Notes on pages 86-106 from The Earth and Its Peoples
Barrett Lewis
Snow – 1st Period
Ancient civilization near modern-day Veracruz and Tabasco.
Urban development was possible through agricultural
advances.
Corn, beans, and squash were staples in diet.
Hierarchy implemented: Elite’s had raised platforms to
mingle on in urban centers, artisans lived downtown,
Domestication of foods, meant specialization.
Developed irrigation and drainage canals, raised fields to be
Olmec Society (1200400 BCE)
farmed, and built large public buildings became a signature
Olmec icon.
Urban complexes were aligned with certain stars, indicating
a belief in astronomical events.
Probable kingship.
11 foot carved heads found and believed to remember rulers
Polythesitic: most deities had male and female natures as
well as blended human and animal characteristics.
Produced a calendar based on stars.
Likely inventors of a ritual ball game that became very
ceremonial.
First major civilization in South America.
Capital: Chavin de Huantar in the Andes Mountains north of
Chavin Society (900250 BCE)
modern-day Lima, Peru.
Became very politically and economically dominant in a
densely populated area between Peruvian coast and Andean
foothills.
Regionally influential in religion and politics
Lots of agriculture and fishing provided a dependable supply
of food that made development of cities possible.
Maize cultivation opened trade with High Mountain valley
people and Amazonian producers of coca and fruits.
Llamas allowed for transportation of goods between areas.
Chavin liked to make complexes of multilevel platforms
made of packed earth. Small buildings used for religious and
residential purposes were built this way.
Gold technology was found in ruins of Chavin.
Kings and priests were buried with many objects. Hierarchy.
Moving west, Celts spread to most of France, Britain, and
Ireland. They also overran Italy in the 5th century BCE.
Wore pants, indicating horse riding, and twisted gold
necklaces, and stiffened their red hair with a lime solution.
They were known to be fond of war, courageous, emotional,
and impulsive, overly fond of boasting, but quick-witted and
eager to learn.
Elites were warriors, professionals, priests, bards, and
Celtic Society
(initial spread
500 BCE)
commoners.
Druids: Celtic priests
Successful farmers, able to support large populations.
Metallurgy skills surpassed most Mediterranean people.
Some made solid ships on the coast of France.
Used rivers for commerce.
Women usually raised children, made food, and some crafts.
Did not have true equality with men.
Marriage was based on what property one could bring to it.
Celtic women had more sexual freedom than Southern
counterparts.
Had more than 400 gods and goddesses that were
associated with localities, kinships, animals, or things.
Early Celts didn’t build temples, because they worshiped
different places in nature and their homes.
Believed in afterlife indicated by goods buried with elites.
Rulers invaded through lots of lands.
Implemented trading roads to Asia, military forces, tax
systems, iron and silver.
Assyrian empire was the biggest seen until modern times.
The king owned all the land, and everyone was his servant.
Everyday he received reports from spies, messengers from
all over his empire, made military and political decisions.
Size and power of military allowed for such a large empire
and great success.
Iron technology gave them an advantage over others. They
dug tunnels, invented huge contraptions for war, and had a
network of spies for strategic intelligence gathering.
Neo-Assyrian Society
(911-612 BCE)
Implemented mass deportation in order to spread
population and culture.
Never found a good way to govern such a huge empire.
Governors had frequent inspections by royal overseers.
Supervisors and scribes maintained the palaces and offices
of the government.
Taxes used to fund the military.
No social difference between native Assyrians and
“annexed” peoples.
Artisans and small workshop owners made goods like
textiles, tools, pottery, metals, dyes, gems, and ivory.
Silver was the basic currency.
Library of Ashurbanipal contained many official documents
and literary and scientific texts.
Camped by permanent water sources during the dry season
then drove animals to a well-established sequence of grazing
for the rest of the year. Animals provided milk, cheese, meat,
and cloth.
Abraham was the leader succeeded by his sons Isaac and
Isreal
(2000-500 BCE)
Jacob.
Moses brought down the Ten Commandments from Mount
Sanai.
Twelve Tribes that lived in different parts of the country
The reign of David’s son Solomon marked a high point in
Israelite monarchy. He built the First Temple in Jerusalem.
Solomon’s death brought chaos on Israel.
Developed the first alphabet system of writing. In this
system each symbol represents a sound and only about 24
symbols are needed. Wrote on papyrus, so most historical
records and documents are gone.
Byblos was the most important Phoenician city-state. The
word bible meaning book comes from this region because of
Phoenicia and
Mediterranean
Societies
(pop. growth in
1200 BCE)
the papyrus production there.
Tyre gained access to many silver, surplus food, and trade
routes, monopolizing the coastline.
Tyre was a great place for trade because of the many port
areas.
30,000+ population.
Colonies were established on Cyprus, which was a major
source of copper and is on the trade routes taken by ships.
Combo of state enterprise and private initiative made
westward expansion possible.
Carthage was positioned at modern-day Tunis, Tunisia.
Urban center enclosed in 22 mile long wall which was 2.5
miles wide, 40 feet high.
Population  400,000, diverse
Judges were elected from upper-class families. Served as
heads of state and carried out administrative and judicial
functions.
Had a navy with greatly designed ships and proficient
sailors, 30-170 rower boats to move at high speeds.
Re-exported goods for profit.
Not much violence.
Turned up tophets: walled enclosures in which were buried
thousands of small, sealed urns, containing burned bones of
children.
Tough, rough and strict.