Transcript Powerpoint Slide

HUMANITIES
A History of Civilizations
THE CONCEPT OF CIVILIZATION AND
SOCIAL SCIENCES
• The necessity to refer to history
• History through the sociologist’s eyes
• Civilization as an accumulative combination of all
•
•
cultural characteristics, making that civilization
unique
Settled societies as the start point of the
civilizing process of mankind
From the ancient civilizations to today’s
contemporary world
MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATIONS
• FIRST ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS FOUNDED
•
•
AROUND THE BASINS OF THE TIGRISEUPHRATES RIVERS
SETTLED AGRARIAN SOCIETIES
POLITICALLY ORGANIZED AS CITY-STATES
THE FIRST OF THESE SOCIETIES WAS THE
SUMERIANS
ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA
SUMERIANS
• A PEOPLE OF ARIAN ORIGIN WHO MIGRATED
•
•
TO THE REGION 4.000 YEARS B.C.
THEY FORMED A BI-ETHNIC SOCIETY WITH
THE ACCADIANS OF SEMITIC ORIGIN WHO
ALREADY RESIDED IN THE REGION
THERE WAS A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE SUMERIANS AND THE
ACCADIANS
SUMERIANS
• THEY WERE THE FIRST TO USE A WRITING
•
•
•
FORM, NAMELY CUNEIFORM, WITH CLAY
TABLETS
THEY WERE THE FIRST TO USE A LUNAR
CALENDAR
THEY USED WHEELED TRANSPORT IN TRADE
ACTIVITIES
THEY WERE THE FIRST TO DESIGN A
POLYTHEISTIC PANTHEON WITH LOTS OF
DEITIES, EACH IN CHARGE OF VARIOUS
DUTIES
SUMERIANS
• AT THE CENTER OF SUMERIAN SOCIAL LIFE
LIES THE ZIGGURATS; HUGE BUILDINGS
WHICH SERVE AS CENTERS OF:
POLITICAL ADMINISTRATION
RELIGIOUS WORSHIP
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
TRADE RELATIONS AND TRANSACTIONS
EDUCATION
SUMERIANS
SUMERIAN SOCIETY WAS COMPOSED OF THE FOLLOWING SOCIAL
CLASSES:
•
RULING DYNASTY AND THE PRIESTS
•
SPECIALISTS (MERCHANTS, ARTISANS, ADMINISTRATORS)
•
FREE FARMERS
•
SLAVES
SUMERIANS
• A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION OF THE SUMERIANS
•
TO MIDDLE EASTERN CIVILIZATION IS THEIR
POLYTHEISTIC PANTHEON WHICH WAS ALSO
ADOPTED BY OTHER SEMITIC SOCIETIES OF
THE REGION
THE THEOGONY AND COSMOGONY DESIGNED
BY THEM SERVED AS A MODEL FOR OTHER
FOLLOWING SOCIETIES
SUMERIANS
• ENUMA ELIS (TALE OF CREATION)
• THE FLOOD TALE
• THE GILGAMESH EPIC
SUMERIANS
• SUMERIAN POLITICAL EXISTENCE WAS ENDED
BY AMORITE INVASIONS AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE 2.000s B.C., BUT THEIR CULTURE AND
INSTITUTIONS SURVIVED AS A DOMINANT
PART OF FUTURE MIDDLE-EASTERN
CIVILIZATIONS
BABYLONIANS
• THE AMORITES WERE CALLED AS BABYLONIANS,
•
•
•
•
•
DEDICATED TO THE NAME OF THEIR BIGGEST
CITY-STATE: BABYLON.
THEY WERE A TRIBE OF SEMITIC ORIGIN
THE FIRST BABYLONIAN KING HAMMURABI (17921750 B.C.) PREPARED THE FIRST WRITTEN LEGAL
CODE, NAMELY THE HAMMURABI CODE
MAIN LOGIC OF THIS CODE WAS: TOOTH TO
TOOTH, EYE TO EYE
THIS CODE SERVED AS THE FOUNDATIONS OF
MIDDLE-EASTERN ETHICAL UNDERSTANDING
BABYLONIAN THEOGONY AND THE CHAOS&ORDER
ASSYRIANS (1250-700 B.C.)
• THEY ROSE OVER THE ASHES OF THE
BABYLONIANS
• THEIR MAIN CULTURAL CONTRIBUTION
WAS THE GREAT LIBRARY IN NINEVEH
• THEIR REIGN WAS BROUGHT TO AN END
BY THE MEDES AND THE CHALDEANS
NEW BABYLONIANS
• THE CHALDEANS FOUNDED THE NEW
•
•
BABYLONIAN EMPIRE IN THE 600s B.C.
BABYLON’S HANGING GARDENS ARE THE
ARTIFACTS OF THIS ERA
THEIR REIGN WAS BROUGHT TO AN END BY
THE PERSIANS
PHONECIANS (1500-300 B.C.)
• THEY WERE SPECIALISED IN TRADE AND THEY
•
FOUNDED OVERSEAS TRADE COLONIES
AROUND THE MEDITERRANEAN, CARTHAGE AS
THE MOST NOTEWORTHY AND LONG-LASTING
AMONG THEM
HUMAN SACRIFICE WAS AN IMPORTANT PART
OF THEIR RELIGIOUS CULTURE (THE BAAL
CULT)
ANOTHER RIVER CIVILIZATION:
THE EGYPTIANS
• MUCH LIKE THE CASE IN MESOPOTAMIA, A SETTLED
•
•
AGRARIAN CIVILIZATION WAS FOUNDED AROUND THE
BASIN OF THE RIVER NILE IN THE 3rd MILLENIUM B.C.
BUT UNLIKE THE MESOPOTAMIAN EXPERIENCE, DUE
TO GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS, THE NILE VALLEY
PROVIDED SECURITY AGAINST FOREIGN INVASIONS
OF NOMADIC TRIBES
PLUS, FLOW RATE OF THE NILE WAS MUCH MORE
STABLE THAN OF THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES
RIVERS, MAKING THE LAND MORE AVAILABLE FOR
AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES
THE EGYPTIANS
• UNLIKE THE MESOPOTAMIAN CITY-STATE,
•
ANCIENT EGYPTIANS FOUNDED A POLITICALLY
UNIFIED STATE SYSTEM WITH THE PHARAOH
AS THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY, THE PRIESTKING
EGYPTIAN SOCIETY WAS A RACIALLY
HETEROGENEOUS ONE, A MIXTURE OF
MEDITERRANEAN AND NEGROID PEOPLES
EGYPTIANS
THE MAIN SOCIAL CLASSES WERE:
•
•
•
•
•
•
ROYAL FAMILY
PRIESTS
NOBLES
PROFESSIONAL SOLDIERS
MIDDLE CLASS (ARTISANS, MERCHANTS...etc)
PEASANTS
( slaves can also be counted as another class)
EGYPTIANS
• USE OF HIEROGLIPHIC WRITING FORM
• ADOPTION OF THE SUMERIAN PANTHEON
• UNLIKE THE MESOPOTAMIANS, SUN GOD RE AS
•
•
THE CHIEF DEITY
OSIRIS CULT: AN AGRARIAN THEME
THE FIRST MONOTHEISTIC RELIGION: ATON
CULT UNDER PHARAOH IKHNATON (14th
century B.C.)
EGYPTIANS
• THEY SURVIVED INVASIONS BY THE HYKSOS,
•
•
•
ASSYRIANS, PERSIANS, GREEK AND ROMANS
FINALLY THE ROMANS BROUGHT AN END TO
EGYPTIAN REIGN
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CULTURE SURVIVED FOR A
LONG TIME, UNTIL THE ARABISATION OF
EGYPT
TODAY THE CHRISTIAN COPTS IN EGYPT
CLAIM TO BE THE DESCENDANTS OPF ANCIENT
EGYPTIANS
THE HEBREW CIVILIZATION
• THEY WERE A PEOPLE OF SEMITIC
ORIGIN
• BIBLICAL FAMILY TREE DATES BACK TO
ABRAHAM (1700 B.C.)
• ABRAHAM’S GRANDSON JACOB AND HIS
TWELVE SONS: TWELVE TRIBES OF
ISRAEL
HEBREW CIVILIZATION
• MOSES AND EGYPTIAN EXODUS (1300 B.C.)
• KING DAVID (1000 B.C.) AND THE FIRST
•
•
HEBREW KINGDOM
KING SOLOMON (LARGEST FRONTIERS)
AFTER SOLOMON’ DEATH, THE HEBREW
KINGDOM WAS SPLIT INTO TWO PARTS:
KINGDOM OF ISRAEL IN THE NORTH AND
KINGDOM OF JUDAH IN THE SOUTH
HEBREW CIVILIZATION
• KINGDOM OF ISRAEL WAS CRUSHED BY THE
•
•
ASSYRIANS IN 722 B.C. AND THE TEN TRIBES
FOUNDING THIS KINGDOM WERE SPREAD AROUND
THE WORLD, BEING ASSIMILATED BY OTHER ETHNIC
SOCIETIES AND THUS BEING CALLED AS “THE TEN
LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL”
KINGDOM OF JUDAH WITH THE TWO REMAINING
HEBREW TRIBES LASTED LONGER
IN 586 B.C., KINGDOM OF JUDAH WAS INVADED BY
THE NEW BABYLONIANS AND MOST JEWS WERE SENT
TO EXILE
HEBREW CIVILIZATION
• IN 538 B.C., BABYLONIANS WERE CONQUERED
•
•
BY THE PERSIANS AND PERSIAN AUTHORITIES
ALLOWED THE JEWS TO RETURN TO THE HOLY
LAND
AFTER THE PERSIANS, ALEXANDER THE GREAT
AND ROMANS CONQUERED THE REGION ONE
AFTER ANOTHER
GREAT EXILE (ORIGINS OF THE JEWISH
DIASPORA)
HEBREW CIVILIZATION
• UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO MIDDLE EASTERN
•
•
CIVILIZATION: MASS ACCEPTANCE AND
PRACTICE OF THE FIRST MONOTHEIST
RELIGION
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF MOSES: A
NATIONALIZED SHORT VERSION OF THE
HAMMURABI CODE
ETHNIC+RELIGIOUS IDENTITY= JEWISH
IDENTITY (TRANSFORMATION FROM THE
TRIBE TO NATION)
THE PERSIANS (550-330 B.C.)
• CYRUS REVOLTED AGAINST THE MEDES AND FOUNDED
•
•
•
THE PERSIAN EMPIRE, RISING AS A NEW IMPERIAL
POWER IN THE REGION
PERSIAN CONQUESTS OF BABYLONIA AND EGYPT
GRECO-PERSIAN WARS OVER THE CONTROL OF ASIA
MINOR AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS
ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND THE END OF THE
PERSIAN EMPIRE, WHICH WOULD BE SUCCEEDED BY
THE PERSO-HELLENISTIC PARTHIAN STATE
PERSIAN CIVILIZATION
• A POLYTHEISTIC RELIGION DATING BACK TO
THE MEDES, WITH MITHRA THE GOD OF LIGHT
AS THE CHIEF DEITY (MITHRAISM)
• THE BIRTH OF ZOROASTRIAN RELIGION: A
TURNING POINT IN THE RELIGIOUS
PHILOSOPHY OF MIDDLE-EASTERN SOCIETIES
ZOROASTIAN RELIGION
• FROM THE CHAOS&ORDER THEME TO
EVIL&GOOD THEME
• AHURAMAZDA: GOD OF GOODNESS
• AHRIMAN: GOD OF EVIL
ANCIENT GREEKS
• The Minoan and Mycenaean Civilizations
• The Dark Ages of Akhaians (1150 to 800
•
•
•
•
B.C.)
Dorian migrations
Ununified Hellenic world with various citystates (polis)
Aristocratic monarchies as political regimes
The polis, the invention of the Greek
alphabet: growth of trade and literacy
ANCIENT GREEK MILITARY
• The phalanx
• The Persian Wars
• The Spartan vs. Athenian conflict
• The Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.)
• The victory of the Spartans and the end of
Greek Golden Age
POLITICAL LIFE AND CULTURE
• Solon and Athenian democracy
• Direct democracy in a limited form
(women, aliens and slaves excluded from
the democratic machinery)
• Ancient Greek philosophy and political
philosophers (Plato and Aristotle)
ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE
• The Greek polytheist pantheon
• From the Titans of the dark age to the
Olympians of the golden age
• Greek literature based on mythological
texts
• The Iliad and Odyssey poems
• Greek fine arts: sculpture and architecture
ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND THE
HELLENISTIC EMPIRE
HELLENISTIC CIVILIZATION
• ALEXANDER’s EMPIRE MERGED THE EASTERN
•
•
AND WESTERN WORLDS NOT ONLY IN
TERRITORIAL, BUT ALSO IN CULTURAL TERMS
ALEXANDER’s ADOPTION OF THE GREEK CITYSTATE MODEL: CITIES AND URBAN LIFE AS
CENTERS OF CIVILIZATION
SPREAD OF GREEK CULTURE OVER THE
MIDDLE-EAST AND THE NEW CULTURAL
SENTHESIS