Understanding Culture, Society & Politics

HUMAN
BIOCULTURAL
 HUMAN BIOCULTURAL
1. THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION

2. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS

3. THE RISE OF STATE

4. DEMOCRATIZATIONS
2
 THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION:
From Hunter-Gatherer to
Agriculturalist
The Neolithic Revolution or Neolithic
Demographic Transitions, sometimes called
the Agricultural Revolution, was the world’s
first historically verifiable revolution in
agriculture. It was the wide-scale transition
in human history from small nomadic bands
of hunter-gatherers to larger and
agricultural settlements.
3
 THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION: From
Hunter-Gatherer to Agriculturalist

ØThe Neolithic Age began around 12,000 years ago

and ended as civilizations started to rise around
3500 BCE.

ØThe term Neolithic comes from two words: neo, or

new, and lithic, or stone. As such, this time period is
sometimes referred to as the New Stone Age.

4
Contributions and achievements
§ Neolithic Advancements § Neolithic Achievements
Inventions
1. Domestication -Wheel
2. Food Surplus -Plow
3. Population Increases -Pottery
4. Villages are established -Spinning Thread/Weaving Cloth
5. Sedentary Lifestyle
6. Artisan Develops Begin Working with Metals
-Copper
(Division of Labor) -Bronze
7. Trade Begins
Contributions and achievements
 Early civilizations
4 Major Civilizations

1. Mesopotamia-Tigris
and Euphrates River
2. Egypt- Nile River
3. China- Huang He
(Yellow) River
4. India- Indus River

7
 mesopotamia
§Mesopotamia—mainly modern-day Iraq and Kuwait—in particular is often referred
to as the cradle of civilization because some of the most influential early city-states
and empires first emerged there—although it’s not the only place!

§Its modern name comes from the Greek for middle—mesos—and river—potamos—
and literally means a “country between two rivers.” Those two rivers are the Tigris
and Euphrates.

§Not only was Mesopotamia one of the first places to develop agriculture, it was also at
the crossroads of the Egyptian and the Indus Valley civilizations. This made it a melting
pot of languages and cultures that stimulated a lasting impact on writing, technology,
language, trade, religion, and law.
8
 Around 10 000 BC, the first evidence of the first
civilization include:

1. A transition to settled living

2. Farming of grains and legumes
3. Evidence of houses
4. Burial of the dead in ceremonies

9
 1. The Sumerians, the Oldest
Civilization
§Ancient Sumer was the first of
the ancient Mesopotamian
civilizations to develop.

§It is thought that somewhere around

5000BC was about the time of origin.

§The exact dating of its beginning has

proven to be quite difficult.

§Smaller settlements appear in the

region much earlier than this time.
These eventually expanded into city-
states that soon became the cornerstone
of Sumeria.
10
 The Sumerian Ziggurat of Ur of one of the first great
cities of ancient Mesopotamia.

11
 2. the Akkadian Civilization
§The Akkadian Civilization, ruled by Sargon,
was the first empire of ancient Mesopotamia.

§Located in the area to the north of Sumer,

Akkadia became established and a dominant
force in Mesopotamia around 3000BC.

§The Akkadian empire is thought to be the

first dynastic rulership to have existed. It took
over control of Sumer and the Levant at
around 2300BC. The inhabitants spoke
Semitic languages, which are closely related to
Arabic and Hebrew.

12
 3. The Assyrians
§Of all the cultures of
the ancient Mesopotamian
civilizations, Assyria is
considered to be the
greatest.

§It developed advanced

military and bureaucratic
systems, which enabled it
to expand and control
much of the ancient world.

13
 4. Babylonians
§Possibly the most famous of all
the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations.

§Babylon was originally home to one of

the Seven Wonders of the World, The
Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

§It was also the place in which the

Biblical ‘Tower of Babel’ was thought to
have built and ultimately destroyed.
There are many references to Babylon
throughout The Bible, which has made
it a hotspot for archaeologists around
the world.

14
 4. Babylonians
§The most famous king of
Babylonian Empire was Hammurabi
[1792-1750 B.C.]

§Famous Code of Law “the

punishment fits the crime” and “eye
for an eye” He took all the laws of the
region’s city-states and unified them
into one code. This helped unify the
region.

15
 Mesopotamian society

1. King and Nobility

2. Priests
3. Scribes
4. Craftsmen and
Peasants
5. Slaves

16
 Mesopotamian culture
One of the First Writing Systems- Cuneiform

17
 Egypt
“
Ancient Egypt It's one of the most
important civilizations in History. It
emerged more than 5,000 years ago, along
the River Nile in the north-east of Africa
Ancient Egyptians lived near the River
Nile, because the land was fertile there.
Each year, water from the Nile rose and
flooded the area. When the water went
back, it left mud which made the fields
fertile.
18
 Egyptians called their king a
pharaoh.
The pharaoh was all- powerful:
● He passed laws,
● He ruled the country,
● He owned most of the land,
● He controlled trade and led the armies
Egyptians believed that the pharaohs were
gods.
19
 Pharaoh

20
21
 §Egyptian religion Egyptians were
polytheistic: they worshipped many
gods

§Egyptians believed there was an

afterlife, as long as the body was
preserved. Consequently, a dead body
was dried to make a mummy, which
was put in a sarcophagus. A wealthy
person's tomb contained the things
which were necessary in the afterlife,
such as food, jewels or statues of
servants. Mummies and afterlife
22
 Mummy and Sarcophagus

23
 The biggest tombs were the spectacular pyramids
which were built for the pharaohs

24
 China
The Chinese is the only of the four greatest
ancient civilizations that managed to
survive throughout the five thousand years
of its history and one of a few ancient
civilizations that have lasted into modern
times.
25
 China
-Shang
-Zhou
-Qin
26
 india
One of the world's oldest civilizations was
born in India, a highly developed culture that
had a profound influence on the subsequent
development of the country, and reflected in
a lifestyle of many inhabitants of the East.

•Dravidians
•Saman
•Madras
27
The rise of state
Pre-1500s Most people lived in small villages; they paid tithes to
feudal landlords, didn’t travel, and cared little for anything
beyond the village.
1485 Henry VII wins the War of the Roses in England, begins the
Tudor dynasty, and starts the development of the English nation-
state.
1492 Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella finish taking back all of
Spain from the Muslims; the era of Spain as a global power begins.
1547–1584Ivan the Terrible rules Russia; he unifies the government and
creates the first Russian nation-state.
1638–1715Louis XIV of France creates an absolute monarchy; France
28
emerges as the dominant power In Europe.
The rise of state
1648 Peace of Westphalia cements the legal status of the
nation-state as sovereign.
1789 The French Revolution begins; it creates the modern
French nation-state and sparks nationalism around
Europe.
1871 Unification of Italy and Germany is complete.
1919 Treaty of Versailles ends World War I; it breaks up
several multinational empires and creates many new
nation-states.
1945 The United Nations forms.
29
 The Catholic Church The Thirty Years’ War Centralization
And The Rise Of The and the Peace of
Nation-State Westphalia

Newly emerging nation- The Thirty Years’ War, or the process by which
states in the sixteenth and fought throughout law- and policymaking
seventeenth centuries had a central Europe from become centrally located,
complex relationship with 1618–1648 between
the predominant Protestants and
helped spur the
transnational power of the Catholics, laid the legal development of nation-
time, the Catholic Church. foundation for the states.
nation-state.

30
 democratization

Is defined as a regime within a

sovereign state from non-
democracy to democracy

31
 Examples:
Everyone feels empowered
to actively participate in the
broadest range of cultural
activity.
32
 Examples:

Everyone is free to
participate People as
participants.
33
 Examples:
Supporting young people
to play an active role in
governance and decision-
making.
34
 Examples:
Ability to vote or
choose a person Free
elections .
35