Chapter 11 Flashcards
4 early state comparisons
- Mesopotamia
- Egypt
- Africa beyond the Nile Valley
- The Aegean
Mesopotamia
land between 2 rivers (Tigris and Euphrates rivers)
Heart of Mesopotamia
southern Iraq and includes parts of Syria, Turkey, and Iran
Earliest know written epics and legal systems in the world
Gilgamesh
Extremely fertile
soils of the region due to the rivers and adjacent floodplans
Southern Mesopotamia
early cities were in what is desert wasteland today
Extensive marshlands
early sites initially were within or at the edges of important for farming
Salinization
these locations have too much concentrated salt because of earlier farming practices and can no longer support crops
Uruk
- 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
Ziggurat
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
Mesopotamia society had 3 sources of authority
- 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)
Code of Hammurabi
most extensive series of early legal documents that dates to 1,800 B.C.
Agricultural Surplus
spurred growth of cities in Mesopotamia and depended on irrigation agriculture
Irrigation agriculture
required organization of large work crews to build and maintain canals
Specialized craft production
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
Inequality
is clearly evident in this period in Mesopotamia
Royal Tombs at Ur
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
Skulls of attendants
show blunt-force trauma from a bronze ax, indicating they were likely sacrificed to accompany the deceased in the afterlife
Royal tombs
are evidence of wealth concentrated in the hands of a few people (the king and close family)
Cuneiform writing system
developed in Mesopotamia during the Uruk period and involves signs impressed in wet clay tablets using a stylus
Pictographic script
Cuneiform was first (each picture represented a term of concept), but symbols later came to syllabic script (represent syllables)
Several different languages
Cuneiform was used to write (Sumerian, Akkadian, and others)
Seals
were also created with hard stone and then pressed onto clay or mud to mark ownership by a person or group
Cuneiform documents
recorded ownership and economic transactions (receipts or contracts)
Kuduru text
record transactions involving the exchange of land for goods such as bread, oil, beer, cloth, and silver
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
large urban centers
is clearly linked with development of state societies in this region
Nile Valley
lush vegetation in contrast to the stark surrounding desert
2 primary areas
- Upper Egypt (located in south)
- Lower Egypt (located in north)
Protective location
against outside threat because of deserts to east and west, and cataracts (rapids) to the south
Nile River
all human settlement allowed for transportation of people and goods
Annual flooding
meant soil was replenished (no over-salinization) and massive irrigation was not needed
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)
Constant dynamic
Struggle for dominance between Upper and Lower Egypt over the next several thousands years
Source of power of Egyptian king
his identification with a divinity
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)
Scribes
king controlled the state via armies who recorded everything from harvests to bread and beer depicted in the Tomb of Ty at Saqqara
Egyptian hieroglyphic writing consisted of
- Logograms (signs representing whole words or phrases)
- Phonograms (signs representing sounds)
- Determinatives (signs indicating exact meaning of a word)
Hieratic
was an alternative script to hieroglyphics develo[ed during the Fourth Dynasty
Egyptian pyramids
were temples dedicated to deceased king who were seen as incarnted as the Osiris
Red pyramid
the first true pyramid built by KIng Snefru of the Fourth Dynasty (took 3 tries to build it)
Hierakonpolis
The first capital of a unified Egypt located in the Upper Egyptain region
Giza
sites of 3 pyramids that represent the apex of pyramid construction in Old Kingdom Egypt
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
Entire Nile Valley
Egyptian king which was embodied by the figure of a king wearing the crowns of Upper the Lower Egypt
Kinship
did play an important role long after the firmation of the state
Questions remain
regarding how such a massive labor force needed for pyramid construction was possible
Unanswered questions
remain about the development of Africa states outside of the NIle Valley
Sudan
a series of complex societies developed along the NIle River in Nubia
Ethiopia highlands
impressive kingdom developed around the city Axun, famous for standing stones carved in the shape of multistory buildings
West Africa
well-established cities were built such as Benin in what is now Nigeria and is known for brass plaques
Jenne-Jeno (in Mali)
shows urban centers in West Africa predate extensive external contacts (thus, little out side influence)
The Aegean
a region including the Aegean Sea, islands and peninsulas during the Bronze Age
Minoan culture
from the island of Crete south of the Aegean Sea that first developed as complex social institution around 1900 B.C.
Mycenaean culture
society that developed on the Peloponnese peninsula and central Greece around 1500 B.C.
Minoans and Mycenaeans
often portrayed as polar opposites (Minoans as peace-loving, Mycenaean’s as aggressive warriors), but this is likely conjecture
Lion Gate
Mycenaeans often surrounded their citadels with massive fortification walls, including this monuments
The Palace
the core of both Minoan and Mycenaean states
Palaces
of both groups were lavishly painted (paring spectacle with administration)
Akrotiri on the island of Thera
a preserved site under ash deposited by volcanic eruption around 1500 B.C.
Increased
a century later, Mycenaean influence on Minoan Crete
