AP World

The motivations behind the civilization of Africa are viewed in documents 1, 4, 7 and 11. Economic motivations and political global power such as the advantages of

Regarding the Great Serpent mound in Ohio, this evidence suggests that a very complex and highly organized society was in place. The mounds themselves had to be created by following a complex method. It is the largest of its kind and likely required many people to construct. That would also require great organization. Inside these mounds, goods have been found that suggest a trade market. These are all traits of a complex society.

The Mediterranean served as a basin for the early civilizations. The rich history of the

The Hopewell tradition was not a single cultural society, but a widely dispersed set of people. They worshiped a goddess by the name of spider-woman or moon goddess. Mounds were built as a ceremonial object. Which is where they buried members and worshiped. These mounds were actually made as lunar alignments and were an integral part of their highly developed social

o Known for mound building; largest mound is the Great Serpent Mound: 1300 ft long, built by the Mississippian.

As Indian groups started to settle in the Mississippi floodplain, their cultures and political systems began to intertwine, creating a complex sociopolitical structure (Page, 70). The largest polity to arise out of this area, known as the American Bottom, was Cahokia. At its height, it resembled a city, extending over five square miles, mounds and structures that towered over smaller dwellings, and a population, that some believe to have been the largest, north of Mexico, for its time (Page, 70). Estimates predict several thousand lived at the site of Cahokia, many of them elites, whose particular talents or skills, earned them the privileged title (Pauketat). Beyond its boundaries were smaller groups and

The first time I heard about the Mound Builders, which was in this class, these people seemed like a very primitive group. What was so exciting about having the skill of piling up a bunch of dirt. Then I was able to see some of these mounds and the scale was nothing I had imagined. These mounds were huge and also contained distinct structural shapes. Tombs, houses, and religious structures were constructed in or on top of the mounds. What made the edifices even more amazing was the time period they were built. Constructed all the way back to 3000 B.C., the mounds rivaled the most advanced engineering techniques in the world.

In the sixth century B.C.E., the civilization of Aksum, which was located in what in now Ethiopia, was flourishing. One traveler wrote his thoughts about the trading processes that the Aksumites did. This piece of writing that he wrote can show a lot about how the Aksumites lived.

The Archaic was a time of mostly small societies that engaged in intensive foraging, with the adoption of farming coming in the late Archaic. By the Middle Archaic we see more cemeteries with burials in mounds, a move towards sedentism, and groups claiming the rights to resources. During the Late Archaic there was a move towards population growth, the beginning of the Eastern Agricultural Complex, trade, pottery, storage, and sedentism. Two Archaic mound building societies were Watson Brake and Poverty Point. Watson Brake in Louisiana is one of the oldest mound sites in North America with dates of 3500 – 3000 B.C., with 11 mounds that are up to 25 feet, connected by ridges, interior ritual spaces, and was occupied year round. Poverty Point is located in northeastern Louisiana and was a pre-agricultural ceremonial center. Poverty Point covers 494 acres and took more than 1,236,007 cu ft of soil to construct (Fagan 2005: 418). Objects discovered at Poverty Point show that they took part in long distance trade and made use of a variety of exotic materials. These materials included: slate, copper, jasper, quartz, and as stated in our lecture there were materials coming from as far as 1,400 miles

Just as belief system is tied to the spiritual world, social structure is tied to the material world. The way in which a culture interacts with the material world affects the culture’s social structure by causing changes that stem from involvement with other cultures or civilizations. For example, the burials showed that the Woodlands area of trade was vast, spanning from the Great Lakes, Gulf Coast, Florida, and the Appalachian Mountains (Sayre 25). Whenever cultures become involved in trade, their original culture is altered from what it originally was because it has been influenced by new ideas and materialistic objects. “The Hopewell culture [was] in southern Ohio” causing it to venture away from the rest of the Woodlands peoples culture. Even though they were the same civilization, there culture was much less the same (Sayre 25). The Great Serpent Mound, built by the Hopewell culture, indirectly passed down values to the Mississippian culture on how to design and structure

Mounds made by the early North American societies are by far the most impressive and eye catching structures of the woodlands in which they lived in. The mounds were enormous and could be up to 100 feet tall from the base of the ground and 1,000 feet long. These mounds were used for multifarious events, but ultimately, they were used as stages for ceremony and ritual sites. Occasionally they were used as platforms for dwellings and even as burial sites. Typically, the only societies that made these structural mounds were from the woodlands. The woodlands were about the only places at the time that you could find the resources available to make such structure. When it comes to building the mounds, you also have to consider what regions would

A Mississippian native American society located on the Etowah River south of Bartow County. Settled in the year c. 1000 to late the 16th century. Their land spanned for 54 acres, on the land the citizens built elaborate structures and artifacts. The most notable are the Etowah earthen mounds that have a width up to 200 sq ft and a height of more than 60 sq ft. This society was very well established which is shown through their organized hierarchies in as well as trading routes with other tribes. As Europeans came in contact with the Etowah their demise began. Like many other tribes they suffered violence and disease, which decimated their populations. Survivors had to create new political networks and reorganize themselves. All in all, this

The Myth of the Moundbuilders is a myth accepted by American settlers from Europe, in North America into the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. America was being populated and the new colonizers began to notice many artificial earthworks all around the continent. Circular, straight and mound statues were built and uncovered when the new farmers started to clean around the trees in the forest.

The Indo-European and Bantu peoples were great societies who advanced well during their years. The articles, “The Indo European Migrations” and “Bantu Migrations and Early Agricultural Societies of sub-Saharan Africa” both featured in the book “ In Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past” by (Jerry Bentley) both explicate information about the two societies. Additional information will also be applied by the book, “World Civilizations: The Global Experience” by (Peter N. Stearns). Although the Bantu and Indo-European Societies were in different locations, common similarities occurred which allowed both societies to advance.

To contrast Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations, we take a look at West Africa and the Niger River Valley. The Niger River Valley may have become civilized much later than Mesopotamia and Egypt. Because of this the first cities of West Africa were thought to be trade centers. Archeologists once thought that trade had originally brought cities to West Africa and outsiders had introduced city building. However, upon further investigation, this viewpoint is challenged. Technology was much more advanced by the time African cities were constructed. Iron smelting had been developed and introduced to the people of the region. The Bantu people of lower Niger had begun giving up nomadic herding and are responsible for spreading their knowledge of agriculture to the tip of South Africa. It appears that the Bantu people had not built cities but someone must