Chapter 1- From Human Prehistory To The Early Civilizations Flashcards
Homo sapiens
The human species that emerged as most successful at the end of the Paleolithic period
Paleolithic Age
The Old Stone Age ending in 12,000 B.C.E.; typified by use of crude stone tools and hunting and gathering for subsistence
Neolithic Age
The New Stone Age between 8000 and 5000 B.C.E.; period in which adaption of sedentary agriculture occurred; domestication of plants and animals accomplished
Neolithic Revolution
The succession of technological innovations and changes in human organization that led to the development of agriculture, 8500–3500 B.C.E.
Hunting and Gathering
Means of obtaining subsistence by human species prior to the adaption of sedentary agriculture; normally typical of band social organization
Bronze Age
From about 4000 B.C.E., when bronze tools were first introduced in the Middle East, to about 1500 B.C.E., when iron began to replace it
Slash and burn agriculture
A system of cultivation typical of shifting cultivators; forest floors cleared by fire are then planted
Bands
A level of social organization normally consisting of 20 to 30 people; nomadic hunters and gatherers; labor divided on a gender basis
Çatal Hüyük
Early urban culture based on sedentary agriculture; located in modern southern Turkey; was larger in population then Jericho, had a greater degree of social stratification
Civilization
Societies distinguished by reliance on sedentary agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses, and existence of non-farming elites, as well as merchant and manufacturing groups
Cuneiform
A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge-shaped stylus and clay tablets
Nomads
Cattle– and sheep– herding societies normally found on the fringes of civilized societies; commonly referred to as “barbarian” by civilized societies
Mesopotamia
Literally “between the rivers”; the civilizations that arose in the alluvial plan of the Tigris-Euphrates river valleys
Sumerians
People who migrated into Mesopotamia c. 4000 B.C.E.; created first civilization within region; organized area into city states
Ziggurats
Massive towers usually associated with Mesopotamian temple complexes
City-states
A form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilizations; consisted of agricultural hinterlands ruled by an urban-based king
Babylonian empire
Unified all of Mesopotamia c. 1800 B .C.E.; collapsed due to foreign invasion c. 1600 B.C.E.
Hammurabi
The most important ruler of the Babylonian empire; responsible for codification of law
Pharaoh
Title of kings of ancient Egypt
Pyramids
Monumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as burial sites for pharaohs
Kush
An African state that developed along the upper reaches of the Nile c. 1000 B.C.E.; conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries
Indus River valley
River sources in Himalayas to mouth in Arabian Sea; location of Harappan civilization
Harappa
Along with Mohenjo-daro, major urban complex of the Harappan civilization; laid out on planned grid pattern
Mohenjo-daro
Along with Harappa, major urban complex of the Harappan civilization; laid out on planned grid pattern
Yellow River
Also known as Huanghe; site of development of sedentary agriculture in China
Ideographic writing
Pictographic characters grouped together to create new concepts; typical of Chinese writing
Shang
First Chinese dynasty for which archeological evidence exists; capital located in Ordos bend
Phoenicians
Seafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean; established colonies throughout the Mediterranean
Monotheism
The exclusive worship of a single God; introduced by the Jews into Western civilization
Harappan civilization
First civilization of Indian subcontinent; emerged in Indus River Valley c. 2500 B.C.E.
Loess
Fine grained soil deposited in Ordos bend by winds from central Asia; created fertile soil for sedentary agricultural communities
Mandate of Heavan
The divine source for political legitimacy of Chinese rulers; established by Zhou to justify overthrow of Shang
