Ch. 7: Classical Era & What does it mean to be civilized?

Leticia Arreola-Garcia

Chapter 7

What does it mean to be civilized?

Everyone has their own opinion on what this actually means, and depending to were you are coming from then the acceptance of the meaning can be altered and changed. In accordance to my understanding and my own opinion I want to add that each era, or each civilization has their own way of thinking what this meaning means to them during their time. Don’t mind me, but to be civilized means to have understanding of culture, to establish values, promotes life, thus making ethical and moral decisions, also acting and composing oneself in a certain manner, following certain norms, educating oneself, being diverse, contributing to society- many ways to do that, establishing rules, developing and using technology, and being human.

As I read about the different civilizations during the Classical Era in chapter 7, I wanted to asked the question of what it meant to be civilized during their time. Like I briefly mentioned above, being civilized has changed for different civilizations. Civilizations that have past and died out give us an introduction to new ones because they had issues that brought them to an end. We learn from the old, and build from that and incorporate it into the now, to see how we can maintain the future in our civilization.

Africa and the Americas 500 B.C.E.- 1200 C.C.

African Northwest

This is referred as a geographical concept not an identity. The climate in Africa caused decapitation of certain foods, thus making insects and other parasites to bring disease causing health issues in this country.

The Meroe, lay in the Nubian civilization, from 300 B.C.E.-100 C.E.; and fought and traded with Egypt for numerous years. they were ruled by an all-power and sacred monarch, they also buried their rulers with human sacrificed victims. These people specialized in weaving, pottery, masons, they had servants, laborers, and slaves. The had farming and herding as well.

They paid taxes, and used the Nile and canals for trading, thus bringing economic growth. They declined due to deforestation that was caused by the need of wood to make charcoal that was used when burning iron. Although they were introduced to Christianity, they then started changing some of their regions to Islam, because of Arab immigration in the 1300.

Axum: the making of a Christina Kingdom

They rose after the decline of the Meroe, which was located in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. They were an agricultural civilization that used a plow based farming system generating wheat, barley, millet and teff. They commerce in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, they used Geez as written form which derived from South Arabia. They were introduce to Christianity in the fourth century C.E. Their declined was due to the environmental  changes: the exhaustion of soil from farming, erosion and deforestation; and the rise of Islam trigger for others not to trade with them.

Niger Valley- Cities without Stares

Located in the Middle Niger, the urbanization of Niger Valley was from 300 B.C.E.- 900 C.E. They did not  have cities with states unlike the other two civilizations mentioned above. Unlike the other civilizations, the Niger Valley has no social inequalities and their economic groups shared authority.

South of the Equator: the world of Bantu Africa

Southeastern Nigeria and the Camoroons, they have close to 400 distinct languages. The Bantu had a few advantages over foragers that lived there before they did. In Kenya they didn’t have a formal political system, but they resolved conflict, took decisions, and order by kinship structures or lineages. Their religion, focused on the power from the dead ancestors and continual revelations. This meant they all also had rituals, prescribed remedies.

Civilizations of Mesoamerica

Inca from Mexico to northern Central America they had extremely diverse communities. They also had Microclimate conditions that distinguished their civilizations, which competed with each other for chiefdoms, and states. Many of these civilizations shared agricultural  technologies, beliefs in the cosmic order, human sacrifice and elaborate art. They also developed a 260-day calendar, and had hieroglyphic writings.

Maya: writing and warfare

They were traced back to 2000 B.C.E. in Guatemala and Yucatan Mexico, but their era is from 250 B.C.E.-900 C.E. Developed a mathematical system that includes zero and place notation, which was capable of difficult calculations. They were able to predict solar eclipse, and has an elaborate calendar that could calculated the length of a solar year. They used pictograph and phonetic or syllabic elements as their writing. They also constructed elaborate water systems that supported their agriculture. The Mayan had class status: nobles, priest, merchants, architects, sculptors. They had a high-fragmented p[political system, and had frequent warfare; captured prisoner were used as slaves, laborers, and as human sacrifices during rituals. They were passed into history by 909 C.E.; because the number of population outstripped their resources, which caused deforestation and erosion.

Teotihuacan-“City if the Gods”

Aztecs- Located in the southern region or Mesoamerica- North in the Valley of Mexico begun in 150 B.C.E.-600C.E. Had drainage systems and had colorful murals just like the Mayan from Guatemala and Yucatan Mexico. They also used humans a sacrifice victims, and experienced periodic droughts, earthquakes, and torrential rains.

Civilizations of the Andes

They had bleak deserts that had rivers flowing through the mountains allow irrigation and cultivation. They had marine environment: fish and seabirds were part of their diet. They carved staircases terrace system allowed them to move back and forward. The Incas was the first civilization in central Peru. Norte Chico from 1000 B.C.E.-1000 C.E.; and didn’t have writing therefore makes it hard for historian to know more details about them.

The Chavin: Pan-Andean Religion Movement

Collected human heads trophies; they also had a strong religion sense. Paid great deal to deities such as the jaguar, crocodile’s ad snakes; they lived in highlands in the village of Chavin de Huantar; they had trade routes to the west and east of the rainforest. They had a n elite class, and their Shamans or priests used San Pedro cactus to penetrate the supernatural. They were a religions cult,  they used llamas for transportation and trade.

Moche: A regional Andean civilization

Was another cult, they dominated 250 miles of Peru’s northern coast, they incorporated 13 river valleys. They flourished between 100-800 C.E. they also used complex irrigation system, and were governed by warrior-priests. Shaman-rulers used halluciogn drugs to mediate between humans and the supernatural; and also used human sacrifice victims in rituals.

North America in the Classical Era: from Chaco to Cahokia

 Chaco- were semi-sedimentary and were an agricultural societies but had less people in their groups unlike the other civilizations. They build pueblos, or pit houses. They were in the southwestern region of North America, lived in an arid  land and were cut by the mountains. They acquired maize from Mesoamerica and cultivated other crops. They were also gather-hunter foragers even thought they had established agriculture civilization. They also used Kivas- for ceremonial purposes, and had local trading. They build above ground structures know as Pueblos and they had 5 major pueblos by 860-1130 C.E. they had elite astronomers who build  observatory; they also hard warfare, internal conflict and speculation of cannibalism.

Mound Builders of the Easten Woodlands

Southwest, Easter woodland of North America- Mississippi River were an agricultural. They domesticated plants and gathered and hunted to supplement during harsh times.

Howell- Ohio

They had geometric burials aligned with the moon and lunar eclipse. Cahokia emerged same as the Chaco Canyon and moved building culture to stratified society with an elite and with rulers that moved laborers to build such structures, and they also used human sacrifice when burying the dead.

Natchez Peep were located southwestern Mississippi, they use deerskin covered homes, and used Knee-length fur coasts, they has elite status amongs theri people. The generated a modest agricultural revolution which allowed them to exchange/trade.

Despite the various regions that the Classical Era took place in, it was an extraordinary time where many cultures became fruitful and at the same time diminished. Farming, agriculture, herding, gathering and hunting , foraging, specialties defined each and every civilization. What impresses me the most was how they all developed without knowing each other and still manage to use the same kind of tools, class status, imagination and creation for building  things such as houses, water systems, also how they use religion, human sacrifice, art and written language to inform of what was going on in their time. The Classical Era was mystical and an intrigued time to exist.