Main concepts for Unit 7
Pre 8000 y.a. communities vs. 5500 y.a. shift to “states” and “civilization”
Neolithic societies: egalitarian, sustainable communities, no labor specialization, little variance in status and wealth, no public buildings and little evidence of governmental organizations or control, of roughly equal size
Factors that indicate a state:
heirarchical and centralized decision making affects a large population
part of the population is NOT involved in food production
full time religious and craft specialists
public buildings and other spaces
official art style
hierarchical society, elite ruling and religious class
exclusive use of force to further social goals controlled by government alone
Other stuff to know about:
commodity seals, message seals, bullae — why these are important
cuneiform writing — origins, eventual uses
Early Uruk state structure as example of increasingly complex society
7000 y.a. to 5500 y.a. as the formative era for creation of cities and states
archeological evidence for the rise of complex social and political societies
inequality in death = inequality in death
possible role of irrigation in formation of political societies
Sumerians — their empire
Mesoamericans — Teotihuacan
Other cultures — spontaneous emergence of cities and states in human culture around the world
Big questions–
Where did these complex societies come from? What brings them about?
What are the consequences for state formation for humans and the environment?
What are the possible causes for the decline and collapse of states?