Birth of Civilization Flashcards
Name the 4 cradles of civilization
Mesopotamia (Iraq)
Egypt
China
India (Pakistan)
What common feature do the cradles of civilization share and what did it do?
Rivers that caused floods to naturally occur in these regions which allow the land to be fertilized naturally, making it optimal for farming
What key technological and intellectual innovations did the people of Mesopotamia pioneer?
Lunar calendar (12 lunar months and an additional month) Base 60 system with minutes and hours Writing (cuneiform scrip) Irrigation systems Central structures that served religious, economic, and administrative functions Metallurgy The wheel Chariots Mathematics
What technological and intellectual innovations the people of Egypt create?
Calendar with 365 days/12month+5 days in a year
Study of numerals and mathematics
Study of astronomy
Hieroglyphs
What script was used by priests and what scrip was used by common peoples in hieroglyphs?
Priests: hieratic script
Common peoples: demotic script
What symbols did writing use and what were these symbols meant to represent (3)?
Pictograms: concrete objects
Ideograms: abstract concepts
Phonograms: sounds
What made Egypt the richest agricultural region on the Mediterranean?
Egypt was the richest agricultural region on the Mediterranean due to the yearly flooding of the Nile River which left fertile black soil behind every summer.
What were irrigation structures used for and what allowed their creation to occur?
Used to control the flow of water
Invented with the help of numerals, math, and geography
Who was Hammurabi?
Hammurabi was the ruler of Babylon and created the Old Babylonian Empire
When and where did Hammurabi live?
He lived in the city of Babylon and was the ruler of its empire from 1792-1750 BCE.
What is Hammurabi known for?
Known for unifying Mesopotamia and for his code of laws
How did Hammurabi unify Mesopotamia?
He achieved this with the use of writing and diplomacy
How did Hammurabi contribute to the history of antiquity?
He contributed to the history of antiquity by setting a new standard for kingship as he united his people through the subjection to the same laws.
What were the characteristics of Hammurabi’s code of laws (4)?
282 laws
Documented in writing
Displayed in public
Shamash (god of the sun) is illustrated on the code of laws
Why is Shamash illustrated on the code of laws?
To show their divine importance since it is said that they were given to Hammurabi from the gods
What were Hammurabi’s code of laws used for?
They are used to regulate public/private matters
Who must provide proof in Hammurabi’s code of laws?
The accuser
Who defines the crime in Hammurabi’s code of laws?
The persecutor
What were punishments based on in Hammurabi’s code of laws?
Victim’s status
Circumstance
Harm caused (Principle of Retribution)
Which types of symbols were first invented in cuneiform script?
Pictograms, logograms, and phonograms
What symbol is used in the English alphabet that was first invented in cuneiform script?
Phonograms
What media was used for writing (writing surfaces and writing tools)?
Writing surfaces: Stone steles/walls, clay tablets, papyrus scrolls
Writing tools: Stylus, chisel, brush
What were the characteristics of spirituality in the cradles of civilization (3)?
Polytheism: worship of multiple gods who had human/animal characteristics, shape, needs, and tempers
Worship of these gods: was done through sacrifice in temples
The ancient afterlife: the Underworld for all, for Egypt it was possibly in the sky
What is the weighing of the heart story from Ancient Egypt?
It is a myth of the afterlife where the dead compare the wight of their heart to the feather of truth and the outcome determines wether they will go to the underworld of the sky
What were the purposes of ancient Egyptian pyramids (give two reasons)?
The ancient Egyptian pyramids were used to store the pharaohs belongings and was used as the burial site for pharaohs when they passed on into the afterlife.
What is the Great Pyramid of Giza?
It is one of the Ancient Wonders of the World, is the oldest and only standing structure of these wonders, is Egyptian, and is the tallest structure on earth (147m)
Who built the Great Pyramid of Giza and when was it built?
The Pharaoh Khufu in c. 2560 BCE
What was the spiritual purpose of the Great Pyramid of Giza?
To serve as the final resting place of Khufu and its shape was believed to allow easier access to the sky, or the afterlife
What was the afterlife called by the Egyptians? By the Greeks?
Egyptians: the Duat
Greeks: Hades
What were the 3 sections of the Greek afterlife?
Elysium, where the heroes go (like heaven)
Asphodel Meadows, where people who’ve lived ordinary lives go
Fields of Punishment, where people who’ve committed acts of evil go
Who was Khufu and how long did he rule over Egypt?
He was an Egyptian Pharaoh and ruled from 2589 - 2566 BCE
What was found in Khufu’s Pyramid of Giza?
A solar barge/ferry to the sky which was meant tot help him in his journey to the afterlife
Who is Hatshepsut, what was she considered to be and what was her lifespan?
She was an Egyptian Pharaoh who was considered to be God’s wife and lived from 1507-1485 BCE