Spread of CivilizationSpread of Civilization

3000-1450 BC3000-1450 BC

Civilization spreads to rain watered lands

• Ideas spread by trade and war.

• Plow enabled farming away from rivers.

• High culture spread across Europe megalith religion- built Stonehenge in England.

• Minoan Civilization (3000- 1400 BC) on Crete and other Mediterranean Islands.

Spread of Civilization

Mesopotamia

Egypt

Persian Gulf

Iran

Nubia

NomadsGoats/ sheep

NomadsGoats/horses

FarmingFarming

Spread of Ideas

• By 2000 BC Mesopotamia was ringed by new civilizations or developing civilizations like the Hatti in Asia Minor and Canaanites in what is today Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

• To develop civilization people needed to produce a surplus of food and a way to transfer the food surplus from the farmers to specialists.

• Not having to spend most of their time working in the fields, specialists could develop skills needed to produce writing, art, architecture, religion and government.

Northern Europe • First settlers were hunter-gatherers migrating out

of Africa.• Knowledge of farming spread from Fertile

Crescent to Europe.• Complex civilizations slower to develop in

Europe than in Fertile Crescent because plentiful rainfall made large-scale irrigation projects unnecessary.

• European farming communities remained small for a long time before complex urban civilizations developed.

• Megalith stones set up during Neolithic period in Europe beginning about 4500 BC.

Carnac stones, Brittany France (Standing Stones)

Dolman, Ireland

“Megaliths”

Two views of StonehengeSalisbury PlainEnglandBuilt about 1650 B.C.

The Pastoralists

• Some peoples only adopted some aspects of civilization.

• Some cared for domesticated animals but did not settle down and plant crops. They were often nomads.

• Pastoralists: like hunters lived off plant eating animals could be shepherds or cattle herders.

• Pastoralists required larger “Carrying Capacity” than farmers. Needed more land to feed themselves. Usually very war like. Fought over best pasture land.

Abraham and his family left Sumerian city of Ur about 1900 BC.

Some people left civilization to become pastoralists

The Family of Abraham

• Abraham’s wife was Sarah

• Sons Isaac and Ishmael

• Jacob was son of Isaac (Also known as Israel)

• Jacob had 12 sons.

• Joseph sold as slave by his brothers.

• Family settles in Egypt (c1850 BC)

Out on the Steppes• Horse herders of steppe learned to use wheel and

developed light chariot.• Combined chariot with composite bow and bronze

weapons and became deadly fighters.• Rivalry between farmers and herdsmen: nomads

superior fighters but many more farmers.• Chariot barbarians swarmed out of steppes (1700- 1400

BC) and over ran the civilized lands.• Conquered civilizations in Mesopotamia (Kassites) ,

Egypt (Hyksos), Indus Valley (Aryans) and Yellow River (Shang)

• Many invaders spoke Indo European Languages the same as we do.

The Eurasian Steppe

China

ARABIAIRAN

Mesopotamia

EUROPE

Egypt

Indus Valley

THE STEPPE

ASIATHE STEPPE

HimalayaMountains

THE STEPPE

AsiaMinor

Northern Forests

Siberia

Where horses were first domesticated.

A Deadly Combination

Light Chariot and Composite Bow.Chariots carried a driver and a shooter.

Large Horse breeds not yet developedMost horses like large ponies, to small to carry a large man especially if he was wearingbronze armor.

The Indo European Invaders

AryansPersians

Myceneans

Latins

CeltsScythians

Shang

1700-1400 BC

Hittites

Anatolia• Northern Asia Minor (now Turkey)• Imported ideas from Mesopotamia; like

Cuneiform writing.• Civilization began during the 19th and 20th

centuries BC. • Several different ethnic (language) groups

together known as the Hatti.• Indo-Europeans arrived and took over about

1700 BC. Became one people known as the Hittites.

• Hittite leaders then organized projects to mine metals and cut timber to trade with other Civilizations.

Empire of Hammurabi >

Hittite Empire >

Egypt

Hittite and Babylonian Empires about 1760 BC

The Aegean Sea Region

• New crops, olives and grapes introduced by farmer tribes about 5000 BC.

• Minoan civilization centered in Crete controlled islands of Aegean from 2100-arround 1500 BC.

The Minoans• Minoans named for their ruler, King Minos.• Lived mainly on island of Crete (south of Greece in

eastern Mediterranean Sea) many think the Minoans represent the legend of Atlantis

• Because of their island location, they had easy access to trade by sea. Became traders with networks around the Aegean Sea.

• Seem to have been more peaceful than most. Few fortifications in their ruins. No images of war in their art. May have relied on a strong navy for protection.

• Civilization influenced most by geographical position & trade with Egyptian empire & Mesopotamian lands.

• Decline of Minoan civilization: Earthquakes & tidal waves, followed by attacks from Greece.

Palace of Minos, Knossos Crete c.1500 B.C.

Queen’s Room Palace of Minos, Crete

Queen’s room

Vasec.1500 B.C.

Wall painting

Minoan Art

.

Harvester Vasec. 1500 B.C.

Snake Goddess, Crete c.1600 B.C

Aside from images of bulls, the only Obvious deity from ancient Crete is the Snake Goddess, holding two snakes

Minoan Bull

Minoan double axe “labrys”

Labyrinth means Hall of the Double Axe. Palace was huge with many winding halls and passageways where people could get lost.. Labyrinth legend. – minotaur in maze beneath Knossos palace killed by hero Theseus.

Fresco wall painting of bull leapers Knossos c. 1500 B.C.

In legend young men and women were sacrificed to the Minotaur.