History of Civilizations-I

Dr. Hazal Papuççular

Week II:
Neolithic Revolution
Ancient Mesopotamia & Ancient Egypt
From Hominids to Homo Sapiens
Hunters - Gatherers
Ice Age Humans
Paleolithic Cave
Neolithic Period- Agriculture
 Agricultural Revolution
• AR: Around 12.000-10.000 years ago.
• Domestication of plants and animals
• Settlement  changed the whole human life.
Larger groups
Social and political structures
New economic activities etc.
• Took place everywhere
• First took place in Fertile Crescent
Çatalhöyük-I
Çatal Höyük Remnants
Remnants
 What is Civilization?
• Urban Focus
• New political and military structures
• A new social structure based on political &
economic power
• The development of more complexity in a
material sense
• A distinct religious structure
• The development of writing
• New and significant artistic and intellectual
activity.
Ancient Mesopotamia
 Ancient Mesopotamia
• Importance of rivers
• Necessity of human intervention Necessity
of social and political organization  state-like
structure
Sumerian City States
 Ancient Sumer
• Who were they?
• What languge they spoke?
• When this civilization emerged?
 How did the Sumerians contribute to
civilization?
• Formation of cities and city-states
• Writing: Cuneiform Writing (evolved from
pictograms)
 How did the Sumerians contribute to
civilization?
• Writing  Literature: Epic of Gilgamesh
 How did the Sumerians contribute to
civilization?
• Art and architecture Ziggurats (what do
they show?)
 Sumerian Religion
• Religion:
• Polytheistic, there were
many gods
• Priests: Only intermediaries
between God and People
• Palaces and Ziggurats are
different  What does it
mean?
• Ishtar-Inanna
 Hierarchic Societies
• King
• Priests
• Peasants – Artisans
• Slavery  ancient societies heavily depended
on this!
 Sumerian Art
• Art: Sumerian Pottery
 How did the Sumerians contribute to
civilization?
• Use of glass
• Use of bronze  Where did
They find material?
 How did the Sumerians contribute to
civilization?
• Simple Math (basic number system)
• 7 days a week
 Akkadians
• Who were the Akkadians?
• Sumerians or not?
• King Sargon
First Statue in history
• Military nature
• In two centuries it collapsed
with Elamite attack.
• Rise of neo-Sumer culture again near Ur.
Babylonians (1900s-1600s BC)
 Code of Hammurabi
• Codification of Law (not legislation)
• Severe Penalties: «Eye for an eye, tooth for a
tooth.»
 Code of Hammurabi
• Family, Land, Trade matters
• Marriage contract
• Patriarchical Society
• Forbids incest
• Forbids adultery (different penalities for men
and women)
• Inheritance rights
 Astronomical Knowledge
• Moon eclipses
• Solar System
• Astrology
• One hour = 60 Minutes
• Babylonian Calendar:
12 Months
Ancient Egypt
 Ancient Egypt
• The Importance of the Nile (different than
Mesopotamia)
 Ancient Egypt- Chronology
• Old Kingdom (2686-2160BC)
• First Intermediate Period (2160-2055 BC)
• Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BC)
• Second Intermediate Period (1650-1550b BC)
• New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC)
More than 100 dynasties!
 Egyptian Civilization
• More records  More information (compared
to Sumerians)
• Writing  Hieroglyphics, based on small icons
 Egyptian Civilization
• Writing: Economic records & History of events
• Use of Papyrus
• Creating of book
 Egyptian Civilization
• Hierarchical System: Head of State: Pharaohs
(Both the King and God)
 Egyptian Civilization
 Social Structure
• Priest – Nobility
• Peasants (Not Slaves, but with working
obligations)
• Strong Bureaucratical Tradition: Clerks,
governors etc. Elaborate bureaucracy!
 Egyptian Civilization
• Importance of Religion Sense of afterlife.
• Polytheistic Religion  more than 2000 gods.
 Egyptian Civilization
• The idea of afterlife  Pyramids
 Egyptian Civilization
• Construction: 20 years, 100.000 people, tons
of stones.
 Egyptian Civilization
• Knowledge of Math: measurement
techniques, basic formulas, compound
fractions etc.
• Astronomy: Calendar of 365 days, 12 months
• A month: Three Weeks (10 Days)
• Observation of moon and solar system
• Three different seasons: Cultivation, flooding
of the Nile, Harvest
 Egyptian Civilization
• Art: Apart from Pyramids, there were pictures
of humans  correct proportion
 Egyptian Civilization
• Medicine: Knowledge of Herbs
• Mummification
• Birth Control
 Egyptian Civilization
• The Place of Women: Equality in Upper Class
 women clerks, priests etc.
• In royal family, marriage within the family.