Era 1 + 2 Flashcards
Syncretism
Combining of cultures
Paleolithic Age time period
2.5 million- 10,000 BCE
Paleolithic Age
Hominids transitioned from ape-like scavengers to nomadic hunting-gathering humans.
What did humans have during the Paleolithic Age?
Fire, simple tools, speech, clothing
Neolithic Age time period
Began 10,000 BCE
Neolithic Age
People settled down in communities and civilizations emerged, metal tools
River valley civilizations time period
3,500- 1,500 BCE
Major river valleys (5)
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, Shang China, South America
Pastoralism
Nomadic tribal bands that tamed livestock. Traded, immigrated, invaded civs.
Foraging/ Hunting and gathering societies time period
c. 35,000 BCE
Foraging (hunting and gathering) societies
Baskets for gathering/ storing, hunting tools, less conflict and more equality
Main locations of foraging (hunting and gathering) societies
Migrated from Africa to everywhere until sedentary agri. societies & empires took over fertile areas
Agricultural societies time period
8,000 BCE
Agricultural societies
Domestication of agri., iron tools, writing systems developed, more inequality
Main locations of agricultural societies
Middle East -> river valleys in Mesopotamia, Nile River valley, India, China, Mesoamerica, Andes
Pastoral societies time period
8,000 BCE
Pastoral societies
Domestication of horses and camels
Main locations of pastoral societies
Steppes, grassland, desert, mountains
What led to foraging -> agriculture?
More population, less game, climate change
Pastoral and agrarian societies both….
Had elite groups accumulate wealth -> social hierarchies and patriarchy
Civilization
Large societies w/ cities and powerful states
States
Powerful systems of rule that mobilized surplus labor + resources through a divine/ military ruler
Early regions of state expansion or empire building
Mesopotamia, Babylonia, and the Nile Valley
Neolithic agricultural inventions
Pottery, plows, metallurgy, wheels, and woven textiles
Classical civilizations time period
600 BCE- 600 CE
Major classical civilizations
Han, Greece, Rome, Maurya, and Gupta
Egyptian culture
Concerned with decorative arts, shipbuilding, some medical knowledge
Egypt gov’t system
Authoritarian
Egypt vs Mesopotamia
Egypt was less advanced in math and astronomy, and had less nobility and merchants
Indus vs. Mesopotamia
Indus had cruder weapons than Mesopotamia, stone arrowheads w/ no swords
Indus Valley political organization
At Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro, assumed to be complex and centralized bc of granaries near cities
7 similarities of early river civs.
- Irrigation systems
- Legal codes
- Economic systems
- Art + written lit
- Scientific knowledge, numbering systems, and calendars
- Social inequality
- City planning and architecture
I Left Ecko’s Art and Science Supplies at the City.
Phoenicians push and pull factor to
E. Mediterranean -> N. Africa + S. Europe because of lack of space in homeland and wanted $ from trade
Phoenicians created…
Phoenicians created an alphabet with 22 characters -> Greece, Rome, etc.
Israelites
From Ur, Mesopotamia -> Canaan w/ Abraham
Jewish effect
Basis to Christianity and Islam
Aryans
Pastoralists that replaced Indus River valley and eventually became agriculturalists. Created the caste system
Aryan effect
Aryan stories became he basis for Hinduism
Huns
Attila the Hun and Mongolians that pushed Germanic tribes outta Roman Empire, caused fall of W. Rome, Han, and Gupta
Germanic people
Found from the Black Sea to the Rhine, pushed outta Roman Empire by Huns
4 classical civ similarities
Patriarchy families, agriculture based economies, complex gov’ts, trade base
Silk Road
China -> Mediterranean Turkey, passages with stops, Chinese silk was wanted the most
Indian Ocean trade
3 legs
- Africa to ME w/ India
- India to SE Asia
- SE Asia - Canton China
Persian Empire culture and religion (3)
- Tolerance for conquered people
- Infrastructure: roads/trade (ME-> Asia), postal service
- Zoroastrianism
Persian Empire political organization (2)
- Authoritarian, Centralized bureaucracy: taxes, provinces, satraps
- Conquered by Alex the Great
Later Persian empires
Parthian, Sassanid
Persian empire social structure (4)
- Slavery was rare
- Military nobility
- Religious tolerance
- Hellenistic influence on art
Greek culture: Athens
- Education
- Political theory
- Celebrated humans
- Philosophy + science for logic
- Sculptures, lit, math, written language (record keeping)
Greek trade
Great seafaring skills centered around Aegean and traveled around Mediterranean
Greek political organization (2)
- NO CENTRAL GOV’T
- City states with different gov’ts
Athens gov’t (2)
- tyrants -> citizen assembly
- direct democracy: lottery for positions
Sparta social structure
- Women more equal to men, allowed to be fit
- Wealth accumulation not allowed
- Slavery common
Athens social structure
- Men > Women and slaves (couldn’t participate in gov’t)
- Social status dependent on land ownership and cultural sophistication
Roman military techniques (3)
Conquer but don’t oppress, army divided into legions, emphasized org. and rewarding military talent
Roman culture (2)
- from Greece: Art, lit, philosophy, science
- engineering and architecture: road systems, aqueduct, bridge (arch)
Roman religion (2)
- Polytheistic from Greeks
(Unimportant) - Christianity dev. during LATE Empire pd.
Roman era 1
Republic rule by aristos, and assemblies. Senate most powerful w/ 2 consuls (military)
Roman era 2
- Empire: emperor chosen by Senate (lol jk predecessor)
Roman law
- Developed the rule of law
Roman social structure
Patricians (aristos), middle class merchants, and plebeians (peasants)
What was Roman wealth based on?
Land ownership (like China)
Where were Roman slaves used?
Households, mines, large estates, manual labor
Patron client system
Used by Rome by wealthy patrons and less fortunate clients
Zhou dynasty
Confucianism develops in late Zhou dynasty, emperor rules by Mandate of Heaven
Religions in China during 500 BCE- 600 CE
Confucianism dominates, legalism and daoism develop, Buddhism appears but no influential yet
Qin Dynasty- Shi Huangdi
Harsh rule through Shi Huangdi (1st real emperor), hated intellectuals. But he built the Great Wall, had clay soldiers and lavish tomb
Han dynasty- religion
- Confucianism dominates the political and social structure, so Chinese identity is cemented
Chinese inventions
Water mills, paper, compass, pottery, silk-making, 365 calendar, ox plows
Chinese capital Xi’An
Sophisticated, diverse
Han dynasty- politics
Strong centralized gov’t, supported by bureaucrats thru civil service exams (5 classics)
Qin dynasty- Shi Huangdi ruling style and created…
Autocratic, and created national census, 1 single law code, and a tax system
What was Chinese wealth based on?
Land ownership (like Rome)
Chinese social structure
Landowners/ Bureaucrats
Merchants
Peasants
Laborers
Mauryan/ Gupta religion
Mauryans: Buddhists
Guptas: Hindu
India trade?
India was open to trade and expansion thru Silk Road and Indian Ocean ❤️, so merchants had high status
Indian inventions
- Arabic numerals (based on 10 system)
- Astronomy
- Medicine
- Math
Was India politically unified?
NOPE, because geographic barriers and diverse ppl -> fragment small kingdoms
Importance of Indian political authority
Political authority was less important than caste membership + group alliances
How were the Mauryan and Gupta empires formed?
Mauryan and Gupta were formed based on military conquest
Mauryan emperor Ashoka
Converted to Buddhism, kept the religion alive
Gupta empire
Used theater state techniques to impress visitors and coverup political weakness
India politics
Diversity of political forms, including regionalism
Role of women during Gupta
Women’s status declined during Gupta, during increased acquisition + inheritance of property
Sati
Indian ritual for wealthy women, cremate themselves in husband’s funeral pyre
Indian caste system
Warriors Priests ⬆️ during epic age Farmers Laborers Untouchables (no slavery)
Order of classical civs fall
Han, W. Roman Empire, Gupta
Factors that caused Han, Rome, and Gupta to fall (4)
- Attacks from Huns
- Deterioration of political institutions
- Protecting/ maintaining borders
- Diseases from trade
ADPD
Deterioration of political institutions (3)
Corruption, weak rulers, moral decay from previous years
Protection/ maintenance of borders
Borders were too large for military to guard (Great walls and Huns)
Attacks from Huns
Migrations caused by drought and lack of pasture, and the stirrup facilitated attacks
Diseases that followed trade routes
Plagued and epidemics killed as much as 1/2 of each population
Gupta decline
Gupta’s dependence on alliances with regional princes broke down -> political fragmentation
Rome’s decline
Lasted the longest, empire split into 2, eastern half asked another 1,000 years
Which empire lasted the longest out of 3?
Rome
Which empire’s fall had the last amount of impact, and why?
Gupta’s fall had the last amount of impact, partly bc it was already not politically united, and bc of Hinduism + the caste system
Impact of fall least to greatest
Gupta, Han, Rome
Han’s fall
Problematic for China bc of their strong centralized gov’t, which led to social disorder. But, they had dynastic cycles thru Mandate of Heaven, and Confucianism
Rome’s fall
Roman civilization depended almost exclusively on the gov’t + military to control territory.
Effect of Christianity on Rome’s fall
Even tho Christianity emerge as a major religion, it appeared so late in the empire it didn’t unify ppl
What happened to areas of Roman Empire after its fall?
The areas of the Roman Empire fragmented into small parts and dev. unique characteristics
Fall of 3 empires on trade in general and Indian Ocean
Trade was disrupted but survived with increased long distance contact.
Trade on the Indian Ocean even increased as weak political authority affected overland trade
Fall of 3 empires on religion
The importance of
religion > political authority
Christianity and Buddhism during fall of 3 empires
In the west, Christianity slowly developed
Buddhism spread quickly in China threatening Confucianism
Islam during fall of 3 empires
Political disunity in ME ➡️ Islam in 600 CE
Mandate of Heaven
The belief that dynasties rise and fall according to the will of heaven/ ancestors
