TAR101

School of Humanities \ History

3

6

Compulsory

Turkish

-

All Departments

The first topics of the course are the transition to settled life, the formation of cities and the establishment of administrative mechanisms, starting from the earliest periods of human history. After the first settlements and the establishment of states in Mesopotamia and Anatolia, the Greek city-states and the Greek-Persian struggle will be discussed. The Roman Empire and Roman civilization are one of the main topics of the course in the Middle Ages. On the other hand, the civilizations of the steppe peoples and Arab societies in Central Asia, the Chinese and Indian civilizations, and the interaction of these civilizations with military, administrative, commercial and religious institutions and societies will be examined.

Braudel, Fernand; Grammar of Civilizations, Translated by: Mehmet Ali Kılıçbay, İmge Publications, Ankara 2014
Tokuroğlu, Belma- Ersoy, Abdullah; History of Civilizations, İmaj Publications, Ankara 2015 Tanilli, Server; History of Civilizations, Cumhuriyet Books, Istanbul 2015

The aim of this course is to comparatively examine the basic dynamics of civilizations that developed in different geographies since the earliest periods of human history. It is aimed for students to understand the transition to settled life, the formation of cities and the development of administrative structures; to recognize the political, social, military and religious institutions of the Mesopotamian, Anatolian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Indian, Arab and Central Asian civilizations and to evaluate the interactions between these civilizations in a historical context.

1. Students will be able to define the first settlement forms, urbanization processes and early state structures in human history.
2. They will be able to analyze the political, social and cultural structures of ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Greece and Rome comparatively.
3. They will be able to define the basic institutions of Chinese, Indian, Arab and Central Asian civilizations and evaluate the impact of these structures on world history.
4. They will be able to interpret the interactions between different civilizations and the reflections of these interactions in areas such as religion, trade and administration within a historical context.

Week 1: Introduction. Definitions, Purpose and the Universe
Week 2: Human History and the Foundation Stones of Civilization Week 3: Mesopotamian Civilizations (Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian Civilizations. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Hammurabi's Code)
Week 4: Egyptian Civilization and Anatolian Civilizations
Week 5: Greek Civilization and Roman Civilization
Week 6: Chinese and Indian Civilization
Week 7: Turkish Civilization before and after Islam, Islamic Civilization Week 8: Europe and America and the USA in the New and Modern Ages Week 9: Presenting Important Ideas on Civilization
Week 10: Reasons for the Rise of Western Civilization
Week 11: Why Does the Islamic World Have Difficulty in Creating Civilization
Week 12: Why Do Civilizations Collapse and Rise? Conclusion and General Assessment

Class Attendance: 15 %
Seminar Homework: 15 %
Midterm Exam: 30 %
Final Exam: 40 %