Wednesday, January 28, 2015

January 28, 2015: Class

Today in Western civilization we reviewed the power-point for the Mesopotamia test tomorrow. Some important things to know would be:
- Paleolithic age: the old stone age
- Neolithic age: The new stone age
- Males were dominant compared to women
- Patricians were dominant to Plebians
- People with money were better compared to poor people
- Hammurabi's code was seen as "an eye for an eye"
- Villagers were Polytheists: many Gods
- Populations rose due to increased ability to care for young
- Cuneiform: Earliest form of writing
- Better food storage allowed for diversity of professions

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

January 27, 2015: Class

Today in Western Civilization we went over laws in Hammurabi's code. We used a website and discussed what the laws meant and if they were similar to the laws that we have now.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Questions for first test

1. When and where did human beings first emerge?
Human beings first emerged from Southwestern Africa.

2. Why did the period known as "prehistory" end?
The period "prehistory" ended because there was a shift from itinerant hunting/gathering to more permanent settlements centered on agriculture.

3. What made the rise of the civilization possible?
The rise of the civilization was possible because of new irrigation techniques.

4. Name some early technological innovations.
Some technological innovations were the wheel and the plow.

5. How did hunters/gatherers live?
Hunters/gatherers lived by aimlessly walked around for food, not having a home.

6. Who was King Hammurabi and why was he important?
King Hammurabi was the King of Babylon and he created a series of laws known as "Hammurabi's Code."

-Prehistory: The period of time before written records.
-Paleolithic Age: The old stone age; Earliest prehistoric age.
-Neolithic age: The new stone age; the beginnings of agriculture and advanced tool making,
-Agricultural revolution: Also known as the Neolithic revolution, this was a shift from itinerant hunting/gathering to more permanent settlements centered on agriculture.
-Cuneiform: The earliest form of writing, invented by Sumerians
-Ziggurat: A Sumerian temple built on top of a "mountain" of earth.
-Indo-Europeans: People from the grasslands of the Russian steppe who introduced the horse to the near east.


Friday, January 23, 2015

January 23, 2015: Class

Today we took notes in class.

Mesopotamia
- A pantheon of Sumerian Gods and Goddesses emerged, with many of the deities representing the natural elements of the world.
- The world's first (surviving) epic was the Sumerian "Epic of Gilgamesh" which told of a great flood
- Sumerians first divided the hour into sixty minutes and the minute into sixty seconds; They also organized a calendar based on moon cycles
- The Ziggurat was a Sumerian temple built on top of a "mountain" of earth

Civilization in Mesopotamia
- Wandering nomads drove herds of domesticated animals in many areas, especially in the south of Sumer in Arabia
- King Hammurabi of Babylon created a series of laws known as "Hammurabi's Code" - Laws that included "An eye for an eye" and regulations of marriage, divorce, and punishments for all sorts of crimes

The Expansion of Mesopotamia Civilization
- Indo-Europeans were people from the grasslands of the Russian steppe who introduced the horse to the near east
- The warlike Indo-European tribe known as the Hittities settled in Asia minor
- The Hittities had a lucrative trade in metals and conquered nearly all of their neighbors, even threatening Egypt

Thursday, January 22, 2015

January 22, 2015: Class

Today we took notes in class.

3000-1200 B.C.E.
Before Civilization 
- the origins and "ages" of human beings
- 2000 years ago, a human species emerged in southwestern Africa
- 14,000 years ago, a world wide human race existed
- earliest prehistoric age is the paleolithic age (old stone age)
- Neolithic age (new stone age) was marked by advanced tool making and the beginnings of agriculture
- initially, humans were part of migratory groups which hunted, fished, and gathered plants for food

Prehistoric era
- The agricultural revolution
- Also known as neolithic revolution, this was a shift from itinerant hunting/gathering to more permanent settlements centered on agriculture
- Populations rose due to increased ability to care for young children
- Hierarchies appeared in village life; the status of women was lowered as women were confined more to domestic duties
- Invention of the wheel and plow made it possible to produce enough food for storage
- Villagers were polytheists; worshipped multiple nature, human, and animal gods.

The earliest cities
- the district known as Sumer occupied the land between Tigris and Euphrates River
- Population increased dramatically due to new irrigation techniques
- Cities and towns were founded, some with as many as 40,000 inhabitants
- Better food storage allowed for diversity in professions: Priests, tradesmen, artisans, politicians, farmers
- Kings emerged, as did family dynasties and the concept of the "city-state"
- Sumerians invented the earliest form of writing, known as "cuneiform"