The History of Civilization Lecture Notes

Origins

• 3 billion years ago: Life began as atoms in a primordial environment.
• 6 million years ago: Emergence of first hominids (primates including humans).
• 1.9 million years ago: Homo erectus, first species to leave Africa.
• 400,000 years ago: Neanderthals appeared, adapted to cold environments.
• Homo sapiens: Only surviving species of the genus Homo, development fueled by civilization.

Early Civilizations

Mesopotamia (4000 BCE)

• Located between Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• Transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture (wheat and barley).
• Inventions like the hand mill for processing grains into edible food.
• Significant human body adaptations: decrease in average height.
• King Gilgamesh and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
• Sumerians ousted by Akkadians, Sargon the Great.

Indus Valley Civilization (3300–1300 BCE)

• Advanced toilet and drainage system.
• Clean and hygienic cities.

Egypt

• Pyramid construction driven by beliefs in afterlife and immortality.
• Notable pharaohs: Djoser, Snefru, Khufu (Great Pyramid of Giza), Kafre, Menkaure.
• Ramses II: Construction projects (e.g., Abu Simbel, Karnak), battles with Hittites.
• First peace treaty with the Hittites in 1258 BCE.

China

• Xia Dynasty (2100 BCE): Flood control by Yu the Great.
• Mandate of Heaven: Principles to determine the right to rule.
• Zhou Dynasty: Establishment of feudalism.
• Confucianism (emphasis on respect, loyalty) and Taoism (living in harmony with nature).

Classical Civilizations

Greece

• City-states: Sparta (military strength) and Athens (democracy).
• Development of written language and elaborate social systems.
• Persian Wars: Battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea.
• Golden Age: Parthenon, drama (Sophocles, Aeschylus, Aristophanes).
• Peloponnesian War: Athens vs. Sparta.

Rome

• Origins: Myth of Romulus and Remus.
• Conquests under Julius Caesar (Gaul) and Octavian/Augustus.
• Transition to empire: Augustus as the first emperor.
• Christianity's rise: Life of Jesus, Paul of Tarsus, Great Fire of Rome, spread of Christianity.
• Division by Diocletian, Constantine's conversion to Christianity.
• Fall of Western Roman Empire (476 AD).

Byzantium and Other Regions

• Rise of Byzantine Empire under Justinian I, Hagia Sophia construction.
• Expansion and cultural synthesis during the reign of Ottoman Empire and other rulers.
• Sasanian Empire: Founded by Ardeshir, Zoroastrian revival.
• Rise of Islam: Muhammad’s prophetic mission, rapid expansion under caliphs.

Medieval and Early Modern Period

Europe

• Feudalism: Social hierarchy from serfs to kings under the ultimate authority of the Pope.
• Viking Expansion: Raids and settlements, discovery of Vinland by Leif Erikson.
• Holy Roman Empire: Charlemagne’s reign, coronation by Pope Leo III.
• Crusades: Multiple campaigns to reclaim Holy Land.
• Hundred Years' War: Conflict between England and France.
• Renaissance: Cultural and intellectual rebirth, notable figures like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo.
• Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, rise of Protestantism.

Americas

• Pre-Columbian civilizations: Mayans (advanced cities), Aztecs (Tenochtitlán), Incas (Andean region).
• European colonization: Spanish conquests by Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro.

Asia and Africa

• Islamic Golden Age: Scientific and cultural achievements under caliphates.
• African Empires: Mali (Mansa Musa, Timbuktu), Songhai, Great Zimbabwe.

Modern Era

Revolutionary Movements

• American Revolution: Independence from Britain, Declaration of Independence (1776).
• French Revolution: Overthrow of monarchy, rise and fall of Robespierre and Napoleon Bonaparte.
• Latin American Independence: Simone Bolivar’s campaigns.

Industrial and Technological Advances

• Industrial Revolution: Shift from agrarian to industrial economies.
• World Wars: Causes, major events, and outcomes of WWI and WWII.

Contemporary World

• Post-WWII developments: Cold War, space race (moon landing 1969), globalization.