1. by Izzie Giacomangeli & Taryn Smith
Nubia and The Americas by
Izzie Giacomangeli
&
Taryn Smith

2. Politics- Nubia (3100 B.C.E.- 350 C.E)
 After 1200 B.C.E, Egypt's reign over Nubia ended
 In the 8th century B.C.E a powerful native civilization emerged, known as the Kingdom of Meroe
This civilization lasted for over a thousand years and is most commonly split into two different parts
The early years (from around 712 to 660 B.C.E) politics were almost identical to the Egyptian society
By the 4th century the center had shifted to Meroe, where sub-Saharan influence took over
Women in the royal family had an important role in Meriotic politics
Nubians adopted the matrilineal system where the king was succeeded by the son of his sister
Nubian queens sometimes ruled by themselves or were co-rulers along side their husbands

3. Economics- Nubia
Rich in natural resources such as gold, copper, and other semi-precious stones
Irrigation played and enormous role in the survival of Nubian agriculture due to the very little rainfall
Trade and travel were made possible by boats along the Nile and caravan tracks alongside the river or across the desert
4th century, the transition from a hunter-gatherer society to small agricultural villages was made
Long distance trade was used even before 3000 B.C.E.
Giant reservoirs were built to catch the precious rainfall
major center for iron smelting

4. Religion- Nubia
The people of Nubia were polytheistic like many of the other civilizations of this time.
Nubian religion was greatly influenced by that of the Egyptians during the fourth century B.C.E.
Nubians picked up two important gods from the Egyptians, Amon and Isis.
However these gods still had to share the stage with certain Nubian deities like the lion-headed god Apedemak and animals like elephants who also had religious significance.
Many members of royal families had significance in the Nubian religion as well. One particular member of the king’s family was titled “God's Wife of Amon”.

5. Social- Nubia
In Nubian society women had much more power then in many other parts of the world at that time.
Because women could play important roles in royal families and the government, they were given much more power.
There was a large gap between the common people and the kings or royal families in this culture, as in many other cultures of this time period.

6. Intellectual- Nubia
 When the shift from Napta to Meroe occurred, Egyptian hieroglyphs gave way to a new set of symbols for writting.

7. Artistic-Nubia Art was greatly influenced by religion
Statues and other metal carving were made for or to represent the gods

8. Near? - Nubia
the 1,000 mile area within the Nile Valley, between Aswan and Khartoum
also around modern day Egypt and the northern part of Sudan
 Climate was extremely hot and in some areas almost no rain
The landscape consisted of rocky desert, grasslands, and some fertile plain
 The Nile River is the main geographical feature of Nubia

9. Politics- The Americas
Olmec Civilization B.C.E.
Political elites used their power to push the population to develop more advanced irrigation systems and build large-scale religious/civic buildings
Little is known about the political set up
Lavish decorations and housing suggests the separation of classes and a kingship was in place
Chavin B.C.E.
 the huge scale of the capital dispersal of culture suggests some sort of political integration with neighbors
 Local chiefs, more powerful chiefs, or a king dominated the politics
 Not sure of what caused the collapse, but probably increased warfare disrupted the trade and undermined the governing body

10. Economics- The Americas
Olmec
 Very early advances in agriculture
Original settlements were dependant on the rich plant diversity and fishing
by 3500 BCE, corn beans and squash were domesticated
Surplus led to social stratification and craft specialization
Chavin
 Location was the center of many trade routes, so they controlled most of the trade
Introduction of Maize surplus led to urbanization
Llamas were the only domesticated animals and were used for a great variety of reasons, the were crucial to the development of the civilization
Textiles and advanced metallurgy have been found

11. Religion- The Americas
Olmec:
The Olmec elite used elaborate religious rituals to control their complex society.
They were polytheistic and worshiped an extremely large variety of deities and gods. There were both male and female gods, and both animal and human gods.
Rituals and ceremonies were also a very important part of the Olmec society. These rituals often involved blood-letting and human sacrifice.
An important class of shamans and healers attached to the elite organized religious life and provided advice about the periodic rains essential to agricultural life.
The Olmec had a fixation with the stars and astronomy so they directed the planning of urban centers and temples to reflect astronomical observations.

12. Religion- The Americas
Chavin:
The religious beliefs of the Chavin people greatly paralleled those of the Olmec people.
Chavins were also polytheistic and worshiped many gods and deities.
Their most potent religious symbol was a jaguar deity. In one part of Chavin it was found dispersed over a broad area of land which leads archeologists to believe that Cavin de Huantar served as a pilgrimage site.

13. Social- The Americas Olmec:
Social classes were not as complex during this time period then in many of the other societies, however there was some distinctions.
Priests and kings or chiefs had an obvious show of more power then the common people.
Chavin:
During this time social distinctions began to emerge.
A class of priests directed religious life. It is also believed that local chiefs and kings dominated Chavin’s politics.
One way the chiefs are distinguished from the commoners is in burial. Kings and authority figures were buried with ornate objects while common people were not.

14. Intellectual- The Americas
Olmec
Developed specialized technologies that exploited native plants and animals
Shamans and healers directed planning for the urban centers 
From their astronomy observations they created a calendar to organize religious and agricultural life
astronomical observations were also responsible for developing a form of writing that may have later influenced the Mayans

15. Artistic- The Americas
Olmec
Large heads sculpted from boulders of basalt  are recognized as the legacy of Olmec culture
16 heads have been found
archeologists believe the are carved to represent important figures in Olmec society (kings, warriors, etc...)
Chavin
Architecture is the Chavin signature
Complex multi leveled platforms made of packed earth or and adobe
Complexity based on social class and purpose
Almost all buildings decorated with carvings of symbolic animals
Largest building measured 250ft

16. Near?- The Americas
Mesoamerica: covered a wide area with many different climates and landscapes
Consists of Mexico all the way down to Southern America
Extremely active geologically, has earthquakes and volcanoes as well as rain forests and mountains
The center of the Olmec civilization was located near the Atlantic coast in Mexico
Used the flood plains for agriculture 
Capital: San Lorenzo/La Venta/ Tres Zapatos
Chavin civilization located in the Andes at 10,300ft
north of the modern city of Lima
Stretched across the Peruvian coastal plain and the Andean foothills