Chap 1 unit test Flashcards
member of a group that has no permanent home, wandering from place to place searching for food and water
nomad
period in human history, beginning around 3000 B.C. in some areas, during which people began using bronze rather than copper or stone, to fashion tools and weapons
Bronze Age
the development of skills in a particular kind of work, such as trading or record keeping
specialization
prehistoric period that lasted from about 2,500,000 to 8000 B.C. during which people made use of crude stone tools and weapons; old Stone Age
Paleolithic age
long lasting pattern of organization in a community
institution
a form of trade in which people exchange goods and services without using money
barter
one of the first professional record keepers in early civilizations
scribe
skilled worker who makes goods by hand
artisan
farming method in which people clear fields by cutting and burning trees and grasses, the ashes of which serve to fertilize the soil
slash-burning-farming
period of time which people learned to polish stone tools, make pottery, grow crops, and raise animals; new Stone Age
neolithic age
the taming of animals for human use
domestication
member of a biological group including human beings and related species that walk upright
hominid
a tiered, pyramid shaped structure that formed part of a Sumerian temple
ziggurat
member of a nomadic group whose food supply depends on hunting animals and collecting plants
hunter gatherer
a form of culture characterized by cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and advanced technology
civilization
biological species to which modern human beings belong
Homo sapiens
a system of writing with wedge shaped symbols, invented by the Sumerians
cuneiform
the way which people apply knowledge, tools, and inventions to meet their needs
technology
peoples unique way of life, as shown by its tools, customs, arts, and ideas
culture
human made object, such as a tool, weapon, or a piece of jewelry
artifact
According to Jared Diamond, what are the three major elements that separate the world’s “haves” from the “have nots”?
Guns germs and steels
Diamond has developed a theory about what has caused these huge discrepancies among different countries, and he says it boils down to geographic luck. Give several examples from the film to support Diamond’s theory.
It was natural for westerners to have so much and new Guineans have so little.
Advance technology and resources that are available to the people and civilization.
Describe the process used to domesticate crops and create plants that yielded bigger, tastier harvests.
They made a granary in which grain could be stored for years. They filled this by farming. They farmed by any source of water and stayed close to the water source. They would grow the crops next to the village. They would use the plant seeds and individual plants that were the tastiest and easiest to harvest. Plants differ from each place and region. The most valuable is wheat because it has the most protein, carbohydrates, and fiber, and plants that were low in this are less valuable and people cannot live off just that one plant. In New Guinee there is barely any protein in the plants.
. How did the domestication of animals help people? Give several examples.
We could control their breeding and we could harvest them for food. We could also use them for their milk, their skins could be used for clothes, and we could use them for farming, such as fertilizing the crops. They could also move a plow to harvest crops
List the animals that can be domesticated and where they can be found.
There are 14 plant eating carnivores that are able to be domesticated
Goats, sheep, pigs, cows, water buffalo, llamas, and yachts
Asia, north Africa, Europe
Looking at the list of animals and locations from question 5, discuss how Diamond’s theory about geographic luck applies here.
They animals were not in New Guinee and they only had Pigs, which just gave you meat. They don’t pull anything, they don’t have milk, and it wouldn’t be good to use it for clothes.
How did the movement of the early civilizations of the Fertile Crescent (Middle East) further support Diamond’s idea that geography played a key role in the success of a civilization?
The middle east had the ability to farm the most valuable crops and they had the animals that could help them the most. They had more strength in animals that could help them. But they had to move because the climate was too dry, and many villages were forced to move away. The plants and animals were able to prosper in other places in Eurasia. Then they were moved to the Americas later.
Do you agree with Jared Diamond when he says of a civilization’s ability to gain power,
wealth, and strength, “…what’s far more important is the hand that people have been dealt, the raw materials they’ve had at their disposal.” Why or why not?
I think that food and the ability to survive with the most resources and the most valuable resources will give power, strength and wealth. It does matter where you are because each region has their own raw materials that you must survive. The places with the most valuable and the most resources in the places are most likely to have the most power
Arc of rich farmland in southwest Asia, between the Persian and Mediterranean sea.
Fertile Crescent
lands facing the Mediterranean Sea. “Land between rivers”
mesopotamia
a city and its surrounding lands functioning as independent political unit
city state
a series of rulers from a single family
dynasty
the spreading of ideas or products from one culture to another
cultural diffusion
belief in many gods
polytheism
a political uniting which a number of people or countries are controlled by a single ruler.
empire
created the first laws; Hammurabi’s code
Hammurabi
marshy region formed by deposits of of silk at the mouth of a river
delta
king that gave evidence that united north and south Egypt.
narmer
a king of ancient Egypt, considered a god as well as a political leader and military
pharaoh
government controlled by religious leaders
theocracy
massive structure that were built as burial places for pharaohs
pyramid
tall reed that grows in the Nile delta, used to make paper like material
papyrus
an ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds
hieroglyphics
