📅Weekly Schedule and Objectives: Prehistory and Rise of Civilizations

Topic: Introduction: Prehistory and the Rise of Civilizations

Weekly Schedule
Due Date	Activity
June 23	Read & examine this week's modules Textbook: Introduction (Making Sense of World History) and Chapters 1-3 Watch: All Videos
June 23	Quiz:
June 23	Discussion:

Image: Royal Helmet from Ancient Mesopotamia

Summary:

One of the world's earliest civilization traces its origins to the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, or Mesopotamia, and was enriched through its contacts with other cultures, including those of Asia and Africa. At the same time, this influential civilization acquired a defining combination of features: cities, writing, artwork, commerce, religion, codified law, political structures, and social stratification. The Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Indo-Europeans, Phoenicians, Israelites and Persians all made innovative contributions to the evolution of Mediterranean civilization. This week we will also outline the development of human economy from hunting, gathering and primitive tool-making by kin groups during the Paleolithic age (ca. 40,000-10,000 B.C.) to the agricultural revolution of the Neolithic age (ca. 10,000-3,000 B.C.), when production surpluses led to the gradual development of trade, labor specialization and urban culture.

After the age of the Akkadian and Babylonian empires, two great cultures emerged; one in the Nile Valley, and the other in Anatolia. Egyptians and Hittites were remarkable for the complexity of their societies, their architectural achievements, their laws, and for their military achievements. Following the collapse caused by the raids of the Sea Peoples, the Phoenicians, with their alphabet, and the Hebrews, with their monotheism and concern with ethics, also made lasting contributions. Finally, the successive empires of the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians made further innovations based upon the ideas of their predecessors about warfare, ways of governing, and culture.

India

The subcontinent of India is substantially separated from the rest of Asia by mountains and seas. Its geographic diversity has fostered political fragmentation, yet the Ganges and Indus rivers worked in the other direction, assisting the emergence of India’s first river valley civilizations.

As elsewhere, settled agriculture led to population growth which, in turn, led to the emergence of towns and cities around 3000 B.C.E., notably Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. The evidence suggests that these cities had a high degree of urban planning and central authority. Farming was the foundation of Harappan civilization, which centered on farming, fertility, and family. Indus Valley culture declined after 2000 B.C.E., at the same time that the migration of Indo-European pastoral nomads (called Aryans) into the Indus Valley began. The Aryans established small kingdoms ruled by rajahs. Conflict and disunity became hallmarks of Indian society. The culture that developed in Aryan India is often called Vedic after the literature that has given us most of our information about the culture. Vedic culture was characterized by a rigid social structure and a complex caste system. While Indian society limited freedom and mobility, it provided considerable stability.

The Vedic-age religion, Brahmanism, set forth three basic concepts that have since been central to the Indian worldview: samsara, dharma, and karma. These concepts reinforced the social order. At the end of the Vedic era, around 500 B.C.E., several new religions emerged that challenged the status quo. Jainism focused on ahimsa, or nonviolence, and rejected caste inequalities. Buddhism too rejected caste differences and focused on the escape from all suffering. The challenge of Buddhism and Jainism stimulated the evolution of Brahmanism into Hinduism.

Political disunity continued in post-Vedic India. The dominant kingdom in the north was Magadha. Around 518 B.C.E., Persian forces began the conquest of the Indus Valley, bringing new connections and conflicts to the region, including an invasion by Alexander the Great. In the aftermath of Alexander’s death, Chandragupta Maurya seized the opportunity to form the Mauryan Empire (321–184 B.C.E.). Chandragupta’s grandson, Ashoka, proved one of the most memorable and important Indian rulers. The eventual collapse of the Mauryan Empire led to five centuries of Indian disunity. Nonetheless, Indian connections with other cultures continued to deepen and grow. India remained unified by shared cultural traits, with marked regional differences. The Kushans came to dominate parts of northern India from around 50 C.E., reinforcing ties between India and Central Asia. Buddhism spread and divided into different forms. Buddhism’s decline in India coincided with Hinduism’s evolution into a popular religion. Under the Gupta rulers, much of India was again united politically. The Gupta Empire saw the growth of India’s trade connections in all directions and the promotion of Hinduism.

Hindu society was dominated by the caste system. Every aspect of one’s life was determined by one’s caste. Indian society was patriarchal, centered on villages and extended families dominated by males. In the post-Vedic era, opportunities for women declined. Indian sculpture, art, and architecture were distinguished by delicacy, intricacy, and subtlety. Early thinkers made crucial contributions in science and mathematics. The main works of early Indian literature were the Upanishads and the great epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this week's module, students will be able to:

Understand the diverse resources employed in the study of history
Examine some of the major events that led to the rise of sedentary societies
Explore the connection between the Indo-European culture and the societies of the Near East
Examine some of the major historical events in the Hittite and Egyptian Empires
Discuss how Indian culture and society provided stability and continuity within a divided, conflict-ridden subcontinent