Prehistory To Classical Civ History 8000-Helenist

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Persian (Achaemenid) Empire

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(550 BCE - 206 BCE). Great kings Darius, Cyrus, Xerxes. Conflict with Greeks

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Parthian Empire

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(250 BCE - 220 CE) Rivals with Rome. Defeat Crassus in battle. King Mithridates

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Roman Republic

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(500 BCE - 30 BCE) City of Rome founded 750 BCE

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Homo sapiens sapiens

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250,000-100,00 years ago developed in Africa, Rift valley, spread to globe 100,000 years ago

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Stone Age

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2.5 mil - 6,000 years ago, human communities take shape

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Neolithic revolution

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10,000 years ago development socially and technologically, domesticate animals and plants,irrigation, writing, metal tools not stone. Changing relationship with environment

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Sumerian-Babylonian civ

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Mesopotamia the Tigris and Euphrates rivers 3500-2000 years ago

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Egypt

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Nile River 3500-2000 years ago

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Indus Valley civs

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Indus river 3500-2000 years ago. Civ begins 2600 BCE with many cities highly centralized, sewers, trade, metallurgy,

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Early China civs

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Yellow or Huang and Yangtze rivers 3500-2000 years ago develop agri. Shang dynasty 1750 BCE was first to use pictogram writing, followed by Zhou dynasty 1046-221 BCE

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Olmec

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Central America arose 1200 BCE- 400, large cities in Mexico, built mound pyramids, astronomers, jaguar god and human sacrifices

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Chavin

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Andes Mountain civ arose 900 BCE Peru. metallurgy origins in Americas, urban, roads, irrigation in mountain terrain

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Cultural diffusion

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societies exchange ideas, artistic practices, and religious beliefs. Exchange involved war, conquest, raids, trade, travel and cultural religious interaction

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Oligarchies

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rule by small elite group

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Hunter-gatherers

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Earliest social groups living at subsistence levels, possess few goods, little specialization of labor

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Agricultural development

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accumulate food surplus, The results were specialization of labor, class distinction, and social stratification. Accumulate wealth and private property. Cities emerge as centers of governance, cultural exchange and trade. Increase gender division of labor

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Hominids

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Develop in Africa 3-4 mil years ago, Homo develop 2-3 mil years ago

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Pleistocene

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2.5 mil to 12,000 years ago. caused periodic ice ages and slowed habitation in Europe and N. until 40,000 years ago

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Paleolithic

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Early stone age until 12,000 years ago

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Mesolithic

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transitional period from 12,000-10,000 years ago

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Neolithic

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New Stone Age beginning 8000 BCE, domesticate animals and plants, steady source of food, shelter, clothing allows for civs

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Bronze Age

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3500-1200 BCE, mixing copper and tin to create alloy bronze

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Writing Development

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Sumerians 3500- 3000 BCE, Egyptians 3000 BCE, Indus River 2200 BCE, Chinese 2000 BCE, Incas never achieved writing

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Polytheism

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pantheons of deities, veneration of ancestors and shrines, temples and burial mounds. 3000 BCE in Stonehenge, Nubian Desert and Newgrange develop stone structures for worship and time keeping

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Civilization criteria

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1) economic system and surpluses leading to trade 2) governance provides leadership and enforces laws 3) social system hierarchical, class based 4) moral or ethical code generally a shared religion 5) intellectual tradition and pursuit of arts, science and knowledge

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Sumerians

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Mesopotamia (Gr. land between the rivers) 3500-2350 BCE. Developed first written script cuneiform 3300 BCE Gilgamesh epic poem

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Babylonians and Akkadians

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Mesopotamia, Babylon 1900-1600 BCE Hammurabi's law codes temples or ziggurats, canals and dams, bronze working origins mathematical knowledge and the base-60 number system

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Hittites

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1300-1200 BCE from Anatolia rule Mesopotamia, origin of iron weapons

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Assyrians

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911-612 BCE used iron weapons and cavalry conquered Egypt and Mesopotamia

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Egypt

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Agriculture emerges in 5500 BCE Civilization develops in 3100 BCE Hieroglyphs appear 3100 BCE, 365 day calendar.

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Phoenecians

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Canaanites from Bible, maritime culture of traders and colonizers1550 - 300 BCE cities of Byblos, Tyre and Sidon in Syria and Lebanon, manufactured purple dye from shellfish, alphabet based on sound not concept or object later adopted by Gr. and Roman. Founded Carthage and other city states

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Migrating Pastoralists (Barbarians)

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Indo-European spread to Eurasia from Central Asia 1000 BCE. Aryans invade India 1500 BCE. Bantu herders from Niger Basin 1500 BCE throughout sub-Saharan. Hyksos 1600s BCE invade Egypt. steppe nomads threaten China continuously

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Gilgamesh dpic

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Poems compiled around 1800 BCE from Sumeria. Fictional account of real king from Uruk. First know text

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Centralized States and Empires

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effective bureaucracies and improved communications, govern large and diverse populations, regulated trade, tax collection and food supply, cities concentrated political and cultural leadership

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syncretism

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blending of old and new religious beliefs ex: Shinto and Buddhism blend together, ancestor veneration and pagan beliefs and rituals that survived and morphed into Christianity

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Judaism

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400s BCE Jewish doctrines and customs were formalized. Torah (Hebrew bible's first five books) and Talmud (Instruction on customs)

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Hinduism

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Earliest known organized religion, with written codes of the faith and a class of religious leaders (priests), centered in South Asia. Influenced by Indo-European groups who migrated into the region from Caspian Sea area. Supports caste system. 2000 BCE, no single founder, Deities include (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Oneness with universe attained through reincarnation.

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Buddhism

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A reform of Hinduism begun by Prince Siddhartha Gautama 500 BCE who became the Buddha "enlightened one" Supports spiritual equality and missionary activity unlike Hinduism. Spread along trade routes. Four noble truths and eight fold path to reincarnation

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Confucianism

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Based on the teachings of Kong Fuzi (Confucius) in China 500 BCE. Clearly defined codes of behavior, and gender and family duties. Philosophy not a religion dedicated to a deity. Neo-Confucianism emerged, included aspects of Buddhism and Daoism and promised eternal reward for faithfulness to Confucius's teachings.

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Han Empire

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East Asia's Han Empire existed alongside Roman Empire and conducted trade. Technologically advanced and largest of classical era empires. (206 BCE-220 CE)

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Mandate of Heaven

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Belief that the emperor in China would stay in power as long as the heavens were satisfied with his rule. If overthrown or died out it was a sign that he had lost his mandate.

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Chinese Examination System

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The system was a political feature of Chinese empires beginning with Han dynasty and lasting into twentieth century. Scholar bureaucrats took state sponsored exams in order to become government scribes and serve affairs of the state. Some upward mobility for subalterns to advance.

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Maurya/Gupta Empires

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South Asian empires. Maurya 320-180 BCE and Gupta 320-550 CE. Centralized and powerful empires based in India and environs. Ashoka 269-232 BCE great leader, converted to Buddhism

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Bantu migrations

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sub-Saharan migrations during the Classical era. 1000-500 BCE Bantu speaking peoples migrated south and east over many centuries, spreading a common language base and metal-working tech

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The Silk Roads

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Connected East Asia to northern India and central Asia and, indirectly, to the Mediterranean region, West Africa, and northern Europe. Silk, tea, spices, horse, and tech were carried west along camel and horse caravan routes.

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Indian Ocean trade network

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Maritime routes. African, Arab, Jewish, and Chinese merchants carried religion and exchanged goods across Indian Ocean

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Daoism

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Founder Lao-tse in 500 BCE. Text the Tao-te Ching written in 300s or 200s BCE. Ancestor veneration. Yin-yang, feng shui and "three jewels of the dao" (compassion, humility, moderation)

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Christianity

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Jesus of Nazareth 4 BCE-29 CE. Claimed to be messiah foretold by Hebrew prophecy. Apostles.

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Constantine

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Legalized Christianity 313 CE in the Edict of Milan. In 380 it became the empire's official religion

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Sassanid Empire

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224-651 CE replace Parthians and become rivals of Rome and the Byzantine Empire. Practice Zoroastrianism. Destroyed by Muslims

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Qin Dynasty

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221-206 BCE Founder Shi Huangdi ended the "Warring States" period and united northern China with the Yangzi valley. Created large bureaucracy, built roads and canals, started Great Wall

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Han dynasty

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206 BCE -220 CE. Created after uprisings against strict taxes of Qin dynasty. Expanded empire. Favored Confucianism and ruled with virtue

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Peloponnesian War

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432-404 BCE Sparta and allies v Athens and allies. Left both weak and open to conquest by Macedonia

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Teotihuacan

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100 BCE - 750 CE located near Mexico City and with a large pop. 200,000. Ruled by oligarchy, practice human sacrifice to Quetzacoatl the bird serpent god. Intensive farming

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Maya

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250-900 CE. Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and s. Mexico. Governed by city-states. Pyramid builders with elaborate hieroglyphic script, math, astronomy, concept of ZERO,

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Seleucids

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312 - 63 BCE Greek-Macedonian Hellenistic state ruled by Seleucid dynasty. Defeated by Parthians

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Ptolemaic Egypt

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305 - 30 BCE. Founder Ptolemy I Soter after death of Alexander. Claim to be Pharaoh.

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Nebuchadnezzr

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King of Babylonians. Destroys Jerusalem 586 BCE blinds King Zedekiah and enslaves Jews

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King Saul and King David

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1025-1010 BCE Saul first king of the Jews, David expands territory and captures Jerusalem from Philistines. His son Solomon builds first temple