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Egypt:

 

§   Protected all around-natural borders

§   Deserts to east and west (Red Land)

§   Highlands to the south

§   Sinai Desert: separation between Asia and Africa

§   Nile River-main source of water (solar calendar), overflows predictably

§   Land is very fertile near the Nile (Black Land)

§   Mediterranean Sea is to the north of where the Nile spills out

§   Pharaoh is god

§   Cities: Memphis, Ramses, Giza,

§   Isolation, Cultural Development (one culture), Unification (King Menes)

§   NATION-STATE (modern-day country ruled by a central ruler-one culture etc.)

 

Mesopotamia: The Fertile Crescent

 

§   Deserts and fertile soil

§   Located between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (cause war), overflows so quickly

   (Lunar Calendar)

§   Divine Right-idea that god gives the king the power to rule (chosen by god)

§   CITY STATE (a city that acts like their own country)

§   Empire-many areas ruled by an emperor

                              Babylonia

§   Hammurabi-code of law (unification, order, enforcement)

§   Laws (civil and criminal): land is valuable; values honesty, judgment and law; economy is based on agriculture and merchants; “eye for an eye”-revenge, justice; citizen-freedman-slave

 

Persia:

 

§   Cyrus-Darius-Xerxes

§   Darius – 500 BCE

§   Unification: He was a tolerant king

§   Paved roads: connected his empire (Persia and Mesopotamia) – communication, trade, taxes

§   Economy: market economy (buying and selling)

§   Zoroastrianism (600 BCE)-Zoroaster: Ahura Mazda (good) Vs. Ahriman (Evil) – to trap evil it has to have flaws. The bate for trap is humans (creation of the world). If you do good deeds you can help defeat evil.

§   Satrap (governor)- Darius controls his empire by appointed officials to enforce the law in small areas.

§   EMPIRE

 

The impact of empires in the Ancient Middle East: CULTURAL DIFFUSION

 

Assyria – war techniques

Babylonia – law, Exile of Jews, Stars and Moon

Persia – Coining money, Zoroastrianism, Tolerance

Phoenicians - “Transmitters of Culture,” Phonetic Alphabet (based on sound)

Egypt – Mathematics (irrigation, pyramids), Astronomy, Medicine (mummification-anatomy, biology)

 

Akkad – First Mesopotamian Empire

Hitties – Used Iron to make weapons, chariots

 

India:

 

§   River Valleys-Indus and Ganges: North

§   Deccan Plateau (desert): Center

§   Mountains- Ghats: East and West (separate coast from rest of India-natural borders)

§   2 monsoons - strong winds that bring off moisture/water in the summer and hot air in the winter. They are unpredictable to the date.

§   Mountain Range-Khyber Pass (natural break in mountains)-Entry and Exit (invasion/cultural diffusion)

§   2 famous cities: Harappa & Mohenjo Dara

§   Aryans came through Khyber Pass. At first the Aryans were nomads but they conquer the Indus valley and settle. They create the caste system.

§   Caste-extremely rigid social divisions which are unchangeable.

§   Brahmins-priests

§   Kishatriyahs- warriors                                           Aryans

§   Kisyas- herders, farmers, merchants, artisans

§   Sudras-Dravidians-conquered people

§   Untouchables-deal with corpses and other highly undesirable jobs – outcasts

§   Hinduism

§   We now about Hinduism from “The Vedas”-religious texts of Hinduism (songs, hymns, poems)

§   The caste system might have led to rebellion however they said that with out one social class, everything will fall (the Sudras were considered the feet)

§   Basic Concepts of Hinduism: Brahman, Atman, Mokshah, Reincarnation, Karma, Dharma, Ahisma (Janism)

§   Buddhism

§   Guatama-grew up in a rich family (warrior class). He had a dream that he would be a wandering Wiseman. His parents despised this idea. Therefore, they spoiled him with riches. He didn’t leave his house until one day he encountered a dead, sick, and poor person. For the first time in his life he saw suffering and realized the world isn’t only luxurious. He went on a journey and sat under a tree for 48 days. After those days he has an epiphany/revelation. He is called “The Buddha” which simply means “The Enlightened One.” He realizes the world is governed by 4 noble truths.

§   Four Noble Truths: (1) All life is suffering and pain. (2) The cause of suffering and pain is the desire for more illusions. (3) The only cure for suffering is overcoming desire. (4) The way to overcome desire is by following the Eight-Fold Path.

§   Eight-Fold Path: Right-views, aspirations, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, contemplation

§   Meditating-relaxing helps overcome desires

§   2 Schools of Buddhism: Theravada (traditional Buddhism, only devoted monks have any real hope of achieving Nirvana), Mahayana (easier for ordinary people to follow, defied the Buddha.

§   Buddhists rejects castes

§   Buddhists accepts the Basic concepts of Hinduism

 

China:

 

§   North: Northern River: Huang He-Yellow River, Gobi Desert

§   South: Southern River: Yangz River, Mountains

§   East: Pacific Ocean

§   West: Deserts and Mountains

§   China is isolated. They views foreigners differently. They believed in Ethnocentricism. They were considered the Middle Kingdom.

§   Shang Dynasty-first

§   Zhou Dynasty-The Mandate of Heaven

§   Feudalism-Zhou/Leader – Lord/Vassals – Peasants

§   3 Philosophies

§   Confucianism (Confucius): people are naturally good, Filial Piety, respect, morality, example, education 

§   Han Dynasty: Liu Bang, Wudi (Golden Age)

§   Taoism/Daoism (Laozi): wanted to live in harmony with nature, wanted to find the Dao (the way to the Universe), lenient government

§   Legalism (Hanfeizi): Believe in tough law, morality is weakness, strong government, law, punishment and order

§   Qin Empire: Emperor was called Shi Huangdi or “The First Emperor.”

 

Greece:

 

§   80% hills and mountains

§   No large bodies of water in Greece

§   A peninsula into Med. Sea

§   Impact: Civilization will develop on the top, Polis, early sailors and merchants because of lack of resources, colonize and expand beyond borders

§   Acropolis: on top of mountain the top city state. The palaces and temples were found on the acropolis

§   CITY STATE (Polis)

§   People identify themselves with their city state (if you live in Athens you are considered an Athenian not a Greek)

§   Government: Monarchy, Oligarchy, Democratic, Republic

§   Athens goes through all forms of government.

§   Sparta goes through Monarchy and Oligarchy

§   Archon-Solan becomes a ruler with complete control

§   Solan’s Reforms-outlaws slavery, gives citizenship to foreigners, more offices to citizens, assembly has more say, encouraged exports of wine and oil

§   Tyrants-In Athens tyrants aren’t ruthless rulers they are rulers who came to power when things got bad.

§   Spartan Society-Dorian Invaders enslaved the native population and make them Helots, military society, and train in barracks, have to live in barrack until 30, women also are physically active and have a say

§   Spartan Government: Two kings, Assembly (men citizens, native born, 30 and older), 5 ephors appointed by the assembly who controlled the day to day operations

§   Athens: knowledge, men have power, democracy, philosophy, freedom of speech, expression, education

§   Sparta: military, women have power, oligarchy, unity

§   Persian Wars: Athens & Sparta VS. Persia: Iona, Themistocales, Battle of Thermopylae

§   Results: Athens wins. Athens will create and territorial empire and an economic empire, create a Delian League (against Persia), The Age of Pericles (Golden Age-Pericles was the ruler during the Persian wars until the next series of wars), Athens becomes a direct democracy, Sparta is jealous and create the Peliponnesian League (against Athens)

§   Peliponnesian War: Sparta & Persia VS. Athens

§   Result: Sparta wins

§   How did Athens and Sparta become Rivals? Geography, World Views , War

 

§   Rhetoric, Tragedies (Hero: main character, power, flaw-Hubris, downfall), comedies (comedy satire), History (Herodotus & Thucydides), Philosophy, sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle (Lyceum-school), Greek Art-The Perfect Form, Parthenon-highest temple of Goddess Athena

§   Philip of Macedon-Alexander the Great-Hellenistic Culture-Empire split: Greece, Egypt, Persia.  Ptolemy (general of Egypt) Vs. Seleucas (general of Persia)

§   Alexandria

§   Considered the cradle of western civilization because the dramas, comedies, language-alphabet etc. survived until today.

 

 

Rome:

 

§   Italy is a peninsula

§   Hills and mountains

§   Top-Alps Mountains

§   CITY STATE

§   Hated monarchy because the early settlers of Italy had been ruled by Etruscans.

§   Governing body-Senate (300 members-Patricians/landowning class)

§   2 consults (enforcers) appointed by senate

§   If war broke out a dictator could be chosen-6 months

§   Plebeians-merchants and farmers, they became upset

§   12 Tablets of Law in the Forum (market place)

§   Tribunes-plebeians can elect their own officials-can veto laws

§   Carthage owns 3 islands (Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica) which Rome wants it because owning these islands gives you access to the Mediterranean Sea-so they go to war

§   Punic Wars-Rome wins first war-Hannibal seeks revenge by going through the Pyrenees Mountain Range-Rome wins again and gains control

§   Impact: Owns islands, powerful and wealthy, huge estates (Latifundia), these estates put farmers out of business, riots and mobs because of unemployment

§   Reform to War: Tiberius and Gaius (brothers-patricians-elected tribunes), they were killed.

§   Julius Caesar – Princep/First Citizen/Dictator for Life-conquers-makes himself like a king-killed on the Ides of March (15^th)

§   Marc Antony (general of Caesar) & Octavian (nephew of Caesar) avenge his death. There is chaos and Marc Antony kills Octavian in Egypt were he was with Cleopatra. He changes his name to Augustus Caesar. He centralized power and created stability in Rome.

§   After his death nearly 12 emperors came to power and were deposed in 40 years (Nero)

§   Pax Romana (peace despite of the political instability)-Roman Law-Ends with death of Marcus Aurelius, basically a philosopher and king (warrior).

§   Barbarians, Parthians, Diocletion “Restorer of Rome”- divided empire between the east and west. The splitting quickened the fall of the western empire but the eastern empire lasted about 100 more years.

§   Christianity…….

  

Here are major points of the Final; the only thing left out is Christianity until the end

 

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