WHAP Unit 0 Notes PDF

Unit 0 History Before 1200 C.E. * B.C.E. = Before Common Era *C.E. = Common Era Part 1: Human Development to 600 BCE The First Migrations Homo Sapiens first appeared in East Africa between 200,000 BCE and 100,000 BCE ○ Hunter-gatherers ○ Lived in small g...

Unit 0 History Before 1200 C.E. * B.C.E. = Before Common Era *C.E. = Common Era Part 1: Human Development to 600 BCE The First Migrations Homo Sapiens first appeared in East Africa between 200,000 BCE and 100,000 BCE ○ Hunter-gatherers ○ Lived in small groups ○ Nomadic - No permanent homes ○ Learned to control fire, make stone tools ○ Animism: worshipped deities associated with features of nature ○ Egalitarian, but early signs of patriarchy- dominated by males End of Last major Ice age 100,000 and 60,000 years ago ○ People began migrating in search of food and this took them beyond East Africa ○ By 10,000 BCE humans lived on every continent except Antarctica Spread of Human Populations The Agricultural Revolution Aka- The Neolithic Revolution: 10,00o years ago ○ Humans began to domesticate crops and animals ○ For the first time a surplus of food was produced by one part of the population ○ Began in the Middle East ○ Other parts of the population can now specialize in non-food producing activities ○ Results: Populations grew Development of skilled jobs (artisans, merchants, priests, etc) New Technology (wheel) Government and taxation Competition for resources, the development of wealth Social classes Spread of Agriculture First Civilizations- River Valleys Mesopotamia- “Fertile Crescent” ○ Present-Day Iraq Egypt- along the Nile River ○ North-East Africa Indus River Valley ○ South Asia China- Yellow River Valley Non-River Valley Civilizations: Olmec, Chavin The Four River Valley Civilizations Early Religions Hinduism: ○ Aryan migrants into South Asia ○ Vedas= religious text ○ Belief in reincarnation and sharply defined classes known as castes Zoroastrianism: ○ Early form of monotheism ○ Developed in Persia ○ Belief in a struggle between forces of good and evil Judaism: ○ Trace their history to the teachings of Abraham ○ Belief in a covenant with Yahweh (God) ○ Hebrew Scriptures = Old Testament The Classical Era 600 BCE- 600 CE Introduction: Several great empires arose that laid the foundation of later civilizations: ○ Western Eurasia: Persians, Greeks, Romans, & Byzantine Empires ○ Southern Asia: Mauryan and Gupta Empires ○ Eastern Asia: the Qin and Han Dynasties ○ Mesoamerica: the Mayan Empire Trade/Communication Networks ○ Silk Roads: Land-based trade routes that stretched from the Mediteranean to China Allowed for the flow of goods and ideas ○ Mediterranean Sea Routes ○ Maritime routes in the Indian Ocean Developments in South Asia (320 bce – 550 ce) The Mauryan Empire First period of unity in South Asia ○ High point under the rule of Ashoka Inscribed edicts on pillars Converted to Buddhism ○ Declined in power- decentralized The Gupta Empire ○ Second period of unity ○ The ‘Golden Age’ of India Hospitals, advances in medicine, art, intellectual ideas, mathematical advancements ○ Hindu, patriarchal, strong caste system Confucianism & Developments in East Asia Mandate of Heaven ○ How people of China viewed government: “heaven” or some universal force, provided the justification for an emperor to rule China If the ruler was corrupt or ineffective, “heaven” would show its displeasure in the form of natural disasters People would rebel as a result Confucianism ○ China enters a period of civil war: “The Warring States” ○ The philosopher Confucius described how people should behave in everyday life to bring stability to China His teachings were written down by follower in the Analects ○ Does not focus on a diety ○ Focused on education, benevolence, virtue, respect for those who have authority and a patriarchal social structure Confucianism & Developments in East Asia Qin and Han Dynasties ○ The Qin Dynasty established stability and ended the Period of the Warring states Established centralized control Established weights and measures, built canals and roads, increased trade and prosperity ○ Han Dynasty built on the Qin = Golden Age of Chinese History Established the Civil Service Exam Required students to analyze Confucian teachings High scores= prestigious jobs in the government bureaucracy Created a government of well-educated individuals Meritocracy Allowed for some social mobility Terracotta Warriors Zhou, Qin, & Han Expansion Civilizations of Western Eurasia and Christianity Persia ○ Modern-day Iran ○ Cyrus the Great ○ Strong centralized government, efficient bureaucracy, persian road network, trade and prosperity ○ Zoroastrianism Greece ○ Divided into city-states (geography) ○ Athens- developed democracy, art, architecture, theater, philosophy ○ Sparta- militaristic Ancient Greece Civilizations of Western Eurasia and Christianity Rome ○ Adopted Greek Gods ○ Relied on slavery, established law codes, Roman roads, trade & prosperity ○ Republic: Representative government Twelve Tables ○ Empire (27 B.C.E) ○ Patriarchy ○ Strong military ○ Adopted the innovations and technologies of those they conquered ○ Polytheistic ○ Adopted Christianity as they declined (313C.E) Rome Julius Caesar Twelve Tables Civilizations of Western Eurasia and Christianity Byzantine Empire (330-1453ce) ○ The Roman empires split between east and west ○ The eastern portion was the Byzantine Empire ○ Its capital was Constantinople (Present-Day Istanbul in Turkey) ○ It was politically and economically more powerful than the west ○ Attracted travellers and merchants from all over eurasia= cosmopolitan center ○ Justinian Law Code ○ Hagia Sophia ○ The Great Schism (1054) established the Eastern Orthodox Church This would later influence Kiev Rus- the foundation of Russia Hagia Sophia Early American Civilizations Teotihuacan 150B.C.E ○ Modern-day Mexico City ○ Multicultural urban center ○ Prosperous trade ○ Would later influence the Aztecs The Mayans ○ South of Teotihucuan ○ The MOST influential classical civilization in the America ○ Developed the most complex written language, accurate calendars, the concept of zero Comparison in the Classical Age Early Trade Networks ○ Technological developments made trade easier Stirrups, sail design, ship hulls for maneuvering, saddle Decline of Classical Empires ○ Many were too large to manage= loss of unity and political power ○ Challenges to power: Challenges collecting taxes weakened governments Declines in trade decreased access to foreign goods & markets Spread of diseases reduced urban populations Increases in the gap between the rich and poor created social conflict Attacks by outside groups led to a need for more spending on defense ○ In some cases the spread of a common religion kept society unified even as government fails- a key example of this is South Asia (India) Part 3: Postclassical Civilizations 600 CE- 1200 CE Contextualization Decline of classical civilizations led to a decline of trade, intellectual innovation, & social stability New centralized states that promoted peace & prosperity will emerge and replace them Networks of exchange will widen and become profitable once again- Silk Roads, Indian Ocean Trade, and trans-Saharan trade ○ People will exchange goods, ideas, and innovations ○ Also disease! The World in 1200 By 1200, much of the world recovered from the decline of the Classical civilizations (part 2) ○ Africa, Europe, & Asia were connected through Indian Ocean Trade, the Silk Roads, and trans-Saharan trade routes ○ The Byzantine Empire & various Islamic empires provided some stability in the region from Eastern Europe through the Middle East to South Asia ○ Abbasids – Golden Age ○ China and Dar al-Islam continued to be leading centers of learning and innovation ○ After Han – Sui, Tang, Song ○ Song- Neoconfucianism, footbinding, civil service exam ○ Western Europe and Japan had decentralized systems of government that featured powerful land-owning nobles (Feudalism), practising Shintoism (Japan) ○ Africa largely remained stateless (Bantu), except for some regions in West African and East Africa that were part of Dar al-Islam (Bedouins in N.Africa ) ○ Afro-Eurasia, America, and Oceania were developing in isolation from each other