chapter 6 notes whap

8/10/2019 Chapter 6 Notes WHAP

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Chapter 6 Notes WHAP 9/18/2014 4:46:00 AM

Introduction

683 BCE Chan Bahlum 3 slits into penis obsidian knife

Paper made form tree bark inserted encouraged blood flow

Kan Xul did similar rite (brother) so did other family members

Bloodletting of Sept 683 BCE was political and religious ritual, act of deep

piety for Pacal (mayan king of Palenque in Yucatan) was father of Chan

Chan presided funeral

Maya believe shedding royal blood essential for worlds survival

Men commonly drew from penis

Women from tongueBoth occasionally from earlobes, lips, cheeks sometimes used cord thru

wound to increase blood flow.

Gods shed blood to water earth and nourish crops

Expected humans to follow

Humans hoped to please and ensure life giving water to bring harvest

Bloodletting essential to rain and agricultural survival

Product of distinct tradition

Humans moved to Americas and Oceania long after moving to E. Hemi.

but before agricultural experimentation

Migrations took place during ice age

Bridges emerged that didnt before and after Ice Age

Siberia Alaska

Australia New Guinea

Humans took adv. of bridges

Movements represent continuations of migratory flow that earlier resulted

into establishment of human communities thru E. Hemi.

8,00 years ago- water returned and covered low lying lands that

connected.

However, by then Americas, SE Asian islands, and Australia were

occupied

Return of high water didnt end migrations


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Humans from Alaska fanned to N, C, and S America.

3000 BCE SE Asians built sailing canoes and inhabited island of Pacific

700 CE Humans settled everywhere possible

Made it hard to have ties

Didnt lead isolated lives

Had significant but sporadic contact from Asians to Pacific and Pacific to

Americas


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The Olmecs 9/18/2014 4:46:00 AM

Siberia to Alaska 13,00BCE large wave

Small waves may have crossed Bering land bridge early

Possible- migrants sailed or drifted to W Hemi

Few human groups made it to W. Hemi before large scale migration

(15,000 BCE)

9,500 BCE reached southernmost part of S. America

Earliest inhabitants lived exclusively by hunting and gathering

8000 BCE became hard to forage

7500 BCE several large animals road to extinction

The Olmecs

1) Early agriculture 8000-7000: beans, squashes, chilis; later, maize

became the staple (4000 B.C.E.)

Later added tomatoes

Agricultural villages appeared after 3000 B.C.E. By 2000 BCE

agriculture spread thruout MesoA.

No large domesticated animals, no wheeled vehicleso Only had turkeys and small dogs (used as food)

o No animals to pull wheeled vehicles so no need

2)Ceremonial centers by the end of the second millennium B.C.E.

had monumental pyramids, temples, and palaces

Not cities

Ruling elite, priests, and few artisans and craftsmen lived

People went to observe rituals or trade goods

3)Olmecs, the "rubber people" lived near the Gulf of Mexico (1200

B.C.E.)

Earliest centers occurred near modern day Veracruz

Olmecs- First complex society of Americas

Many questions unanswered, study started 1940

Name is also unknown.

Influenced complex socites of Mesoamerica


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First center 1200 BCE (modern day San Lorenzo) served as

capital for 400 years

La Venta (800-400 BCE)

Tres Zapotes (400-100 BCE)

Didnt need irrigation system

Had drainage system

4) Olmec Society

Authoritarian

Thousands of people partook in construction of center

Had elaborate complex of

o Temples

o Pyramids

o

Altarso Stone sculptures

o Tombs

Commoners gave portion of harvest and provided labor

Distinct artistic creation: Colossal human heads likenesses of

rulers made of basalt rock

o Dragged boulders

o Floated them on rafts

o

Dragged to pointo Positioned for sculptors

Influence reached to regions of modern Mexico , beyond to

Guatemala and El Salvador.

Spread influence partly by military force

Trade was prominent link

Produced

o Decorative jade

o Obsidian tools

Gave small works of art and animal skins for imports

Destroyed centers and deserted them possibly due to civil

conflicts and doubts of ruling classes

400 BCE fallen on hard times

Influence of Olmec: maize, ceremonial centers, calendar, human

sacrifice, ball game


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Heirs of the Olmecs: The Maya 9/18/2014 4:46:00 AM

About 100 BCE complex societies arose in other MesoA regions.

Human pop increased

Centers popped up far from Olmec heartland

Centers evolved into cities

Attracted large amount of permanent residents

Ambitious projects of construction

Maintained large markets

Increasing specialized labor

Networks of long distance trade linked new urban centersPriests devised written language and astronomical knowledge within cities

1) The Maya lived in the highlands of Guatemala

permanent villages 200 BCE

prominent village: Kaminaljuy (Guatemala City)

o More like center than city

o

Products traveled to C Mexico Fell under Teotihuacan, larger city from C Mexico. 300 CE

After 300 CE Maya flourished in MesoA lowlands

o Poorly drained

o Made terraces due to soil with less fertility

Besides maize, they also cultivated cotton and cacao

o Cacao precious commodity used by nobles

o Used cacao as money

2) Tikal

300-900 CE built over 8 centers in lowlands plus small

settlements

Some centers turned into cities

Most important was Tikal

o 300-800 CE political center

o Height: 600-800 CE

o Wealthy, bustling. Population: 40,000


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o Temple of the Giant Jaguar (47 meters, stepped

pyramid)

Surrounding regions population was 500,000

Other cities: Palenque and Chichen Itza

o

Smaller kingdoms 10,000-30,000 population

3) Maya Warfare

Maya kingdoms constantly fought

Victors took over centers

Most captives ended up as slaves or sacrificial victims

High ranks went ritual torture and sacrifice in public

4) Chichen Itza

800 CE came to power established larger political framework

preferred to absorb and integrate captives

800-1000 CE organized loose empire that brought some stability

to N Yucatan

5) Maya Decline

800 CE Maya populations began to desert cities

within century they were in full decline except N Yucatano possibly invasion from Mexico

o internal war

o failure of water control

o ecological problems

o spread of epidemic diseases

o catastrophes


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Maya Society and Religion 9/18/2014 4:46:00 AM

Hereditary nobility owned most land cooperated with kings and priests by

organizing military forces and participating in religious rituals.

Merchants- ruling and noble classes

Acted as both merchants and ambassadors

Traded in luxury items such as

o Animal skins

o Cacao

o Fine art

Professional architects and sculptors oversaw construction

Artisans specialized in pottery tools and cotton

Large classes of peasants and slaves fed the society and providedphysical labor

Built upon Olmec

Studied astronomy and math

Devised calendar and writing

Could predict eclipses and plot planetary cycles

Invented zero

Came up with solar year - 365.242 days (seventeen secondsshorter than figure by modern astronomers)

1) The Maya Calendar

used solar year for agriculture

made ritual year with twenty months with 13 days

each day was characterized by attributes of the day of solar and

ritual calendar

18,980 combinations 52 year period

believed end of period =- end of world

2) Maya writing

included ideographs and symbols for syllables.

Started to decipher in 1960s

Wrote works of history, poetry, myth, genealogy, administration,

and astronomy.

Most writing survives from inscriptions

Only four books survive dealing with astronomy and calendar


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3) Maya Religious Thought

Popul Vuh- Maya creational myth

o Gods made humans out of maize and water

o

Represents how important agriculture was in society

o Priests also said gods kept world going and agricultural

cycle for honors and sacrifices

4) Bloodletting Rituals

most important of rituals

blood shedding would prompt gods to release rain

also used captives for bloodletting

5) The Maya Ball Game

object: score points by propelling rubber ball through ring or

onto marker without using hands

baked rubber ball heavy and hard could cause concussion

extremely popular

used for bets

captives were pit against each other where loser was sacrificed


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Heirs of the Olmecs: Teotihuacan 9/18/2014 4:46:00 AM

1) The City of Teotihuacan Near Mexico city modern day

500 BCE large agricultural village

200 BCE expanded rapidly

0 BCE population- 50,000

100 BCE- colossal sun and moon pyramids dominated skyline

o Pyramid of the Sun- largest single structure in

Mesoamerica

Almost as big as Khufu

400-600 CE population- 200,000

Books perished when city declined

City was theocracy of sorts

Priests were crucial since they kept calendar and ensure planting

and harvesting took place

2) The Society of Teotihuacan

population also included cultivators, artisans, and merchants

2/3 of city worked in fields around city artisans famous for obsidian tools and pottery

merchants traded all over Mesoamerica

no sign of military organization till 500 CE

had more manufacturing influence rather than military influence

3) Cultural Traditions

played ball games

used Olmec calendar

expanded on Olmec graphic symbols into complete system of

writing

books perished

believed in earth god and rain god

definitely carried out human sacrifices

4) Decline

experienced military pressure from outside 500 CE

650 CE entered decline


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750 CE got raped


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Early Andean Society and the Chavn Cult9/18/2014 4:46:00 AM

12,00 BCE hunters and gatherers made it into South America

They hunted

Deer

Llama

Alpaca

Others

Cool moist climate provided natural harvests of squashes, gourds, and

wild potatoes.

8000 BCE- climate became warm and dry. Put pressure on natural food

supplies

Began to experiment with agriculture1000 BCE- created complex societies parallel to those of MesoA.

Heartland is modern day Peru and Bolivia

Didnt communicate due to lack of animals and tech

Maize and Squashes went down to Andean civilization

Gold, silver, and copper metallurgy moved up to MesoA.

Transportation between valleys became very difficult.

Nevertheless, powerful Andean states sometimes overcame difficulties

and influenced human affairs as far away as modern Ecuador and

Colombia to the north and northern Chile to the south.

2500-2000 BCE Early Andean heartland came under cultivation;

permanent settlements dotted coast

relied on beans, peanuts, and sweet potatoes as main food crops. Also

cotton

Varieties of potatoes supported agricultural communities in highlands

after about 2000 BCE

1800 BCE- Andean regions had begun to fashion distinctive styles of

pottery and to build temples and pyramids in large centers


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1) The Chavlin Cult

After 1000 BCE, new religion appeared in C Andes

Popular 900-800 BCE

Vanished 300 BCE

No information survives to indicate the precise significance of the

cult.

Named after Chavin de Huantar, most prominent sites.

Probably designed to promote fertility and abundant harvests.

Large temple complexes and elaborate works of art accompanied

cult

Society became complex in era of Chavin cult

Inspired the building of ceremonial centers rather making of truecities.

Cities appeared shortly after chavin cult

200 BCE- Huari, Pucara, and Tiahuanaco. Exceeded 10,00

population

didnt make use of writing


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Early Andean States: Mochica 9/18/2014 4:46:00 AM

Regional states appeared with cities

Arose in many valleys on the W. side of mountains

Conquerors unified valleys and organized them into integrated

societies

High Region

o Potatoes

o Llama meat

o Alpaca wool

Central Valleys

o Maize

o

Beanso Squashes

Coasts

o Sweet potatoes

o Fish

o Cotton

Deliberately did this

Didnt hesitate to use force

Relied heavily on arms

1) The Mochica State

didnt use writing

o beliefs, values, and way of life remind largely hidden

used art

Moche River Valley (Northern Peru) 300-700 CE

Painted largely on pottery vessels

Ceramics take form of portraits of individuals heads.

Others represent major gods and various subordinate deities and

demons.

All states couldnt come under one rule.

Many regional differences


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Early Societies in Australia and New Guinea9/18/2014 4:46:00 AM

People entered Australia and New Guinea 60,000 years ago or earlier;

used watercraft or land with no water covering it

5,000 years ago SE Asia people went to New Guinea for trading purposes

some settled

many ventured on

Mid of 1stmillienium people inhabited all possible islands of Pacific Ocean

Humans reached Australia and New Guinea before anyone cultivated or

domesticatedMigrations between Au and NG stopped 8000 BCE

Australia: hunting and gathering until the nineteenth and twentieth

centuries C.E.

New Guinea: Turned to agriculture about 3000 B.C.E.

Austronesian peoples from southeast Asia were seafarers to New Guinea,

3000 B.C.E. Remarkable seafaring skills

Sailed open ocean in large canoes with outriggers

Paid attention to winds, currents, stars, cloud formations, and

other natural indicators

Established their own communities

Austronesian introduced yams, taro, pigs, and chickens to the island

Few centuries it spread


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The Peopling of Pacific Islands 9/18/2014 4:46:00 AM

Early hunters and gatherers had also settled in Bismarck and Solomon

(east of New Guinea)

Austronesians went past Solomons due to maritime tech and agricultural

expertise. Outrigger canoes allowed them to sail safely over long

distances of open ocean.

First arrived to New Guinea to establish settlement, then went forward to

explore and populate more areas.

POLYNESIA1500 BCE mariners arrived at Vanuatu and New Caledonia

1300 BCE at Fiji

1000 BCE at Tonga and Samoa

Late centuries of first millennium got to Tahiti and Marquesas.

Went to even more remote outposts

Reached Hawaii Early centuries CE

300 CE Easter Island

700 CE New Zealand

MICRONESIA

Other branches explored Micronesia and Madagascar

Earliest known Austronesian migrants to make settlements in Pacific are

known as Lapita

1500-500 BCE maintained communication and exchanged

networks throughout New Guinea and Bismarck to Samoa and

Tonga

Wherever they settled they established agricultural villages with pigs and

chickens. Supplemented crops and animals with fish and seaweed

Killed off most of large land animals and birds


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Evidence of civilization: pottery with stamped geometric designs

Maintained extensive trade networks

Would bring high quality obsidian from far far away.

500 BCE trade networks declined because they could self sustain and

wanted to focus on own development; developed chiefdom

leadership passed from chief to eldest son. Contest for power caused

turmoil but they could set sail and find new land. Also population

pressures led to more exploration.

Lapita built strong chiefly societies on large island.

Eventually, chiefly and aristocratic classes became extremely powerful

and divine

chapter 6 notes whap

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