Ancient China
I. In ancient times
Yuanmou, Yunnan, was about 1.7 million years ago, the earliest known human being in China. Peking man was about 7, ~ 2, years ago. Evaluation: 1. Use natural fire; 2, manufacturing tools. Caveman
About 18, years ago, the cave at the top of Longgushan Mountain in Zhoukoudian, Beijing. Evaluation: 1, artificial fire; 2. Enter the clan commune. Hemudu clan Hemudu village in Yuyao, Zhejiang province is a matriarchal clan about 7 years ago. Evaluation: 1. Use pottery, food surplus; 2, planting rice. Banpo clan banpo village, Xi 'an, Shaanxi. Evaluation: 1. Advanced tools; 2, planting and gathering; 3, the original text.
the occurrence of civilization
-Egypt is one of the cradles of human civilization, which experienced its own Paleolithic and Mesolithic times. The Neolithic culture in Egypt (Merimda culture on the western edge of the delta, Fayong culture in central Egypt, Tasa-Badali culture, etc.) is a mixed culture of agriculture and animal husbandry. Although it is still controversial when and where Egypt's agriculture originated, its agricultural culture was quite developed in 6-5 BC, and bronze wares were used, which laid the foundation for the early emergence of its civilization.
in the following pre-dynasty I period of Egypt, that is, the Nigada culture I period (also known as Amrat period, about 4-35 BC), private ownership and class relations sprouted in Egypt. Some symbols were engraved on the pottery found in some tombs belonging to this period; Each tomb has its own unified symbol, which is probably a sign of its private rights. At the end of this period, the image of the red crown (with cobra as its symbol) was found on a black-topped pottery jar in Tomb No.161 in Negada. On a piece of pottery found in a tomb (Tomb No.154 of Negada) at the turn of the period of Negada culture I and the period of Negada culture II, there is an image of Horus Eagle, which symbolizes the symbol of kingship (this is also one of the symbols of kingship). This shows that the kingship has also sprouted. In Diospoli? Palver also found a model of a city wall, which shows the growth of social unrest and even the existence of war.
by the pre-Dynasty II, that is, the Nigada culture II (also known as the Grce period, about 35-31 BC), private ownership was gradually established and classes were gradually formed in Egypt. As can be seen from the tombs at this time, in some places, class differentiation is very fierce. In Nigada and Sheila Campoli, painted tombs very different from ordinary people's very simple tombs were found. For example, Sheila Campoli's painted tomb is made of bricks, and there are paintings on the tomb wall. Its content is about the scene of war (water and land war), which may reflect some activities of the tomb owner (scholars think it may be the king) before his death. The painting on a piece of textile fragments discovered from Gerberlin also reflects the situation of class differentiation. Some boats are painted on this textile, some people are paddling, and another person is sitting on it. This person is obviously a nobleman. On the head of scorpion kingship, the king wears a white crown symbolizing kingship (marked by an eagle) and an oxtail around his waist, and his image is much taller than that of ordinary people. At this time, the ivory board left behind has the image of prisoners of war with their hands tied, and these prisoners of war will become slaves. On the head of scorpion kingship, there is also the scene of slave labor. On the title of this right,
Tian Fu hanging from the flag of the Egyptian pyramids is regarded by scholars as an ideographic symbol for civilians. Characters appeared in the period of Nigada culture II, but they were still primitive.
In the later period of the Nigada culture II, with the establishment of private ownership and the formation of classes, a state appeared in Egypt. At this time, the country was very small, and the population was not large. Egyptians called this small country Spat, and its hieroglyphic symbol was < P >, indicating a land with intertwined irrigation channels. In Egypt at that time, there were several such small countries. In these small countries, there is a city centered on government agencies, palaces and temples, and its hieroglyphic symbol is < P >. It means that the city is built on the main road, surrounded by city walls and becomes a fortress. There are many sculptures and paintings that reflect the existence of wars in this period. Apart from the above-mentioned marine maps in the tombs, there are also marine maps on ivory handles unearthed in Arak, battlefield palettes and so on. At this time, the kingship has been formed, like the scorpion king on the head of the scorpion kingship, who may be both the chief executive and the military leader, and concurrently serve as the chief priest, presiding over sacrifices, leading agriculture and building water conservancy projects. However, at this time, the Egyptian state has just formed, and the power of the nobles must still be very strong. The power of the king is probably bound by the nobles, and the king is not an autocratic monarch.
In Sheila Campoli, cultural relics of two kings, Scorpion King and KaKa King, were found at the end of the former dynasty. Regarding the Scorpion King, a cultural relic with his name was also found in Tula, near Cairo in the north. Combined with the inscription on the head of scorpion kingship, scholars speculate that he may have conquered the north and even controlled this area, which is the earliest evidence of Egyptian reunification.
Attachment: Table of Archaeological Cultures in Pre-Dynasty Egypt: Scholars have different views on the ages of various cultures in pre-Dynasty Egypt. This table is drawn according to Hoffman's book Egypt before the Pharaohs. See page 16 of the book.
in the early dynasty, according to Manetto (an Egyptian priest who lived at the turn of 4th-3rd century BC), the first dynasty was founded by menes, king of ancient Egypt, and since then, Egypt has experienced 31 dynasties (before the Greek conquest). Modern egyptologists divide ancient Egyptian history into several periods, and each period includes several dynasties of Manieto. The early dynasty included the first and second dynasties, which lasted about 31-2686 BC.
According to Manetto, menes was not only the founder of the first dynasty, but also the founder and unifier of the Egyptian state. After establishing his own country in the south, he conquered the delta in the north. In order to consolidate his rule in the north, he established a fortress city-Memphis (formerly known as Baicheng, which was called by the Greeks) at the junction of the river valley and the delta, and its patron saint was Putah (the creator of the world, the patron saint of art and handicrafts). Modern archaeology has not found any physical evidence about the existence of menes. Therefore, modern Egyptologists often regard Narmai or Aha and menes with cultural relics as one person, while some scholars doubt the authenticity of menes.
Ancient India
The world where the Buddha and dreams are intertwined-Indian culture
India is close to China, but due to the barrier of the towering Himalayan snow-capped mountains, we know a lot about this neighbor.
There are few buildings in ancient India, and "going to the Western Heaven to learn Buddhist scriptures" has become a synonym for hardship in the ears of China people, just like the Nile and the two river basins in ancient Egypt and the Yellow River and the Yangtze River in China.
5, years ago, there were ancient ancestors in the Indian subcontinent. They were also slash-and-burn, fishing, hunting and gathering, and they thrived from generation to generation. By the Neolithic Age, about 1, years ago, there were settlements all over India, and people had begun to engage in agriculture, domesticate livestock and make exquisite household appliances. All this provided fertile ground for the birth of a splendid ancient civilization. In South Asia
Indian bronze subcontinent, there is an ancient country with a towering Himalayan pillow and a vast Indian Ocean, which is magnificent and full of vitality. This is India, which is called "the country of the moon". Because its territory is shaped like a cow's head, some people call it "the country of the cow's skull".
The Ganges River, an ancient civilization in India, started from the Himalayas and passed through an Asian peninsula surrounded by the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, which nourished this land and gave birth to a splendid civilization and became a "holy river" of a country. And this lucky country is India, one of the four ancient civilizations in the world.
India is a melting pot of culture. The unique historical background of this country makes it contain many cultural trends from ancient times to modern times, from west to east, from Asia to Europe and so on. In addition, it is a country composed of five ethnic groups, and it is like a big cultural museum. Mumbai, on the west bank of the capital New Delhi, is the center of culture, while Calcutta has news about culture every day. Diversified music, dances, ballet and comedies dazzle tourists and make them forget to return.
After living in a noisy big city for a long time, people yearn for a return to nature. The foundation of Indian traditional music is "nature". It praises the relationship between people, between man and nature, and between man and God. The melodies of the four seasons are all reflected in the traditional tune "Lag"-it is said that the ancients were inspired by the chirping of birds and the burning sound of branches in the forest and created the first "Lag". As for the content of the song, it originated from religious ceremonies in North India. Today, traditional songs still retain the ancient pronunciation, and the singer's sound quality is pure, which makes the songs maintain a simple and pure feeling of hymn. Even if you don't understand the lyrics, you can feel the sacredness and peace of nature.
Natyam, one of the oldest dances in India, means "the art of dancing" in Hindi. In addition to emphasizing the rhythm of dance, it also emphasizes that accompaniment music must be pleasant to listen to, consisting of solemn poems and simple music. This is a sacrificial dance, which can fully reflect the feelings of dancers. It was originally performed by temple dancers in the temple. The key to this dance is to keep your upper body straight, your legs half bent, your knees apart, and your feet like a half-open fan. Although there are strict action norms, in fact, each actor's performance is different, and most of the time the performance is improvisation, so each Natyam's personal style is very strong.
Now, this traditional dance is resurgent in a retro trend. However, in ancient times Natyam was generally a solo dance, but now group dance is more popular. A group of graceful dancers in gorgeous traditional costumes danced like fairies in beautiful music, and the effect was better than solo dancing. Today, Natyam has developed into a technical art system.
Ancient Babylon
Ancient Babylonian civilization
The earliest civilization in the world-Mesopotamia (Greek means the land between two rivers). Civilization (also known as the civilization of the two rivers) originated in the valley between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River-Sumer region (middle and lower reaches). Mesopotamia is the location of Babylon, which is in the territory of Iraq today.
from 4 BC to 225 BC, the civilization of the two rivers reached its peak, and the Old Testament called it "Land
ofShinar". The fertile soil accumulated along the banks of the two rivers is called "fertile crescent zone" in history (the area in South America, which is as famous as the "Golden Triangle", is called "sinful crescent zone"). Because the two rivers do not flood regularly like the Nile, it is necessary to observe the astronomical phenomena to determine the time. Su Meiren, who lives in the lower reaches, invented the lunar calendar, which divided the year into 12 months and ***354 days, and invented the leap month, placing 11 days different from the solar calendar. Divide an hour into 6 minutes and take 7 days as a week. He can also calculate fractions, add, subtract, multiply and divide, and solve quadratic equations in one variable, and invented decimal method and hexadecimal method. They divided the circle into 36 degrees and knew that π was close to 3. Even calculate the area of irregular polygons and the volume of some cones.
in 4bc, Sumeiren first invented hieroglyphics with ideographic and signifier symbols, because most of these characters were carved on bricks, stones or black basalt. On the clay tablet, "the pen is heavy and the imprint is deep", which is shaped like a wedge, so it is called cuneiform writing.
Hanging
Gardens is one of the seven wonders of the world. Of course, the Hanging Gardens in Babylon are not suspended in the air. The origin of this name is due to people's misinterpretation of the original Greek "kremastos" and Latin "pensilis" (meaning "hanging" in addition to "protruding") as "suspended".
It is generally believed that the Hanging Garden was built by King Nebuchadnezzar (64 BC
-562 BC) to comfort Amyitis, a homesick princess, and modeled after her hometown in the mountains. It is said that it is necessary for slaves to turn the mechanical device and pump a lot of water from the Euphrates River below to irrigate the flowers and plants in the hanging garden.
Composition of hanging garden
The most amazing thing about hanging garden is the water supply system. Because there is not much rain in Babylon, and the ruins of the Hanging Gardens are far away from the Euphrates River, historical researchers believe that the Hanging Gardens should have many water conveyance facilities. The slave kept pushing the handle connected with the gear to transport the groundwater to the storage tank on the top floor and then return to the ground through the artificial river. Another problem is in maintenance, because ordinary buildings cannot withstand the erosion of river water for many years without collapsing. Because there are not many stones in Mesopotamian plain, the researchers believe that the bricks used in hanging gardens are unusual. They are added with reeds, asphalt and rubble, and some documents even point out that the stones are added with a layer of lead to prevent the river from infiltrating into the foundation. Originally, it should not be a "hanging garden", but it became a "hanging garden" due to translation errors. After that, the Nile civilization and the Indus civilization developed under the promotion of the two river civilizations. The Greeks learned mathematics, physics and philosophy from there; Jews learned theology from there and spread it to the world; Arabs learned architecture from there, and used it to educate the whole medieval savage Europe. Around 2BC, the Amorites established the kingdom of Babylon with the city of Babylon as its capital. In 1792BC, Hammurabi ascended the throne, conquered Sumerians and Akkadians, unified the Mesopotamian plain, and promulgated the code of hammurabi, which was the first relatively complete written code in the world, but it was not the earliest, and the earliest was called the Urnamu Code. There are 282 code of hammurabi * *, which are carved on a black basalt pillar with a height of 2.25m..
689BC, the kingdom of Babylon was destroyed by Assyria. 65BC The new kingdom of Babylon destroyed Assyria. Later, the temple cult came to power and was finally destroyed by Persia in the Iranian plateau in 538BC. The civilization of the ancient two river basins came to an end as an independent whole.