topic 4: pre-columbian americas
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Topic 4: Pre-Columbian Americas. 2. What common assumptions did Americans share?. Incredibly diverse Created complex societies, spectacular cities, complex understandings of the world, complicated writing systems, religious rituals. But DIDN’T Domesticate large animals Develop iron - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Topic 4: Pre-Columbian AmericasTopic 4: Pre-Columbian Americas
2. What common assumptions 2. What common assumptions did Americans share?did Americans share?
Pre-Columbian AmericasPre-Columbian Americas
Incredibly diverseIncredibly diverse
Created complex Created complex societies, societies, spectacular cities, spectacular cities, complex complex understandings of understandings of the world, the world, complicated writing complicated writing systems, religious systems, religious ritualsrituals
But DIDN’TBut DIDN’T
Domesticate large Domesticate large animalsanimals
Develop ironDevelop iron
Develop a wheelDevelop a wheel
Geography and the AmericasGeography and the Americasisolated, “biological sameness”isolated, “biological sameness”
one continent, no physical separationsone continent, no physical separations
open to arrivals, good harbors, riversopen to arrivals, good harbors, rivers
hospitable climatehospitable climate
diversity of lifestyles, from hunter gatherers to diversity of lifestyles, from hunter gatherers to complex empirescomplex empires
North AmericaNorth America
Most sparsely populated region of AmericasMost sparsely populated region of Americas
Hundreds of tribes or nations which historians have Hundreds of tribes or nations which historians have grouped into “cultural areas”grouped into “cultural areas”
Many were predominately hunter-gatherers though Many were predominately hunter-gatherers though many groups also engaged in agriculture full- or many groups also engaged in agriculture full- or part-timepart-time
Maize introduced from Mesoamerica after 1000 BCEMaize introduced from Mesoamerica after 1000 BCE
Cultural zonesof NorthAmerica
MesoamericaMesoamerica
““Meso” = middleMeso” = middle
Earliest agriculture and complex societies in the Earliest agriculture and complex societies in the AmericasAmericas– 8000-7000 BCE cultivated beans8000-7000 BCE cultivated beans
– 4000 BCE maize4000 BCE maize
– 2000 BCE agriculture spread throughout 2000 BCE agriculture spread throughout MesoamericaMesoamerica
Creation myth of the Mayans in the Creation myth of the Mayans in the Popol VuhPopol Vuh
“… “… They sought and discovered what was They sought and discovered what was needed for human flesh… Broken Place, needed for human flesh… Broken Place, Bitter Water Place is the name: the yellow Bitter Water Place is the name: the yellow corn, white corn came from there… And corn, white corn came from there… And these were the ingredients for the flesh of these were the ingredients for the flesh of the human work, the human design, and the human work, the human design, and the water was for the blood… It was the water was for the blood… It was staples alone that made up their flesh.”staples alone that made up their flesh.”
Chronology of MesoamericaChronology of Mesoamerica
Early complex societyEarly complex society1200-100 BCE 1200-100 BCE Olmec society “Rubber Olmec society “Rubber People”People”
““Classical” societiesClassical” societies200 BCE-750 CE 200 BCE-750 CE Teotihuacan society Teotihuacan society300-1100 CE 300-1100 CE Maya society Maya society
““Post-classical” societiesPost-classical” societies950-1150 CE 950-1150 CE Toltec society Toltec society1345-1500 CE 1345-1500 CE Aztec / Mexica society Aztec / Mexica society
Zones of Mayan and Aztec influence
The OlmecsThe Olmecs
““The inhabitants of The inhabitants of rubber country”rubber country”
Built complex Built complex ceremonial centers at ceremonial centers at San Lorenzo, La San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres ZapotesVenta, Tres Zapotes
Best known for huge Best known for huge stone headsstone heads
15 heads have been found
Between 5-10 feet tall
The heaviest is 20 tons!
Olmecs: The “mother culture” of Olmecs: The “mother culture” of later Mesoamerican societieslater Mesoamerican societies
Cultivation of maizeCultivation of maize
Ceremonial centers with Ceremonial centers with temple pyramidstemple pyramids
CalendarCalendar
Sacrificial bloodletting Sacrificial bloodletting ritualsrituals
Ball gamesBall games
Sacrificial bloodlettingSacrificial bloodletting
Shedding blood honored Shedding blood honored the gods who watered the gods who watered crops; it was believed crops; it was believed essential to the survival of essential to the survival of agricultural societyagricultural society
From rulers and priests to From rulers and priests to prisonersprisoners
Bloodletting extended to Bloodletting extended to human sacrificehuman sacrifice
Stone relief depicting MayanPrincess shedding blood from her tongue.
Mayan artwork alsodepicting bloodlettingthrough tongues
The “ball game”The “ball game”
3600 years old3600 years old
Played from Arizona to Played from Arizona to ParaguayParaguay
Played on an I-shaped Played on an I-shaped court with a rubber ballcourt with a rubber ball
Played one-on-one or in Played one-on-one or in teamsteams
Had religious significanceHad religious significance
Mayan statue of a ball player
Ball court and goal at Chichen Itza
TeotihuacanTeotihuacan
Emerged as a village Emerged as a village 500 BCE500 BCE
A major city-state for A major city-state for over a thousand over a thousand yearsyears
High point: 200,000 High point: 200,000 people, 8 square people, 8 square milesmiles
Pyramid of the Moon
Pyramid ofthe Sun
Aven
ue o
f th
e D
ead
The MayaThe Maya
A series of “city-A series of “city-kingdoms”kingdoms”
300-900 CE: built 80 300-900 CE: built 80 large ceremonial large ceremonial centerscenters
Pyramids at Tikal
The Maya CalendarThe Maya Calendar
Maintained by priestsMaintained by priests
Built upon Olmec Built upon Olmec calendarcalendar
Combined solar and ritual Combined solar and ritual calendarscalendars
Solar calendar very Solar calendar very accurateaccurate
Could predict eclipses Could predict eclipses and equinoxesand equinoxes
The Ritual CalendarThe Ritual Calendar
Meshed with the Meshed with the solar calendar of solar calendar of 365 days365 days
19,000 19,000 permutationspermutations
It took 52 years to It took 52 years to complete a cyclecomplete a cycle
Within the ritual calendar, thenumbers 1 – 13 were matched upwith a sequence of 20 day names
Maya numeralsMaya numerals
ZERO
Maya writingMaya writing
Over 800 symbolsOver 800 symbols
Most writings were Most writings were destroyed by the destroyed by the Spanish—stone Spanish—stone inscriptions and four inscriptions and four codices survivedcodices survived
Only 85% decipheredOnly 85% deciphered
The Dresden Codex
Codices werefold-up bookswritten on treebark.
All but four weredestroyed by the Spanish
Andean CivilizationsAndean Civilizations
The mountainous The mountainous environment made environment made agriculture and agriculture and political organization political organization difficult difficult
““stacked” agriculturestacked” agriculture
The The aylluayllu
1000 BCE – 700 CE
Chapter 5: The Americas and Chapter 5: The Americas and Oceania Oceania
Early Societies of Oceania Early Societies of Oceania – Early Societies in Australia and New Guinea Early Societies in Australia and New Guinea
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