Ancient History

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