Post on 30-Dec-2015
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Early Human MigrationsEarly Human Migrations
By 700 CE, humans had established communities in almost every habitable part of the world.
Origins of Mesoamerican Societies
• Melting glaciers 18,000 years ago began a rise in ocean waters.
• Migration across Bering land bridge?– Probably 13,000 BCE, perhaps earlier
• By sea from Asia?• By 9500 BCE reached southernmost part
of South America• Hunter/Gatherer societies
– evolve into agricultural societies
Olmecs
• 1200-100 BCE
• The “Rubber People”
• Ceremonial Centers – San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes
• Olmec Heads– Up to 10 ft tall, 20 tons– Transported by dragging, rolling on logs– 1000/workers per head
It is now generally
accepted that these heads are portraits
of rulers, perhaps
dressed as ballplayers.
17 heads have been
unearthed so far!
Agriculture and Herding
• Abundant rainfall, so no need for irrigation– Drainage systems to divert waters
• Staple: maize
• Herding: turkeys & dogs– Both food
• No draft animals– No development of wheeled vehicles
Olmec Society
• Probably authoritarian in nature
• Large class of conscripted laborers to construct ceremonial sites– Also tombs for rulers, temples, pyramids,
drainage systems
The Olmecs
• The first major American civilization who built ceremonial centers around pyramids.
• Had an elaborate calendar, writing system and widespread trading network.
• There is evidence that the Olmec practiced ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies.
The Olmecs
• The first major American civilization who built ceremonial centers around pyramids.
• Had an elaborate calendar, writing system and widespread trading network.
• There is evidence that the Olmec practiced ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies.
Mysterious Decline of Olmecs
• Ceremonial centers destroyed
• No evidence of warfare
• Revolution?
• Civil war?
Lands of the MayaLands of the Maya
The The Yucatan Yucatan
PeninsulaPeninsula
The The Yucatan Yucatan
PeninsulaPeninsula
Maya• Huge cities discovered in 19th c.• 300 BCE-900 CE• Terrace Farming
– Maize– Cotton
• Cacao beans – chocolate– currency
• Major ceremonial center at Tikal (500,000)– Chichen Itza & Palenque b/w 10-30,000 people
Maya Warfare
• Warfare for purposes of capturing enemy soldiers
• Ritual sacrifice of enemies– Enslavement– Small kingdoms engage in constant conflict
until Chichén Itzá begins to absorb captives• Some nevertheless choose death• Center of empire develops
Mayan Ritual Calendar
• Complex math– Invention of “Zero”
• Calendar of 365.242 days (17 seconds off)– Solar calendar of 365 days– Ritual calendar of 260 days
• Management of calendar lends authority to priesthood– Timing of auspicious moments for agriculture– Devise written language– Compile astronomical knowledge
Mayan Language and Religion• Ideographs and a syllable-alphabet
– Most writings destroyed by Spanish conquerors– Deciphering work began in 1960s
• Popol Vuh: Mayan creation myth– Humans created from maize & water > flesh & blood
• Agricultural cycle maintained in exchange for honors and sacrifices
• Bloodletting rituals– Human sacrifices follow after removal of fingers,
piercing to allow blood flow
The Maya Ball Game
• Ritual game
• High-ranking captives, prisoners of war contestants
• Execution of losers immediately follows the match
• Bloodletting ritual for the gods
• Most Maya ceremonial centers, towns and cities had courts
Social Hierarchy
• Most Maya were farmers who supplied resources for an elaborate trading network.
• Each city had a ruling chief, followed by nobles, who served as city officials and military leaders.
City of Teotihuacan
• Highlands of Mexico• Lakes in area of high elevation• Village of Teotihuacan, 500 BCE, expands to
become massive city– Important ceremonial center
• Extensive trade network, influenced surrounding areas
• Begins to decline c. 650 CE, sacked in middle of 8th century, massive library destroyed
The End of the Maya
• Around 900, the Maya abandoned their cities. Historians speculate that war or overpopulation made have led to famine or class warfare.
• Today, millions in Guatemala and Southern Mexico speak 28 Mayan dialects.
Andean Societies
• Migration into South America c. 12,000 BCE
• Climate improves c. 8000 BCE
• Largely independent from Mesoamerica
• Highly individualized due to geography
Early Societies of Andean South America
1000 BCE – 700 CE
Food Supply
• Those who migrated into the Andes Mountains hunted deer, llama, alpaca and other large animals not found in Central America.
• Cultivation of maize and squashes spread from Mesoamerica, while gold, silver and copper metallurgy spread from the Andes north.
• By 2500 BCE, the earliest Andean cultivators relied on peanuts, beans, and sweet potatoes.
Chavin Cult
• New religion in central Andes, 900-300 BCE• Little known about particulars of religion• Intricate stone carvings• Cult may have arose when maize became an
important crop > cult for fertility and abundant harvests.
• During the era Andean society became increasingly complex– Elaborate woven clothing, cotton fishnets, metallurgy for
jewelry
The Mochica State• Valley of the Moche River• Dominated northern Peru, 300-700 CE
– Artistic evidence of armed warriors maintaining stability throughout region
• Painting survives, mostly on pottery/ceramics• No writing, but complex society with vast job
specialization• One of many states in region, none able to consolidate
into empire• 6th-7th centuries CE saw climactic shifts with droughts
that led to a decline of early Andean civilizations
Oceania
• Prehistoric land bridges, lower seas permit migration• Outrigger canoes for open-sea travel• Humans in Oceania at least by 58,000 BCE• By 8,000 BCE trade between islands ceased due to
the rising seas.• Early hunter-gatherer societies in Australia• Early agriculture in New Guinea by 3000 BCE
– Yams, taro & raising pigs & chickens
Lapita Peoples
• Earliest Austronesian (language group of Oceania) migrants to sail into the Pacific Ocean and establish settlements in pacific islands.
• Found throughout Pacific Islands• Agriculture, animal herding• Political organization based on chiefdoms
– Relatives formed aristocracy
• Trade over open ocean declines 500 BCE– Greater independence of settlements