Rise of the State From the Agricultural Revolution to the Hierarchical State 1 Outline 1 Hierarchical state society in art the stele of Hammurabi s code 2 Two theories of history L or U 3 What caused the agricultural revolution Stages 4 What caused the rise of the state 2 3 Shamash and Hammurabi Which is which Spodek 59 Gods look like kings and vice versa Anthropocentric or regicentric Separation of ruler from ruled Separation of divine from human God given laws cement human divisions Rich and poor Men and women 4 Threefold approach to society Relation to nature technology Relation between people social structure Belief system form of consciousness Harmony between these levels normally 5 Historical fall summary On technological level from dependence on independent nature to control over nature On social level from family based egalitarian society to class based male dominant society rulers are all powerful On consciousness level Animist oneness Gods priests are all powerful 6 L Theory of History 110 000 years of kinship society 5 500 years of civilization Growing technology Increasing social inequality Plus growing environmental destruction 7 U theory of history 110 000 years of kinship society with primitive technology 5 500 years of inequality and oppression But also creation of advanced technology Future global kinship with advanced technology 8 End of civilization Social changes Growth of democracy equality Continued inequalities or new equality Political rights for free men 238 years old American revolution Civil rights for slaves 149 years old Civil War Political rights for women 94 years old Women s right to vote 19th Amendment 1920 end of segregation in the US south 49 years old Voting Rights Act of 1965 9 New global kinship Nature technology and consciousness Continued domination over nature or New ecology movement consciousness of our oneness with nature with the earth film Avatar Tech Transportation and communications one world family global kinship Or are we now slaves to the Internet 10 What caused the agricultural revolution 1 Discovery of new technology 2 Population increase 3 Climate change 11 Explanations why agriculture 1 New technology discovery What did women gatherers know How much work is needed Spodek 43 Hunter gatherers 800 1000 hours Agriculturalists 1000 1300 hours Which work is harder Who is healthier 12 2 Population increase H G 1 sq km 9 people Bands of 25 people each loosely related 500 in exogamous tribe Spodek 25 Agriculture 200 400 people per square km Biology of reproduction Lactating H G mothers carrying infants up to four years Sedentary agricultural mothers 13 3 Climate change Ending of last ice age 15 000 years ago S 43 plains forests dwindling of ecology of great herds Plus hunting continues as before Ecological disaster 14 Difference between Eurasia Africa and the Americas In Americas Early extinction of domestic animals cattle sheep horses pigs Why no wheel in New World What caused defeat of Aztecs Incas by Cortes European invaders Technological lag Vulnerability to European diseases In Eurasian African land mass Larger land mass New technologies developed before extinctions 15 Paradox of Paleolithic ecological catastrophe Respect for nature of early animistic peoples Descent into caves rituals for renewing animal plant species magic Destruction of nature New circumstances climate change global warming Hunter gatherers didn t know what they were doing Gilgamesh Enkidu kill the Humbaba See film Princess Mononoki 16 Is technological control bad for nature What saved animal species in Old World More time for changes to take place in larger territory Agricultural herding neolithic revolutions herders agriculturalists produce their own means of survival interpenetration humanization of nature From magic to practical activity New technology creates possibility of a new more real sense of harmony with nature But this did not happen Why not 17 Civilization break with nature Many things cause terror and wonder yet nothing is more terrifying and wonderful than man This thing goes across the gray sea on the blasts of winter storms passing beneath waters towering round him The Earth eldest of the gods unwithering and untiring this thing wears down as his plows go back and forth year after year furrowing her with the issue of horses Antigone 332 41 18 So why the passage in Antigone Sense of violation of Nature Break from religion of nature Sense of guilt and pride But not the result of technology per se Technology can save nature So need to consider the new social factor hierarchical state division of rich and poor master and slave Control of people over people break from control over nature What people do to animals and the natural world they first do to each other 19 Stages in agricultural revolution 1 Slash and burn 10 000 BCE 2 Early hoe agriculture on flood plains Tigris and Euphrates Nile 3 Hierarchical irrigation state 3000 BCE 4 Iron plow agriculture on rain watered lands 1000 BC 5 Next stage 500 CE in Europe 20 Slash and burn agriculture Cooperative social relations Hoe agriculture women s work Use of ash limitations Nomadic way of life continues Life is difficult Today Brazil Amazon rain forests 21 Flood plains of great rivers Simple tools hoe Natural regular fertilization of soil by flooding rivers Abundant harvest surplus of grain Stored in granaries Life is easy easier Social level Continuation of ancient cooperative kinship system 22 Hymn to the Nile Praise to thee O Nile that issueth from the earth and cometh to nourish Egypt That maketh barley and createth wheat so that he may cause the temples to keep festivals If he be sluggish millions of men perish Offer is made to every other god as is done for the Nile 23 Location of Garden of Eden And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden And the fourth river is Euphrates Genesis 2 8 From slash and burn poverty to abundance of paradise 24 What caused the fall Rise of the hierarchical state 1 requirements of large populations 2 military necessity 3 requirements for organizing irrigation systems 4 exploitation of the majority by a minority 25 1 Large Populations without States Difficulties of uniting different kinship societies But not impossible Hunter gatherer assemblies of local groups Tiv people in Africa united 1 million Iroquois Federation united separate tribes Hence large populations can be organized without a state 26 2 Military necessity 1 Traditional system of military armed