Trading Peoples
AP World History
Chapter 3 Notes
Trading PeoplesCivilizations of Egypt & Mesopotamia greatly influenced neighboring people in the Fertile Crescent = the Aramaeans and the Phoenicians
Trading peoples
Traveled by sailing ships & by caravan
Spread languages, customs, and ideas as they traded around the Fertile Crescent
The AramaeansSettled in central Assyria around 1200 BCECapital = DamascusGained control over the trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia
The Aramaeans
Because their caravans crisscrossed the Fertile Crescent nonstop, people learned their language called Aramaic
Main language of the region until the 800sClosely related to Hebrew and ArabicMany parts of the Bible were written in this language
The PhoeniciansCanaan = land between ancient Egypt and SyriaCanaan = modern day Israel, Lebanon, and JordanPhoenicians settled in northern Canaan
The PhoeniciansSailed the seas for trade
Made strong, fast ships using timber in cedar forests
Built a string of towns & cities along their coast
Grew to become city-states
Built confederation (loose union) of city-states
The Phoenicians
Expert navigatorsPlotted voyages using the sun & stars
Took charge of Mediterranean shipping and trade
The Phoenicians
Created an alphabet = series of written symbols that represent sounds
Only 22 charactersEach character represented different consonant soundBasis for our alphabet we use today
The Phoenicians
To protect & re-supply their ships, the Phoenicians set up a network of trading posts and colonies along the coasts of the Mediterranean
Colony = settlement of emigrants
The Lydians
Lived in Asia Minor
This area famous for its gold deposits
First group to develop a monetary system with set prices using coins
Everybody else still bartering = exchanging goods
Soon the concept of money traveled to other societies
The Olmec Civilization
AP World History
Chapter 3 Notes
MesoamericaMeso = means middle
Refers to any cultures that lived in present-day Mexico & Central America
Olmec Civilization
One of the earliest Mesoamerican civilizations
Located near Gulf of Mexico
Knowledge of them comes from excavations of 2 main sites = San Lorenzo and La Venta both discovered in the 1930s
Olmec CivilizationOlmec = known for gigantic stone heads carved from basalt (volcanic rock)
Some more than 9 feet tallSome weighed as much as 40 tonsHeads of rulersBuilt without wheels or “beasts of burden” Olmec moved these heads about 60 miles from the mountains to the sites where they were foundThink about the giant head from Legends of the Hidden Temple! His name was Olmec!
Olmec CivilizationReligion played an important role in the lives of the Olmec
Many carvings found of the main Olmec god = a being with a human body and the catlike face of a jaguarOlmec believed the jaguar god controlled the harvests
Olmec CivilizationEarly Olmec farmers used slash-and-burn farming = farmers cut down trees to clear land & burned whatever was left
Planted maize and other crops among fertile ashes
Problem = soil became exhausted after about 2 years
Farmers then shifted fields & repeated the cycle
Olmec
Olmec often traded with other Mesoamerican civilizations
Olmec artifacts found in other regions
Olmec ideas show up with later civilizations, such as:
Religious ceremonies
Sacrificial rituals
Bloodletting
Game of pok-a-tok
Olmec Civilization as the “Mother Civilization” in Mesoamerica
Because of the influence that the Olmec civilization had on future civilizations within Mesoamerica, it is often referred to as the “Mother Civilization” in Mesoamerica
Pok-a-tok
A ritual ball game = rubber balls were batted back and forth across a walled court
Symbolized the back & forth struggle between this world and the next
Olmec Religion
Olmec rulers = BOTH political leaders AND spiritual leaders
Performed rituals and ceremonies to satisfy the godsTemples and pyramids built where thousands could gather for special religious ceremonies and festivals
Religious Rituals of the Olmec
Bloodletting
Sacrifice of humans, animals, and valuable objects
Bloodletting
Tools used:BladesStingray spinesSharks’ teethObsidian flakesRope with thornsJade “spears”
Sacrifice