Dr. Victor Rebrik the History of World Civilization. 1 Vol. 1 the Volume Is Dedicated to the Memory of the Russian Orientalist I.M
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Dr. Victor Rebrik The history of world civilization. 1 Vol. 1 The volume is dedicated to the memory of the Russian orientalist I.M. Diakonoff (1914- 1999). In the introduction to vol. 1 the author explains his new conception of world history. World history is divided into two parts-primitive society and the history of civilization; only the second of these has a strictly defined development. The history of civilization is divided into 21 periods of 250 years each, beginning from 3050 B.C.E. The author has discovered the historic cycle of 2250 years, which is divided into nine periods of 250 years each; these periods are distributeed in the relation 4: 5 (1000: 1250 years), which forms the "antiquity" and "middle Ages" of each cycle. The "retardation law", according to which a civilization begins in the New World 3000 years later than in the Old World, allows a true consideration of the history of pre-columbian civilizations, which were at the level of the ancient oriental civilizations. The four social-economic formations (early class, slave owners’, feudal and capitalist) are considered by the author; they are not the cause, but the consequence of the historic development. History develops in the spiritual sphere as well, its true aim is to return humanity to the Absolute. Then the author gives a brief outline of pre-civilization (in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica and Southern America), which corresponds to the late stone Age. The first volume is dedicated to the first cycle of history, which is called "archaic" and roughly corresponds to the Bronze Age (in the Old World). The formation is early class (not slave owners’). The first part of this volume is dedicated to early archaic (Early Bronze Age) history. The civilizations of the Old World (Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Elam and Indus valley) are compared with those of Mesoamerica (according to the retardation law). The simultaneous development of the civilizations in each of the periods is considered, with emphasis laid on the progress of world civilization in each period. The second part of the first volume is dedicated to late archaic (Middle Bronze Age) and postarchaic (Late Bronze Age) history. In the late archaic (fifth and sixth periods of the first cycle) it is still possible to draw a comparison with the New World civilizations (including that of Easter Island). The postarchaic history (7th to 9th periods) is different. This stAge of development was not reached by the New World civilizations: because of the European conquest they come immediately to the 3rd cycle (modern history). Here comparison is possible only between the civilizations of the Old World: the "old" civilizations, the "intermediary" (e.g. Hethitic and Ugarit) and the "new" civilizations (Greek, Jewish, Indian 1 Many thanks to Dr. John Blundell for the correction of this resumée. 1 and Chinese), which begin their development at this time. In the postarchaic the "old" civilizations (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Elam) are still in the vanguard of historical development, while the "intermediary" disappear at the end of the cycle ("dark Ages"). The history of world civilization. Vol. 2.Part 1. Тhe volume is dedicated to the memory of the Russian classical philologist А.I.Zaicev (1926- 2000). The first part of this volume considers "antiquity" (the first part of the second cycle), which includes the 10th –13th periods (800 B. C. E.-200 C. E.) and is valid only for the Old World. It corresponds to the Iron Age, the historical formation is slave ownership. Five main “new“ civilizations (Greek, Jewish, Iranian, Indian and Chinese) coexist with the "old" ones (Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Elamic). Тhe development of the new civilizations (main and secondary) and of the old ones is considered in parallel for each period; special attention is given to contacts between the civilizations. In the author´s view, the end of antiquity comes as early as the beginning of the 3rd century C.E. because of the crisis of four great Empires, which divide the world - Roman, Parthian, Kushan and Han. Then follows the first period of medieval history (14th period, 200-450 C.E.), which belongs to part 2 of Vol.2. Volume 2, part 1. Antiquity. Contents. Abstract Introduction. 1 Х. First periof of antiquity (800-550 BCE). 5 1. Tartessos state in 8-6 centuries BCE. 5 2. Etruscans in 8-6 centuries BCE. 6 3. Rome in the time of kings (753-510 BCE). 9 4. Greece in 8-middle of 6 centuries BCE (archaic). Greek colonies. 14 5. Egypt in the time of 23-26 dynasties (828-525 BCE) 28 6. Israel and Judah in 8-6 centuries BCE. 30 7. North-Western and South-Western Semits in 8-6 centuries BCE. 33 8. Urartu in the 9-7 centuries BCE. Phrygia and Lydia in 8-6 c. BCE. 35 9. Assyria in 8-7 centuries BCE. 39 10. Babylonia in 8-6 centuries BCE. 44 11. Elam in 8-6 centuries BCE. 46 12. Media and Persia in 9-6 centuries BCE. 48 2 13. India in 8-6 centuries BCE. 52 14. China in 8-6 centuries BCE. 54 Conclusion to 10th period. 55 ХI period. II period of antiquity-developed antiquity or classics (550-300 BCE). 57 15. CarthAge in 6-4 centuries BCE. 57 16. Rome at the end of 6-4 centuries BCE. 60 17. Greece in the middle of 6-4 centuries BCE. 63 18. Egypt in 525-332 BCE (27-31 dynasties). 73 19. Nubia in 650-300 BCE. 76 20. Persian Empire of Achemenids (550-330 BCE). 79 21. India in the middle of 6-4 centuries BCE. 83 22. China in the middle of 6-4 centuries BCE 88 Conclusion to 11th period. 91 Late antiquity (300 BCE.-200 CE). 93 ХII period. Third period of antiquity, or first period of the late antiquity (300-50 гг. до н.э.). 93 23. Roman republic in 300-50 BCE. 93 24. Hellenistic states in the end of 4-end of 1 century BCE. 100 25. Nubia in 300-50 centuries BCE. 116 26. Judea in 3-1 centuries BCE. 118 27. Persia under Seleucid power and Parthian state in 3-1 centuries BCE. 121 28. India in 4-1 centuries BCE. 124 29. China in 4-1 centuries BCE. 127 Results of 3rd period of antiquity. 132 ХIII. IV period of antiquity (50 BCE-200 CE), 2 period of late antiquity. 134 30. Crisis of the Roman republic and early Roman Empire in the second half of 1century BCE-2 century CE. 134 31. Meroe and Axum in the middle of 1 century BCE-4 century CE. 147 32. Palestine in 63 BCE-200 CE. Origin and propagation of Christianity. 150 33. Parthian state in 50 BCE-227 CE. 155 34. India in 58 BCE-220 CE. 161 35. China in 50 BCE-220 CE. 166 Results of 13th period. 170 Results of antiquity. 171 Bibliography. 196 3 Volume 2, part 2. Middle Ages. Introduction. 180 Early Middle Ages - 200-700. XIV (1) period -200-450 - period of the late Roman Empire. 1. Roman Empire in 193-455. 184 2. Jewish civilization in 200-500 CE. 203 3. Persian state of Sasanians in 224-457. 206 4. India in 200-500. 212 5. China in 221-420 and neighboring countries. 221 Results of 14th (1st) period. 223 Bibliography. 224 4 Introduction. In all historical manuals until now „antiquity“ have been understood as the early phase of the civilization, beginning from Egypt and Sumer and ending with the fall of Western Roman Empire. In the Marxist historiography this time was connected with the domination of the slave ownership system. Sometimes (for example in the books for secondary school) it includes even the primitive society, which has no relation to the civilization. We understand antiquity not as first, but as second phase of the civilization development (precisely speaking, the first part of the second cycle). Not all civilizations entered the phase of antiquity. If archaic (oldest) civilizations were developed in the Old and in the New World, the ancient one were only in the territory of the Old World. In ancient civilizations the work of slaves was really used much more, than in archaic ones, the relations of wares and money and trade being much more developed, but speaking about a special “slave ownership formation” in antiquity, one must be cautious, because in many states the state and common sector was still influential. Antiquity is an “Iron Age” (Hesiod), and the progressive civilizations are really already in the archaeological Age of iron, which gives them the possibilities to reform political and cultural life. In the political field the autoritarian regimes, oligarchic and even “democratic” republics appear. In the field of ideology the world religions and philosophical schools appear, the science has got a theoretical base, the culture flourishes. The civilized world has a tendency to the unification, the “world” Empires are developing. Antiquity, especially the late one – is a time of pluralism, different ideological currents fight each other, the economics is mixed, the politicians try to respect the interests of different groups. The famous “axis time” of Karl Jaspers (800-200 BCE) is also in the epoch of antiquity, in which in the conscience of the representatives of new civilizations the true revolt comes, and because of it the theoretical science, world religions and philosophy are developing. In the antiquity five the most developed civilizations exist – Ancient Greek, Ancient Hebrew, Ancient Persian, Ancient Indian and Ancient Chinese, which have enriched the world with the biggest quantity of philosophical, religious and scientific discoveries, as well as some other new civilizations (Phoenician, Etruscan, Roman etc.).