Transcript MWH Ch 1 Ancient World

3000 B.C.-1600
A civilization is a complex culture in which large numbers of people
share basic elements, such as a social structure, religion, and art. Early
civilizations arose in China, India, Egypt, and in Mesopotamia. Water
is of key importance; they all developed around major rivers.
Early Mesopotamian civilization was characterized by a male dominated
society led by Kings such as Hammurabi (shown above). Hammurabi was
known as an early lawgiver but the laws were very harsh. The Ziggurat
(also shown above) was the monumental architecture used in religious
ceremonies. Writing was a hallmark of early civilizations and Mesopotamia
was no exception. Writing consisted of wedge-shaped cuneiform and was
first used for business transactions. Literature and laws would come later.
Egypt developed its own civilization on
the Nile River. Since it allowed food to be
produced in good quantity workers were
able to create huge monuments to the
Pharaohs, who were to lead followers
into the after-life. There was no upward
mobility in this life or the next. Slaves
would be slaves in eternity. To keep the
royal blood pure Pharaohs often married
their sisters!
Israel existed between the
kingdoms of Mesopotamia and
Egypt. While it did not develop
a powerful civilization (no major
rivers in Palestine) the ancient
Jews did have writing and left
the world a legacy with the first
lasting monotheistic religion,
Judaism. Monotheism is the
belief in a single god, and
Judaism became the foundation
for the other two monotheistic
religions, Christianity and Islam.
About half of the people on earth
practice one of these three
religions today.
A Harappan Priest-King
India
In the fertile Indus River Valley a great civilization arose at places like
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. These people had an advanced society
but later they were ruled by the Aryans. In the 20th century the Nazis
believed that somehow they were descended from the Aryans but there
is absolutely no evidence of that. A caste system developed, however.
Hindu god Siva
The Buddha
Out of India came two religions that are still widely practiced on earth
today, Hinduism & Buddhism. Hinduism is more ancient and is
polytheistic. A spiritual philosophy, Buddhism spread beyond India and
influenced other Asian nations.
Chinese civilization arose in fertile river valleys of East Asia. Perhaps the
greatest influence on China came from Confucius (551 – 479 BCE). Respect
for elders, teachers, and public officials are important in Confucian thinking.
Modern western civilization owes much to the ancient Greeks who,
among other things, invented the idea of Democracy. The Greeks were
polytheistic but they gave their gods human-like attributes. People like
Socrates, shown above, learned to ask good questions of the people
around him. His student Plato established an academy that made
Greece the western center of learning for nearly 800 years.
Ancient Greeks cherished the
Homeric myths about the fall of
Troy. The stories are the Illiad and
the Odyssey and they tell fabulous
tales of Greek treachery and
bravery. Of course the gods were
at work and had a hand in the fall
of the kingdom. The story was
thought to be a complete myth until
Heinrich Schliemann excavated
Troy in the 19th century.
Ancient Greeks modeled their
behavior after the heroic demi-gods
in these stories. Thus we have the
historic record of the 300 at Thermopylae, for example.
The ancient Greeks developed sea trade
around the Mediterranean and established
colonies in many locations. This also helped
to spread Greek ideas to faraway lands.
The Acropolis at Athens
King Leonidas of Sparta
In the 5th Century BCE a powerful rivalry developed between the city-states
of Athens and Sparta. Spartans were known for their prowess in combat
but Athens was a naval power. Athens came under attack from Persia and
won a great victory at Marathon in 490 BCE. Persia attacked again ten
years later and had trouble against the Spartans at Thermopylae. After
burning Athens the Persians were defeated in a naval battle at Salamis…
Eventually the Spartans and Athenians went to war for dominance of
Greece. In time Athens lost but Sparta could never extend its influence
for long and it declined as well. One of Plato’s students was Aristotle,
and he became the teacher of a young man named Alexander. Then
his student, Alexander the Great, conquered the known world!
Alexander
Alexander’s empire did not last long; he died before he reached the age
of 33. His generals split the empire between themselves but a new and
stronger empire to the west would eventually emerge: Rome.
About the time Persia was invading
Greece Rome was beginning to
develop into a republic. The Roman
Republic had many institutions we
would find familiar including a
Senate. There were two main
groups, Patricians (upper class)
and Plebeians. Eventually the laws
were written down to protect the
rights of the people. Rome’s main rival was Carthage and after a series of wars
involving elephants Carthage was defeated. The Republic changed over time
and fell under the rule of the Caesars. Rome suffered as a result.
Roman Road
Roman Colosseum
Roman Aqueduct
Rome combined sea routes with
great roads to facilitate trade and
to move its armies.
Out of a troubled province of Rome came one of the world’s major religions.
Christianity offered the masses of poor people hope during the troubled
times of the late Roman Empire when it suffered through corrupt officials and
barbarian invasions. Nero persecuted the new offshoot of Judaism but the
group eventually was able to become the favored religion of Rome by emperor
Constantine early in the 4th century. The Roman Empire eventually fell but the
Christian religion has endured to the modern day. The main organization of
the early church was the Catholic (universal) Church. Another body, the
Greek Orthodox Church, emerged in the eastern Roman Empire as well.
The Kaaba in Mecca
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
The next thousand years saw the rise of a new monotheistic religion, Islam,
and European culture developed with the institution of feudalism in Europe.
In the 7th century the new religion of Islam was
Founded in Saudi Arabia and it quickly spread
Throughout the Middle East and parts of Southern
Europe. Expansion was stopped at Tours, France, in
732 ACE, but Islam continued as a leader in education,
science, and culture during this time period.
Europe had a notable king
in Charlemagne, but he
divided his empire between
his sons. As seen here the
continent had a number of
small states. They used
feudalism as the political
system.
The Norman Invasion of 1066
Magna Carta
Edward I
England is important to the Middle Ages. In 1066 the Normans invaded and
conquered the Saxons, and this changed how things were done in England.
By 1215 King John had upset his Nobles so they forced him to sign a
document (Magna Carta) promising the beginnings of a democratic
government. Eventually King Edward I (1295) began to regularly call for a
Parliament. Representative democracy had been reawakened in Europe.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Mona Lisa
Martin Luther
The Renaissance (Rebirth) began in Italy in the mid-14th century and one of
the most famous artist-inventors from this time is Leonardo Da Vinci. He
painted the Last Supper (seen earlier in this PowerPoint) and the Mona Lisa.
Martin Luther challenged corrupt practices of the church at the Diet of Worms
and in doing so started the Protestant Reformation.
Modern Times