Part II: Second-Wave Civilizations

Through our previous readings and in our last class we touched on the topic of what constitutes a civilization. We agreed that a civilization includes: a social hierarchy, specialized roles, economy/trade, rules and laws, religion and spirituality, agriculture, and surplus. These features that define a civilization are also present in empires; however they are presented on a much larger and more intricate scale. An empire is “at one level, political systems that exercise coercive power, however the term is normally reserved for larger and more aggressive states, those that conquer, rule, and extract resources from other states and peoples” (Strayer, 2013, pg. 118).  It seems that the larger and more specific an empire becomes, the closer it comes to its impending doom and destruction. We see this in the Greco-Persian wars when the Persians began to expand into Greek territory which resulted in the destruction of the Persians. I found the oppressive nature of empires to be interesting and somewhat unnerving, because if you think about it, what is an empire without its people.  If we tear an empire down to its roots we would find that the foundation is just as important as the components that follow. Although a hierarchy that oppresses its weak and poor is common, it cannot function without the weak and poor.

Religion has been a powerful tool that has aided many empires in calming disorder and setting examples that all “good citizens” should follow. We see this through: the Confucian Answer, the Daoist Anwer, South Asian religions, the Buddhist Challenge, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, the Greek Way of Knowing, Christianity, etc. It seems that all religions are closely tied to societal expectations, a sense of right and wrong (which is closely tied to culture), and the present hierarchy that is in place. While the birth of religions has aided in calming disorder and unifying city-states, empires, and countries, it has also divided one empire or country from another. Religion has also been used as a tool to bolster oppression. Religion has greatly influenced and legitimized the many class and gender inequalities that are present in second-wave civilizations. “In both China and India birth determined social status for most people; little social mobility was available for the vast majority; sharp distinctions and great inequalities characterized social life; religious or cultural traditions defined these inequalities as natural, eternal, and ordained by the gods” (Strayer, 2013, pg. 224). I find it the commonalities in religion interesting because although different religions worship different gods they essentially all follow the same basic set of rules. I remember taking a world religion class a year or so ago and discovering that many religions have changed dramatically over the decades as they have taken ideas and stories from one another and meshed them into their own.

Part I: First Things First

Part I: First Things First

Having taken a cultural anthropology class a year ago I was somewhat familiar with the first 150,000 years of human life on earth prior to reading this text. I am familiar with the theory that Homo sapiens emerged from eastern and southern Africa and that migration took place from about 100,000-60,000 years ago from Africa to: Eurasia, Australia, Americas, and the Islands of the Pacific.  

I found it interesting that the first human societies were largely egalitarian, meaning they lacked many inequalities of wealth and power. I also found it interesting that the male and female relationships were considered equal; however monogamy was not surprising to me because many homo species are monogamous. It seems that as we transitioned from a hunter-gatherer society to a more agricultural society the earth as well as the human race began to face many new and threatening challenges. As agriculture became a common practice, “it provided the foundation for growing populations, settled villages, animal-borne diseases, horse-drawn chariot warfare, cities, states, empires, civilizations, writing, and literature” (Strayer, 2013, pg. 26).

 The text hints at the idea that the down turn of society surfaced with the birth of civilization. I find it unlikely and difficult to believe that civilization was a “global phenomenon, showing up independently in seven major locations scattered around the world during several millennia after 3,500 B.C.E.” (Strayer, 2013, pg. 62). The text seemed to provide a few scenarios that could have occurred regarding the onset of civilization. I tend to lean toward the idea that similarly to the globalization of agriculture, civilization was learned through “neighboring groups and the slow colonization and migration of agricultural people as growing populations pushed them outwards” (Strayer, 2013, pg. 34).

          I found it particularly interesting that slavery as well as hierarchies of gender emerged along with civilization. Slaves were initially prisoners of war, criminals, and debtors. Many females were slaves because the first prisoners of war were females. Slavery was not tied to the color of skin and did not have a connection to those of African heritage. I always wondered at what point in history women became subordinate to men, and Strayer believes this occurred during the breakthroughs in agriculture. Many of the agricultural jobs were geared toward the success of men due to their physical strength and stature. Due to the growing populations women were pregnant for a good majority of their lives which limited them from much of the physical labor in the fields.

Overall, I learned a lot from the first two chapters of this text and look forward to gaining more knowledge regarding world history.

Yay- I'm done!