Exam 1 Flashcards
Neolithic revolution
- Earths climate change from glaciers to warm climates means that the glaciers melted and became oceans. Which transitioned into Neo rev.
- Before it was nomadic way of life. But in Neolithic it is now agriculture because of the climate change.
- Many innovations:
- Wine making was underway.
- beer making
- plow
- Because of settled agriculture=freed portion of population from having to work and could pursue other specializations. =foundation of urban civili development.
- agriculture created new incentives in human behavior = accumulation of surpluses
Gilgamesh
- King of Uruk
- great and terrible
- oversaw buildings of Uruks great walls = male subjects back breaking forced labor.
- great deeds
- Epic of Gilgamesh= poem concerns his fictionalization personal life. Found its way into Hebrew bible.
Assyrian empire
*iron age empire
*aggressive, expansionists, ideology set to conquer neighbors.
Many innovations:
*worlds first postal system
*mass deportation and resettlement of native people
*seized control of northern Egypt = first state to control of both Nile and Tigris and Euphrates river
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Egypts new kingdom
- Marked a sharp departure in egypts relations with neighbors= aggressive and expansionist policies rather than ignoring outside world.
- forward defense= best protection for ones home is to expand into other lands.
- NK rulers conquering new lands adv =
- greater access to natural resources
- new wealth through taxes and tribute from conquered ppl
- buffer zone around them = some protection from foreign attack
- Conquering new land dis=
- foreign ppl fought back
- Nubians full effect, powerful enough to invade Egypt
- Akhenaten= introduction of monotheistic religion
Sumerian civilization
*first to settle in Mesopotamia (south part)
*great contribution= build up a thriving urban civilization, a lot of great city states which be foundation for late civilizations
*at crossroads between Asia and Mediterranean
*priests played central role in life of city states because they claimed to prophecy the future
They gave advice and knowledge to Sumerians
*governement consisted of councils: oligarchies
*becuase of chronic warfare= moved from oligarchies to warrior kings.
Innovations
*divisions of labor= agriculture surplus = trade in other commodities
*metallurgy= alloys(bronze) implemented instead of copper. Now tool won’t crumble and are sharp.
*first writing system: Cuneiform
*warfare= walled forts, bronze for spears, introduced discipline
Osiris
- most important god to everyday Egyptians
- according to legend, was god of fertility and beloved son of Re (sun god).
- egytpians associated him with Nile and crops (flooded, retreated and flooded) (grew,died, and grew again) because of his death and resurrection.
- associated with immortality and maat. (Judges who deserves immortality and who doesn’t when die)
- maat= universal principle of harmony that Pharos were supposed to embody.
Minoan civilization
*trading networks centered on island of Crete = cultural bridge between Greek mainland and other civilizations
Innovations
*internal plumbing, accounting and taxation
*2 issues:
-volcanic eruptions
-invasion= Mycenaean Greeks
Sparta
*greek polis
*contrasted with Athenians, played bitter antagonists to Athenian power
*very devoted to military arts
*most resources devoted to military system
*no note able architecture or art
*conquered messenia= inhabitants were enslaved to become helots
*helots= agriculture economy
was based
*focused on the similars: devoted there life to military service. Political life restricted to similars.
*rule of law informed by principle of justice= good results on battlefield
*people wouldn’t mess with them.
Peloponnesian war
- Because of Athenian arrogance which drove city states to ask for help from Sparta to fight Athens.
- trade dispute arose and Sparta declared war.
- lasted 27 years
- plague erupted early in war and killed many Athenians and leader pericles. = b/c of this leadership was reckless
- Athens surrendered in hopelessness giving up oversea possessions and naval fleet.
- sparta spared Athens destruction because of heroic battle they fought
- Athenian arrogance decreases
Socrates
- first to raise insight in philosophy and political affairs
- focused on important questions about human conscience reason and morality
- disaffected the youth: influenced philology and questioning method onto youth
- because of the fall of democracy= these questions
- athenian people found him threatening and sentenced him to death
- trained in the Ionian natural philosophy tradition
Ionian philosophers
- central costal region Anatolia
- father of philosophy :Thales
- observed the world around him
- first principle: water because he observed it nurtured all life forms and was a common denominator of all things
- anaximader
- Thales pupil
- inquiry across the shape of the universe
- apeiron: first principle was this its indefinite and infinite.
- they were important because these people and theories were subject to debate and revisions unlike religion.
Hopelite Phalanx
*6th century Greek warfare
*soldiers with spears and are unstoppable because of the weapons (spears and chariots)
*tightly ordered unit of heavily armed infantrymen
*most dominant military force not only in Greece but in Western Asia and Mesopotamia
*set battles head to head, army against army, all or nothing affair
*amateur soliders because only independent men could afford the armor
*fought for the community
=sought arete
Persian wars
- first Persian war = Darius the great. Second = Darius son
*second war is more serious threat
*more powerful army
*more destructive, after prevailing over a small Spartan- led force at Thermopylae, Persian forces captured Athens.
*battle of salamis: strong Persia navy VS. Athenian navy marked Greeks decisive victory
*battle of plataea: xerxes withdrew navy, they were defeated by Spartan led army.
Greek victory meant:
-keep Persia at bay= Greek independence - affirming military superiority of hoplite phalanx
-self-confidence and pride - mostly for Athens
Athenian democracy
*pericles political policy
*revenues streaming into Athens helped in Pericles democratic social reforms
*generous salaries provided to citizens who called to jury duty = poor people could afford to participate in Athenian court.
*citizenship not for everyone: only for legit son of a male citizen and moms dad has to be citizen
*citizenship became and elite club: because artisans streamed in Pericles put new law that mom and dad both had to be citizens.
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