Early World History

Indo-Europeans to the Middle Ages

Indo-European Invasions triggered by Flooding of Black Sea 5600 B.C.

Indo-Europeans (Aryan language)

Nomadic tribes from Steppes of Asia
Herders and Grazers
Warfare using horses
Swept into Old Europe, Middle East, India starting about 5,000 BC
Religion of war and male domination
Male gods of sky, thunder, war and mountains
Warrior Priests
Imposed ideology:
- Male dominance
- Hierarchy

Thor

Indo-European Conquerers

Aryans in India
Hittites and Mittani in the Fertile Crescent
Luians in Anatolia (Turkey)
Kurgans in eastern Europe (Battle-Axe People)
Achaeans, Dorians in Greece

Diffusion of Indo-European Languages

Before Indo-Europeans

Sedentary agrarian society
Fertility and nature worshiped
Goddess gave birth to World, Agriculture
Priests male and female
Women’s status similar to men’s: Graves Equal

After Indo-Europeans

Herding introduced
Warfare, war culture dominates: Fortifications built
Male War Gods worshiped: Male dominated society, religion
Goddess loses status
- Killed or raped by male god
- Becomes consort of male god
- Becomes goddess of war

Women lose status in society
Owned by fathers then husbands
Graves unequal

Early Civilizations

City states
Elites
Religion
Crop domestication
Animal agriculture
Trade
Metallurgy
Population explosion

Mesopotamia

Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates fertilized soil
Irrigation, drainage produced early abundance
Competition and warfare between city states: Ur, Uruk, Nippur, Babylon, Kish Nineveh, Assur, etc.
Over salinization reduced wheat productivity in south by 2,000 B.C.: political power shifted north
Eventual large scale ecological destruction
Forests destroyed for fuel, ship building
Fields and pastures worked until barren

Fertile Crescent

Egypt

Yearly flooding of Nile fertilized soil.
Irrigation, drainage controlled by Pharaoh
Abundant crops: wheat. (Later would be conquered for its productivity)
Relative geographical isolation: strong central government, religion
Unification of North and South Nile by 3,500 B.C.
2,000 year dynasty ended in Persian conquest 500 B.C.

Indus Valley Civilization

Arose 3000 BC
Contemporary of Egypt, Mesopotamia
Lasted 1500 years
Conquered by Aryans from north

Aryan Invasion of India

Aryans invaded 1750 BC
Indus, then Ganges valleys
Horse and herding culture
Vedas and Caste system: Foundation of Hinduism
Feudal Kingdoms spread through India: ruled by Brahmins (Priests)

Assyrian Empire: 600 B.C.

Assyrian War Bulletin (1000 B.C.)

“Asshur my Lord commanded me to go forth…I covered the regions of Saraush and of Ammaush with ruins…I proved myself against their armies at the mountain of Aruma, I chastised them, I strawed the earth with their bodies as they had been beasts of the field; I took their cities in possession, I carried away their gods, I led them away captive, them and their goods and their treasures; I burned the cities with fire, I destroyed them, I made them even with the ground, I made of them heaps and a desolation; I laid upon them the grievous yoke of my dominion, and in their presence I gave thanks unto Asshur my Lord.”

“I slew two hundred and sixty fighting men; I cut off their heads and made pyramids thereof. I slew one of every two. I built a wall before the great gates of the city; I flayed the chief men of the rebels, and I covered the wall with their skins. Some of them were enclosed alive in the bricks of the wall, some of them were crucified on stakes along the wall; I caused a great multitude of them to be flayed in my presence, and I covered the wall with their skins. I gathered together the heads in the form of crowns, and their pierced bodies in the form of garlands.”

“The inhabitants forsook their strongholds and their castles: they fled for safety towards Matui, a strong country; I rushed after them in pursuit; I strawed a thousand bodies of the warriors upon the mountain; I covered the mountain with their dead bodies; I filled the valleys therewith. As for two hundred that I had taken alive, I pierced their wrists. My face rejoiceth over ruins; in the satisfying of my wrath I have my pleasure.”

Biblical Warfare

Saul instructed by God to destroy the Amelekites (1000 B.C.):

“Spare no one; put them all to death, men and women, children and babes in arms, herds and flocks, camels and asses.”
-- I Samuel 15:3

Persian Empire: 525 B. C.

The World: 500 B.C.

Alexander the Great

Empire of Alexander the Great: 323 B. C.

Greek Influence

Alexander the Great conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire 323 B.C.
Introduced Hellenistic culture to the mideast
Maintained by subsequent Greek rulers until 130 B. C.
Greeks colonized southern Italy and Sicily for grain growing

Roman Empire

Romans conquered Italy and Sicily,
Romans then conquered the entire Greek world (except for Persia):

Asia Minor
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Much of Europe

Roman Empire: 120 A.D.

Roman Empire: Wheat Empire

Roman empire dependent on wheat to feed soldiers, populace of Rome
Roman forts were granaries designed to hold a year supply of wheat in case of siege
Soldier’s rations were 3 pounds of wheat a day.
Barley was punishment rations
The Roman garrison in Britain consumed 1,277.5 tons of grain/yr
Much of it was brought by ship from supply depots

Roman Trade

A fleet of specialized grain carriers was used to import wheat from Egypt to Rome
Huge food giveaway program for citizens
Romans depleted their treasury importing luxury items and spices from India
Could no longer support food giveaways or army
Led to collapse of Empire in West
Persians never conquered by Romans, established silk trading routes to China

Trade Routes of First Century A.D.

Shang Dynasty in China

1700-1000 BC
First Chinese dynasty
Yellow River Basin

Zhou Dynasty in China

1000-221 BC
Yellow and Yangtze river basins
Great Wall started in north

Ch'in Dynasty in China

221-206 BC
Warring states of China united
Includes Yellow, Yangtze, and Xi River Basins

Han Dynasty in China

206 BC-220 AD
Western expansion opens Silk road
Southward expansion for rice production
Central control of dams, canals, irrigation

T'ang Dynasty in China

580-907 AD
Grand Canal Opened
- Links Yellow and Yangtze river basins:1100 miles long

Expansion of Islam 632-1000 A.D.

Islamic Middle East

Islam swept through Arabia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia 632-660 A.D.
Much of Hellenistic culture of Greeks and Romans lost
Islam moved through North Africa, reaching Iberian Peninsula
Islam was a leader in science, math, and technology
Taught Europe during the Middle Ages
Crusades against Islamic control of Holy Land: 1095-1291 A.D.

Religions of Europe: 1100-1200 A.D.

Mongol Empire: 1279-1368 AD

Mongols conquered most of Asia
China, Central Asia, Persia, to Danube River
Great Military Achievement
Mobile army on Horseback
Trade within China restricted: Treasury Depleted
Foreign trade welcomed: Marco Polo visits China

Ottoman Empire:

Roman/Byzantine empire in Asia Minor conquered by Ottoman Turks 1176 A.D.
Ottoman Empire expanded 1300-1699 A.D.
Trade routes to China and India controlled by Islamic/Ottoman rule forcing Europeans to explore alternate routes around Africa.

Ottoman Empire 1300-1699 A.D.

Europe of the Middle Ages

Many warring countries and city states
Many languages
Culturally unified by Catholic Church
Roman Catholic church in West
Eastern Orthodox in East
Effort to push Moslems out of Iberia
Venice a center of trade with Moslems