Contents Preface 2 Introduction 3 1. Why the new concept of world history is needed? 3 2. Base, axis and top of the social pyramid. 4 3. Why the history of civilization? 4 4. The problem of formations 7 5. The begin of civilization, its chronology and periodization; the time difference between Old and New World 9 6. Is civilization inevitable? What is history- progress or regress? 13 7. Civilization and pre-civilization 15 a) "Pre-civilization" in Egypt 15 b) "Pre-civilization" on the Near East 17 c) "Pre-civilization" in Mesoamerica 21 d) "Pre-civilizations“ of Southern America and the "Inca empire" 22 Early archaic (proto-antiquity) 30 I period (Old World-3050-2800 BCE, New World-50 BCE-200 CE) 30 8. Mythical and real history of Egypt in Early Kingdom 30 9. Protoliterary period in Sumer 36 10. Elam in the end of the IV- begin of III mill. BCE 40 11. Protoindian civilization 41 12. Maya and civilization of Teotihuakan in I period 43 Consclusion to the I period 45 II period (Old World-2800-2550 BCE, New World-200-450) 48 13. Egypt in the time of III and IV dynasties (2778-2563 BCE). 48 14. Sumer and Elam on the I and II stage of Early Dynastic period (2750-2500) 53 15. Maya and Teotihuakan in 200-450 CE. 56 Conclusion to the II period. 57 III period of early archaic (Old World-2550-2300 BCE, New World-450-700 CE) 59 16. Egypt in the time of V-VI dynasties (2563-2263 гг. дo н. э.) 59 17. Ebla in XXVI-XXIII centuries BCE. 62 18. Sumer and Elam on the III stage of Early dynastic period (2500-2315 BCE) 64 19. Maya and Teotihuakan in 450-700 CE. 67 Results of III period. 69 IV period of early archaic (Old World-2300-2050 BCE, New World-700-950 CE) 70 20. Egypt in the time of VII-XI dynasties (2263-2000 гг. дo н. э.) 70 21. Old Akkadian state (2316-2176 гг. дo н. э.) and Elam. 74 22. Flourishing and fall of Sumerian civilization (XXII-XXI centuries BCE). Elam in the second half of IV period. 79 23. Fall of the Old kingdom of Maya (VIII-X centuries CE). 85 Results of IV period. 87 1 Results of early archaic. 87 V period. I period of late archaic (Old World-2050-1800 BCE, New World-950-1200 CE) 1 24. Minoan civilization in the end of III-begin of the II mill. BCE 1 25. Egypt in the time of XII dynasty (2000-1785 BCE) 4 26. Old Assyrian state and its surrounding in 20-19 centuries BCE. 9 27. Low Mesopotamia in the period of rule of 1 dynasty of Issin (2017-1794) and dynasty of Larsa (2025-1763). 13 28. Mesoamerica in 950-1200 CE. 19 Results of V period. 21 VI period. II period of late archaic (Old World-1800-1550 BCE, New World-1200 CE - till Spanish conquest). 23 29. Minoan civilization in 1800-1400 BCE. 23 30. Egypt in the time of Second intermediate period (1785-1550 BCE) 25 31. Old Hittite kingdom and neighboring territories in 1800-1500 BCE. 28 32. I dynasty of Babylon from Hammurapi till Cassite conquest (1792-1595 BCE) 33 33. Elam in Old Babylonian period. 38 34. Mesoamerica from 1200 till Spanish conquest. 40 35. Civilization of Easter island. 45 Results of VI period. 46 The results of late archaic. 47 Postarchaic (1550-800 BCE) 49 VII period. I period of postarchaic (1550-1300 BCE). 49 36. Minoan and Mycenian civilizations in 16-14 centuries BCE. 49 37. New Hittite empire from 1500 till 1300 BCE. 52 38. Mitanni and Arrapkhe (Hurrite civilization) in 16-14 centuries BCE. 54 39. Egypt in the time of 18 dynasty (1550-1314 BCE) 57 40. Assyria in 1550-1300 BCE. 67 41. Babylonia under power of Cassites in 1595-1300 BCE. Conclusion to 7 period. 71 VIII period. II period of postarchaic (1300-1050 BCE) 72 42. Fall of Mycenian civilization 72 43. Fall of New Hittite empire. 73 44. Ugarit in 14-13 centuries BCE. 74 45. Egypt in the epoch of 19-20 dynasties (1314-1085 BCE) 78 46. Phoenicia and Palestine before Jews. Period of judges. 83 47. Assyria in 1300-1050 BCE. 90 48. Babylonia in 1300-1050 BCE. 94 49. Elam in 1300-1050 BCE. 96 50. Chinese civilization in 14-11 centuries BCE. 97 Results of eighth period. 100 IX period. III period of postarchaic (1050-800 BCE). 102 51. “Dark ages" in Greece (11-9 centuries BCE). 102 2 52. Egypt in the epoch of 21-22 dynasties (ca. 1070-712 BCE). 104 53. Palestine in Syria in 11-9 centuries BCE. 106 54. Phoenicia in 11-9 centuries BCE. 110 55. Akkadian civilization in 11-9 centuries BCE. 113 56. India in 13-9 centuries BCE. 115 57. China in the period of Western Zhou (1027-771 BCE). 120 Results of 9 period. 124 Results of postarchaic. 125 Results of archaic. 125 Bibliography 129 Contents. 3 V.V.Rebrik The history of world civilization. Volume 1, part 1. Early archaic To the memory of I.M. Diakonoff (1914-1999) Preface. This book was begun to be written 11 years ago, when the author was working in the University of St.-Petersburg (Russia). Because of some grounds he could not read the lectures about ancient history there. But this possibility was given him by the administration of Latvian university in 2000. Then the second Russian version of this book appeared. The author thanks all people, who helped to organize his stay in Riga, especially Prof. Janis Sikstulis, Dr. Iveta Leitane and Ilmars Zvirgzds, the students of the university, who visited his lecture, and his former wife Virginija Dichiute. He thanks also the administration of North-East Normal university (Changchun), which has given him the second posibility to teach ancient history in 2003-2004, especially Li Yingge, Prof. Wu Yuhong and Dr. Zhang Qian. Then the third (revised English) version appeared. Because the book is a course of lectures, it has some peculiarities (for example, the absence of footnotes). The author does not try to replace the existing academic histories (like CAH, see the bibliography at the end of each volume), also not to say something totally new about all discussed topic. He sees his task as the explanation of his new concept of history and attempt to prove it on the material of ancient history. He hopes his book will be interesting for the students of philology and history, and for all people, who are interested with the problems of history. The author also thanks Dr. Dmitry Shilovsky (University of Samara, Russia) for his stimulating ideas, and Dr. Dmitry Bumazhnov and Henry Volokhonsky (both Tuebingen, Germany), who has read the second version of this book and made some comments. For the technical help the author thanks Gabriel Superfin (University of Bremen, Germany) and Dr. Igor Sviatopolk-Chetvertynsky (Moscow). Introduction 1. Why the new concept of history is needed? In Russia the change in the teaching of history in the middle school and high schools is needed. The “marxist” (really Stalinist) historical postulates are not more popular in our country. But the experimental manuals of history for the middle schools, abandoning the old concepts, still have many defects, among them there are: 1) Europe centrism of the books. In old manuals for the medieval history there were still some small chapters, dedicated to the Islamic world, India and China. In the new one there is nothing about India and China, and Islamic world is discussed together with Byzantine in the chapter “from the West to the East”. The "Western centrism" like this makes the understanding of the history narrow and has some other negative consequences. 2) The manuals, both old and new ones, have a strange historical (or better anti- historical) aspect, which looks like the turned up pyramid: the most attention is given 4 to the most recent events, and then in the reversed proportion. So the epoch of primitive people, which lasted 1,5-2 millions years, if not more, had whole five paragraphs in the Soviet manuals of ancient history. The antiquity, which lasted 3,500 years, was studied so long time (1 or 1,5 years), as the Middle Ages, which lasted only 12 (or even 10, according to the modern understanding) centuries. 1st period of the modern time (200 years) was studied so long, as the second one (which lasted only 40 years), the same place was given to the history of 20th century). The situation in the high school is not much better. These periodizations are also old enough. We do not strive to be like the medieval chronists, but the most evident disproportions must be corrected. The year of Ancient Egyptians lasted almost the same time, like the modern one, the historical process takes place in the time and the task of historian is the objective fixation of the events and their explanation, especially that of their causes and significance. Different modern political concepts cannot be mechanically transferred in the antiquity. The concepts of historians like Toynbee, Gumilev etc. are also very schematic and oft are not true to the facts. The author of this book, who is a Classical philologist according to the main education, likes more the Greek and Byzantine historians (Thoukydides, Polybius, Diodorus. Georgios Syncellos etc.), who tried to bring the facts more than own schemes. The scheme is not a goal, but it helps to bring the historical events into some system, not more than that.