Ancient Civilizations Flashcards
Taxes that were paid by farmers in the form of
tithes
- Mesopotamians are said to have developed
imperialism.
created a kingdom that embraced many smaller kingdoms made up of a variety of different ethnic groups.
The Assyrians
a type of socialism (A system that believes that the means for generating, moving, and trading wealth should belong to the workers. Rather than a group of private owners, the money made by the goods should be equally distributed among all.) based on religious values.
- Theocratic socialism
The center of the government was the
temple,
established a powerful priesthood that served local gods, who were worshiped in temples that dominated the early cities.
Early Sumerians
- Early Mesopotamian city-states were ruled by a council of elders that was led by a
“ lugal” (“big man”)
- Mesopotamia is known as the
“cradle of civilization.”
➢ closer to a philosophy than a true religion, it was a way of life for ancient Chinese people
a. Confucianism
● took older religious precepts and translated them into guidelines for social mores
● saw every aspect of life as being made up of obligations between people and entities, and rituals to convey the mutual dependency between them
● taught that if everyone fulfilled their roles and obligations with respect and kindness towards others, it would build a stronger state
● did not focus on spiritual concerns like the afterlife, gods and goddesses, or mysticism
➢ became the dominant political philosophy during the Han Dynasty
➢ Confucius
➢ mainly concerned with the spiritual elements of life, including the nature of the universe
➢ The guiding principle of Taoism is roughly translated as “the Way,” which is a harmonious natural order that arises between humans and the world
➢ In the Taoist structure of the universe, humans are meant to accept and yield to the Tao and only do things that are natural and in keeping with the Tao. This is the concept of wu-wei, which translates as “non-action,” but really means to go with the true nature of the world and not strive too hard for desires.
➢ Achieving spiritual immortality through becoming one with nature is an important part of the Taoist religion.
b. Daoism/Taoism
➢ founded by Siddhartha Gautama, also called the Buddha, who lived in India around the sixth century B.C.E
➢ focuses on personal development and attainment of deep knowledge
➢ seeks to achieve enlightenment through meditation, spiritual learning, and practice
➢ believes in reincarnation and the way to find peace through reaching nirvana, a joyful state beyond human suffering
c. Buddhism
● attained prominence during the turbulent Warring States (seven or more small feuding Chinese kingdoms)
● philosophers Shang Yang, Li Si, and Hanfeizi
● The Legalists believed that political institutions should be modeled in response to the realities of human behavior and that human beings are inherently selfish and short-sighted. Thus social harmony cannot be assured through the recognition by the people of the virtue of their ruler, but only through strong state control and absolute obedience to authority. The Legalists advocated government by a system of laws that rigidly prescribed punishments and rewards for specific behaviors. They stressed the direction of all human activity toward the goal of increasing the power of the ruler and the state. The brutal implementation of this policy by the authoritarian Qin dynasty led to that dynasty’s overthrow and the discrediting of Legalist philosophy in China.
- Societies were rural. The vast majority of families lived in small farming villages. Over time, the economy began to be more dynamic as trade and industry expanded.
- Ancient China was a very independent civilization. Its formidable land lacked easy travel routes and made it very difficult for hostile invasions. This allowed early Chinese culture to develop aspects as filial piety (respect for one’s parents, elders, ancestors), religious beliefs, and writing that influenced and shaped a strong Chinese culture and society.
- Writing was an important part of early Chinese culture. It was used for historical record keeping, art, literature, and education.
- Early Chinese worshiped gods of nature. They believed that the gods had the power to affect things like the weather, harvests, warfare, and the health of the king.
- family became closely linked to religion with the rise of ancestor worship
- Legalism
- The government divided the region into city-states.
- Religion was the basis for their government, with all their laws coming from religious beliefs.
- The Indus government was well organized. The government in the Indus Valley was a monarchy (form of government in which supreme authority is vested in a single and usually hereditary figure, such as a king).
- The Indus people called their kings, rajas
- Rulers governed through trade and religion and not by military strength.
III. India
a technical and political process concerned with the use of land and design of the urban environment.
urban planning
