Chapter 3 - Bronze Age Aegean (and Mesopotamia) Flashcards
What is social differentiation?
Class stratification (ex. priestly class, kingly class, scribes, artisans etc.)
In early urban Mesopotamia, what building served as the monumental focus and place of redistribution?
The temple
What as the shift in the deity-king relationship that took place in the urban Mesopotamia?
From the deity above the king to the king as a medium for the deity to the king being the deity
In late urban Mesopotamia, what building emerges as the central political space?
The palace
What is the important city (case study) in urban Mesopotamia?
Mari (royal place of Zimri-Lim)
What are the 6 example of uses for the central urban space in Mari?
Kings residence, housing for high officials, administrative areas, dinging, reception areas, temples
What is the size of the king’s residence to the temple in Mari and what does this mean about the value of each in the Mesopotamian society?
The king’s residences are much larger than the temple showing that the king was more important than religion
What was the courtyard in Mari used for?
For elite activities
What was the most important role of the palace in Mari?
Administrative
What does the word “mesopotamia” mean?
The place between 2 rivers
What were the years of the Minoans, and what were the years of the Mycenaeans?
Minoans - 2000-1400BC, Mycenaeans - 1600-1200BC
What were the years of the Minoans, and what were the years of the Mycenaeans?
Minoans - 2000-1400BC, Mycenaeans - 1600-1200BC
What are the 5 main functions of a Minoan palace?
- Private residence, 2. Community meeting place, 3. Ceremonial space, 4. Religious/ cult center, 5. Economic center
What is the central building in Minoan Crete?
Now, the palace (vs. the temple as we saw in Mesopotamia)
How can we tell which areas of the Knossos palace are private?
Fewer entrances and exits into these areas
What is a good indication that ceremonial games took place in the central court of Knossos?
All entrance in the palace lead to the court
What was the ritual way in Knossos?
Raised stone lined pathways that controlled access into and out of the palace
What was the theatrical area in the palace of Knossos used for?
For ritual functions (a public viewing area)
What does the painting found in Knossos depict?
Coming of age ritual; young men grab the horns of a bull and launch themselves over
Why is the Coming of Age painting found in Knossos strange?
White figures in Minoan art are typically women (but the subjects are definitely men)
What is the difference between religious and ceremonial in the Minoan culture?
Religious = cult, closed to all but an elite group
What was the function of the cult rooms in the palace at Knossos?
Storage of religious artifacts
How are the functions of rooms in the palace of Knossos differentiated?
By the artifacts found within, decorations on the walls, and the size/shape of the room
What were the artifacts that indicated the throne room in the palace of Knossos?
The basin and chair
Why was the “throne room” in the palace of Knossos changed to a religious space by archaeologists?
The basin is the focus of the room (not the special chair) which indicates cleanliness, which in important in their religious culture
Where was the snake goddess statue found at the palace of Knossos?
In the temple storage
What does the snake goddess represent in the Minoan culture?
Fertility (in reproduction and architecture), renewal
Why does the statue of the snake goddess seem to control nature?
Because of the way she is holding up the snakes
What did the temple’s repository pits hold?
Surplus of products
What are 2 architectural elements of the temple in the place of Knossos?
A tri-partite shrine, and a pier and door partition (to control access)
What is the function of a pithos jar?
Large scale storage (not meant for transport)
What are two pieces of evidence for the working of raw material in the palace at Knossos?
Seals found (maybe used to tally commodities brought to and stored in the palace), workshops
What is an example of a Minoa countryside?
Gournia, Crete (currently being exacted)
How did the streets around a Minoan palace grow?
Very haphazardly
What were the religious locations of cults called?
Peak sanctuaries
Why do we think the cults of Minoan culture had agricultural concerns?
Carvings of produce and livestock, bones etc. as offerings at peak sanctuaries
What do the peak sanctuaries do for the Minoan people in terms of urban identity?
Allows the countryside to connect with the city
