Chapter 1: From the Origins of Agriculture to the First River Valley- Civilizations Flashcards
Bands
a level of social organization normally consisting of 20 or 30 people; nomadic hunters and gatherers; labor divided on a gender basis
Paleolithic Age
The Old Stone Age, which lasted from 2.5 million to 8000 B.C. where the invention of tools, fire, and language took place. Nomadic hunters and gatherers
Mesolithic
The “middle” Stone Age, between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic ages. 12,000 - 8,000 B.C.E.
Neolithic Age
The New Stone Age between 8000 and 3000 B.C.E.; period in which adaptation of sedentary agriculture occurred; domestication of plants and animals accomplished.
Bronze Age
from 4000 to 3000 B.C.E.; increased use of plow, metalworking; development of wheeled vehicles, writing., a period in human history during which people began using bronze, rather than copper or stone, to fashion tools and weapons.
Agricultural Revolution
the time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering
Neolithic Revolution
(10,000 - 8,000 BCE) The development of agriculture and the domestication of animals as a food source. This led to the development of permanent settlements and the start of civilization., The shift from hunting of animals and gathering of food to the domestication of animals and the growing of food on a regular basis around 8,000 BC
Catal Huyuk
One of first true cities in history, created in the Neolithic Era in 6500 to 5500 BC, from which were created agriculture, trading, temples, housing, and religions, one of the world’s first cities, remains were found in 1958 in modern Turkey
Civilization
complex society with cities, organized government, art, religion, class divisions, and a writing system
Cuneiform
a system of writing with wedge-shaped symbols, invented by the Sumerians around 3000 B.C.
Mesopotamia
first civilization located between the Tigris & Eurphrates Rivers in present day Iraq; term means “land between the rivers;” Sumerian culture
Sumerians
The people who dominated southern Mesopotamia through the end of the third millennium B.C.E. They were responsible for the creation of many fundamental elements of Mesopotamian culture-such as irrigation technology, cuneiform, and religious conceptions.
Ziggurat
a tiered, pyramid-shaped structure that formed part of a Sumerian temple
city-state
a city and its surrounding lands functioning as an independent political unit.
Babylonians
an ancient empire of Mesopotamia in the Euphrates River valley. It flourished under Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar II but declined after 562 B.C. and fell to the Persians in 539.
Hammurabi’s Code
The first written codes of law during the Babylonian Empire, strict/ harsh punsihments, “an eye for an eye”. Forst ever codified law
Hammurabi
Amorite ruler of Babylon (r. 1792-1750 B.C.E.). He conquered many city-states in southern and northern Mesopotamia and is best known for a code of laws, inscribed on a black stone pillar, illustrating the principles to be used in legal cases. (p. 34)
Egyptian Civilization
civilization emerged in northern Africa along the Nile River by about 3000 B.C.E. It benefited from trade and influences from Mesopotamia, but it also produced its own distinct social structures and cultural expressions. Unlike Mesopotamia, civilization featured very durable and centralized institutions. Mathematical achievements and impressive architectural structures also characterized civilization.
Pharaoh
the title of the ancient Egyptian kings
Pyramids
monumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as burial sites for pharaohs.
Indus River Civilization
(c. 3300-1700 BCE, flourished 2600-1900 BCE), was an ancient civilization that flourished in the Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra river valleys primarily in what is now Pakistan and western India, parts of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan; major cities were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
Mohenjo-Daro
Largest city of the Indus Valley civilization. It was centrally located in the extensive floodplain of the Indus River. Little is known about the political institutions of Indus Valley communities, but the large-scale implies central planning.
Harappa
Along with Mohenjodaro, major urban complex of the Harrappan civilization; laid out on planned grid pattern.
History
The study of past events and changes in the development, transmission, and transformation of cultural practices.
Stone Age
The historical period characterized by the production of tools from stone and other nonmetallic substances. Followed by Bronze Age
Foragers
People who support themselves while hunting wild animals and gathering wild edible plants and insects.
Megaliths
Structures and complexes of very large stones constructed for ceremonial and religious purposes in Neolithic times
Semitic
Family of related languages long spoken across parts of western Asia and northern Africa.
Scribe
A professional position reserved for men who had undergone the lengthy training required to be able to read and write using cuneiform, hieroglyphics, or other early writing ssystems
Amulet
Small charms meant to protect the bearer from evil. They reflect religious practices of common people in Egypt and Mesopotamia
Ma’at
Egyptian term for the concept of divinely created and maintained order in the universe.
Memphis
The capital of old Kingdom Egypt, near the head of the Nile Delta.
Thebes
The capital city of Egypt and home of the ruling dynasties during the Middle and New Kingdoms.
Papyrus
The reed that grows along the bank in the Nile River in Egypt. It produced a paper-like writing medium
Mummy
A body preserved by chemical processes or special natural circumstances
How does the Nile flow?
From North to South
What do the Egyptians call the northern part of the country?
Upper Egypt
What do the Egyptians call the northern delta?
Lower Egypt
What is the New Kingdom term that Egyptians gave to Kings?
Pharaoh
Who was the link between Egyptians and their gods?
Pharaohs
How many dynasties does Egypt have?
30
How are the dynasties of Egypt divided
old, middle, and new kingdoms.
Describe Egypt’s hierarchy class
At the top were kings and high ranking officials. In the middle priests, artisans, farmers, and local leaders
What are shawabtis?
Small figurines that were included to lay the part of servants and take the place of the deceased in case the afterlife required periodic compulsory labor
What were the Indus people advanced in?
irrigation, ceramics, and construction
Where did most of the population on ancient Egypt live?
Alongside the Nile river or in the Delta
What are the indicators of civilization?
Cities Political system Engagement in non food producing activities Social class Buildings Record keeping Trade Advances in science and art
What were the roles of women and men in foraging communities?
Women gathered and cooked food
Older women past child bearing were knowledgeable of food gathering
Men hunted
How did bands move?
They followed migrating animals and took advantage of seasonally ripening plants in different places
What ere the shelters of foragers?
Shelters were in overhanging rocks or in caves
What were early form of clothing
Animal skin cloacks
Why did foragers occupy the same site year round?
Abundance in food, primarily fish
When were the foundations of science, art, and religion built?
Stone Age
What were the basic to human survival in forager communities?
knowledge about the natural environment
What did gathers in forager communities learn?
Plants that were best for food and when they were avalible
What did successful hunting require?
Knowledge of the habits of game animals
What did forager band lean to do with animal and plant parts
The learned to twine, build materials, dyes, and substances for medicine
Food gatherers became food producers during what tie period?
The Stone Age
