1-1: Human Origins in Africa 1970’s: archeologist Mary Leakey found prehistoric footprints like that of modern humans in Tanzania (East

Africa)o made by australopithecines (type of hominid- walks upright)

In Ethiopia, complete skeleton of adult female hominid “Lucy” from 3.5 million yrs ago Early hominids had opposable thumbs and walking upright helped travel distances and carry things Invention of tools, mastery over fire, development of languages all occurred during the Stone Age Earlier and longer part of Stone Age called Paleolithic Age (2,500,000-8000BCE)

o Oldest stone chopping tools date back to this era; during the Ice Ageo Religious beliefs centered around nature; believed in afterlive

Neolithic Age (8000-3000BCE/ dates vary in places) o People learned to polish stone tools, make pottery, grow crops, raise animals

Before australopithecines vanished, new hominids (Homo habilis) appeared in East Africao Used lava rock tools to cut meat and crack open bones = made survival easier

1.6 million yrs ago, before Homo habilis left, Homo erectus appearedo more intelligent and adaptable than Homo habilis; used intelligence to develop technology; skillful

hunters with sophisticated tools; first hominids to migrate to India, China, SE Asia, EUo developed beginning of spoken language; first to use fire

Homo erectus evolved to Homo sapienso Had larger brains

Neanderthals in SW Asia and Europe survived for 170,000 yrs and vanished 30,000 yrs agoo Religious beliefs; shelters

Cro-Magnons emerge 40,000-8,000 BCE: identical to modern humanso N. Africa -> Europe, Asia; made tools with specialized uses; planned hunts; spoken language =

cooperation Cave paintings by primitive people: European and Asian show hunting and daily activities; American and

Australian more symbolic = sympathetic magic

1-2: Humans Try to Control Nature 40,000 yrs ago, Cro-Magnons same as modern man Paleolithic era, mostly nomads= hunter-gatherers; crafted crude tools i.e. sharpened sticks to aid

hunting/gathering

Made artistic creations: jewelry, sculptures, cave paintings Neolithic Revolution: 10,000 yrs ago, = agricultural revolution (climate change was key reason) Early farming methods: slash-and-burn, domestication of animals Took place in Fertile Crescent (NE Iraq/Mesopotamia) Farming develops independently in Africa, China, Central America…

o Catal Huyuk and Jarmo important agri. sites for studying Neolithic Age Permanent settlements created, benefits= surplus food, specialized workers Disadvantages= floods/fire/drought/disease destroy village; invasion by neighbors

1-3: Civilization Villages become cities:

o Economic changes: more cultivation->elaborate irrigation systems built; food surplus=specialization; wheel and sail improved trade

o Social: social classes formed; religion more organized->worshipped gods with power over nature Civilization characteristics: 1. Advanced cities 2. Specialized workers 3. Complex institutions 4. Record keeping

5. Advanced technology 6. Art and ArchitectureSumer (Ur in bold):

Advanced cities: center of trade for larger area; large populationo Defined social classes: rulers/ priests on top; trade w. bartering

Spec. workers: artisans; merchants; scribes; soldiers; teachers; metalworkers; priests; gov. officials; peasants Complex inst.: formal gov. with laws; priests with religious/political power; education system (for scribes) Record keeping: cuneiform tablets with business transactions, hist. events, customs, traditions; calendar Adv. Tech: ox-drawn plows; irrigation systems; pottery eating supplies; bronze weapons; body armor

o Roads, pottery Art and Architecture: ziggurat(massive pyramid temple), temples, temple gates, storage for grain

2-1: Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia = “land between the rivers”- Tigris and Euphrateso Environmental challenge; unpredictable flooding; no natural barriers; limited natural resourceso Solutions: irrigation ditches; city walls; traded worked materials for raw materials

Sumerians had city-states each with own gov. (Uruk, Kish, Lagaash, Umma, Ur)o Each had own ziggurato Rulers (military leaders) and priests share control: priests mostly (demanded crop taxes)

Military leaders had dynasties; shift from priests to military rulers Cultural diffusion: new ideas spread to other cities Sumerians = polytheistic (see English)

o No joy after death- afterworld is bad placeo Women priests, women had many rights: landholding, read, write, scribes

Technology: invented wheel, sail, plow, first to use bronze, arithmetic, geometry, base 60 number system, modern time units come from it

Architectural innovations: arches, columns, ramps, pyramid ziggurat First to develop system of writing (cuneiform) on tablets: written with pointy triangular tipped reeds 3000-2000 BCE, Sumer city-states constantly at war with each other and could no longer ward of attacks of

people of surrounding hills/deserts Sumer never recovered from attacks and succeeding rulers adopted Sumerian culture to their own needs c. 2350 BCE, conqueror Sargon with army from Akkad (city-state N. of Sumer) defeated Sumer

o Akkadians already had adopted most of Sumerian culture; Sargon’s conquests spread the culture further beyond Tigris-Euphrates Valley

By taking control of N. and S. Mesopotamia, Sargon created 1st empireo At peak, Akkadian Empire controlled Mediterranean Coast in the west to Iran (today) in the easto Lasted only 200 yrs before decline

c. 2000 BCE, nomadic warriors (Amorites) invaded Mesopotamia and overwhelmed Sumerians established capital at Babylon along Euphrates River Babylonian Empire reached peak during reign of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE)

o Hammurabi’s Code of laws: first single, uniform code of laws written down in stone all over empireo 282 specific laws many related to property issues; protected women and children from unfair treatmento diff. punishment for diff. social classes; principle of retaliation (eye for an eye…)o gov. responsible for society’s actions

2 centuries after Hammurabi’s reign, Babylonian empire fell to Kassites2-3: Pyramids on the Nile

Egypt united into single kingdom early on Nile flows N.: civilization arose along fertile Nile banks Nile flooded regularly: necessary for life; deserts as natural barriers River travel common- ended at 1st cataract (rapids)

winds blow upstream (N to S) so you can travel by sailboat upriver and down 5000 BCE farming villages with own rituals, god, ruler 3200 BCE- 2 separate kingdoms: lower and upper Egypt eventually united (most likely) by King Narmer

Old Kingdom: in Mesopotamia, kings represent gods; in Egypt, kings=gods=pharaohs

o Theocracy: pharaoh @ center of religion and gov.o Pharaoh had eternal life force (ka): pyramids to protect pharaoh in afterlife

Didn’t use wheel Early Egyptians polytheistic: Re (sun god), Osiris (dead), Isis (mother/wife goddess) Believed in an afterlife where you would be judged Mummification of elites led to advanced medical techniques King, queen, royals at top of soc. Pyramid

o Priests, wealthy landowners, gov. officials, army commanders Peasants and laborers- slavery came later Egyptians not locked into social class- couple move up esp. if know to read/write

o Women had many of the same rights as men Innovations:

o Scribes developed flexible writing system = hieroglyphics (pics changed from representing ideas to letters)

Wrote on papyrus reedso Developed calendar for planting w/ 365 days in a yearo Arithmetic for taxeso Geometry for pyramid buildingo Medicine for healing bones, surgery, check heart rate…

Decline of Old Kingdom o Strong pharaohs regained control during Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 BCE)o Hyksos from Palestine invaded and ruled Egypt (1630-1523 BCE) o New Kingdom – Egypt rose again

3.1 The Indo-Europeanso Group of Nomadic ppl from Steppes dry grass landso Primarily pastoral (herded)o Tamed horses and rose light 2 wheeled chariotso Lived in tribes that spoke forms of indo-european languages-

o ancestor of many modern languageso Nomads migrated in all directions (1700-1200 BCE)o By 2000 BCE the Hittites occupied Anatolia (Turkey)o High rocky plateau rich in minerals timber agricultureo Separate Hittite city states formed empire in 1650

o Capital Hattusaso Adopted Akkadian (to speak w/ foreigners) after conquering Akkadian Babylono Hittites dominated SW Asia- 450 yrs (occupied Babylon and fought w/ Assyria)

o Signed treaty w/ Assyrians to help each othero Excelled in war technology- chariots, iron weapons, armoro Fell in 1190 BC as part of a great wave of invasions from N. (capital burned)