetic script (known as the father of Alphabetic Scripts) Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews Abraham - Ur to Canaan, 1800 B.C.E Four Beliefs adopted by other religions - Monotheism (Yahweh) - Morality - Messianism - Linear History Tanakh, or Mikra (meaning that “which is read”) - Torah (Teaching) - Nevi’im (Prophets) - Ketuvim (Writings) - Hence, Tanakh, an acronym - You cannot be an Israelite until 1300 B.C.E (Judaism didn’t exist until Moses left Egypt on the way to Jerusalem) - Back then, a Jew typically lived in the southern region of Israel (Judah). Ancient Egypt Nile River - Cyclical (flooded every late September through early October,2-week period) Social Organization - Pharaoh - Priests and Nobles - Peasants - Slaves (and Gender Roles) - Slaves were usually 19-20 years old, very physically fit, and usually male - In Egypt, women are allowed to inherit the land, although she doesn’t get the land, she attains the wealth Three Kingdoms (2613-2160 B.C.E) - Pharaoh - Viziers - Ma’at Middle Kingdom (2040-1740 B.C.E) - Thebes - Invention of Iron - The South won the Civil War (the capital moved from Memphis to Karnak “Thebes”) - The Bantu people introduced how to use Iron to the Egyptians, completely changing the game for farming and weaponry. New Kingdom (1550-1070 B.C.E) - The expansion of Egypt was possible due to the utilization of Iron, taking over land in Africa. Amenophis IV (Akhenaten) (r. 1353-1333) started to fight on the Coast of the Mediterranean (Israel) - Re and Amon became Amon-Re, now being the God of the Sun and the Air - Amenophis rejected the gods, rejecting Egyptian society, religion, and culture. - Aten became the new god of the sun, in fact being the only God that is responsible for everything. - Amenophis then became Akhenaten (Follower of Aten). - This man was completely erased from History but was only remembered because of his wife, Nefertiti. - Started Monotheistic faith in Egypt Ramses II (r. 1290-1224) - He was the longest-reigning Pharaoh in all of Egypt (65 years) - He built a tomb instead of a Pyramid for himself. - This was also the dude that Moses went against  - Amun-her-khepesehef vs. Moses (the two Sons of Moses as Moses was adopted into the family; he was never going to inherit anything) also had an intense rivalry that was filled with Hatred. - Amun went after Moses and the Hebrews, causing a very bloody battle between them in which Moses and Amun engaged in 1 one-on-one combat, with Moses being the victor. - It was so much blood that the Marshes had turned red. The pyramid of Khufu was the first massive Pyramid (Construction was usually from October to February, about 15-20 years depending on size and detail) - It had a King & Queen’s Chamber, a Greave’s Shaft, an Ascending and Descending Passage, and a Grand Gallery along with vents. - Also had the Pyramids of Giza. Religion - Preoccupation with the afterlife (Mummification) - 1st step of Mummification: Preserving the Body, removing four organs (The lungs, the intestines, the stomach, and the liver) - Had a period of being dried out for about 90 days - Book of the Dead (Papyrus) - Only the rich had a Book of the Dead - Main People: Any, Anubis, Thoth (God of Recordkeeping), Ma’ at (culmination of how you lived your life) and Ammit - If your heart weighed the same as the feather on the scale (in the afterlife), you were worthy of being reunited with your body and having all your organs put back in you. - If you were a terrible person, Ammit would eat your heart. - Anubis - Ma’ at and judgment - Osiris Ancient India Early Indian Societies Harappan Cities - The Indus River had no flood pattern, as cities were being built around it  - This is why the nation is called India (Indus -> India). Urbanization - Mohenjo-Daro - Had a citadel, and then a lower town, in different blocks, it had different things that the city had provided. The lower town had houses mainly. - It was not common to see many people spread apart; the first cities were formed because many people often lived near each other. - This tended to create many issues; cities relied very heavily on farming communities for their food as a high demand was met due to the number of resources dropping so quickly. - These Cities had Cesspits that worked as a sewage system. Mohenjo-Daro was the first city to properly use the sewage system correctly. - North-South grid pattern Language and Ethnicity - Dravidian (aka the Harappans), the language, is still used today in Southern India. - The Dravidian people lived as Traders; they weren’t a violent group of people. Trade - Domesticated the Elephant - Domesticated the Camel - Domesticated the Chicken - What was a profitable industry was the selling of the finest spun Cotton (although this changed around 500 years ago), a tradition that was passed down from Mother to Daughter. - India dominated the Cotton Market for about 2000 years! - When it was wiped out, it had a devastating effect on their economy. Aryans and Indian Culture Aryan Invasion - Tribal - Originated from modern-day Iran - A very violent group of people also - Warrior King – Raja - Patriarchal Political Organization  - Mahabharata (World’s Longest Poem) - Teaches about loyalty - Teaches about moral principles in General - Dharma – Every individual is born with two roles. A natural one and an occupation that society has given you. Caste System (Varna) You can’t move out of it - Brahmins (Priests) - Kshatriyas (Warriors/Nobility/Military Leaders) - Vaishyas (Merchants/Artisans) - Shudras (Menial Jobs) Culture - Sanskrit Vedas (14oo to BCE) Bhagavad Gita Rig Veda – A collection of hymns and poems (about 1028 of them) Brahmanas – Written by priests, a huge deity in Hinduism - Karma-Samara - Upanishads (Secret Knowledge) - Moksha Origins of the Chinese Empire Ancient China Shang Dynasty Zhou Dynasty Regionalism - Huang He, Yellow River - Longshan Philosophy  - Tian - Yijing Yin and Yang: Cosmic Forces - Yin – Dark, wet, soft, earth, moon, and feminine - Yang – Light, dry, hard, heaven, sun, and masculine Early American Societies Early Americans Migration Geography and Farming - Cultivation of squashes, manioc, beans, chili peppers, avocados, and gourds by 8000-7000 B.C.E. - Maize became a staple after about 4000 B.C.E - Later, tomatoes added - Domesticated animals Early Societies - Urbanization - Caral, North-Central Peru 150-acre complex Economy Society - By year 1 in the Americas, 15 million people are living there. Mesoamerica Olmecs, 1200-100 B.C.E - Urban Society - Authoritarian - San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes - Olmec Heads - Commerce - Obsidian, Jade - Fearsome half-human, half-animal supernatural beings - Decline, 400-1000 B.C.E Mayans Maya - Village-based agriculture, terrace farming Maize, cotton, cacao beams, sea salt - Politics and Warfare Ritual Sacrifice of enemies - Maya Society and the Calendar Hierarchy - Religion - They believed the gods themselves made man out of corn Popul Vuh - Management of the calendar lent authority to the priesthood - Timing of auspicious moments for agriculture Long Count Calendar - Solar year of 365.242 days (17 seconds off) - An agricultural cycle of 365 days - Ritual year of 260 years Teotihuacan “City of the Gods” The largest city in the Americas, with a population of about 200,000 people Highlands of Mexico Lakes in areas of high elevation The village of Teotihuacan, 500 B.C.E, expanded to large agricultural by 100 C.E. - North-South Grid Axis - Important ceremonial center Extensive trade network influenced surrounding areas Began to decline ca 650 C.E., sacked in the middle of the eighth century, the city burned South America  Andes Mountains - “Ring of Fire” Cities - Chavin (900-300 B.C.E) - City Complex - Intricate art, jewelry, and textile economy. - A city moved by religion - Many of their gods and goddesses dealt with a Jaguar - The Mochica State Valley of the Moche River Dominated northern Peru, 300-700 C.E - One of many states in the region, none able to consolidate into an empire Painting survives largely on pottery - Tomb of Lord of Sipan - Chimor First Andean Empire