Lecture 6: Near Eastern Empires, Indus River, Shang China
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(Duiker: 28-42, 63-65)
Questions about Duiker: How did the Assyrian military machine create a climate of terror? What were some of the boasts of the Assyrian kings? In what ways did the Assyrians continue Mesopotamian culture? *What kinds of scenes were depicted in Assyrian palace reliefs? Who were the Chaldeans? What were the main achievements of Cyrus? What was the attitude of the Hebrews toward him? *Why is Zoroaster important? Who are the Dravidians and Aryans? *What are some of the main characteristics of Harappa? *Describe one piece of art from Harappa or Mohenjo-Daro. What was the first state to unify most of China under a single ruler? *What are "oracle bones?" What were some of the religious beliefs of the Shang? What is the best-known sort of art made by the Shang?
Lecture Topics:
Near Eastern Empires:
- Note sequence of empires, common artistic themes.
- Old Babylon
- Distinguish Old Babylon from Neobabylon.
- Assyria
- Note main characteristics of Assyrians, why people rejoiced to see them overthrown.
Neobabylonians
Persia
- Cyrus, relationship to Jews,
- Greeks.
Indus Civilization
- Period covered,
- relationship to later Indian culture, to Mesopotamia.
- Harappa
- Mohenjo-Daro
Shang China
- Achievements in bronze
- Human sacrifice.
- Writing
Helpful Hints
- Memorize this chronological sequence: Sumer, Akkad (Old Babylon), Assyra, Babylon, Persia.
- Note which artistic and other themes continue throughout Mesopotamian civilizations.
- Note the evidence for a strong centralized government in the Indus civilization.
- Note the importance of Chinese ideographs and how they differ from Mesopotamian written languages.
Supplementary materials:
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