My interest in Ancient
History is part of my study of human behavior. I think it is significant to see
how humans lived over long stretches of time to gain some insight into human
nature. Most of human history has been spent surviving. We need food, water,
shelter and safety. To ensure that we had these, we tended to gather families
into tribes. The family has always been the basic economic unit.
Ancient History is
full of wars between neighboring tribes and kingdoms. Trade has been central to
wealth creation. But aggressors would attack and defenders would defend. A
strong military became central to the goal of living in peace and prosperity.
Humans are resourceful
and curious and motivated to discover whatever is useful. Humans have always
lived by “trial and error” and we still do.
Archeologists have
been digging up artifacts for some time.
At best, Carbon dating is reliable up to 50,000 years, so older dates
are unproven. Artifacts dated at 40,000 BC could be true close to accurate.
Archeologists found
evidence of Neanderthals inhabiting Europe dating from a questionable 430,000
BC to 40,000 BC. Mitochondrial Eve is
said to have lived around 150,000 BC.
Archeologists found modern human habitation throughout Europe going back
to 40,000 BC. The Ice Age occurred in Europe around 11,700 BC.
Humans entered the
American continent from Siberia as early as 20,000 BC. Clovis artifacts date
back to 13,000 BC. These Asians migrated from Alaska to South America.
The Stone Age began a
questionable 2.5 million years ago. Fire was reportedly used by humans 1.5
million years ago.
Gold Smelting began
around 6000 BC. The Copper Age began in 4500 BC in the middle-east. The Bronze
Age began in China and Greece in 3000 BC. The Iron Age began in 1500 BC.
Metallurgy developed in 5000 BC. Rocks were loaded into furnaces and different
metals separated.
The melting point of
Copper is 1984F. The melting point of
Gold is 1948F. The melting point of Bronze is 1742F. The melting point of Iron
is 2800F. Ancient furnaces burned wood and employed a bellows to reach these
temperatures.
Ancient Ethiopia was
inhabited in 70,000 BC. Ceremonial burial sites date back to 13,000 BC.
Ethiopia was allied with Egypt and developed relationships with Israel, Greece
and Rome through its ship trade on the Red Sea.
Families of humans had
migrated into Europe by 40,000 BC in search of food, water and safety. They
were hunter-gatherers and fishermen who eventually became farmers around 7,000
BC. Kingdoms also appeared around 7,000 BC
They settled in Europe
from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Atlantic Ocean to the
Middle East by 5,000 BC. DNA analysis suggests they eventually settled into a
dozen homogeneous groups, but existed in separate tribes within these groups.
There is evidence of conflict as these tribes consolidated and became larger.
After 5,000 BC, these
dozen settlements eventually separated into over 30 settlements and had
developed separate languages, dialects and customs.
Ancient Greece began
to form in 3200 BC, adopted democratic rule in 500 BC and was absorbed by Rome
in 146 BC.
Ancient Egypt was
established in 3100 BC and dissolved in 30 BC to become a Roman Province.
Ancient China was
established in 2070 BC with the Xia Dynasty and ended in 1912.
Germanic Tribes were
established in 2000 BC and had organized by 750 BC. They originated in
Scandinavia and Northern Germany and migrated to the rest of Europe and North
Africa. Their Southern settlements were occupied by Rome from 100 BC to 500 AD.
This included Spain, France, Britain and Western Europe. They settled in Russia
in 1000 BC.
Ancient Israel was
established in the land of Canaan in 2000 BC by Abraham. Canaan included present day Lebanon, Syria,
Jordan and Israel. His tribe was passed
to his son Isaac and then Jacob. After
Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they settled in Canaan in 1250 BC.
Israel became a Kingdom in 1020 BC.
The Etruscan
settlement began in Northern Italy in 850 BC and was absorbed by Rome around
300 BC.
Ancient Rome was
founded as a maritime trading post in 753 BC.
Rome grew to prominence in 100 BC and began to decline in 476 AD. The
City of Rome was lost, but the Eastern Byzantine Empire with its capital in
Constantinople struggled and shrank. In 1204 Constantinople was seized by
Crusaders and was reclaimed in 1261. In
1453 Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Muslims signaling the definitive end of
the Ancient Roman Empire.
The development of the
Ancient World gave rise to Feudalism in Nation-States from 500 AD to Present.
There was a revival of democracy in the 1700s in the US and France.
What is consistent in
human behavior is individual responsibility for individual survival. We are
each responsible for providing our own food, water, shelter and safety. We have
relied on government to provide for the common defense. We live in families and
gather friends.
The history described
above is the history of governments, how they formed, what they did, how long
they lasted and what replaced them. It is a history of wars and struggle, trade
and prosperity, invention and advancement. It is a report card on what humans
experienced from their mistakes and how those mistakes were repeated.
Governments must
remember that their longevity depends on their prosperity. Governments who run
out of cash are toast. Countries who underestimate their enemies are headed for
trouble. The citizens of these countries need to be vigilant and wary of
complacency. Countries with too much debt and declining productivity are in
trouble.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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