Chapter 1

Early Civilizations

Mesopotamia & The Nile

Figure 1-3 p10

City States of Mesopotamia

III. Civilization in MesopotamiaSumerian Cities

Sumerian Cities Surrounded by walls. Mud brick structures Accumulation of

surplus wealth

Ziggurat – the temple

Excavation of Warka showing the ruins of Uruk

Kingship

King believed to be of divine origin Theocracy – priests and priestesses had

an important role in governance, gods ruled cities actual ruling power rested with the king

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Royal Standard of Ur, 2700 B.C.E.

Rise of surplus of wealth led to a more Militarized society

ruled by a king

Economy

Agriculture Commerce and industry (woolen textiles,

pottery, metal work) Imported copper, tin and timber Utilized the wheel that had been invented

by nomads in 3000BCE

Society Four Tiered Hierarchy

Elites Dependent commoners

elites clients who worked for the palace and temple estates

Free commoners farmers 90% OF POP, merchants, scribes,

craftspeople Slaves

belonged to palace officials, mostly female slaves to weave cloth and grind grain and to rich landowners who used them for agricultural and domestic work

Social Change with Urbanization

VIllage Patrifocal Concentration of wealth Stratification of wealth Sexual morality regulated Paternity & inheritance

Pastoral After 3500BCE – city

influences Increasingly organized

around raiding & military For some women

participated equally Greece & Persia Sauromatian & Saka Rode, hunted, went into

battle Married after first kill

III. Empires in Mesopotamia

Sargon’s Empire (2340BCE – 2100BCE) By 2300 – women & sex trade 2340BCE Sargon, leader of the Semitic

people He used former rulers as governors Power was a standing army of 5,400 men He expanded the empire to include all of

Mesopotamia and lands westward to the Mediterranean

Women During Sargon Could inherit property Exercised political power

Sumerian Queens had seals, occupied important positions of influence

Played an important role in temple rituals Enheduanna, Priestess of the Temple of Ur –

Sargon’s daughter Emergence of “Women’s Work” & Domesticity

Slaves & commoners – produced food, textiles & Ceramics

Scribes, Bakers, Prohpehts, Temple workers

Women & Religion

Minoan mother goddess

2800 BCE Greek Island,

Crete

Shamans

Cult Leaders

Goddesses

III. Empires in Mesopotamia

Hammurabi’s Empire (1792- 1750 B.C.E.) Employed an army of foot soldiers (axes, spears, copper or

bronze daggers) Divided and subdued opponents Gained control of Sumer and Akkad creating a new

Mesopotamia Called himself sun of Babylon, the king who has made the four

quarters of the world subservient new capital at Babylon

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Social Changes Institutional Patriarchy Tribute Extraction Social Stratification – disproportionate

power system beginning of Eurasian Slave trade

Society became a political institution that enslaved numerous members of its population to provide order and stability for itself

Law codes promoted universal standards of behavior

Irrigation & extensive military defense

Decline of Women’s status Generally

Devaluation of social freedoms Denial of claims to the results of their labor Reshaping of spiritual expression

Murder of a woman marked down from Capital offense (2000 BCE) to a fine under Hammurabi code (1750BCE

Work became gender based, women paid less if it was the same

Right to inherit ended after 2000BCE Women’s political & religious positions of power and roles

ended by 1000BCE

III. Empires in Mesopotamia

The Code of Hammurabi: Society in Mesopotamia (Discussion)

What does the code reveal about culture and society? PP 18-19 of text Do the codes evidence a “system of strict

justice” or represent a code that is written in the principle of “an eye for an eye” or system of equal punishment?

What type of justice system is it?

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Stele of Hammurabi

Depicts Kings Divinity

Records the code Judges

encouraged men to sell women & children to satisfy debts

Changes For women

Right to inherit property eroded after 2000BCE

By 1000 BCE political power passed to men

Decline of women’s spiritual power Myths emerged that recounted legendary

battles between earth goddesses and sky thunder gods arose

By 1000 BCE no longer permitted to take on cultic roles such as priestesses

III. Culture of Mesopotamia The Importance of Religion

Understanding of physical environment Polytheistic

An – God of Sky (Earth Goddess had originally been more prominent)

Enlil- God of wind Enki – God of earth, rivers, wells and canals and

inventions of crafts Ninhursaga – goddess of soil, mountains, vegetation

Mother goddess, mother of all children Gave birth to kings

divination

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III. Writing & Sciences

Cuneiform “wedge-shaped” Oldest texts 3000 B.C.E. Writing as a form of communication and

knowledge transference is only 5,000 years old

Math, Geometry, Astronomy, 12 month Calendar

Table 1-1 p12

Cuneiform

Developed for record keeping Scribal education established to produce

professionally trained elite scribes Temples, palaces, military, government

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Development of Cuneiform3100 – 700 B.C.E

The sign for star came to mean “god” or “Sky”

Figure 1-4 p17

IV. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile”

IV. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile”

A. The Impact of Geography The Nile- gentle and predicable Black land – fertile soil Red land – deserts to the west and east Lower Egypt – delta region Upper Egypt – upstream and to the south Protected from invasion Prosperous agricultural economy Development of trade

Old, Middle & New Kingdoms

Periods of Long term stability Strong Monarchical authority Competent Bureaucracy Freedom from invasion Construction of temples and pyramids Intellectual and cultural activity

Intermediate Periods

Period between the three Kingdoms Weak political structures Rivalry for leadership Invasions Decline in construction Restructuring of society

First Dynasty of Egypt3100 BCE

King Menes United Upper and Lower Egypt Double Crown Created to represent

unification Began the longest civilization in history Longest home rule in history Most favorable for women

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Old Kingdom

3-6th Dynasties, 2686 – 2180 BCE Capital at Memphis Kingship: the Pharaoh – divine origin Kings Family - administrative Ruled according to principle of Ma’at

Conveyed ideas of truth and justice, right order and harmony

Development of 4th Dynasty Bureaucracy Office of Vizier “Steward of the whole

Land” Responsible to the King

Nomes & Nomarchs Egypt divided into provinces 22 – Upper Egypt 20- - Lower Egypt Nomarch – or governor administrated and

was responsible to the King and Vizier

Middle Kingdom2055 – 1650 BCE

Nomes restructured with boundaries and obligations to state clarified

Nomarchs became hereditary officeholders Collected state taxes Recruited labor for royal projects

New concern of Pharaohs for the people

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King Menkaure & Queen

Invasion my Hyksos of W. Asia ended the Middle Kingdom by 1650 BCE

Hyksos prevailed with horse-drawn Chariots

Ruled for 100 years

IV. D. Culture of Egypt

Four Tiered Hierarchy God-King Nobles & Priests Merchants & Artisans

Extensive trade & international travel

Commoners or farmers Paid taxes Military & labor service

IV. D. Culture of Egypt

Polytheistic Sun God – Atum, Re Air God – Amon River and land god and goddess – Osiris

and Isis, born Horus Osiris – symbol of resurrection and birth

Culture of Egypt - Construction

Complexes or cities of the dead Incorporated Pyramids

Larger for kings burial, smaller or family

Mastabas Rectangular structures with flat roofs, tombs for

noble officials

Tombs Rooms furnished and stocked so the Ka or

spiritual body could return to a well preserved physical body (mummification)

Culture of Egypt – Art and Writing

Hieroglyphics – “priest carvings” or “sacred Writings” Pictographic like Cuneiform

Developed to record and transmit knowledge Medical books, literature, record keeping

Children taken to educate as scribes for royalty and government Opportunity to rise in social status

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Pictographic writing of Egypt

IV. E. Egyptian Empire

18th Dynasty Pharoahs used new weapons to throw off

Hyksos and reunite Egypt New Kingdom 1550 – 1070 BCE

Most powerful state in the Middle East Massive wealth displayed by new temples

Queen Hatshepsut 1503-1480BCE

First of four women to become Pharaoh Built the great temple Deir el Bahri near

Thebes Sent out military expeditions Encouraged mining Fostered agriculture Sponsored trade expeditions

Women In Egypt Maintained economic agency

right to inherit property for thousands of years Monogamous marriage Could initiate and seek divorce Women: scribes, bakers, prophets, temple

workers Women’s political agency

Queens Priestesses- controlled territory as virtual rulers,

collected taxes and spent resources Elite Women could become gods after death,

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Kingdom of Nubia

Akhenaten & Religious Change 18th C Amenhotep (1364-1347 BCE)

introduced the worship of Aten, god of the sun disk (Monotheistic Religion)

Changed his name to Akhenaten – Servant of Aten Closed temples of other gods Lessened power of Amon-Re and the

priesthood at Thebes Replaced the Capital of Thebes with

Akhetaten “Horizon of Aten” in modern Tell el-Amarna

Decline of Egyptian Empire 19th Dynasty under Ramses II (1279 – 1213

BCE) restored Egyptian power Regained Canaan

13th Century invasions by “sea peoples” drove borders to original frontiers

20th Dynasty in 1070 for 1000 years Libyans Nubians/Kushites Persians Macedonians Rome