Comparing Civilizations of Three Continents

-Initially all three had gatherers and hunters -All had independent agricultural revolutions that occurred at different times -All developed civilization in regions where agriculture took hold -All developed civilizations independently (America and Africa fewer in # and smaller) -Populations of Africa and the Americas were much smaller than Eurasia -While Africa and Eurasia exchanged ideas, crops, and animals, the Americas were completely isolated -Metallurgy in the Americas was less developed than in Eurasia

-Meroe's wealth and military power were in part derived from trade -Axum became a large state in part to its participation in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean commerce and the taxes that flowed from this commerce -Meroe and Axum both created their own distinct writing -Meroitic script eventually took the place of Egyptian style writing -Axum's script, Geez, was derived from South Arabian models -Axum adopted Christianity from the Roman world in the fourth century C.E., primarily through Egyptian influence. -The region once controlled by Meroe also adopted Christianity in the 340's following Meroe's decline.

-Example: such as the Berbers introducing camels into the Sahara

-The following are "must know" items that frequently appear on the AP exam: ~Ocean trade routes: Trans Sahara & Indian Ocean Trade routes ~Geographic placement of key cities ex: Timbuktu, Alexandria, Jenne-jeno (all found on this map)

-One example in this chapter is the Meroe and deforestation discussed on page 286 last full paragraph -Meroe declined in part due to deforestation -Due to the need to have wood to make charcoal to melt iron for smelt

-Axum's use of plows vs. digging sticks

-The Columns of Axum: Dating to the time when Axum first encountered Christianity (300-500 CE), this column, measuring some seventy-nine feet tall, probably served as a funeral monument for the kingdom's ancient rules.

-Witnessed creation of larger cities with the apparent absence of corresponding state structure -The cities were not: like the city-states of ancient Mesopotamia, nor were they encompassed within some larger imperial system -Resembled: Most closely early cities of the Indus valley civilization, complex urban centers operated without the coercive authority of a centralized state

-Stretches from Central Mexico to Northern Central America -Distinct region bound together by distinct elements of a common culture: ~Intensive agricultural technology ~Based their economies on market exchange ~Practiced religion based on a similar collection of male and female dieties ~Time as a cosmic cycle of creation and destruction ~Ritual calendar of 260 days, ~Human sacrifice ~Monumental ceremonial centers ~Hieroglyphic writing

-Because of its fragmented political structure -Mayan Civilization more closely resembles: The competing city states of Mesopotamia or Classical Greece instead of the imperial structures of Rome, Persia, or China

-City states -Frequent warfare with neighbors -Polytheism -A noble class -Monumental architecture -Written language -Artistic expression

-Military conquests brought many regions into its political orbit and made it a presence in the Maya Civilization -Center of a large trade network -Architectural and artistic styles of the city were imitated across Mesoamerica

-Imitated in the region: ~Architecture, sculpture, pottery, religious images, painted textiles-Pilgrimage site -Possible training site for initiates from distant corners of the region -Temples were remodeled to resemble those of Chavin as far as 3 weeks away via llama caravan ( in many cases with locally inspired variations) -Chavin religious cult provided for the first time and for several centuries economic and cultural integration to much of the Peruvian Andes

-Dominated 250 mile stretch of Peru's northern coast -Incorporated 13 river valleys -Flourished for 700 in 100 C.E. -Economy routed in complex irrigation system that required constant maintenance -Politically civ. was governed by warrior priests elite who sometimes lived atop huge pyramids years beginning -Artist skills were remarkable and reflected in the elaborate burials given to rulers. -Renowned for: metalworking, pottery, weaving, and painting

-Moche had a superb skill as craftspeople most of this is reflected by the culture of the Moche elite through artistic depictions: ~Ceramic pottery having naturalistic portraits of noble lords and rulers ~Battle scenes showing warriors confronting their enemies with raised clubs ~Erotic images people and the gods ~Grotesque images of Gods-We know less about the daily lives of farmers, fisherman, and weavers, traders, construction workers, and servants whose labor made that elite culture possible

-Political integration and common cultural traits for the entire Andean region -Culture: Styles of pottery and textiles spread well beyond their region that was under their direct political control -The Inca drew upon their imperial model -The Inca also used similar statecraft to build their empire -The Inca also used similar styles of dress and artistic impression -The Inca claimed Tiwanaku as their place of origin

-Similiarities: ~Agricultural societies ~Social hierarchies ~Patriarchies ~Urban centers ~Monumental architecture ~All ultimately collapsed-Differences: ~Those in Northwest and North Africa borrowed from their Eurasian neighbors ~The Niger river valley civilization developed large urban centers without formal states ~The Maya developed writing ~Maya and Moche practiced human sacrifice

-They brought agriculture and iron to the regions of Africa south of the equator -This enabled larger numbers of people to live in a smaller area than was possible before their arrival -Brought parasitic and infectious diseases that the hunting and gathering people had little immunity -Many Bantu languages have the distinctive "clicks" in their local dialects that they adopted from the now extinct hunting peoples -Bantu peoples exchanged with the forest dwelling Batwa (pygmies) -Batwa adopted Bantu languages while maintaining a non-agricultural lifestyle and a separate identity

-The power of dead ancestors might be accessed through rituals of sacrifice... Especially cattle -Supernatural power from ancient heroes, ancestors, or nature spirits resided in charms which could be activated by proper rituals -Representations of women often ancestral figures were frequent in the wood carving of Bantu speaking Luba people of Central Africa -Many depict women holding their chest, a gesture signifying devotion respect and secret knowledge

-Both: ~Settlements were linked into trading networks ~They participated in long distance exchange ~Created structures to track the heavens ~Both adopted maize from Mesoamerica-Mound Builders: ~Independent agricultural revolution ~Continued to supplement their diets by gathering and hunting until Maize arrived from Mesoamerica after 800 C.E. ~Larger monumental agriculture in burial grounds and earthwork ~Largest civilizations like Cahokia were larger than the pueblos -Ancestral Pueblo People: ~Received Maize fromt the Mesoamericans much earlier ~They settled into agriculture earlier in their development ~Developed Kiva's for ceremonial centers and network of roads that may have had religious significance ~Started later and did not last as longer

-Chief trading port for the Axumite Kingdom and is the primary conduit through which seaborne trade between Asum, India, and the Roman world take place -The port provides access to Coloe were Ivory is traded -Island fisherman named Fish eaters take tortoise shells to trade

-Axumite ruler was acquainted with Greek literature -Economic - Axum is an active participant in long distance trade with both the Roman Empire and India

-Successful conquering monarch seeking to record his military conquests, and his efforts to est. safe sea lanes and new land trade routes

-The monarch used warfare to conquer regions -He seized resources in some instances half of what they possessed -Surrender the best of their young men and women with their sons and daughters and all that they possessed -Instituted then a tribute system

-Through trade through the Nile and the Red Sea -The throne and Greek inscription may be due to the Axumite ruler trying to legitimize his recent rise of power using symbols of authority from the well established Roman World

-Exchange was based on barter even though one of the commodities exchanged was gold. -It was neither state driven nor fully a system of provate enterprise. -The King ordered the mission and as many as 500 private merchants accompanied the excursion -The system allowed for trade between peoples who did not know each other's languages, as well as trade security between peoples on a region without a state to regulate to protect the trade

-No party could be said to have a clear upper hand because it was done through bargaining and mutual consent on price -Only one side done through the state there was no evidence of political sophistication on the part of the local peoples

-It allowed them to trade for meat, salt, and iron -Provided a means for trading gold which was common in their region, for goods from another region where gold was valued more highly

-It was a source for slaves and for water from the Nile, as well as a place to which the King of the Axumites banished people

-Similarities: ~Strong centralized government ~Productive agricultural society ~Urban centers ~Monumental architecture, ~Writing ~An empire made up of conquered subjects from which tribute was extracted ~Active participation in long distance trade ~Adoption of a major world religion-Differences: ~very little in writing in comparison and much smaller