Chapter 13: Peoples and Complex Societies of Ancient Southwest Asia Flashcards
What does Mesopotamia literally mean?
“Between the rivers”, Euphrates and Tigris
Chalcolithic
6000-3000 BCE, tools still made principally of stone, although an increasing use of copper implements through time
Bronze age
3000-1200 BCE, tools and weapons of bronze (usually alloy of copper and tin) most common
Iron age
1200-334 BCE, iron tools increasingly in use
When had the human societies of Southwest Asia developed into fully agricultural communities?
c. 6000 BCE
How did the societies of Southwest Asia feed themselves around 6000 BCE?
- Animal husbandry, principally of sheep, goat, pigs, and cattle
- Rain-fed crops, barley, wheat and legumes
- Hunting, wild cattle, onager, gazelle
What were the population numbers of the societies of Southwest Asia like around 6000 BCE? What is this based on?
Not high, all evidence indicates widely dispersed small-scale settlements
Irrigation agriculture
Use of constructed canals and channels to bring water from rivers to otherwise dry land
When was there a major breakthrough with the development of irrigation agriculture?
Around 6000 BCE
The Halaf Period
c. 6000-5400 BCE
What site it the Halaf period named for?
Tell Halaf in northern Syria
What are Halaf period sites characterized by
- Circular buildings
- High-quality painted pottery
- Female figurines
- Stone stamp seals
- Obsidian objects
- Clay sling bullets
What were the buildings in Halaf period sites like?
Circular
In what kind of locations were Halaf period sites?
Rolling, hilly country with sufficient rainfall for dry farming
What does the fact that many Halaf sites were founded as new settlements suggest?
A new peopling of sparsely inhabited areas, as farming techniques improved and populations spread
Who were the first systematic farmers of the Fertile Crescent region?
The peoples of the Halaf period
When do we see the first development of administrative technology?
During the Halaf
What was the first development of administrative technology?
Seals
What may two major causes of population growth during the Halaf period have been?
Introduction of draft animals, enabling tillage of deep, fertile soils, and a shift toward a diet rich in diary products
How big were Halaf settlements generally?
0.5-3 ha
How many people lived in Halaf settlements?
20-150
Did trade occur during the Halaf period?
There is some evidence for trade among and beyond communities in pottery and obsidian
What was obsidian used for?
Tools, weapons, jewelry
From what period is the site Tilkitepe?
Halaf period
What is the site of Tilkitepe characterized by?
Settlement specializing in the collection and preliminary working of obsidian prior to its shipment on to other Halaf sites
Why is our understanding of Halaf cult practices and religious beliefs minimal?
- No clear ritual buildings.
- Human burials treated in variety of ways
What were clay sealing used for at Halaf sites?
To secure portable containers such as baskets and pots
What does the use of clay seelings at Halaf sites suggest?
The need by some people to exercise control over their possessions, perhaps while away on hunting/trading expeditions.
When was the Ubaid period?
5900-4200 BCE
Where did Ubaid communities settle?
Plains of Lower Mesopotamia, south Iraq
When was irrigation agriculture first achieved
5900 BCE
What was found at Tell Awayli?
Substantial mud-brick buildings, including possible grain storage structure
Where did Ubaid influence spread from around 5400 BCE?
Upper Mesopotamia (replacing Halaf-period occupation), southeast Anatolia (Turkey), shores Persian Gulf
What has been excavated at Eridu?
Sequence of temples dedicated to Enki, water god.
What was the uppermost temple at Eridu like?
Classic tripartite temple plan.
What did they do with their dead at Eridu, in the Ubaid period?
They were buried, often with grave goods, food offerings and sometimes figurines with lizard-like heads
What was found at Tell Madhhur?
Domestic house which had been destroyed by fire
What was found at Tepe Gawra
Complex of 3 temple structures. Presence of many clay sealings found in a will in one of these temples.
When was a complex of three temple structures at Tepe Gawra erected?
c. 5200 BCE, Late Ubaid period
What may the presence of large quantities of clay sealings found in a well in one of the Tepe Gawra temples indicate?
Role for temple in collection and distribution of commodities in name of relevant divinity.
When did painted Ubaid-style pottery fall out of use?
4200 BCE
Where is Zagheh
Iranian Plateau, Qazvin Plain, west of Tehran
The Painted Building finds
- Red, black, white designs on walls.
- Array 18 skulls wild male goats set into wall faces
- 40 clay figurines many appearing to represent scattered around
- 8 buried adult females, arms strecthed in classic pose of cultic devotion to building
What does the Painted Building appear to be?
Special cultic structure, presence of female figurines and burials, along with male goat skulls, strongly suggests connection with fertility and childbirth.
What do the large numbers of clay tokens found at Zagheh seem to be connected with?
Counting, interpret them as basic administrative devices used to keep account of movement raw materials and products in and out of ceramic production area.
When was the Uruk Period?
c. 4200-3000 BCE
When can be said that people on the alluvial plains of Lower Mesopotamia were living in communities that can be defined as urban?
3200 BCE
What were the steps to the rise of civilization in Southwest Asia?
- Fertility of the earth
- Ability to generate staple surpluses
- Ingenuity human beings in devising ways to distribute agricultural wealth through increasingly complex codes of conduct and practice.
When can dynasties comprising kings/queens first be recognized?
2900 BCE
What were communities like by 3200 BCE?
Can be defined as urban
How large were large settlements during the Early and Middle Uruk periods?
Up to 70 ha
When were the Early and Middle Uruk periods?
4200-3500 BCE
When was the Late Uruk period?
3500-3000 BCE
