Arch. Final Section IV Flashcards
what is the Mesopotamian state known as and when is it from?
“Cradle of Civilization” 8000-4000ya
what rivers are in the Mesopotamia rivers
Tigris and Euphrates river
accomplishments of the Mesopotamian state (5) (DAMWS)
1) developed wheel
2) astronomy
3) math
4) writing and law
5) state religion
when did the Ubaid period occur in Mesopotamia?
7000-6000ya
characteristics of the Ubaid period in Mesopotamia (3) (EFL)
1) establishment of large villages
2) first steps towards urbanization
3) long distance trade
what is a trigger during the Ubaid period in Mesopotamia?
irrigation
how is irrigation a trigger during the ubaid period? (2) (TP)
1) transforms deset (expands in S. Mesopotamia)
2) population growth
what were the earliest sites during the Ubaid period?
deeply buried
temple sequence at Eridu
1) water G-d Enki
2) fish and ash deposits
3) priestly authority
what happens as the village grows at Eridu?
the temple grows
when was the Uruk period in Mesopotamia?
6000-5200ya
characteristics of the Uruk period
1) “Type site” Uruk, Iraq
2) oldest known city in the world
concentration of people (10k+) living in a well-defined space with structures and zones designated for specific purposes. (administrative, commercial, residential, ritual)
city
what is the Uruk period known for?
rise of cities
what is the city of Uruk centered around?
temple precent
characteristics of temple precent in Uruk
1) limestone and bitumen (imports)
2) decorated with colored mosaics
who were the temples to in Uruk?
1) Goddess Eama (war and love) and G-d Anu (sky) “house” of the G-ds
what was invented during the Uruk period?
writing
what type of writing was in Mesopotamia?
cuneiform
when was cuneirfom?
5000 ya
characteristics of cuneiform tools
1) clay tablets
2) stylus
where were the earliest examples of cuneiform found and may be it’s possible origins?
Uruk
characteristics of cuneiform
1) 850 different signs
2) pictographs and numbers
3) subject: administration/eocnomy/growing gov’t
examples of cueneiform
1) epic of Gilgamesh
2) code of ur nammu
when was the epic of gilgamesh and code of Ur-Nammu found?
4000 ya
characteristics of Epic of Gilgamesh
1) 12 clay tablets
2) King Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s quests and feats
who was King Gilgamesh?
the real king of Uruk
characteristics of the Code of Ur-Nammu (4) (LDWP)
1) legal document (oldest known document and rules)
2) distinguishes between slaves and free people
3) widely used
4) predates Code of Hammurabi by 300 years
how was the Code of Ur-Nammu widely used?
copies at Ur, Nippur and Sippar
what did power in the Mesopotmian state originally derive from?
religion, with priests emerging as political leaders
where is the Egyptian state?
in the Nile Valley, North Africa
what is the Egyptian state defined by?
the nile river
what does cuneiform begin as?
to keep track of beauracratic record
what is an important feature of the Nile river?
annual flooding
is annual flooding a good thing from an agricultural point of view?
yes (soil gets renewed)
characteristics of Annual flooding (3) (RNN)
1) rich, narrow zone
2) no need for irrigation
3) no mineral resources
how is Egypt divided?
upper and lower egypt
what does Egypt go through cycles of?
unification and disunification
when was the invention of writing in theEgyptian State?
towards the end of the Pre-dynastic period
what type of writing was in the egyptian state?
Egyptian hieroglyphs
types of egyptian hieroglyphs (3) (LPD)
1) logograms (signs for words)
2) phonograms (signs for sounds)
3) determatives (signs indicating meaning)
2 languages of Egyptian hieroglyphs
1) demotic (monuments, hieroglyphics)
2) hieratic (cursive script, papyrus for everyday records)
what was writing for the Egyptian state? (2) (KB)
1) key in emergence of state (language)
2) bereaucratic needs
how was Egyptian hieroglyphs deciphered?
rosetta stone
when was Rosetta stone founded?
1799
how old was the Rosetta Stone?
2000 years old
what languages was the Rosetta stone in?
1) demotic
2) hieratic
3) greek
what does the rosetta stone allow for?
comparative translation
what period was the rise of the Pharaohs?
the Early Dynastic period
characteristic of phaorohs
1) G-d kings
2) living incarnation of Horus (falcon)
3) in death becomes Osiris (G-d of death)
what do the pharoahs based their rules on?
Principle of Ma’at (balance and justice)
what period was the pharaoh king tut from?
The New Kingdom
King Tut characteristics
1) Pharoah at age 9
2) died of malaria at age 19
3) product of incesterous marriage
4) valley of the kings tomb undisturbed
who was the possible first Pharaoh and where?
Scorpion King in Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt
what was the scorpion king believed to have did from the Narmer palette?
Some believe he was the pharaoh of a unified state
characteristics of the mortuary complex, Mastaba
1) tombs to honor pharaoh in life and death
2) precursors to Pyramids
how was the Step Pyramid of Saqqara innovated from a Mastaba?
1) not smooth like later pyramids
2) 60 m high
3) 330,400 cubic meters
when was the time of the pyramids
the old kingdom
how were pyramids built (2) (BB)
1) built by 3 generations of kings (later replaced by mastaba and rock-cut tombs)
2) Basis of Old King Economy (pharaoh collects labor and goods, taxation)
what were the largest and most complex pyramids in egypt?
Giza pyramids
what does the pyramid provide for the pharaoh?
everything they need for the afterlife
a corpse whose skin and organs have been preserved by intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, aridity or water logging
mummification
why are Egyptians mummified and is it on purpose?
they believe in the afterlife and it is on purpose
steps of Embalming (9) (BOCBBBDCW)
1) body washed
2) organs removed and dried
3) cavity stuffed with natron to encourage desiccation
4) brain removed
5) body covered with natron to dry (40 days)
6) body washed, oiled
7) dried organs wrapped and returned to body
8) cavity stuffed with sawdust
9) wrapped in linens and entombed
what did the Egyptian economy consist of?
1) taxes
2) Bureacraccy (Vizier)
what were taxes for in the Egyptian economy?
goods and labor supports state projects (pyramids)
what was beauracracy for in egyptian economy?
1) republic of trade
2) oversee artisans, architects, surveyors and scribes
what did kingdoms represent in Egypt?
unified
what did intermediate periods represent in Egypt?
not unified
why was Egypt divided during the 1st intermediate period?
warring factions
how was Egypt divided during the 1st intermediate period?
1) upper egypt: Thebes
2) lower Egypt: Hierakleopolis
what type of state was the Indus state and where was it located?
Mercantile state in India and Pakistan
when did the Era of Intergration occur in the Indus state?
4500-4000ya
what occured during the Era of Intergration in the Indus state?
Rise of the Indus state
what was the rise of the Indus state contemporanous with?
Old kingdom Egypt and Ur
characteristics of the Indus State (5) (WSSUC)
1) writing
2) standardized
3) settlements hierarchy
4) urban planning
5) centralized economy
what was the most significant part of the Indus state?
urban planning
what type of writing was in the Indus state?
The indus script
was the indus script deciphered?
no
3 reasons the indus script wasn’t deciphered
1) no bilingual text
2) short inscriptions (26 signs or less)
3) language family unknown
characteristics of citties under Urban planning in the Indus state (3) (OHU)
1) organized on grid
2) have sewage systems
3) use standardized constructed materials
characteristics of the citadel excavations at Mohenjo-Daro
1) granary (loading and storage with ventilation)
2) bath (steps to rick lined pool/bath)
characteristics of lower city excavations at Mohenjo-Daro (3) (BSD)
1) bulk of city (469 acres)
2) sub-divided by grid streets
3) drainage and wells
evidence of elite rulers in the Indus state (3) (NNC)
1) no temples, pyramids
2) no high status, rich burials
3) citadels, urban planning and taxation government structure
was warfare important in the emergence of the Indus state or in power while flourishing?
no
evidence that warfare wasn’t important in the Indus state
1) no evidence of cities destroyed/burned
2) skeleton=no signs of violent death
3) art= none show military,fighting
purpose of fortification in warfare in the Indus state
1) regulate economy
2) enforce taxation
3) protection against flood
what was the importance of the economy in the indus state?
propels the emergence of the state
how did the economy in the indus state propel the emergence of the state?
uniformity of settlements, goods, etc. (spread by trade, not conquest)
evidence of specialized crafts from the indus state
1) raw material imported
2) goods produced in “factories” (jewelry, pottery etc)
characteristics of taxes in the indus state?
1) trades regulated through taxation
2) earliest evidence of weights and measures (decimal)
when does the Indus state fall?
3900ya
what is standardization replaced with after the fall of the Indus state?
regionalization
characteristics of dynastic kings in Maya (2) (LP)
1) lineal descent from founder
2) Patrilineal Primogeniture (father’s first born son)
what is an exception to the rule of descent in kingship?
queens
example of queens that were an exception to the rule of descent in Maya (2) (PN)
1) Palenque (Lady Zackuk)
2) Naranjo (Lady Six Sky)
how do dynastic kings express power
via ritual (monuments, stela, altars, temples, text, images)
important ceremonies for dynastic kings
1) incense burning
2) “feeding the G-ds”
3) Bloodletting
what type of writing was there in Maya?
Syllabic and logographic
how was maya writing read?
from top to bottom and left to right
what did Mayan texts discuss(4)(HSAR)
1) history
2) specific kings
3) alliances and war
4) religion
was the Mayan writing focused around economy or bureacracy?
no
findings in Yax K’uk Mo (founder’s) tomb (2)(PH)
1) pectoral of kingship
2) healed traumas
evidence of healed traumas on Yax K’uk Mo’s tomb (3) (PSC)
1) parry fracture, right forearm
2) stable isotope analysis
3) childhood at Tikal
what was found at Altar Q?
16 kings of Copan
evidence of the 16 kings of Copan found at Altar Q? (3)(SPS)
1) sceptor of kingship
2) pectoral
3) shield
how long ago did the mayan state collapse?
1000 ya
evidence of the Mayan collapse (2) (BM)
1) building and monument construction stops
2) major centers abandoned
what were the causes of the Mayan collapse? (3) (FWD)
1) failure of divine kingship (pathalogical ideology- doomed to fail)
2) warfare (warring elites, opressed peasents)
3) drought/population presssure/famine
evidence that drought/pop pressure/famine could be the cause of the Mayan collapse?
1) sediment and cores= drought conditions
2) skeleton= malnutrition
what was the likely cause of the collapse of the Mayan state?
a combination of all the causes
what was cuneform originally for and what did it later become for? (2) (FL)
1) first developed to support growing burrearcacy
2) later used to document laws and write down stories and myths
characteristics of cities in the Indus state
1) bathrooms in every home
2) a drainage system to remove waste from city
3) a citadel quarter and a lower city where occupants lived and worked
what does Mayan hieroglyphics writing recount for?
information about individual kings, alliances and wars
what states did warfare play an important role in?
1) Mesopotamian
2) Mayan
3) egyptian
what provides evidence for Maya warfare?
the existence of tzompantli monuments where the skulls of defeated warriors were displayed
was the existence of an elite class ruling over Indus valley attested to directly by temples, tombs and palaces?
no
