Egypt 3200- 3000 BC King Menes (Upper Egypt) conquers lower Egypt, builds Memphis
Dynasty of Pharoahs 3000 BC
-29 Dynasters until Alexander (Greece) conquers Egypt
-Early pharaohs established spiritual supremacy over other houses
-every city had its own patron deity
Mortuary rituals= fueled by tales of Osiris: God of the afterworld
-All Egyptians believed in preservation of the body for fulfillment in the afterlife (immortality)
-Buried personal belongings, food, etc
-Abydos (300 miles from Memphis) Temple/tomb of the Osiris cult (quick river ride)
(Peasants and merchants sailed along the nile)
-Mastaba: Tomb for pharaohs meat to last forever
-580 servants of king DJER were killed so they could serve him in the afterlife (2900 BC)
-Sacrificed ceased in time
Embalming
-Swathing the body in resin soaked bandages
-2600 BC: removed the dead pharoah’s internal organs (put them in jar) Salt preservative: Natron
-filled the body with resin soaked linen
-face paint, jewelry, robes
(priests would bring new food supplies to a statue of the pharaoh, but eat it before it went bad)
-tombraiders were already a problem so the ahll leading to the sarcophagus chamber was filled with rubble to scare them and deter their efforts
2650 BC – King Djoser of the third dynasty – commissioned a huge stone Mastaba that would “reach to the heavens� to proclain exalted status
Stone was plentiful/ timber was scarce
-Granite, basalt, quartz, white limestone
Imhotep = High priests of the sun cult at Heliopolis, pharoah’s first counselor, sculptor and architect
-built the step pyramids (six mastabas stacked ontop of eachother, diminishing in size)
Sed – Reinactment of the pharaoh’s inauguration in which the pharoah’s spirit was supposed to take part in
2600 BC King Sneferu huilt the “true pyramid� with smooth sides
-Emerged RE the sun god (temple entrances faced the east)\
Pharoah was lord of the land
-In the absence of written law his word was law
-Delegated duties = bureaucracies ranked in order
1)Vizier – First counselor – Chief of police, commander of armies, judge of the high court, responsible for collection of taxes
2)Chancellor
3)Nomarchs – Provincial governors – Sometimes challenged to overthrow the pharaoh – but usually quite faithful to the pharaoh
Taxes – calculated according to the flood stage at locations along the river
most tax money came from food tax (cash crops) February – peasants took to the fields – nile water had receeded
Egypt’s 3 seasons
1)Inundation – July –September – Peasants could work on the pyramids – nile river highest
2)Emergence: Oct
3)Drought: Feb- July – Peasants brought in harvest – nile water lowest
All social and economic life of great households and peasants was recorded in writing
-Egyptians started a less phonetic language called “Hieratic� which relied more on pictures
-Writing was aided by abundance of papyrus from reeds along the nile
-Papyrus was egypts largest primary export
Schools in Egypt
-Whippings were frequent, men who taugh were usually priests whose duties were to celebrate the miraculous powers of nature
-Egyptians worshipped the divine spirit that animated the animals of their deity
-priests were members of an exclusive social class
pharaohs were reluctant to interfere with the affairs of established cults Astrologists, scribes, musicians, etc
Layers of priesthood:
1)Chief Priests – Enter sacred temples
2)Specialists
3)Common clergy – Bearers of incense burners, interpreters of dreams
-worked part time 1 month out of every four months
poor people were thought to go to a different afterlife than the upper class Human headed bird that returns to the body but can fly away at will
Ghostly components of the self
AKH – Transfigured spirit leaves to body and becomes a star
BA –Soul
KA – life force – Energy provided by the offerings by the living
-statue vested with power to assume bodily functions was placed near their dead
Pharaohs sponsored ambitious trading expeditions
2000 BC trade becomes province of the people and not only the pharaoh
-cedar was a major import for furniture and homes
-dwarfs were property of high status individuals
2250 BC Pepy II – End of an era
-Egypts nomarchs had become quite powerful and wealthy
-sever famine from low floods, crops died, villages pillaged
-credibility within the religious system was lost
Government became a matter of brute force
2065 Thebans *Mantuhotpe II staged a coup and reunited Egypt for 3 generations
-Kings built cheap pyramids from stones of older pyramids
Sesostris II – Builds a 300 feet wide canal into a natural depression
-caravans would carry the dismantled ship they’d cross the water on
-egyptian trade spread to Palestine and Crete
1785 BC – Rivalry between upper and lower Egypt – Excessive flooding
Enemies of Egypt
-Nubians (north) Bedouins (east) Lybians (west)
-captured soldiers were forced to fight for pharaoh’s armies
Technology of warfare in Egypt was poor
-Mesopotamians had better weapons, shields, helmets and armor
-egyptian soldiers fought nearly naked
1650 BC – Asiatic tribes “Hyskos� wheeled chariots conquered Egypt
100 years later Thebes began fighting with northern Egypt
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Sumer 3000 BC (Greeks call the land between two rivers “Mesopotamia�
By this time the majority of the planet’s population was nomadic
-hunters/gatherers followed herds
-humans wore animal skins and lived in caves or crude lean-to’s
Mesopotamia – Irrigated farmland
Sumerians – (Access to two rivers) Developed grand scale irrigation
Surplus of food = more time to develop new skills
Sumerians produced : artisans, traders, priests, scribes, merchants
-all thanks to farmers
-organized religion, system of government, social classes
-first form of writing (pass knowledge to future generations)
Best soil was found on the banks of the Tigris/Euphrates river
Invention = The Plow (Bronze) Allowed larger plots thanks to irrigation canals
Specialization (managers) division of labor
Agriculture gave rise to a system of astronomy (calendar was created)
-Calendar based on lunar months of 28 days
Invention = The wheel (first employed in pottery making, Sumerians flipped it on it’s side
Spiritual Specialists – Cosmological system w/thousands of gods
-God for everything
-Each settlement had its own god assigned to it since the world’s birth
-All Gods were not equal Main gods = Heaven, air, earth and water
-First AN god of the heavens was most powerful
-later superceded by ENLIL god of the air
Temples – Most prominent structures in Sumerian communities (Ziggurats = high temples)
-Priests managed quite a bit of land
-Temple granaries supported priests and others in need (widows/children)
-Administrators managed temple finances and spiritual priests covered the non-material shit
Order of rank 1)Amin/High Priest 2)Lower Priest who offered sacrifices and praised gods with song and instrumental music
-temples eventually resembled miniature cities
-staffs included cooks, maids, weavers (mostly slaves) field workers
-artisans were contracted out to provide temple goods
Traveling Merchants
-Traded lumber along the river by lashing rafts together from the wood, inflated animal skins and loaded stone and other heavier items on top
-Donkey caravans
-Brought exotic items from faraway lands
-Bazaars (flea markets)
-Shared stories, ideas and expanded intellectual horizons
-spread the Sumerian influence
Writing priests – pictographs
-used sharpened reeds on wet clay to help keep track of contributions
-initially evolved from a concrete representation of familiar objects into abstract representations which sounded the same but held different meaning
-picture signs eventually came to stand for sounds and ideas
-600 character vocabulary
-Began as top right corner to bottom, became later left to right/top to bottom
-Marks evolved into wedge shapes called – cuneiform
-epic of gilgamesh – (3,500 line poem about the king of Uruk)
-Edubba – World’s first school (tablet house)
-Immia (professor) paid by student’s tuition all were male
-very strict rules of conduct
-Mathematics!
-Sexegesimal system based on the number sixty (divisible by twelve numbers)
-traces still remain : sixty minute hour, 360 degree circle
-Graduation brought handsome reward
-Every Sumerian adult could stylishly write their name
2700 BC – Uruk – 1,000 acres and 50,000 people
-Six mile long wall protected it from invaders
-Rudimentary postal services
The needs of commerce gave rise to the administering of laws by kings
-Expanded from commercial to civil and criminal conduct
-Ur-nammu’s written laws
-moved away from corporeal punishment/towards monetary fines (humane laws)
-Panel of judges (elders from the community)
Legal documents = legal marriage (contract w/conditions and penalties for divorce)
Women –
-could own property, engage in business and act as witnesses in court
-could be sold into slavery by the husband to repay debts
-could be divorced for not producing children
(men could take more than one wife)
2350 BC – First mention of the word “freedom� (king Urukhgina)
3 social classes
-Aristocracy: King and officials, priests, wealthy merchants
-Middle Class (majority) Ordinary free citizens: farmers, fisherman, artisans, scribes
-Lower Class: Slaves
Slaves (meaning “foreignerâ€Â?) usually criminals or prisoners of war (usually between Sumerian city –states)—-their neighbors were often their slaves also
Many entered into bondage voluntarily (meals and places to sleep)
-Parents could sell their own children
-Men could sell their entire family
-Possessed certain rights – could engage in business/borrow money—If a slave married a free spouse, their children could be born free—Slaves could buy their freedom
Diets of all classes was mostly grain – Wheat, Barley (unleavened bread, flour, cereal)
-Barley – most popular beverage = beer/ale (true beer not invented for 4,000 more years)
-Ninkasi – god of the preparation of ale
-40% of all grain went towards breweries
-Citizen’s were quite addicted to ale
Vegetables – Lentils, beans, onions, green lettuce
Fish: 50 varieties taken from the rivers
Cattle/Goats provided milk (cheese butter and yogurt)
-only the very wealthy ate meat regularly
Date palm trees yielded 100 lbs of fruit per tree per year
Medicine – The ill turned to exorcists at first
2500 BC – The first physicians appear
Salt= Antiseptic
Akali = Salves
Natural Fat = Salves
Average lifespan = 40 years old
Often servants were buried in the tombs (possibly alive) with their dead owners
!Sumerians failed to live in peace – bitter disputes between city states divided them
-Axes, maces, lances, arrows, daggers
-some platoons were professional soldiers, some were formed from the heads of civilian households
-(copper) pikes, axes, Phalanx – Large rectangular shields
2335 BC – Sargon the great (semitic ancestry) –Akkadian
-Conquered and united Mesopotamia under one ruler for the first time
2235 BC – Gutians invade and sack capital city of agade
2100 BC – Ur Nammu usurps king Utuhegel – Leader of the anti-gutian revolt
-Ushered a renaissance in commerce, art and architecture
-Renovated canals, built 70 foot tall ziggurat in UR
Centuries of irrigation diminished the fertility of the fields leaving salt residue instead of water
Anxiety increased as food/water becomes scarce city states began fighting again
1950 bc – Elamites (barbarians) Invaded and destroyed UT
1900 BC – Amorites (sheep-herders former trade partners/mercenaries) invaded peacefully and established the new capital in the North (Babylon)
1800 bc – Hammurabi becomes king of Babylon and reigns for 42 years
-Code of hammurabi – 300 royal decisions in civil matters
-Harsh Amorite tradition (strict penalties for adultery)
-Conquered sumer’s quarrelling city-states one by one
-Political end of Sumer/ Beginning of Babylon (not culturally)
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Indus River Pakistan 2500 BC
Bronzeworkers – Southeast asia
Tigers, bears, monkeys, elephants, wolves, parrots, buffalos, crocodiles,
Stone slingshots
Flooding – Extremely dangerous – curse/blessing
-Indus river spontaneously changed it’s course
-provided surplus crops
Harappans –complex levees and irrigation systems
-Built citadels on high places safer from flooding (Metropolis) –manmade islands
-2300 BC Harappa is home to 35,000 people
350 miles south “hill of the dead� same architecture
-indus cities were well designed to accommodate traffic – housing/business sectors
-streets were straight unlike footpath like streets
housing was from fired brick foundations, important parts – sun dried brick
-no fancy display – rich families lived similar to poor people
-indoor plumbing – bathrooms and toilets. Bathed w/handheld pitchers. Sewage system
-sanitation workers, fulltime garbage men, sewage maintenance
-home-made businesses other than farming: blacksmith, weaver, potter
Agriculture – Farming complexes w/barracks – controlled by govt – granaries
-wheat, barley, sesame oil, fruits & vegetables of all kinds
-elephants and buffalo were domesticated (donkeys and camels were rare)
-Culture revered animals – painted and sculpted them a lot, kept exotic pets
Weapons used mostly for hunting – peaceful people
-large implements were stone or wood, knives copper, bronze was rare
=tin was scarce, essential for bronze
Shatter drinking cups – banquet halls filled with
Major export – cotton 0 only Indus knew how to grow it
-heavy emphasis on trade: exported ivory, gemstones, timber. Imported: Bitumen, gold, tin.
2350 BC trade with summer and akkad flourishes
-people used 2 units of measure
1)Foot (13.2 inches)
2)Cubit (20.62 inches)
Indus people left no histories, religious texts, or stories. Only small seals used for business
-Harrapans built no temples
-worshipped a ‘mother goddess’ fertility beings (middle east, Europe)
-bathhouses – religious cleansing rituals
People buried in cemeteries, one found in a coffin, mostly buried in dirt
1900 BC – Indus cities slipped into decline permanently
disruption of the valley’s ecology – over logging forests
1800 BC 0 shipments to Mesopotamia suddenly cease
-central asia populations expand
3600 BC Thailand – Khorat very skilled workers
-slash and burn soil cultivation
2000 BC – Experts at metalworking
-bronze = lead, antimony or arsenic added to copper. Tin – richest resource
-socketed tools – built to attach to a handle
No temples, cities or rulers
-depended on the spoken word – no system of writing
south china – Yangtze river
Large communal houses – whole communities w/hundreds of people
-each family with it’s own room with it’s own hearth
Villagers ate rice, wheat millet, fruits, nuts, pigs and dogs
Longshan – Yellow River – 2500 BC
Redesigned kilns for higher temperatures – thinner pottery
-variety of spear and arrowheads not for hunting – armed combat
-buried their dead within the city beneath the floor or cemented in walls
Men successful in battle took on roles of leadership
-degrees of influence and wealth divided people into social classes; aristocracy
-Shamans whose job was to tell the future, holy men: astronomy, meteorology
Yellow river often flooded “river of sorrow�
2300 BC – Emperor Yu the great – supposedly devised ‘nets’ – XIA Dynasty
-built a vast system of dykes, tamed the yellow river
-china’s original calendar
Brutal cults 0 Ceremonial adaptation
1800 BC – XIA falls victim to the Shang dynasty
China is the only of the great ancient civilizations that escape conflict with traditions intact
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1700 BC Hittites
Impressive art, humane code of law, chariots, peacemakers
Chariots – spoked wheels, slim design = Hittite battle chariot
-Well bred/tamed horses – much faster
-some vehicles held 3 soldiers
-axle positioned in the rear –more maneuverable
-mass chariot charges – shock value
-smaller chariots carried 2 archers & a driver, larger ones two spearmen
1372 BC – Suppilliuma – Kinf of Hatti during war with Mattani (Mesopotamia)
1353 BC Queen of Egypt requests one of Suppiluliuma’s sons
-King tut died at age eighteen
-Supilulima’s son was captured by usurping forces of AI and killed
Military Manual – Chariot Maintenance
Charioteers = aristocratic leaders devoted to charioteering (feudal system)
Teshub – Storm God – Person wielding lighting bolt and drawn by a full chariot
Hittite law – Restitution instead of retribution
Death penalty = bestiality or rape, disobeying king’s orders
-Of the woman doesn’t cry for help she is also put to death
1306 – Muwatalli – Grandson of Supiluliuma
-Used spy tactics to trick ramses who was rescued by caananite reinforcements
Egyptians retreated from Kadesh – lost cntrol of Syria
1269 Ramses II and Hattusili sign a treaty and fight against Assyrians
-revolt contributed to decline of Hittites
1200 BC “Sea People� invade and conquer Anatolia and plunder everything
-Assyrian farmers become warriors fighting for expanded territory
-Assyrians used terror and atrocity as instruments of warfare
1275-1245 Shalmaneser I
1244 Tukulti ninurta (shalmaneser’s son)
-overwhelms Babylonian armies capturing kashtiliash, stole statue of marduk
-son assassinated him and usurped throne 1208 hittites are crushed by “sea people�
1115 BC Tiglath Pileser – Economic rebound
New battle tactics – less emphasis on charioteering
-increased use of massive infantry using peasants, slaves and soldiers
-bronze shields and armor and weapons, helmets
Aramains constantly raided Assyrian territory
Tiglath Pileser could never subdue aramaens completely
1000 BC – Assyrians expand control of middle east
Assyrian kings relied on religious soothsayers spiritual advice
-power behind the throne
Assyrians studied the histories of people they conquered
Used immense armies 200,000 – 4 different branches
1)light infantry (mostly archers)
2)Heavy infantry/ shock troops (bronze spears and swords)
3)Chariotry gave way to cavalry –shield bearing driver held reigns while master fired arrows
4)Eventually archers fought alone as cavalrymen
Military engineers paved roads with stone – increased communication – couriers fast
900 BC – Ashurnasirpal II – Assyrians march west – great slaughter
-Terror warfare – impalement, mutilations, awesome atrocities
-massive forced relocation, enslavement
713 BC – Sargon II – Marches against Urartu
-internal revolt and assassination attempts contribute to final downfall
671 Earshadon conquers Memphis after he withdraws citizens revolt
652 BC – Civil war between shamash-shumi – ukin and Ashurbanipal destroyed Babylon
Ashurbanipal – Scholarly ruler – library at Nineveh
626 BC Ashurbanipal dies- Assyria becomes object of hatred by it’s neighbors
-Assyrian empire was vast and high in maintenance
-resources spread too thin
612 BC – Chaldeans march in and conquer Assyria in 3 short months
King Jerhokiakin (Judah) refuses to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar
-Nebu sieges Jerusalem tooke 10,000 jewish hostages
10 years later Zedekiah, Egypt and Phoenicia try to oust Nebuchadnezzar
-Nebucadnezzar annihilates Jerusalem, all citizens taken to Babylon
Hanging gardens of babylon
562 BC Nebu dies – Cyrus of Persia
...
Crete 1900 BC – Aegean empire
Jumbled hills, ragged limestone peaks, tangled gorges lousy for cultivation
Good Rainfall, lots of sun, fertile soil, network of rivers
Huge body of water – natural barrier – cities had no walls (medittereanean)
Did not largely invest in weapons of war
Painters depicted mostly leisure events : sports, flowers, fish, dolphins
Left NO decipherable record of their 1,000 year history
At this time Europe was full of primative Nomadic tribes far behind Crete
Cretian history remained a myth for 33 centuries
Discovered by Sir Arthur Evans, British scholar and archeologist by accident!
-Antique dealer – tiny engravings supposedly found in crete (personal seals)
Linear A – Cretian system of writing never been deciphered
Very unlike any other system of writing Greek Myth)
(Bronze Age) Evans named them Minoans (king Minos
Mediterranean winds guaranteed smooth sailing
-ships made by plent of oak, cedar, cypress and fir
-sailors carried stone seals for identification
-shore hugging canoes
Greece = 190 miles northwest Nile Delta = 400 miles southeast
Cyprus, Syria, Palestine = 600 miles east
Bronze Daggers, Hammered silver, timber, wine and pottery – trade items
Received copper from Cyprus, gold from Egypt, silver from Greece
-minoans became proverbial “middlemen� of trade
-Trade spread cretian culture; trade outposts (cmall colonies run by cretian officials)
Sicily – King Minos killed during hunting expedition
No full time Navy! Merchant fleets equipped for defense
Nobody within striking distance of crete had balls enough to attack
-Egyptian vessels worked well on the Nile, Lousy on the sea
-Egyptians showed Minoans great respect as traders
-Egyptian name for Minoans = “Keifu�
1450 BC – New king Minos conquers peripheral islands
Minoans disdained symmetry – rooms were many sizes
-Labrynth like architecture
Religion and Government are closely related
Bull symbol theme: Masks, cups, doorways
King was the Island’s chief businessman – Godlike to people
Vaults underneath palace filled with Gold wine and oil
-wrote on clay tablets keeping inventory – Crete’s accountants were the writers
Social Classes
1)Upper – Artists, priests, clerks and lower ranking officials
2)Middle – Famers and laborere
3)Lower – Serfs: lived better than serfs in other societies
-surfs could not bear arms or practice gymnastics – Aristotle
Not much upheaval – no walls – palaces surrounded by small cities – open to attack
Religious belief may have been the element which kept society intact
1700-1450 BC Crete Population reaches 250,000
Minoan artists painted urban scenes with crowds
Cretans were five feet tall on average, 2 or 3 story dwellings
-Minoans ate well: Lettuce, beans, squash, figs, milk, cheese, wine, beer
Beautiful, slender and fashion conscious society – Public festivals
-Women wore bare breasted jackets, jewelry. Red lips, plicked eyebrows, eye shadow
-more social freedom for women than in other societies
-Women competed with men in chariot races
Music and dance stringed cithara, double pipes backgammon
Board games
Theater – Courtyards were used as stages
Lifestyles – Engineers, builders, jacks of all trades, carpenters, weavers, metalsmiths, stonecutters
-Metalworkers renound for their skill
-rapier-like swords – prized by mediteranian soldiers
Network of Paved roads
Aquaducts – Aquatic engineers were the best in history – fountains, pools
world’s first recorded toilet symmetrical
Artists were meticulous and anti
-fondness of everyday objects – reflective
1500 BC Linear B created (now has been deciphered)
Religion – Minoans worshipped nature
-simple, private, home-made shrines –everywhere is sacred
did not preserve their dead – tombs tholos—Athletic competition is a form of worship
-Boxing is a mix of ground and upright fighting
-Bulljumping : most popular and dangerous sport
-bull sacrificed afterward
Earthquakes – Sacrifices kept earthquakes at bay
-victimized Minoans frequently – huge disasterous effects
-worshipped pillars that held buildings
-double axe
1500 BC – Huge earthquake fucks crete right up
-fighting breaks out between kingdoms – internal conflicts
1450 BC – Myceneans invade Crete after huge earthquake
-Thera – Volcanic eruption creates huge tidal wave – destroys fleet
1400 BC – Greeks capture and conquer Crete
...
1570 BC Egypt
Tuthmosis I – takes control over Kush (Nubia)
-Gateway to the Sudanese region (resources rich)
-Built his tomp from a Cliffside instead of a pyramid in top secret
-Chapels were built outside the mountains near gulch entryways
Hatshepsut Usurps Tut III
-capable ruler – trade with Somalia
Tutmosis III regains control in his late thirties
-erases Hatshepsut’s name from Egyptian history
TUT III martial arts, physical strength
1483 Tuthmosis III sends armies into Syria
-battle of Megiddo sucked. Canaanites w/king fled into fortifications
-7 months later Canaanites are starved into submission
-King tut lets his enemy leave peacefully
Tuthmosis was always at war
-Captured ports at Phoenicia – used the city resources to transport troops and communicate
-Egypt and Mitanni signed a treaty and Tuthmosis took 2 mittanni brides
-Gave lower monarchs usual power in exchange for access to valuable trade routes into Aisia minor, Babylon and Assyria, crete, Cyprus, inland Greece
-sons of monarchs were taken to Egypt as hostages/collateral to keep from revolt
Asians were constantly rebellious, disloyal, required militant control for submission
Tut III – professional armies – four divisions of 5,000
-Heavily endowed staffs: horsekeepers, hostage keepers, king’s guard
-King’s staff would accompany him into battle
-Pharoahs of this age took an active role in warfare leading men into battle
Infantry life was not much better than a slave’s life
-Allowed to share in the spoils of war: promotion in rank
-Army leaders came from aristocratic stock
-Eventually military commanders replaced the bureaucratic government
-Generals became extremely powerful, some rivaling power of pharaoh
1425 Tuthmosis III dies – during his rule no major foe stood up to him (45 years)
-Powerful armed legions
Amenhotep – Tuthmosis III’s grandson – Married Tiy – Domesticated cat called “MIU�
Clothing was a major status symbol
-Peasants were naked or loincloths, middle class artisans wore simple wraps
-Wore little cone shaped hats made of smelly fat
-Cosmetics : sunscreen, makeup, hairdye, ointments, razors, tweezers, cologne, aphrodisiacs and other magic potions
Wives had legal rights – entitled to property and alimony
Hunting for Alligators with clubs became a sport
-Hunted birds w/boomerand like sticks of ivory – family cat trained as retrievers
Nightlife – BES – Gof of merriment Parties
1365 Amenhotep III dies – IV launches a religious revolution
-IV was an ugly mofo – emotional, effeminate
Cult of Amon Re – “Hidden One� wealthy priesthood
-Amenhotep outlawed worship of Amon Re and all other Gods except Aten
Nefertiti – Queen of IV – Advocated primacy of Aten “Sun Disk�
-Amen changed his name to Akhenaten “Spirit of Aken�
-Decreed all Syrians, Nubians and all Egyptians worship only Aken
-Obsession with Aken led to governmental collapse, neglected duties
Bribery and thievery public works deteriorated
-Changed artwork, obelisks depicted more realism and expression
1330-1340 BC Akhenaten Dies – Hittites gain power
-Homo boyfriend “Smenkhare� apparent successor
-Tutankhamen (pre pubescent) rolls in and takes throne before homo gets crowned
-set about restoring traditional religion
AI priest and Horsemaster rules for 4 years then dies
-Arranged Horemhab as successor (high commander)
Horemhab tries to delete Aten and Akhenaten from history
-Name is replaced with “criminal�
-tries to stamp out governmental corruption
-exiled large number of officials and cut off their noses
-arranged for Ramses I to succeed throne – Ramses I dies without doing jack shit
Sethi I and Ranses II were both high ranking military commanders
-Sethi I reaffirmed control over Palestine but couldn’t control Syria (Hittites)
1220 BC Merneptah (1/13) Sone of Ramses II becomes king
-Fought six hour battle against Libyans and other Asiatic allies and won
1186 Ramses III – “Sea People� descend on Nile kingdom
-Attack with ships and army on Oxcarts by land (men, women and children)
-Defeated invaders, peace for the rest of his reign
-Continued building huge monuments (very expensive)
-Large mercenary army to maintain (very expensive)
1162 BC –Attempted assassination by Ramses III’s own court
-Soldiers had become rich, pharaoh had become poor
Hittite empire (allies) destroyed by Assyrians
Egyptian throne became a plaything by powerful neighbors
600 BC Persians threaten Egyptian empire
...
1600 BC Greek Penninsula
Rich warriors establish network of Fiefdoms – Aristocrats
-Largest and most powerful fiefs controlled all others
-formed loose economic, political alliances “Mycenae�
-Mycenaens borrowed from Minoan culture
-bronze smithing
1450 BC – Volcano creates tidal wave and destroys most of Crete’s fleet
1350 BC – Minoan empire is reduced to vassal state
-mycenaeans become leaders in the Aegean
Mycenaean trade – Metal goods, pottery
-Pirates at heart – 1400 BC Mycenaen raids become frequent
Most slaves were women
1300 BC – Trade with Egypt ends abruptly
1200 BC – Economic pressure turns Myceans against Troy – Gateway between Europe/Asia
-10 year war – King Agamemnon (Achilles and Odysseus)
=Mediterranean infested w/piracy and revolution
-disorder cut off trade routes and disrupted commerce
1140 BC – Barbarians from Macedonia sweep into Epirus/Thessaly “Dorians�
-Displaced tribes flooded southward besieging Mucenaen citadels
-One by one citadels fall
-Citadels were equipped with emergency water supplies in case cut-off by enemies
Dorians were stupid nomads, not suited to rule mycenaen cities
-rejected Mycenaen seafaring traditions
-weird sense of justice encouraged revenge – long, bloody family, tribal wars
-built cities on inland hilltops
-ruled by warrior-kings – consulted clan chieftains (power behind the throne)
-crude political system
1000 BC – Dorians overrun Greece
900 BC – Ionians (Greeks who fled the Dorians by sea) gain foothold in Asia minor
750 BC – Greeks adopt Phoenician alphabet
-recording Homer’s epics, Hesiod’s theogony – contributed to Greek religion
-Created the “polis� = self governing city-state ; held small scale elections
Ionians were isolated from one another – strong defense
Dorians slowly adopted “the polis� hereditary kings became less powerful
700 BC – Hoplite “well Armored infantry� replaces horsemen
-Grass and grain for horses were scarce
-Overpopulation lead to economic decline
Hoplite carried new kind of shield
-Phalanx : block of men eight ranks deep
-when one man fell another man behind him took his place
-Densely massed formation used round concave shields that when combine would effectively protect one mans whole left side and the beside him’s rightside
-lighter, sturdier shield – armband in the middle, grip near outer edge
-Phalanx’s abilities depended largely on their size
Sparta – Put phalanx to their greatest use – 740 BC Sparta rises to power
-Hoplites had final say in political decisions
Ephorate – Overseers elected to supervise social affairs and educate Spartan youth
-unhealthy babies were condemned to death by exposure
-healthy babies were handed over to the government at age 7 ; mostly sports
-age 12 :taught music and poetry
-age 18: rigorous military training drills, krypteria – state secret police
-age 19: permitted to marry
-age 20: Left wife (except conjugal visits) for 10 years of military service
-age 30: elected into social clubs/become full citizens and allowed to vote or reduced to inferior status, not allowed to vote or hold office
Lycurgan reforms – constitution making phalanx numerous and invincible
-citizens were forbidden to engage in trade
Helots: non-citizens – provided all services for citizens
Krypteria – spied on and terrorized Helots
700 BC Athens – Overpopulation, food shortages, debt
594 BC – Poet Solon elected to position of lawmaker – Extreme power
-Forgave all debts, forbade further debt slavery
-abolished hereditary requirements to hold public office
Other greek cities followed Solon’s example
-Tyrants emerge = gain power by force, wealth is requisite
687 BC Gyges begins minting electrum coins
600 BC Periander (Corinth) created Diokolos – roadway for hauling ships across the Isthmus
-Tried to stomp out immoral practices of his citizens, murdered his wife, banished his son
Asia Minor – Sheep Land – Lucrative textile industry, bronzework, wool
-flourishin coastal trade economy at Corinthian Gulf
-Rich grew richer, poor grew poorer, overpopulation worsensed
-Greek colonists migrated across the aegean
-Apoikas (greek colony) not allowed to return and become citizens
Greeks referred to themselves as Hellenes. Romans = Greeks from Chaldian word “Graii� for “tribesperson�
Sparta – Fearful of social pollution – Founded only one colony “Tarentum� on the instep of Italy.
734 BC – Corinthian colony “Syracuse� – important Greek city-state
-Macedonians – Backward speaking Greek colony
Colonies provided lively trade
700 BC Egyptians permit Ionian traders to set up port at INa Ucratis at the branch of the Nile
intellectual spread of Egyptian and Babylonian scholarship Geometry
Astronomy give birth to Grek Science and Philosophy
550 BC the “polis� becomes a central way of Greek life
...
Rome 400 BC – 400 AD
-If Romans dumped excrement out the window and hit someone it was unlawful
-Lucrative slave trade: War treasure – built things – White chalk on feet
-400,000/1,000,000 of population was slaves
-Slave labor hurt the economy in the long run – go-opted by free grain/entertainment
Powerful Roman Army – Emperor rules for life – Controlled senate
390 BC – Celtic tribes from Gaul invate and sack capitol
290 BC Rome controles entire Italian Penninsula
Punic Wars- Phoenician Empire vs Rome
Two social classes – Aristocracy – Patricians and Plebians
-Patriarchs held hereditary authority which plebians vowed to support in return for protection by patricians and promotion
-“Struggle of the orders� Plebians fight to share benefits of Patriarchs
-Riots, strikes, written law, unions
367 BC – Plebians force reformation – Softened harsh laws (ie debt=slave)
Plebian role in politics increases two elected plebians annually into magistrate
Nobiles= elite class of plebian/patrician mix
Enemies of Rome were many, militaristic society – every roman man age 17-46 forced to serve in army (which was a priviledge)
-Spoils of war, government offices – Army’s led by elected consuls
-pay for soldiers was very poor – Glory, honor, treasure, etc…
When sacked a city, even killed animals
340 BC 0 Rome gains western italy from Tiber to Campania
-Pre – emptive expansion made each new neighbor an instant enemy
-conquering more people = more soldiers
Conquered people had less rights – couldn’t vote, but allowed to marry
280 BC King Pyrrhus of Epirus (NW Greece) Lands in Italy w/ 25,000 men and 20 elephants. Defeated Roman armies but suffered huge casualties
275 BC Pyrrhus returns home
272 BC Tarentum surrenders
264 BC rome controls all of italy creating a nation of different cultures, religions, and languages
Carthage – 130 miles from sicily – footholds in spain and sicily 3X the population of Rome
-Mostly fought at sea, bad for romans – built a navy using a captured Cathaginian Quinquereme
-23 year long war
Romans lost 600 ships 250,000 men just in Naval battles alone
Carthage lost 500 ships 210,000 men just in Naval battles alone
-Rome takes Carthagian footholds in Sicily – Conquers Sicily
-Cathaginians invade Spain – rich in metal, slaves, and soldiers
237 BC Hamilcar Barca leads invasion w/9 year old son “Hannibal�
-17 years later dies in battle son-in-law takes over but murdered shortly after
(Father swore vengeance on Rome) Rome signs treaty w/Carthage
Hannibal disregards treaty and sieges Saguntum, a city within Carthage territory loyal to Rome
-Rpmans send requests for Hannibal to stop, Hannibal refuses
-Rome demands Carthage hands over Hannibal
218 BC – Big Fuckin War
Hannibal sends 46,000 men – light infantry veterans, mercenaries from Iberia and Africa and 37 battle elephants to Rome
-15 days across frozen Alps – Gaulish guides needed (didn’t have)
-Gauls didn’t help, attacked instead, guides run away
Only 20,000 soldiers and 6,000 horsemen survived – Roman ambush waiting
-Teamed up with Gaulish uprisers Hannibal won 3 major victories
Rome’s Dictator – Quintus Fabius Maximus “The Delayer� won’t attack full force
-believes Hannibal’s forces will eventually fade out
216 BC Delayer is replaced by 2 consuls committed to full-on collision with Hannibal
Hannibal smart – Killing Jar – carnage
50,000 Romans killed 10,000 prisoner, great military disaster Scipio goes to Africa and invades Carthage
Hannibal refuses to march into Roman capitol – Political allies of Rome change sides
13 years of Off and On fighting ensues
Publius Cornelius Scipio = Father killed by Hannibal
209 BC – Captures New Carthage and all footholds in Spain
204 BC
Hannibal returns home to defend, is defeated at the Battle of Zama in 201 BC
-Pays huge Roman tribute : Hannibal flees to Syria then to Bithnya, commits suicide by poison 183 BC instead of surrendering to enemies – accused of plotted against Rome
146 BC – Scipio’s adopted grandson burns carthage and covers it with salt
150 BC North Italy becomes fully Romanized
130,000 soldiers in field fighting foreign wars
-1/2 of all males spent at least 7 years of low paid military service
-Hurt economy: farms neglected, debt huge
Landownders become powerful – Bankruptcy, eviction, bribes – Superestates
-peasants couldn’t compete with slave labor
Slaves – varied in treatment according to status
-laws show Romans were paranoid of potential slave uprisings
-beaten and tortured but not crucified
-illeagal to kill or abandon old slaves
-often emancipated, achieved citizenry
-some of these had more opportunities than free-born citizens
Poor got poorer, rich got richer
133 BC – Tiberius Gracchus – Gransdon of Scipio Afraicanus: senator who proposed land reform in favor of the poor – suspected of treachery, clubbed to death by mob led by senators w/ 300 of his supporters
123 BC – Gaius Gracchus – Brother of Tiberius – Elected in brother’s office, championed brother’s old cause. During a protest he and 3,000 others are captured and put to death
121 BC – Huge civil unrest divides conservatives/liberals
-corruption in politics, war campaigns, – everything for sale
107-100 BC Gaius Marius – Army veteran, equestrian – elected 6 times as consul
-changed army recruiting methods to include homeless and jobless mobs
-converted peasant army into professional army—- neglected farms in hopes of war spoils
-very effective but after peace was achieved he drank heavily and retired
91 BC – Social war – secondary citizens vs full citizens – Marius called back
-North: Gaius Marius leads Roman army
-south: Lucius Cornelius Sulla (once worked for Marius) leads rebels
89 BC – North gives in to some demands, granting all Italians equal citizenship
88 BC – Mithradates VI (Pontus) Wages war on Rome’s Asia Minor settlements
-Sulla elected to lead army against invaders, Marius conspires to take away his position
-Sulla Retaliates, stages coup, loyal soldiers march on city, Marius retreats to Africa
4 year war against Mithradates – Rome=Anarchy – Riots, brawls, chaos
-Marius marches back into Rome, elected 7th time
-dies shortly afterwards
83 BC – Sulla returns victorious – retakes control of Rome
-eliminates all of Marius’ loyalties 6,000 murdered: uncontested power
-Declared dictator of Rome – 4 years later retires to his estate –
-wrote poetry, 5 wives
Three leaders following Sulla
1)Gnaeus Pompeius = Sulla’s chief lieftenant “Pompey the Great� – Conquered Syria and part of Palestine
2)Marcus Crassus = Richest citizen, -slave revolt: Spartacus – Crassus quelled revolt – killed 6,000 slaves w/crucifixion
3)Julius Caesar = Balding combover – paranoid – 62 BC becomes praetor – championed popular causes – senate opposed him
All three got together and formed the “First Triumvirate� to elect Caesar for their own purposes
59 BC Caesar becomes governor of Cisalpine Gaul and Transalpine Gaul – small fortune from enslaving barbarians – warriors
9 years later conquered all of France and Switzerland
-Gambler
Jan 11th 49 BC – Marches troops into Rome Seizing it, pompey runs to Egypt where he’s murdered by boy king Ptolemy XIII, gives Caesar the severed head
-Ptolemy drowns – Caesar sets Ptolemy’s sister Cleopatra in charge
-Cleopatra pregnant with Caesar’s son “Caesarion�
Caesar I
-New Calendar
-Gave land to poor
-Let Gauls become citizens
-Relieved Debts
-Opened senate office to more citizens
Became to wealthy and powerful – made himself permanent dictator
Mar 44 BC –Stabbed 23 times
Gaius Octavius – Caesar’s grandnephew and protégé – declared in will heir to kingdom
2 others considered themselves successors
veteran soldiers loved Gaius Horsemaster
1)Marcus Aemilius Lepidus – Second in command to Caesar’s army
2)Marcus Antonius – Handsome, consul @ time of assassination
All 3 form a “second triumvirate� – hunt down Caesar’s assassins – who commit suicide
40 BC – Antonius Marries Ocitavius’ sister, but romantically involved with Cleopatra
-Octavius discovers infidelity – Declares war on Antonius
31 BC – Battle of Actium – Cleopatra and Antony defeated, commit suicide by snake and dagger
Octavius reigns supreme “Augustus� – Golden age of Rome
Imperialists—Expanded into Hungary and Egypt
-Restored emphasis on traditional worship
-Failed to conquer Germany
-“Bread and Circuses� quell republic
-Rehab of 82 temples (badly needed)
-Gods: Apollo, Mars, Venus and Julius Caesar himself
-Construction created jobs
-Latin Literature : Sponsored modern authors – literary minded
Gaius Maecenas : Friend and talent scout of authors – did not censor
AD 14 – “Have I acted the comedy well?� Augustus dies
Augustus’ son Tiberius takes over – Law of Granduer – Big Brother
-Sejanus – right hand man overly ambitious
78 years old, Tiberius dies – mobs flock streets with joy – Jesus dies
Caligula takes over (tiberius’ nephew) Gaius Caesar
-Sex w/sister
-Appointed horse as consul
-Killed prisoners for entertainment
41 AD – Personal guards murder him wife and kids
Claudius – Appointed emperor by Praetorian elite – Caligula’s uncle
-smart but physically weak and deformed, hidden from public by Augustus “monster�
-Conquest of Britain, declared Roman province
-poor choice of wives (4 of them)
-Julia Agrippina – Mother of Nero, convinces Claudius to put Nero at head of succession
poisons Claudius w/mushrooms (favorite meal) murderous reign
Nero
-Poisoned Step-brother
-Had own mother assassinated
-Forced citizens to attend his Lyre concertos
64 AD huge fire rages through rome for 7 days
-Christians accused – large scale persecution ensues
-Massive reconstruction – leaves city bankrupt
-Paranoid governors in fear of Nero lead revolts against him
-Praetorian guards display hostility – Nero flees and commits suicide
69 AD – 4 different Usurpings in 1 year
-2 murdered, 1 suicide – Vespiasian remains
Vespasian’s son Titus quells Judean revolt
70 AD Titus destroys Jerusalem
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