Chapter 4: New Civilizations in the Americas and Western Eurasia, 1200-250 BC
1. Introduction
a. Dido and the founding of Carthage
b. Migration and resettlement in the Mediterranean region and western Asia
c. The rise of complex societies in the Western Hemisphere
2. First civilizations of the Americas
a. The Mesoamerican Olmecs, 1200-400 BC
i. Three Olmec centers
ii. Agriculture
iii. Urban development and mass labor
iv. Politics
v. Trade and influence
vi. religion
b. Early South American Civilization, Chavin 900-250 BC
i. Geography and Chavin Huantar
ii. Chavin’s political and cultural dominance
iii. Agriculture, labor and trade
iv. Metallurgy and textiles
v. Class distinctions
3. Celtic Europe
a. The spread of the Celts
i. Celtic linguistic designation linked with Celtic culture
ii. Rapid expansion of Celtic groups in several directions
iii. Greek and Roman views of Celtic appearance
b. Celtic society
i. Celtic classes
ii. Celtic priests—druids
iii. Agriculture and shipbuilding
iv. Celtic women
c. Belief and knowledge
i. Deities and worship
ii. Burial and other worlds
iii. Roman conquest
4. The Assyrian Empire
a. God and King
i. Symbolism and kingship
ii. Duties of the king
iii. Government propaganda
b. Conquest and control
i. Military technology a fundamental factor of success
ii. Terror tactics discouraged resistance and rebellion
iii. Challenges to organization and communication
iv. Administration
v. Exploitation of wealth and people
c. Assyrian society and culture
i. Four classes in Assyrian society
ii. All free people had some legal protections
iii. Agriculture and artisans
iv. Continuing scientific developments
v. libraries
5. Israel
a. Origins, exodus and settlement
i. The Hebrew Bible as a historical source
ii. Story of nomadic pastoralists
iii. The experiences of Abraham may encompass the experiences of generations
iv. Israelite slaves and the exodus
v. The conquest of Canaan and forging a coalition
b. Rise of the monarchy
i. The Philistines and Saul, the first king of Israel
ii. David
iii. Solomon and the First temple
iv. Family and women
c. Fragmentation and dispersal
i. The division into Israel and Judea and resulting invasions
ii. The Diaspora and Babylonian Jews
iii. The Deuteronomic Code and Jewish cohesion
6. Phoenicia and the Mediterranean
a. The Phoenician City-States
i. Geography and the early Phoenician state
ii. Phoenicians first to develop an alphabetic system
iii. Byblos
iv. Tyre
b. Expansion into the Mediterranean
i. The formation of the Phoenician triangle
ii. The necessity for expansion
iii. Conflicts with the Greeks over Sicily
c. Carthage’s commercial empire
i. Founding of Carthage and its strategic elements
ii. The design of the city itself and population
iii. Administration and rule by merchant senate
iv. Navy, ship design and foreign policy
d. War and religion
i. Carthage: a different kind of empire
ii. The importance of civilizations and the resulting approach to the military and
war
iii. Religion and childhood sacrifice
7. Failure and transformation
a. Assyrian role in the events of the region
b. First cause of Assyrian decline was the resurgence of Babylon
c. Second reason for Assyrian decline was invasion by the Medes
8. Conclusion
a. Success and growth of human populations in Easter Hemisphere may be due to
environment
b. Environment may have inhibited development in the Americas
c. Population movement