1. State building expansion and conflict
How political structures developed, administered and interacted within and amongst other societies.

2. Things to consider:
With a surplus of agriculture, populations grow. The response might lead to an urban revolution and elements of civilization which include:
Massive irrigation projects, monumental architecture, organized governments and religions (ancient worlds often combined the two), written/recorded information, specialization of labor,
Always start thesis with when (4000 B.C.E-600 B.C.E) and where (polycentric regions) and identify 2 and 1 (similarities and differences)
A similarity can also be a difference

3. Location of Ancient Culture Hearths
What environmental conditions were needed to develop the first civilizations?

5. Problems with “Civilization”
Latin (Civitas) for urban dwelling
Has characteristics: Densely populated, complex religions and organized governments, division of labor and job specialization (beginning of social classes),public works, written language
Controversial because not all societies have these characteristics
Serve as an ethnocentric tool to view others as “uncivilized” and “barbaric”
Sticks and stones may break my bones but names help me to enslave you, exploit you for your land, labor and capital and commit horrific acts of genocide against you.

6. How did political structures develop?
Paleolithic era led by tribes, chiefdoms and clans generally gauged by physical prowess (see alpha male).
Neolithic Age, similarly, headed by strong male warriors and/or priest kings. Decisions made based on new settlement patterns, food acquisition and protection.
Once the first civilizations began to develop, various settled societies developed independent pattern of development( city-states/decentralized, regional states/centralized, empires) based of geographic factors including access to navigable waterways, availability of natural resources and protective nature of physical geography (or its vulnerability).
What are some common patterns of political development?

7. Written Laws
Development of legal systems for the intended purpose of protecting society.
Provided a framework for the creation of a common identity and justifies the power of the leaders .
Rules of a punitive nature or tolerance had great influence to cement a society.

8. Strong military/technology
To enforce laws, one needs a police force and without the police, a military will do.
Militaries serve to enforce laws, regulate tariffs. And provide protection for the citizenry.
Military technologies like horse drawn chariots, iron spears, triremes (ships) or immortal (elite fighting force of the Persians) help to maintain the peace, conquer territories or rule through fear.
The Zhou Dynasty utilized feudalism based on military relationships for land and loyalty as illustrated in Sun Tzu’s
“The Art of War”

9. Religion( theocracies)
Divine right serves as a justification of authority through supernatural forces (see Pharaohs).
In the caste system of the Aryans, religion justified social, economic and political order.
Priest-kings made important political decisions based on religious festivals
Calendars were established because the star-gazing priests would help develop a celestial control over nature.

10. Bureaucracy/administration
Developing organizing principles to departmentalize important government functions was the job of bureaucrats. From public works, the military, redistribution of land, various government bodies would serve as advisors to these specific positions.

11. Trade
The value of trade surplus helps to generate revenue ($) for a government. Since we have identified the costly nature of maintaining a successful government, trade exports and import tariffs are ways for the government to subsidize taxes (you don’t want to overtax your populous too much. Why?)

12. Labor-taxation
There are two things in life you cannot avoid; death and taxes. The costly nature of government could get overburdened so, in an effort to cut costs (or at least to off-set costs), coercive (unfree) labor and taxation are the primary means by which the government generates revenue.
Many engineering projects were built with unfree labor. Taxation paid through labor is called corvee labor.
In order to maintain the mandate of Heaven, the Zhou Dynasty needed to prevent the hazards of poor government (i.e. over taxation of peasants, disrepair of infrastructure, public unrest).

13. Rise and fall of Empire Conrad-Demarest Model
Remember this for in may be applied to all Empires: From Assyrians to The Soviets.(see control freaks) or Diamond…

14. The trick is geography Is a determining agent
Comparing Ancient Civilizations 8000 B.C.E-600 B.C.E Choose 2 regions Middle East- South Asia- East Asia- Latin America
The Olmecs in Latin America and Mesopotamia in the Middle East both had autonomous city states (San Lorenzo and La Venta in the Olmec and Sumeria and Ur in Mesopotamia), both developed a spiritual relationship with nature establishing deities on natural phenomena,the Olmec, however, were protected against invaders by the central lowlands of Mexico while the Mesospotamias were at constant threat by marauding nomads to the unprotected north.