Classical Variations: Africa and the Americas

Transcription

1 Classical Variations: Africa and the Americas Strayer, Chapter 7 (1e) Large portions of this PPT are borrowed from Mr. Duez of Atascocita High School. Link to his site:

2 NOTE: This PowerPoint is not organized by Key Concept in order to follow the text. The KCs will cover a broad range of 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 all based in Africa and the Americas. The African Northeast (p. 283) Meroë Axum Along the Niger River (p. 288) Jenne-Jeno Africa South of the Equator, Bantu Africa (p. 290) Bantu: culture, society, religion Civilizations of Mesoamerica (p. 292) The Maya Teotihuacan Civilizations of the Andes (p. 297) Chavin Moche North America in the Classical Era (p. 301) Ancetral Pueblo (Chaco) Mound Builders (Cahokia) The Pyramids at Meroë The Mounds at Cahokia The Americas

3 Dark Continent Comes Into the Light What we know about the early history of Africa evolves almost every few years. A 30 year-old textbook would not contain information that sub-saharan Africans had any knowledge of ironworking technology before European contact the contrast to Strayer is obvious. Similarly, the recent discovery of book caches in Timbuktu promises to transform our understanding of medieval West Africa. This is very similar to what we discussed in the first chapter. Hence, this is the variation that Strayer discusses in comparison to the Romans, Han China, Persians, Greeks, Mauryan India, etc. of the Classical Era. When societies have almost no written record it is very difficult to get to the truth. However, technology, motivated researchers, and the endless curiosity of humanity have made incredible breakthroughs.

4 Classical Africa

5 The African Northeast: Meroë Nubian civilization: almost as old as Egyptian civilization Constant interaction remained distinct but influenced each other With decline of Egypt, Nubian civilization came to focus with Meroë Evidence of own religion: Apedemek (non-egyptian god followed in Nubia important as it shows a separation from Egyptian influence) City of Meroë had craft specialization, with prominent ironworking Rural areas: combination of herding/farming Paid tribute to the ruler Farming based on rainfall, not irrigation Population less concentrated on the Nile, less directly controlled by the capital Major long-distance trade: source of wealth/military power

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7 The African Northeast: Axum Present-day Eritrea/Ethiopia Economic foundation: highly productive agriculture Substantial state emerged by 50 CE Capital city: Axum was the center of monument building huge stone obelisks or stelae (pl, stele ) (royal graves?) Christianity arrived 4 th century CE Coptic Church in Egypt 4 th -6 th Centuries CE: imperial expansion into Meroë and Yemen Both Meroë and Axum paralleled Eurasian developments and interacted with Europe/Asia

8 Ethiopia (Axum): Early center of Christianity in Africa Began following a polytheistic faith later converted to Christianity under Ezana II (reigned ca CE) Later: emergence of Coptic Christianity: They do not separate Jesus the man with Jesus the God Contributed to monumental architecture including a palace known as Ta akha Maryam and a cathedral, Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion

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10 How did the history of Meroë and Axum reflect interaction with neighboring civilizations? Both traded extensively with neighboring civilizations. Meroë s wealth and military power were in part derived from this trade. The formation of a substantial state in Axum was at least in part stimulated by Axum s participation in Red Sea and Indian Ocean commerce and the taxes that flowed from this commerce. Both developed their own distinct writing scripts. A 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 4 th century C.E., primarily through Egyptian influence, Meroë also adopted Christianity in the 340s C.E. following Meroë s decline.

11 Niger River Valley Civilizations Major urbanization along the stretch of the Niger River, 300 BCE 900 CE Jenne-jeno (today: Djenné) example of a city on Niger River Cities like Jenne-jeno were clusters of economically specialized settlements Large-scale states emerge in second millennium CE Early empire: Empire of Ghana, later this region is home to the Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire (Pd. 3) Beginnings of Trans-Sahara Trade Route major trade good: gold

12 How does the experience of the Niger Valley challenge conventional notions of civilization? The Niger River region witnessed the creation of large cities with the apparent absence of a corresponding state structure. These cities were not like the city-states of ancient Mesopotamia. Instead, they were close to the early cities of the Indus Valley civilization, where complex urban centers also apparently operated without the coercive authority of a centralized state.

13 Trans-Sahara Trade Routes (KC 2.3)

14 Bantu Africa: Migration, Culture, and Society The Bantu migrants did NOT set out with the expressed intention of conquering their neighbors. Migration took thousands of years remember: they are an agricultural people Bantu advantages: Numbers Disease brought new diseases to people with little immunity Iron Gathering/hunting peoples displaced/ignored/eliminated Religion: focused on ancestors/spirits (animism, KC 2.1) People left West Africa for less populated areas Settled all across southern and western Africa Called the Bantu Migrations because - descendants of the people that migrated shared elements of a language known as BantuBantu languages became dominant south of the Sahara Linguists have teased out evidence of cultural change, especially from the many strands of Bantu

15 The Americas: The Maya Classical phase: CE Mathematical system Elaborate calendars Creation of the most elaborate writing system in the Americas Large amount of monumental architecture Economy: agriculture played a large role with a complex social structure including artisans and elites Political system of city-states and regional kingdoms highly fragmented no citystate created a unified empire Not one unified empire instead, a patchwork of city-states & kingdoms But all city-states shared common language, culture, and so on Like: Ancient Mesopotamia and Greece!

16 Classical Era Africa & Americas Compared to Eurasia Parallels between Maya & Classic Greece: Monumental Architecture/City-States Maya: Great city-states, like Tikal Greeks: Athens Advanced Mathematics/Astronomy Both the Greeks & Maya had developed astronomical principles. Maya concept of zero: unique & advanced

17 Mayan Script: only fully-developed American writing sys.

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19 The Maya Civilization Mesoamerican civilization was noted for its urban characteristics. Unlike in Eurasia where large land mammals grazed, the landscape was only agricultural (based on maize); like Eurasia, italso included multiple large urban centers.

20 Strayer s Take on Maya Political Demise: Explaining this remarkable demise has long kept scholars guessing. It seems clear that neither foreign invasion nor internal rebellion played a major role, as they had in the collapse of the Roman & Chinese empires. One recent account focuses on ecological & political factors. Extremely rapid population growth after 600 C.E. pushed total Maya numbers to perhaps 5 million+ & soon outstripped available resources, resulting in deforestation and the erosion of hillsides. Under such conditions, climate change in the form of prolonged droughts in the 800s may well have triggered the collapse, while political disunity & endemic rivalries prevented a coordinated & effective response to the emerging catastrophe. Maya warfare in fact became more frequent as competition for increasingly scarce land for cultivation became sharper. Whatever the precise explanation, the Maya collapse, like that of the Romans and others, illustrates the fragility of civilizations, whether they are embodied in large empires or organized in a more decentralized fashion.

21 Classical Era Africa & Americas Compared to Eurasia The Americas did not create any classical-era empire on the same size & scale compared to Eurasia. But it did produce areas of broad cultural hegemony that can be, perhaps compared favorably to classical age Greece. They share a sense of city-state creation in ceremonial or ritual centers. Eurasia was home to 80% of the world s population at the time. Africa: 11% The Americas: 6 %

22 The Americas: Teotihuacan ( America s Greatest City ) Largest city of pre-columbian America, with a pop. between 100,000 & 200,000; built to plan in Valley of Mexico, flourished between 300 & 600 c.e., it governed/influenced much of surrounding region. Teotihuacán Aztec term = city of the gods. (pron. teh-o-tee-wah-kahn)

23 The Americas: Teotihuacan ( America s Greatest City ) Teotihuacan = northeast of present-day Mexico City Had about 200,000 people at its peak City laid out on a grid Found in excavations = 600 pyramids, 2000 apartment compounds, 500 workshop areas, and a huge marketplace

24 Civilizations of the Andes: Chavin Religion A village known as Chavin de Huantar became the focus of a religious movement that spread throughout the Andes region Major deities: represented jaguars, crocodiles, and snakes Shamans (priests) = used hallucinogenic cactus to connect to the supernatural world Gives historians/archaeologists a way to trace a common cultural idea useful with a lack of written sources

25 Civilizations of the Andes: Moche Dominated a 250-mile stretch of Peru s coast Incorporated 13 river valleys Grew maize, beans, squash, and cotton Fishermen harvested anchovies from the Pacific Governed by warrior-priests Human sacrifice also seen in other groups like the Nazca Also included mummification/notable ritual burial (see Marr, HOTW)

26 The Americas: Hunter-Gatherers (North America) Gathering & Hunting peoples: Arctic & subarctic cultures; Bison hunters of Great Plains; Complex & settled communities of Pacific coast: Chumash (Ch 1); Nomadic bands living in arid regions of South America.

27 North America: The Ancestral Pueblo Permanent village life emerged in the Southwestern US ca CE. Larger settlements were needed due to the environment and difficulty of farming when maize was grown it was done so in a concentrated effort and led to several larger communities developing Chaco Canyon Pueblo Bonito Small population, ~5,000 Evidence of sophisticated astronomy, artisan work, and trade with Mesoamerica

28 North America: Mound-builders An independent Agricultural Revolution occurred in the Eastern US as early as 2000 BCE Most elaborate mound-builder culture: Hopewell Culture of Ohio Center was Cahokia, near present-day St. Louis, Missouri Stratified, clear elite Center of widespread trading network Corn-based agriculture flourished spreading from Mesoamerica

29 Ancestral Pueblo & mound-building societies of Northern America & regional civilizations (Moche of S. America) more closely resemble Neolithic villages & 1st Civs of Eurasia than they do their classical counterparts. (Think Catalhuyuk)

30 North America: Did NOT generate large urban centers or inclusive empires. These peoples lived beyond the direct reach of the major civilizations also made their own histories, changing in response to their unique environments, their interactions with outsiders, & their own visions of the world.

31 Classical Era Africa & Americas Compared to Eurasia Anasazi (SouthWest US) Ancestral Pueblo. Built "Pit Houses" & "Great Houses" Along with mound-building cultures of eastern woodlands provide 2 illustrations from North America during the classical era.