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| 2813997522 | The Paleolithic Age | refers to about 12,000 BC. During this time people were nomadic. | 0 | |
| 2813997523 | The Neolithic Age | refers to the age from about 12,000 BC to about 8000 BC. It is during this time that people settled in communities and civilization began to emerge. | 1 | |
| 2813997524 | River Valley Civilizations | refers to about 3500 to 1500 BC. Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, Shang China | 2 | |
| 2813997526 | Culture: Mesopotamia | Cuneiform;Extensive trade with Egypt and the Indus Valley Epic of Gilgamesh Early use of bronze tools, chariots Advanced astronomy; math based on 60 Pessimistic view of world, perhaps due to irregular, unpredictable flooding of the rivers Polytheism - gods powerful and often cruel Kings powerful, but not divine | 3 | |
| 2813997527 | Politics: Mesopotamia | City-states and warrior kings Hammurabi's Code Competition among city states as well as frequent invasions led to less political stability than in Egypt | 4 | |
| 2813997528 | Social: Mesopotamia | Job specialization - farmers, metallurgist, merchants, craftsmen, political administrators, priests; Social classes; Marriage contracts, veils for women; women of upper classes less equal than lower class counterparts | 5 | |
| 2813997529 | Culture:Egypt | Concerned with decorative arts, shipbuilding, some medical knowledge Less advanced in math and astronomy than Mesopotamians Less extensive trade, especially in earlier eras Polytheism, with pharaoh as a god Optimistic view of life | 6 | |
| 2813997530 | Politics: Egypt | Divine kingship - the pharaoh; highly centralized, authoritarian government Generally stable government throughout the 3 kingdoms Extensive bureaucracy; pharaoh's power channeled through regional governors | 7 | |
| 2813997531 | Social: Egypt | Smaller nobility than Mesopotamia; fewer merchants Some social mobility through the bureaucracy Priests have high status (only ones who understand the complex hieroglyphic written language) Women - probably higher status than in Mesopotamia; love poetry indicates some importance placed on male/female relationships | 8 | |
| 2813997532 | Culture: Indus Valley | Writing system only recently decipherable Soapstone seals that indicate trade with both Mesopotamians and China pottery making with bulls and long-horned cattle a frequent motif Small figurines of women Cruder weapons than Mesopotamians - stone arrowheads, no swords Polytheism - naked man with horns the primary god; fertility goddesses Two cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Dara | 9 | |
| 2813997533 | Politics: Indus Valley | Assumed to be complex and thought to be centralized Limited information, but large granaries near the cities indicate centralized control | 10 | |
| 2813997534 | Social : Indus Valley | Priests have highest status, based on position as intermediaries between gods and people Differences in house sizes indicate strong class distinctions Statues reflects reverence for female reproductive function | 11 | |
| 2813997535 | Culture: Shang China | Oracles bones used to communicate with ancestors Pattern on bones formed basis for writing system; writing highly valued, complex pictorial language with 3000 characters by end of dynasty Uniform written language became bond among people who spoke many different languages Bronze weapons and tools, horse-drawn chariots Geographical separation from other civilizations, though probably traded with the Indus Valley | 12 | |
| 2813997536 | Politics: Shang China | Centralized government, power in the hands of the emperor Government preoccupied with flood control of the rivers Job specialization - bureaucrats, farmers, slaves | 13 | |
| 2813997537 | Social: Shang China | Social classes - warrior aristocrats, bureaucrats, farmers, slaves Patriarchal society; women as wives and concubines; women were sometimes shamans | 14 | |
| 2813997538 | Culture: Meso & South america | Olmecs in Mesoamerica: Highly developed astronomy; used to predict agricultural cycles and please the gods Polytheism; religious rituals important, shamans as healers Ritual ballgames Irrigation and drainage canals Giant carved stone heads; probably with religious significance | 15 | |
| 2813997539 | Politics:Meso & South america | Olmecs: apparently not united politically; unusual for ancient civilizations Chavin: probably political unification; public works operated by reciprocal labor obligations; had a capital city | 16 | |
| 2813997540 | Social: Meso & South america | Olmec: craft specializations; priests have highest status; most people were farmers Chavin: Priests have highest status; capital city dominated the hinterlands; most people were farmers | 17 | |
| 2813997541 | Agricultural societies | 8,000 BCE cultivate crops; domestication of plants and animals iron tools writing systems constant development | 18 | |
| 2813997542 | Pastoral societies | 8,000 BCE domesticated animals; domestication of horses and camels | 19 | |
| 2813997543 | Foraging societies | 35,000 BCE hunting and gathering;baskets for gathering and storing and hunting tools | 20 | |
| 2813997551 | Aryans | These herding peoples originated in the Caucasus area, but they began migrating in many directions about the mid 2nd millennium BCE. Waves of Aryan migrants invaded the Indian subcontinent, decimating the cities of the Indus Valley. | 21 | |
| 2813997553 | Polytheism | belief in a number of deities that can be anthromorphic or related to the non-human world | 22 |
