Samenvatting H1 tm H14: An Introduction to the Ancient World

,Part 1: The Ancient Near East......................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 1: The Origins of the Civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia...................................2
Chapter 2: The Third Millenium................................................................................................3
Chapter 3: The Second Millenium.............................................................................................5
Chapter 4: The First Millenium............................................................................................... 10
Chapter 5: Religion.................................................................................................................. 17
Chapter 6: Economy and Society.............................................................................................18
Chapter 7: Government............................................................................................................21
Part 2: The Greek World................................................................................................................ 23
Chapter 8: The Early Iron Age: ‘The Dark Ages’ (c. 1200-c.750 bce)................................... 23
Chapter 9: The Archaic Period (c.750-c.500 bce)................................................................... 24
Chapter 10: The Classical Period (c. 500-c. 330 bce)..............................................................38
Chapter 11: The Hellenistic World (c. 330-c. 30 bce)............................................................. 51
Part 3: Rome.................................................................................................................................. 63
Chapter 12: Early Roman History (753-265 bce).................................................................... 63
Chapter 13: Further Expansion and New Social Tensions (264-133 bce)............................... 76
Chapter 14: The Century of the Civil Wars (133-30 bce)........................................................93




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,Part 1: The Ancient Near East

Chapter 1: The Origins of the Civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia

- Stone Age
- Old and middle stone age:
- Hunters and gatherers
- On the move
- Late middle stone age - new stone age
- Better tools
- In one area longer
- Agriculture
- Domestication of animals
- Neolithic revolution
- 2 kinds of agriculture:
- Rainfall
- Only in certain areas where rain was regular
- Vulnerable
- Irrigation
- Natural
- Egypt
- Nile flooded
- Artificial
- Mesopotamia
- More productive than rainfall agriculture
- Agriculture lead to specialization
- Specialization lead to villages and (fortified) cities
- Mesopotanian cities:
- Temple was the core
- Temple economy
- > invention of writing 3400-3200
- Cuneiform

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, - Hieroglyphs in Egypt
- Lived in the city, worked on the land
- Transhumance: seasonal migration, e.g. herders moved from summer to winter
pastures


Egypt Mesopotamia

Dependent on river water Dependent on river water

Absence of rain Absence of rain

Poor in metals and timber Poor in metals and timber



Better agricultural conditions Heavy artificial irrigation

Better water quality Mixed with harmful salts (>salinisation)

Abrupt transition from arable land to desert gradual

Less accessible Constant invasions of foreigners

Isolated > barely any invasions > stable



Chapter 2: The Third Millenium

The Early Bronze Age
Egypt, the Old Kingdom (c. 2600-c. 1250
- Old kingdom c.2600-2150
- Middle kingdom c.2000-c.1800
- New kingdom c.1550-c.1100
- Late period c.750bc-332bc
- Ruled by foreign dynasties or part of other empires
- Third millennium = old kingdom + early dynastic period (c.3000-2600)
- Kingship was divine
- Pyramids (Memphis)
- End of the old kingdom:


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