Bronze Age Flashcards
When did the bronze start?
3,300 BCE
When did the bronze age end?
1200 BCE
When did Sumerian civilization emerge?
5,500 BCE
What preceded the bronze age?
The copper age
What is the proper name for the copper age?
Chalcolithic
What is the proper name for the stone age?
Neolithic
What does the term ‘sumer’ come from?
The Akkadian name for the Sumerians
Where did the Sumerians come from?
Southern Mesopotamia
What did the Sumerians call their land?
Kengir (ki-en-gir)
What does Kengir mean?
Country of the Noble lords
What is the Sumerian language called?
Emegir (eme-gi)
What type of of language is Sumerian/Emegir?
agglutinative language isolate
What did the Sumerians call themselves?
Black-headed people
What type of language is Sumerian/Emegir?
What is believed to have been the first sedentary culture?
The Natufian culture
When did Natufian culture date back to?
15,000 to 11,500 years ago or 13,000-9,500 BCE
Why is Natufian culture Abnormal?
Because it was a sedentary culture even before the advent of agriculture
What is the oldest site that shows evidence of agriculture?
Tell Abu Hureyra, Natufian culture
What are the names of the two prehistoric people who lived in southern Mesopotamia before the Sumerians?
Proto-Euthrateans and Ubadians
Which culture is it believed the Ubadians and the Proto-Euthrateans evolved from?
Samarra culture
When did Ubaid period begin?
5,500 BCE
What is the Ubaid period?
A prehistoric period of Mesopotamian culture
When did the Ubaid period end?
4,000-3,700 BCE
What was the period of the beginning of urbanization in Mesopotamian called?
The Uruk Period
What else is the Uruk period known as?
The Protoliterate period
Which country does the Euphrates river start in?
Turkey
Where does the Euphrates river flow from from?
The Armenian highlands of Eastern Turkey
What is the oldest Sumerian city state?
Eridu
Second oldest Sumerian city state?
Uruk
What did sumerians call themselves?
sag̃-gíg
When do reliable historical records start to be found in Mesopotamian history?
Early Dynastic I, around 2,900 BCE
When was Sumer conquered?
2,270 BCE
Who conquered Sumer?
Sargon of Akkad
Who were the three people that made up the first people of Eridu?
Ubadians, nomadic Semitics & fisher folk ancestors of the Sumerians
Who was the first scholar to publish the word Sumer?
Jules Oppert
What was the Sumerian word title for Governor?
Ensi
What was the title for a sumerian king?
lugal
How many Sumerian city-statess are there?
12
What was Sumer/Kengir called in the Bible?
Shinar
Where does the Euphrates empty?
The Persian Gulf
Which of the two rivers of Mesopotamia runs through rougher terrain?
The Tigris
How many Tributaries does the Euphrates have?
3
How many tributaries does the Tigris have?
4
What river does the river tigris flow from?
Lake Hazar
What is the area where the Tigris & Euphrates empty into the Persian Gulf called?
Shatt Al-Arab
Which three countries does the Tigris and Euphrates flow through?
Turkey, Syria & Iraq
What is the mountain range that goes through Iran, northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey?
The Zagros Mountains
Which half of the Alluvial plains was Kengir/Sumer/Shinar?
Southern Alluvial plains
What is Eridu called in Sumerian/Emegir?
Eridug
Akkadian name for Eridu?
irîtu
What archeological site was Eridu discovered at?
Tell Abu Shahrain
What was the god of Eridu?
Enki
What was Enki later known by?
Ea
What was the name of Enkis temple in Eridu?
E-Abzu
First major city state in Mesopotamia?
Uruk
According to the Sumerian king list, who was the first king of Eridu/Eridug?
Alulim
How long was Alulim king?
28,800
Who was the second king of Eridu?
Alaljar
How long was Alaljar king?
36,000
According to the Sumerian king list how many kings did Eridu have?
2
According to the king list what was the second city after Eridug fell?
Bad-tibira
What was the first real city in Mesopotamia?
Uruk
When was Gilgamesh king of Uruk according to the king list?
2,700 BCE
According to the king list who founded Uruk?
Enmerkar
How was the city of Uruk formed?
By two settlements merging
Which two gods are at the core of Uruk?
Innana and Anu
What two districts are at the religious core of Uruk?
Eanna District and the Anu District
What was the Eanna district originally called?
Kullaba
What is the Uruk Archeological site known as?
Warka
When did the early dynasties period begin?
2,900 BCE
When was Lagash founded?
3rd millennium BC
What was the patron god of Nippur?
Enlil
When was the first/old Babylonian empire founded?
1,894 BC
First king of Babylon?
Sumu-abum
When did Babylon fall?
539 BCE
What is the northern half of the Alluvial plains called?
Wari
What language is the name ‘Mesopotamia’ from?
Greek
What does Mesopotamia mean?
The land between rivers
What city did Pietro Della Valle stumble upon?
Ur
What pantheon is Teshub (Teshu) part of?
Hurrian
What is Teshub god of?
Storms
Which half of the Alluvial plains civilizations primarly relied on rainfall instead of irrigation?
The north
Who was Teshubs spouse?
Ḫepat
What kingdom was Hurrian the language of?
The Mitanni Kingdom
What is an ostracon?
An old piece/shard of pottery with writing on it
What is the oldest recorded example of Hebrew?
The Ostracon at Izbet Sarah
When does Hebrew date back to?
Around 1,300-1,200
Second oldest written language?
Ancient Egyptian
What is the name for the Akkadian sun god?
Shamash
What is Shamash called in Sumerian/Emegir?
Utu
What made Mesopotamia fertile?
Silt
Earliest culture in Mesopotamia?
Samarra culture
What other culture that dates around 6,000 BCE does Samarra overlap with?
Hassuna
When does Samarra culture date back to?
6,500 to 5,500 BCE
Which culture neighbored Samarra culture with little overlap?
Halaf culture
What were the three cultures prevalent in Mesopotamia around 6,000 BCE?
Samarra, Halaf and Hassuna culture
Which culture created the earliest example of stamp seals?
Halaf
