People and Ideas on the Move
• Indo-Europeans: group of nomadic ppl who
came from the steppes
• I.E. language has lineage today in Europe, Asia,
Spanish, English, Persian, and Hindi (words on
pg 61)
Unexplained Migration
• I.E.’s migrate out of the steppes around 1700
BC to different regions. Not exactly sure why.
What are some possible explanations?
Hittite Empire
• Around 2000 BC, the Hittites control
Anatolia (62). Separate Hittite states
form an empire around 1650 BC and
make Hattusas its capitol. It dominated
for 450 years. They take over Babylon,
but can’t defeat or be defeat by Egypt
so….. They sign a peace treaty promising
to work together against future invaders
• Hittites adapt- they use their own languages
domestically, but use Akkadian (Babylonian
language) internationally.
• They borrowed ideas of literature, art,
politics, and law from Mesopotamia
• Were superior in warfare b/c of superior
chariots (light and maneuverable) and iron
weapons.
• Due to flights of migration tribes attack the
Hittite Empire, ending its reign around 1190
BC
Aryans Transform India
• Settled east of the Caspian Sea and migrated toward
the Indus River Valley
• Left no archaeological record, but did leave Vedas
• Vedas- 4 collections of prayers, spells, and instructions
for performing rituals (*Rig Veda)
Caste System Develops
• Organized into four groups: Brahmins (priests),
warriors, traders/landowners, peasants. As Aryans
migrate into Indus RV, Shudras do the work that
Aryans don’t want to
• Skin color distinguishes the classes oftentimes
• “untouchables”
Aryan Kingdoms Arise
• Extend their settlements (65)
• Originally, chiefs were elected by tribe. Then,
minor kings emerge and set up territorial
kingdoms. Magadha was the strongest
• Mahabharata-epic that depicts the struggles
between Aryan kings
• Violence and confusion about humans and
gods cause new religions to emerge. Guess
which…
Hinduism
• Cannot be traced back to one founder with a single set
of ideas
Origins and Beliefs
• Belief that religion liberates the soul
• Upanishads- written dialogues that explain how a
person can achieve “liberation” (moksha)
• Reincarnation: soul can be born again and again until
moksha is achieved
• Karma- one’s good or bad deeds follow them from
one life to the next to influence their circumstances
(caste system)
Hinduism Changes
• Originally had three gods (Brahma- the creator,
Vishnu- the protector, and Shiva- the destroyer)
• Over time, Vishnu takes on different personalities
(Krishna and Rama). Also, the idea of a “world soul”
(Brahman) declines, and people worship Devi
(Mother Goddess)
• Today, Hindus are free to worship their own deity or
none at all, and can take three different paths
toward moksha
Hinduism and Society
• Essentially only men at the top could achieve
moksha in their present life
• People’s situation reflects their past lives
• Hinduism dominated every aspect of a person’s
life (what they could eat, cleanliness, their friends,
their clothing, etc.)
New Religions Arise
• Jainism and Buddhism
Jainism
• Founded by Mahavira, this religion argues that
everything has a soul and should not be harmed
(insects, plants, etc.)
• Preach tolerance of religions and do not spread
their culture (most still live in India)
Buddhism
• Founded by Siddhartha Gautama
• Destined for greatness by prophecy
Siddhartha’s Quest
• @ 29, leaves his family’s palace for the first time
(four times in all)
• 1st- sees an old man, 2nd- sees a sick man, 3rd- sees a
corpse, 4th- a holy man at peace with himself
• Interprets this to mean that every person will
experience old age, health problems, and death;
but that with a religious life you can escape all these
• Wandered through Indian forests for 6 years
seeking enlightenment
• Tried fasting and it didn’t work. Spoke with other
religious scholars, and it didn’t work. Finally, he
meditated underneath a fig tree for 49 days and
reached a conclusion on the cause of suffering.
From then on, he was named the Buddha or
“enlightened one”
Origins and Beliefs of Buddhism
• 4 Noble Truths- preached to 5 disciples
1. Life is filled with suffering and sorrow
2. Cause of suffering is people’s selfish desire
for temporary pleasures of the world
3. Way to end suffering is to end desires
4. The way to overcome desires and attain
enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold Path
(69)
• By following the path, one could reach nirvana
(release from selfishness and pain)
• Buddha agreed with reincarnation, but rejected
the idea of the caste system (b/c of the privileges
of the Brahman priests)
• NIRVANA vs. MOKSHA***
RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY
• 5 disciples who heard Buddha’s first sermon
were admitted to the sangha
• Three Jewels of Buddhism- religious community,
Buddha, and dharma (doctrine)
Buddhism and Society
• Monks and nuns vow to live a life of poverty,
nonviolence, and abstinence
• Women are allowed in the sangha
Buddhism in India
• After Buddha’s death, missionaries spread his faith
all over Asia, except India? Why do you think this is
so since it originated there?
Trade & Spread of Buddhism
• Along with trading their products, they carried
Buddhism to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and
Sumatra. Also along the Silk Roads to China, and
then to Japan and Korea.
Minoans
• Minoans- powerful sea-faring people who
dominated trade (pottery, swords, figurines,
precious metals, art and culture) in the
Mediterranean from 2000-1400 BC.
• Live in the island of Crete, on the southern
end of the Aegean Sea
Unearthing Knossos
• Discovered around 1900 AD
• Named after King Minos, who owned halfhuman/half-bull named Minotaur
• Women had a higher rank here than most
cultures
• Sacrifices to the gods were common (animals
and people)
Mysterious End?
• Ended around 1200 BC
• 1470 BC a series of earthquakes hits Crete,
followed by a volcanic eruption on
neighboring island of Thera
• Doesn’t wipe them out, but cripples them just
enough to make them susceptible to invasion
from Greeks (THEORY)
Phoenicians
• Phoenicia is in present day Lebanon
• Take over the sea trade after the Minoans
• Never united into a country, but instead
created many wealthy city-states around the
Mediterranean
• 1st Mediterranean people to venture beyond
the Strait of Gibraltar
Commercial Outposts
• Most important cities were Sidon and Tyre
(red-purple dye), and Byblos (papyrus) PG 59
• Phoenicians set up city-states in N. Africa, in
Sicily (Italy), and Spain
• Greatest was Carthage in N. Africa
• Cities were about 30 miles apart
Phoenicia’s Alphabet
• Needed for trading transactions with other countries
• Developed a writing system that used symbols to
represent sounds (phonetic)
• Neighboring traders typically adopted the Phoenician
alphabet
• Few records available because papyrus deteriorates
• Trading economy was disrupted when Eastern cities
were captured by Assyrians in 842 BC. Phoenicians
were forced to move and set up city-sates in the west
Origins of Judaism
• Hebrew (______) people lived in _________(land God
promised to his people)
• First five books of the Hebrew Bible are called the
_____________(in the Old Testament to Christians)
• God chose ____________to be the father of the
Hebrew people
• Abraham was a shepherd in ___ (Mesopotamia) who
moves the Hebrew people to Canaan around 1800 BC.
His descendants move to ___________150 years later
• Hebrews were ______________(______) and didn’t
believe in making physical images of him
• __________-promise between a god and human
Moses and the Exodus
• Hebrews flee to Egypt due to drought and famine.
Eventually were forced into __________in Egypt by
Pharaoh
• Jews called this migration the “____________”, and
celebrate it during the Passover
• ____________(raised by Egyptian lady) leads the
Jews out of slavery in Egypt
• while fleeing Egypt, the Jews cross the
________________. Moses climbs Mt. Sinai to
pray. God reveals the ______________________ to
Moses and promises to protect the Jews as long as
the Jews keep the 10 commandments covenant
Land and People of the Bible
• Jews wander the Sinai desert for 40 years. Moses
dies, and the Jews return to ___________. They
switch from nomadism to farmers and herders, and
learn new technologies from people in ancient
Canaan
• Broken into 12 tribes- God would chose judges to
unite the tribes in times of emergency
• Most prominent judge was a woman named
Deborah
Hebrew Law
• Women typically didn’t participate in religion
• Ethical monotheism- Hebrew idea emphasizing right
conduct and worship of one God
• Similar to _________________, but more merciful
Kingdom of Israel
Saul and David Est. a Kingdom
• 11/12 tribes fall to Philistines, leader of 12th was
Judah
• From 1020-922 BC, Hebrews are united under
__________________________in what comes to
be known as Israel. Saul
_____________________, and his son David
________________. David’s son Soloman (most
prominent) _____________________and builds
temples and palaces
The Kingdom Divides
• Solomon’s temples/palaces strained the kingdom’s
finances, and men were forced to spend much time
working on them, causing them to dislike Soloman.
• After Soloman dies, the kingdom divides. The north
remains under the name __________, and the
south adopts the name ___________
Babylonian Captivity
• 738 BC- both kingdoms have to pay
__________(peace money paid by a weak
power to a strong power) to Assyria
• Assyrians don’t honor agreement and attack
Samaria (Israel) in 725 BC. Judah resists for
150 years, until Babylonians take over.
• 539 BC, King Cyrus (Persian) conquers Babylon
and allows Jewish exiles to return to
Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.