西方文明基础.ppt

1、Foundations of Western Civilization,To 1000 B.C.E.,Prehistoric Human Societies,The Paleolithic (“Old Stone”) Age, c. 40,000-c. 10,000 B.C.E. Hunter-gatherers Trade (e.g. seashells) Technology firemaking bone and stone weapons and jewelry Art and religion: Cave paintings and female figurines,The Neol

2、ithic (“New Stone”) Revolution, c. 10,000-c. 4000 B.C.E. Transition from a nomadic existence as hunter-gatherers to more settled lifestyle Invention of agriculture Domestication of animals,Increasingly gender-based division of labor Specialized crafts (metallurgy and weaving) Emergence of social hie

3、rarchy: patriarchal organization of state and society would become the norm in the West Invention of irrigation (c. 6500 B.C.E.) facilitated establishment of settled agricultural communities in the Fertile Crescent,Mesopotamia, c. 4000-1000 B.C.E.(Bronze Age),The Tigris and Euphrates Flood control a

4、nd irrigation Trade, migration, movement of armies The Wests first large-scale civilization Cities containing large public buildings Crop diversification and diverse crafts Organized central governments Writing,Religion and Mythology Polytheistic religious belief reflected harshness of war and strug

5、gle with unpredictable environment War-like gods who possessed total control over human lives Sacrifices, rituals, temples (ziggurats) Power of priests and priestesses,Epic of Gilgamesh Search for immortality by semihistorical King Gilgamesh of Uruk after death of his friend Enkidu Realizes that onl

6、y gods enjoy immortality; humans must content themselves with fame derived from performing mighty deeds Story of a devastating flood in later version,Sumer Earliest cities in southern Mesopotamia Agriculture and trade (as far away as India) Sumerians Developed the wheel Created first writing system

7、(cuneiform) Devised a mathematical system and astronomy,The Akkadian Empire, c. 2350-2200 B.C.E. Worlds first empire Sargon the Great conquered Sumerian cities and territories westward to the Mediterranean, in part to ensure metal supplies Destroyed by invading Gutians during reign of Sargons grands

8、on,The Kingdom of Assyria, c. 1900 B.C.E. Became dominant city-state due to control of trade between Anatolia and Mesopotamia Encouragement of private enterprise rather than state monopoly,The Kingdom of Babylon and King Hammurabis Code (18th century B.C.E.) Earliest known written laws Kings respons

9、ibility to maintain order and justice Basis of international commercial law: regulated contracts, interest, mortgages, etc. Criminal penalties harsh and reflective of social hierarchy,Egypt and the Levant, c. 3050-1000 B.C.E.,Egyptian Civilization Geography as Destiny The Nile Protected by deserts o

10、n the east and west Predictable annual flooding Stability and Unity Developed in relative isolation into a prosperous and stable kingdom,Old Kingdom, c. 2687-2190 B.C.E. Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by King Menes, c. 3100-3000 B.C.E. Controlling the river Astronomical charts Writing system:

11、hieroglyphs,Religion and Government About 2,000 gods in the Egyptian pantheon All powerful kings were believed to be human incarnations of gods Only the king could express the ultimate truth and justice, or maat,The Afterlife Belief in an immortal soul and reward for those who lived a just life Mumm

12、ification Provisions for the afterlife in burial chambers of those who could afford it, including the Book of the Dead,The Pyramids Royal burial tombs reflected the kings power in political and religious life King Djosers Step Pyramid at Saqqara (c. 2650 B.C.E.) King Cheops Great Pyramid at Giza (c.

13、 2575 B.C.E.),Middle Kingdom, c. 2061-1665 B.C.E. Diminished flooding of the Nile and famines around 2350 B.C. E. led to civic disruption and the loss of royal authority Regional governors withdrew support of the king, spawning political breakdown and the First Intermediate Period (c. 2190-2061 B.C.

14、E.) King Mentuhotep IIs reunification of Egypt initiated the Middle Kingdom Territorial expansion and increased trade contacts,New Kingdom, c. 1569-1081 B.C.E. Second Intermediate Period (c. 1664-1570 B.C.E.) Famines Invasion by the Hyksos Thebans from Upper Egypt reunited Egypt as New Kingdom Warri

15、or pharaohs further extended Egypts borders and trade contacts,New Kingdom aberrations Queen Hatshepsut (r. 1502-1482 B.C.E): Only woman to rule as pharaoh (and female king) Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV, r. 1372-1355 B.C.E.) and Nefertiti Introduced cult of one central god, Aten, and moved capital to Ama

16、rna Wife tried to restrain his zeal, but his devotion to Aten undermined his effectiveness as ruler Tutankhamen (r. 1355-1346 B.C.E.): restored worship of traditional gods,Other Bronze Age Civilizations,The Peoples of the Levant The Canaanites Dominated trade between the Mediterranean and Near East

17、Developed first alphabet, c. 1600 B.C.E. The Hebrews Origins, according to the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament Abraham and migration from Ur to Palestine (c. 1900 B.C.E.) Loosely organized into twelve tribes Abrahams covenant with the Hebrew god Yahweh,Exodus Hebrews moved into Egypt under Abra

18、hams descendant Joseph. By 13th century B.C.E., they were enslaved to work on the pharaohs building projects. Moses led Hebrews out of Egyptian bondage, and on Mount Sinai he reestablished their covenant with Yahweh (c. 1250 B.C.E.),The Hebrew Covenant The Ten Commandments The Torah (Pentateuch): fi

19、rst five books of the Bible Hebrew Monotheism Idea of Yahweh as the one God developed in the centuries after the period of Exodus Fundamental influence of Biblical texts and monotheism on Christianity and Islam, and of Hebrew law on Western ethical tradition,Bronze-Age Greece and Anatolia, c. 2200-1

20、000 B.C.E.,The Hittite Kingdom, c. 1750-1200 B.C.E. Maintained dominance by controlling trade routes and raw materials, especially metals Military prowess Sack of Babylon, 1595 B.C.E. Prevented Egyptian domination of the region by stopping Ramesses II at the Battle of Kadesh (c. 1274 B.C.E.),Minoan Crete, c. 2200-1400 B.C.E. Palace society: centered on independent palace complexes that controlled the religious, economic, and political life of their communities Mediterranean polyculture Integrated the cultivation of grapes, olives, and grain Other cultural features Highly specialized