The Classical Era

Africa and the Americas

The Classical era aren’t just Eurasian-the Greeks and the Romans etc.  During this era were the Americas: Maya and Moche.  And in Africa it was the Meroe, Axum, and Niger River valley civilizations.  The developments of human cultures have some similarities, like human migration and how independently agriculture took place in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas.  This resulted in what we know as a civilization. 

The population at the beginning of the Common Era was 250 million people and according to the Snapshot on page 183 more than 80 percent of people was in Eurasia. 

The differences between civilizations in the different regions are that the Americas lacked the animals that could be suitable for domestication.  Africa lacked wild sheep, goats, chicken, horses, and camels, but soon was able to import them.  The Maya developed writing, but in Mesoamerica their writing skills were limited. 

I found it interesting that historian speaks of Africa as a geographic concept and not a culture and how everyone didn’t consider themselves as African when living there.  In the classical era, Africa had no common culture identity.  I guess it was so big that there were numerous societies, cultures, and civilization among them all.  However, most distinctive was that Africa is the most tropical of world’s supercontinents.  Because of the climate there the soil was not that good to grow vegetables etc., which in turn there would be more disease-carrying insects and parasites. 

During this time North Africa was part of the Roman Empire and was able to use the Roman Empires large estate to grow their wheat and olives.  With Arabia being so close to North Africa they were able to get domesticated camels from them. 

Now there is Axum.  Looking at the map on page 185, it is located as what we know as the present day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.  Their kingdom’s economic foundation was highly productive agriculture.  One of the reasons it was so highly productive was because they did rely on a hoe or digging stick, they used a plow-based farming system.  Which in turn they were able to have a high production of wheat, barley, millet, teff.  By 50 c.e. this state emerged, Red Sea and Ocean trade which then the taxes were a major source of state revenue. 

The capital city of Axum was a center of monumental building.  They were hundred feet tall and probably royal graves.  In town, the language that was spoken was Geez and in the rural area Agaw was spoken.  King Ezana adopted Christianity about the time of Constantine.  Coptic Christianity iss till the religion of half the region.   

Also in the classical era was a major urbanization along the middle stretches of the Niger River between 300 b.c.e. and 900 c.e.  During a long dry period there was migration of peoples from the southern Sahara in search for access to water which created a distinctive city-based civilization.  Apparently, there is no evidence of a state structure, either imperial or city-state.

Also in the classical era was the Civilization of Mesoamerica.  There was a lack of interaction with other major cultures, including with other cultures in the Americas.  What I found interesting is that these early American civilization were developed without large domesticated animals or ironworking technologies which were very important throughout the Eastern Hemisphere.  Mesoamerica area is from the central of Mexico to the northern Central America.  There was diversity of Mesoamerican civilizations.  They shared an intensive agricultural technology.  They also shared economies based on market exchange.  They also had similar religions and they interacted often with each other. 

Last is the Maya.  Something about this civilization has caught my attention as well it has caught other attention from the Classical era.  Maya ceremonial centers developed as early as 2000 b.c.e. in present-day Guatemala and Yucatan.  The something that I first mention above what attracted my attention was that the Maya developed an advanced mathematical system.  They had an elaborate calendar and creation of the most elaborate writing systems in the Americas.  By 600 C.E., the Maya lived in an “almost totally engineered landscape” (p. 194), with swamp drainage, terracing, water management system.  They also lived a peaceful society which was led by priest-kings.  Unfortunately, no city-state ever succeeded in creating a unified empire.  It seems that is collapsed due to the rapid population growth after 600 c.e. which they used up all their resources which in turned to frequent warfare.