Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Archaeology > Chapter 11 > Flashcards

Chapter 11 Flashcards

1
Q

4 early state comparisons

A
  • Mesopotamia
  • Egypt
  • Africa beyond the Nile Valley
  • The Aegean
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Mesopotamia

A

land between 2 rivers (Tigris and Euphrates rivers)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Heart of Mesopotamia

A

southern Iraq and includes parts of Syria, Turkey, and Iran

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Earliest know written epics and legal systems in the world

A

Gilgamesh

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Extremely fertile

A

soils of the region due to the rivers and adjacent floodplans

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Southern Mesopotamia

A

early cities were in what is desert wasteland today

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Extensive marshlands

A

early sites initially were within or at the edges of important for farming

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Salinization

A

these locations have too much concentrated salt because of earlier farming practices and can no longer support crops

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Uruk

A
  • oldest known city in the world located in southern Iraq with 20,000-40,000 inhabitants at its peak
  • outside of the temple area is still unclear
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Ziggurat

A

Uruk grew around 2 massive temples precincts with temple structures made of materials from outside the region and built on platforms that would give rise to stepped pyramid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Mesopotamia society had 3 sources of authority

A
  • the temple (heart of the city and dedicated to a deity that was key to the city’s identity (the chief priest was likely the ruler of the city))
  • The palace (the king (ensi) maintained the temple and military, and was selected by the city council)
  • The city council (little is known about the council’s power)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Code of Hammurabi

A

most extensive series of early legal documents that dates to 1,800 B.C.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Agricultural Surplus

A

spurred growth of cities in Mesopotamia and depended on irrigation agriculture

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Irrigation agriculture

A

required organization of large work crews to build and maintain canals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Specialized craft production

A

also evident, including bevel-rim bowls (small, uncorrelated vessels made of coarse clay) that may have been used for grain rations or fro baking bread

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Inequality

A

is clearly evident in this period in Mesopotamia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Royal Tombs at Ur

A

contained vast deposits of wealth (tools, jewelry, musical instruments, vessels made of metals, etc.) and buried men and women along with oxen attached to carts in a death pit below each tomb

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Skulls of attendants

A

show blunt-force trauma from a bronze ax, indicating they were likely sacrificed to accompany the deceased in the afterlife

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Royal tombs

A

are evidence of wealth concentrated in the hands of a few people (the king and close family)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Cuneiform writing system

A

developed in Mesopotamia during the Uruk period and involves signs impressed in wet clay tablets using a stylus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Pictographic script

A

Cuneiform was first (each picture represented a term of concept), but symbols later came to syllabic script (represent syllables)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Several different languages

A

Cuneiform was used to write (Sumerian, Akkadian, and others)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Seals

A

were also created with hard stone and then pressed onto clay or mud to mark ownership by a person or group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Cuneiform documents

A

recorded ownership and economic transactions (receipts or contracts)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Kuduru text
record transactions involving the exchange of land for goods such as bread, oil, beer, cloth, and silver
26
Military prowess
early cities were walled and texts speak of war between societies, yet tools of war (axes, spears, arrows) were limited and depictions in text seem more a display of power than actual battles
27
large urban centers
is clearly linked with development of state societies in this region
28
Nile Valley
lush vegetation in contrast to the stark surrounding desert
29
2 primary areas
- Upper Egypt (located in south) | - Lower Egypt (located in north)
30
Protective location
against outside threat because of deserts to east and west, and cataracts (rapids) to the south
31
Nile River
all human settlement allowed for transportation of people and goods
32
Annual flooding
meant soil was replenished (no over-salinization) and massive irrigation was not needed
33
3 kingdoms
formed along the Nile Valley, but united under a single ruler named Narmer around 3,000 B.C. (found on carved slate known as Narmer Palette)
34
Constant dynamic
Struggle for dominance between Upper and Lower Egypt over the next several thousands years
35
Source of power of Egyptian king
his identification with a divinity
36
Ma'at
Egyptian concept of virtues of balance and justice vital to power of the king (his role was to ensure preservation of ma'at)
37
Scribes
king controlled the state via armies who recorded everything from harvests to bread and beer depicted in the Tomb of Ty at Saqqara
38
Egyptian hieroglyphic writing consisted of
- Logograms (signs representing whole words or phrases) - Phonograms (signs representing sounds) - Determinatives (signs indicating exact meaning of a word)
39
Hieratic
was an alternative script to hieroglyphics develo[ed during the Fourth Dynasty
40
Egyptian pyramids
were temples dedicated to deceased king who were seen as incarnted as the Osiris
41
Red pyramid
the first true pyramid built by KIng Snefru of the Fourth Dynasty (took 3 tries to build it)
42
Hierakonpolis
The first capital of a unified Egypt located in the Upper Egyptain region
43
Giza
sites of 3 pyramids that represent the apex of pyramid construction in Old Kingdom Egypt
44
Great Sphinx
one of the most famous features at Giza that was carved into the bedrock of a small hill and features the figure of a cat with a human head
45
Entire Nile Valley
Egyptian king which was embodied by the figure of a king wearing the crowns of Upper the Lower Egypt
46
Kinship
did play an important role long after the firmation of the state
47
Questions remain
regarding how such a massive labor force needed for pyramid construction was possible
48
Unanswered questions
remain about the development of Africa states outside of the NIle Valley
49
Sudan
a series of complex societies developed along the NIle River in Nubia
50
Ethiopia highlands
impressive kingdom developed around the city Axun, famous for standing stones carved in the shape of multistory buildings
51
West Africa
well-established cities were built such as Benin in what is now Nigeria and is known for brass plaques
52
Jenne-Jeno (in Mali)
shows urban centers in West Africa predate extensive external contacts (thus, little out side influence)
53
The Aegean
a region including the Aegean Sea, islands and peninsulas during the Bronze Age
54
Minoan culture
from the island of Crete south of the Aegean Sea that first developed as complex social institution around 1900 B.C.
55
Mycenaean culture
society that developed on the Peloponnese peninsula and central Greece around 1500 B.C.
56
Minoans and Mycenaeans
often portrayed as polar opposites (Minoans as peace-loving, Mycenaean's as aggressive warriors), but this is likely conjecture
57
Lion Gate
Mycenaeans often surrounded their citadels with massive fortification walls, including this monuments
58
The Palace
the core of both Minoan and Mycenaean states
59
Palaces
of both groups were lavishly painted (paring spectacle with administration)
60
Akrotiri on the island of Thera
a preserved site under ash deposited by volcanic eruption around 1500 B.C.
61
Increased
a century later, Mycenaean influence on Minoan Crete

Archaeology (12 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions