Ch4


 * __Chapter Outline:__**

__Chapter 4 Outline (Pg. 94-107) -TK__

 I. The Case of the Hittite Kingdom A. Climate and environment 1. Kingdom center was the Anatolian plateau. 2. Climate was becoming steadily warmer and drier. a. Most of the plateau suffered alternating seasonal extremes. i. Crops were scorched or frozen, depending on the season. b. Rainfall in the area was less than 20 in. a year. 3. Set up crops in small patches of alluvium (like the alluvial plains). B. The Importance of Trade 1. Became a regional power because of trade. a. Received increased trade because of changes in the courses of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. b. Wars, destruction, and new markets in the north gave the Hittites a lot of trade as well. 2. Archives of Ebla, showing it’s power and importance as a trade hub. 3. Trade generated a lot of wealth for everyone involved. 4. Trade brought a lot of new ideas to the Hittite kingdom. a. Iron smelting, for one thing. C. Hittite Society and Politics 1. Single state and economic system, main strength of the Hittite empire. a. Many positive consequences i. More opportunity for economic specialization ii. Urbanization iii. Quicker mobilization of manpower for war. 2. Political system promoted stability. a. King was the sun god’s earthly deputy, called ‘My sun’ by subjects. i. His responsibilities included war, justice, and relations with the gods. b. Bureaucratic court. 3. Somewhat arbitrary laws concerning sexual taboos. a. Some cases of bestiality punishable by death, others were not. b. This could be understood better if we knew more about their religious beliefs. 4. Women had some power in the society. a. Mainly as diviners and curers. D. Fragility and Fall: The End of Hatti 1. Fragile domestic economy. 2. Poor resources in its home territory. 3. Conquest was, in extreme cases, the only way to guarantee the availability of key resources. a. Mainly food for the population and tin to make weapons. b. This need for conquest also led to the downfall of the civilization. i. The Hittites’ resources were spread to thin, couldn’t hold the empire together. 4. Very vulnerable to famine and disease. a. Several records detail the lack of food and the outbreaks of plagues. II. Instability and Collapse in the Aegean A. Cretan Civilization 1. Big enough to be self-sustaining, but very mountainous. a. Somewhat harsh climate and environment. 2. The Cretan civilization depended on organized agriculture and state-regulated trade to survive. a. The function of the palace as the storehouse was a vital part of this. i. Functioned as immense storage areas for food and drink. 3. Lots of trade, brought luxury and exotic items to Crete. 4. Average people lived near the margin of malnutrition. a. Cretans had a very inefficient system for food distribution. 5. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and war all led to the decline of Cretan civilization. B. Mycenean Civilization 1. Palace-storehouses similar to those of the Cretans housed kings’ courts. a. Heavily and cleverly fortified against aggressors. 2. Lots of trade, all across northern Europe up to Scandinavia. 3. Lots of wars as well. 4. Abandoned by 1100 B.C.E. III. A General Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean World? A. The Egyptian Experience 1. Egypt invaded by the Sea Peoples a. Ramses III manages to defeat them around 1190 B.C.E. B. The Roots of Instability 1. Sea Peoples overwhelmed city of Ugarit in Syria sometime in the early 12th century. 2. This idea of a crisis from a barbarian invasion had great romantic appeal for Western historians. a. Stems from the fall of the Roman Empire. 3. Invasion caused by the instability of populations driven by starvation and shortages of land. IV. The Extinction of Harappan Civilization A. The Evidence of the Rig Veda 1. Evidence for the theory that invaders destroyed the Harappan civilization. 2. Speaks of a people who wanted riches and a life of luxury. a. Had great strength in chariots and horses. 3. Favorite god was Indra, the ‘breaker of cities’ 4. More likely event is a gradual decline – a climacteric.  __Chapter 4 Outline (Pg. 106-118) – AL__

I. The Extinction of Harappan Civilization A. //Rig Veda// i. collection of hymns and poems that tell of culture and life ii. created by sedentary people living in what is not Punjab iii. supports the theory that invaders destroyed the Harappan civilization iv. written around 800 B.C.E. B. Climate in Indus Valley i. climate got drier ii. earthquakes shifted river beds iii. the Saraswati river dried up iv. plague struck – worse than malaria II. Conflict on the Yellow River A. Shang was Deteriorating i. 1100 B.C.E. ii. king was blamed for everything iii. allies became enemies iv. culture was exported and not surviving v. Zhou started to arise B. Zhou was Rising i. 1100 B.C.E. ii. highland herders iii. not much is known except that they imitated the Shang culture C. Zhou Political System i. family’s achievement was documented ii. abandon use of bone oracles iii. mandate of heaven a. “all subsequent changes in rule appealed to the same claim that heaven transferred power from a decayed dynasty to one of greater virtue” III. State-Building in the Americas A. Andean i. Cerro Sechín a. 1500 B.C.E. b. ceremonial/rite area 1. 12 acres with a 170 feet square platform 2. violent carvings show the price paid in blood to defend or enlarge the society ii. Huaca de los Reyes a. stucco fronted buildings b. fat pillars with saber-tooth heads in clay iii. Pampa de Caña Cruz a. mosaics – 170 feet long iv. El Niño a. “the periodic reversal of the normal flow of Pacific currents b. always a threat to supply of fish v. Chavín de Huantar a. 1000 B.C.E. b. prosperity at high altitudes c. distribution center because it was in the middle of the trades B. Mesoamerica i. Olmec a. second millennium B.C.E. b. shaman-rulers 1. jaguar-like masks and carved figures c. ceremonial centers 1. located near swamps and rain forests 2. also known as agricultural mounds d. farming 1. maize 2. beans 3. squash ii. Coatzalcos a. 1200 B.C.E. b. first known ceremonial center iii. La Venta a. ceremonial center b. ritual spaces c. ceremonial courts iv. Tonalá a. ceremonial center v. San Lorenzo a. 1000 B.C.E. b. reservoirs and drainages systems in their ceremonial centers IV. Assessing the Damage A. 1000 B.C.E. i. many failed societies a. Harappan b. Cretan c. Mycenaean d. Hatti e. Sumer ii. Akkadians spread language along Tigris and Euphrates iii. Zhou society briefly collapsed B. Survival of Egypt i. Nubia a. 2000 B.C.E. 1. Egypt tried to control b. 1500 B.C.E. 1. was made a colonial territory of Egypt c. disappeared by 1000 B.C.E. 1. surprising – was one of the most constant societies


 * __Chapter Chronology__**

Pg. 93-106 -SR  -Mycenean civilization began to appear. -Hyksos conquer Egypt and fortified cities appear on Peloponnese. || -Iron is used ||
 * **Date** || **Information** ||
 * 1100 BCE || -Minoan and Mycenaean cities abandoned ||
 * 1180 BCE || -Sea Peoples conquer Ugarit in Syria ||
 * 1190 BCE || Ramses III of Egypt defeats Sea Peoples. ||
 * 1200 BCE || -The king of of the city of Ugarit rewarded an official called Tamkaru with a grant of land. ||
 * 1210 BCE || Last recorded mention of Hatti ||
 * 1400 BCE || -Last rebuilding of Knossos. ||
 * 1500 BCE || Volcanic eruption blew apart the city of Akrotiri.
 * 1800 BCE || -Colonists from Ashur penetrated Anatolia and founded a new city at Kanes.
 * 2000 BCE || -First palace storehouses on Crete. ||

Pg. 106-118 -KM

Climacteric: state building in Hatti, Crete, Egypt, Shang China, the Andes, and Mesoamerica. || Ramses III defeats the sea people. Agricultural mounds used as ceremonial platforms. || Harrappan cities in ruin. Chavin civilization emerges. Olmec cities, San Lorenzo and La Venta flourishing. San Lorenzo has drainage and reservoir systems. ||
 * 2500 BCE || Egypt expands southward. ||
 * 2000 BCE || Nubian state formed.Cretan civilization emerges.
 * 1800 BCE || Harrapan cities abandoned. Hittite kingdom flourishes. ||
 * 1500 BCE || Mycenae civilization appears.Cerro sechin flourishes in Peru. ||
 * 1200 BCE || Sechin Alto flourishes in Peru.Last record of Hatti.
 * 1045 BCE || Zhou captured the Shang state.Zhou supremacy. ||
 * 1000 BCE || Cretan and Mycenaean cities abandoned.Shang state in decline.
 * 800 BCE || Rig Veda written down. ||
 * 500 BCE || End of Chavin civilization. ||
 * 300 BCE || Olmec civilizations decline. ||

__**ID Terms**__


 * Hittite Kingdom**: Located on the Anatolian plateau which suffered alternating seasonal extremes and had a rainfall of less than 20 inches a year. Hittites had “palace complexes, storehouses,towns, and- to take list -armies”(95). There was trade in nearby regions and there was an economic boom in Antolia. In the Hittite land of Anatolia, there was an abundance of wheat, wine, cooking oil, and sheep. Kanes, a city founded in Anatolia in 18000 B.C.E. imported tin and textiles, and exported gold and silver. Also the king of Kanes, Anitta, “had a throne of iron and sceptre of iron”(98). The Hittite Kingdom had a strong economic system. The livestock produced fertilizer which helped the productivity and helped feed the people. The Hittite law was strict towards sexual activity and sexual taboos. “Intercourse with pigs r sheep was punishable by death, but not cases involving horses or mules.. Their own code forbade intercourse between siblings or cousins”(99). Sex was considered sacred. Hatti was considered a man’s world; however, older women were diviners at court and other woman of lower status were curers. **-BA**
 * Cretan Civilization:** A civilization that is 3,200 square miles and is covered on two-thirds sides by mountains. The land had droughts, and earthquakes making the soil very infertile. However, there was an abundance of grains, vines, almonds,quince(a plant that bears fruit like an apple or pear), and forests. The land depended on “organized agriculture, embracing, as in Hatti, both farming and herding, and state regulated trade”(101). Palaces were used as storehouses such as in Knossos. There was great trade in Cretan due to the skilled sailors. The social classes were obvious showing that the elites had colorful pottery and large galleries, where as the lower levels of society often died of malnutrition. Volcanic eruptions often destroyed Cretan, but it was rebuilt once or twice. By this time Cretan was being taken over by a political power and there were cultural changes. **-BA**

Palaces were heavily fortified and served as storehouses for food Beaurocrats equipped rulers for near-constant warfare Empire had problems from battles within itself and barbarian invasions Warfare was a way of life. Elaborate and expensive collecting, storing, and redistribution of food Traded as far north as Scandinavia Trade not well documented Feared an invasion -Insecure and arrogant at the same time Protected by the uninhabitable land and sea, but they feared the god of Chaos, Seth, who lived in those places. Egyptians viewed all foreigners as barbarians and with contempt
 * Mycenaean Civilizations -MS**
 * Political**- kings controlled states
 * Social**- each class had different obligations
 * Economic**- Manufacturers & traders, bronze and perfumed oils
 * Egyptians (2000-1000 BCE) -MS**
 * Sea Peoples**- exterminated numerous states and cities in Egyptian Empire. Nearly destroyed the Egyptian Empire. Defeated by **Ramses III** after which he wrote an inscription about his victory.
 * Hyksos**- 1500 BCE- from Libyan deserts came to overwhelm the lands and commissioned works depicting a sphinx seizing an Egyptian by the ears. Like other nomadic cultures, the Hyskos picked up Egyptian cultures before they were expelled.

Political: Since we cannot read the Harappan system of writing, the only evidence we have of what their civilization was like comes from artifacts and not written documents. Because of this, we have little knowledge of the political system of Harappan civilization. However, some of the artifacts let us make educated guesses about their society. For instance, since there are no graves lavished with gold and other riches and also no palaces or obvious royal dwellings, we can assume that Harappan culture was perhaps a republic or theocracy controlled by a group of priests, as opposed to a monarchy. However, the lack of readable documents means that this is not certain, but the best guess we have. Also, there are large warehouses in the ruins of Harappan cities, which suggests some sort of food distribution program. Other than that, however, not much is known about the political structure of Harappa. Social: Each Harappan city has similar building design and city layout. The way the houses are structured suggests a class system or perhaps a caste system. The cities had waste-disposal systems under the streets, demonstrating careful planning and execution of a highly complex task. The bricks of the cities are all identical, which suggests state-run facilities for making bricks. Economic: Mesopotamia and Harappa traded and thus were in contact with each other economically. However, Armesto gives no further information about the economy of Harappa. Decline: By 1000 BC, all Harappan cities had been abandoned. However, it is uncertain whether these cities were abandoned because of a sudden, violent event such as an invasion, or because of a slow, gradual change, such as the climacteric described by Armesto in chapter 2. One document that provides evidence for what occurred in Harrapa is the Rig Veda, a collection of poems and songs written around the time Harrapan civilization collapsed. The Rig Veda tells of “a people who wanted a world of fat and opulence, basted with butter, flowing with milk, dripping with honey” (Armesto 106). Because of this, Armesto speculates that these people may have invaded Harappa because of their desire for wealth. However, Armesto ultimately concludes that it was likely a climacteric and not a single event that led to the destruction of Harappa. The Shang Dynasty was the first known Chinese dynasty. They used oracle bones extensively to predict the future. The oracle bones were first used by oracles, but later the emperor became responsible the interpreting the future through the use of oracle bones. However, this ultimatly doomed the emperor to failure, because it was his job to predict the future and control the weather, which no person can do. Therefore, failure was inevitable for the Shang emperors. Kings were buried in rich tombs and also had many riches while they were alive. Cowrie shells were used for money in Shang China. Around 1100 BC, the Shang state began to collapse. Records of countries paying tribute to the Shang gradually shrank, and a competing state, the Zhou, rose up in rivalry with the Shang.
 * Harappan Civilization (P/S/E profile and sources of decline) -AH**
 * Shang Dynasty/state (changes ~1100 BCE?) -AH**

Some Zhou sites are from 1100s BC. The group probably lived in the grazing country in North China and migrated to the Liang Mountains in West China. The Zhou overthrew the Shang, who lived upriver from their herding community, and imitated their culture and bronze casting techniques. They did change the Shang’s tradition of bone oracles and started the madate of heaven, which states the emperor is chosen from divine will. It also included the idea that heaven shifted the power of dynasties to another with more virtue. The Chinese felt from a Zhou myth that they were a durable culture that could control the world. People of the Andean civilizations dramatically changed their environments. Without advanced technology, though, they could not live for long in the unpredictable environments. El Niño, when Pacific currents changed directions once or twice in a decade, caused heavy rain for the South American region and made ocean fish less available as a food source. There was also not enough food to sustain the growing popuations, healthy soil and non-violent neighbors to keep the civilizations going. Chavín de Huantar was a distribution center for trades such as gold work and forest products that came about in 1000 BC on the Mosna River in the Andes. Chavín had superior architecture, water systems, metal-work and ceramics. There were also storehouses and ceremonial areas. Shamans ruled the society based on scultpures which depict humans morphing into jaguars.
 * Zhou Dynasty** pgs. 109,111 **-AB**
 * Andean Civilizations** pgs. 111,113 **-AB**

**Mesoamerican Civilizations-** Olmec arose out of the province of Tabasco in Southern Mexico. Around 2000 b.c, they began their growth and developement into a society. They were led politically by a shaman-king. Agriculture was very succesful due to swamps and variation in environment. They dredged the swamps, made canals, and raised fish. They used mounds for ceremonies which influenced many civilizations after them in Mesoamerica. City building began after they started to farm a large variety in maize. Economically they were very dependent on their resources. **-TS** **Nubia --> relationship and connection to Egypt?-** Nubia was known for its constant ivory which Egyptians said was as plentiful as the sand of the sea. Nubia over time became a state in imitation of Egypt. From about 2000 b.c. on, Egypt tried to take over Nubia with forts and invasions. Tut-mose conquered the kingdom of Kush and made Nubia a colonial territory. Nubia became covered in forts and temples, all of which were Egyptian. Egypt however almost collapse after a having no large flooding. Egypt in turn gave up Nubia.
 *  
 * __Critical Questions__

**     ** a) Read section on **A General Crisis In The Eastern Mediterranean World?** b) Compare Armesto’s different interpretations of the Mediterraneans downfall c) Notice the Mediterraneans downfall and how it differs from others d) See if it falls under Diamond’s or Conrad-Demarest’s model a) Read on how climate changes took down civilizations and notice how it effected their downfalls extremely. b) Focus on where each civilization lied in accordance to rivers, mining areas, mountains, valleys, etc. c) Explain how each climatatic change would effect each individual civilization according to thier lifestyles. a) Read **The Zhou Political System** b) Realize that the Zhou became less powerful ov er time, but they originated the ideology of the “Mandate of Heaven” which brought the civilization great recognition. c) Nottice how this ideology is still in effect in Western view of China who has a tendency of dominating over all the world.
 * 3. How does Armesto revise the prior understanding and interpretation about the sources of instability throughout the Mediterranean during the second millenium BCE? -CH**
 * 4. How does Armesto’s emphasis on the central role of climatic changes reshape our understanding of the causes of decline amongst these second millenium civilizations? -CH**
 * 5. How has the Zhou concept of the “Mandate of Heaven” shaped Chinese self-identity and the standard Western interpretation of Chinese culture? -CH**


 * 5. How do the American civilizations (Andean and Mesoamerican) compare against the Old World civilizations in terms of their culture, economic bases, and instability during the second millennium BCE? -DD**
 * Read Armesto’s writings on American civilizations
 * Write down key deteails about each type of civilization over culture, economic bases, and instability.
 * In compare and contrast format, combine details from both civilizations and use commentary to explain your reasoning for comparing/contrasting.
 * 7. What common civilizational patterns defined the second millennium BCE throughout the globe? -DD**
 * Read Armesto’s Chapter 4, emphasizing his introduction and conclusion parts in which he generalizes trends throughout the second millenium BCE.
 * Note down specific trends and themes that occur in several civilizations in the chapter.
 * Using examples from the text to support these trends, lay out trends in paragraph fashion.
 * 8. What key argument(s) does Armesto make about the development of civilizations in this chapter? What purpose does he try to achieve through this argument? How will we understand the course of civilization’s development as a result of his argument? -DD**
 * Read chapter four, focusing on generalities and opinions that appear as motifs throughout the chapter.
 * Note down major opinion-statements focusing on civilization.
 * Hypothesize on the message Armesto is trying to convey through these opinions.
 * Ponder upon the effect these opinions have, if taken as truths, on all civilizations hereafter and what this period represents for theory of civilization.