˗ˏˋ cities and pyramids ´ˎ˗ Flashcards
what is mesopotamia?
- a region along the course of the tigris and euphrates rivers centered in modern iraq
- lots of wetlands, that have no become arid climates
- because most of the neolithic homes were made of organic materials, they are not found in the archaeological record
what are the tigris and euphrates rivers?
two large rivers that were the focus for the development of mesopotamian civilization.
what is the uruk period?
- the period between 4000 b.c. and 3200 b.c. during which the first cities in mesopotamia were developed
- uruk site is location of the massive ziggurat temple; measuring just under 100 ft tall
what is the early dynastic period?
the period that follows the uruk period, during which southern mesopotamia was home to a series of city-states.
what is the ziggurat?
a stepped pyramid found in many mesopotamian temple precincts.
what did mesopotamian society revolve around for authority?
the temple, the palace, and the city council.
what is the code of hammurabi?
- 1700-1800 BCE; the most extensive of a series of early mesopotamian legal documents
- 282 rules
- carved onto a massive, finger-shaped black stone stele (pillar) that was looted by invaders and finally rediscovered in 1901
- includes, among many other things, penalties for perjury, robbery, and murder
- regulations surrounding adoption, marriage, and the ownership of slaves
- mundane issues, such as the cost of hiring an ox or an ass
what are bevel-rim bowls?
- small undecorated vessels made of coarse clay that are ubiquitous on uruk period sites
- the two theories about these bowls are: the standardized size would then reflect the basic ration for a day of work and that these vessels were used as molds for baking bread
what were the royal tombs at ur?
- tombs dating to the early dynastic period in which the dead were buried with a spectacular array of precious artifacts and sacrificial victims
- archaeologists can discover a lot about societal structure, based off burials
- these tombs contain staggering deposits of wealth, including tools, jewelry, musical instruments, and vessels made from a wide range of metals (gold, silver, copper, and electrum) and precious stones (lapis lazuli, carnelian, steatite, and calcite)
what is cuneiform?
- a writing system in which signs were impressed in wet clay
- was used to write a range of languages, including sumerian and akkadian
what are cylinder seals?
- one of the methods developed by mesopotamian scribes to mark ownership
- they were made by carving scenes onto cylinders of stone. the cylinder seal was then rolled across fresh clay or mud, leaving behind an impression
- used to seal both vessels, and rooms
what is mesopotamian warfare & expansion?
- cities were walled, and the texts from the time discuss wars between the cities
- some cylinder seals depict bound prisoners, showing that some sort of captive situations were happening
- many of the battles in the texts appear to be more of a show, than a combat resulting in mass casualties.
- the main tools of war were axes, spears, arrows, and carts drawn by asses or oxen
what is habuba kebira?
- an uruk colony located on the upper reaches of the euphrates river in northern syria
- shows that the uruk culture was far-reaching
what is the nile valley?
a swath of lush vegetation descending from the highlands of ethiopia and standing in sharp contrast to the surrounding desert.
what is upper egypt?
the southern egyptian nile river valley ending in a series of cataracts, or rapids, in the area around the modern border between egypt and sudan.
what is lower egypt?
the northern part of the egyptian nile river valley, including the nile delta.
what is narmer palette?
an artifact discovered at the site of hierakonpolis; its two sides show the unification of upper and lower egypt under king narmer.
what is the first dynasty?
the dynasty based in hierakonpolis and abydos in upper egypt.
what is hierakonpolis?
along with abydos, one of the two centers of egypt during the late predynastic period and the first dynasty.
what is abydos?
the site of the royal cemetery of egypt during the first and second dynasties
what was egyptian government like?
- supreme power in egypt was the king/pharaoh
- believed that he was the human incarnation of the god horus (falcon), who was the top of the pantheon
- upon the king’s death, he became the incarnation of the god osiris, the god of the death
- king also had a special relationship with the sun god ra
what is ma’at?
- a concept that combines the virtues of balance and justice; it was of central importance to egyptian society
- chaos and disorder were viewed as catastrophic
- the king’s role was to ensure the preservation of ma’at
what are the pyramids of giza?
- one of the most recognizable monuments in the world
- constructed on the fringe of major settlements, in the desert
- pyramids were constructed as elaborate temples to the kings, and tombs for their remains
- the idea is to provide for his journey in the afterlife, as he becomes the god osiris
what is saqqara?
- the location of the stepped pyramid, the earliest pyramid constructed in egypt
- in later periods, saqqara continued to be used as a sacred burial area
who was king djoser?
the third dynasty egyptian king who constructed the first pyramid, located at saqqara.
who was king snefru?
- built the first true pyramid
- three attempts to build it before succeeding
- first attempt collapsed during construction
- second attempt resulted in the “bent pyramid” with a slop at 60 degrees, but midway through changed it to 44 degrees which resulted in the bent top
- last attempt was successful and resulted in the red pyramid, at 105 meters high
who was cheops?
a fourth dynasty egyptian king who constructed the first and largest pyramid ever built at giza.
who was cepheren?
- a fourth dynasty egyptian king who constructed a pyramid at giza that was slightly smaller than the one constructed by cheops
- the great sphinx is located alongside the gepheren valley temple
who was mycerinus?
the last fourth dynasty egyptian king to build a pyramid at giza; it was smaller than the other pyramids and at least partially sheathed in polished granite.
what was the great sphinx?
- cepheren’s image is well preserved in a series of powerful sculptures discovered in his pyramid’s valley temple
- one of the most famous features at giza is the great sphinx, the figure of a cat with a human head, carved into the bedrock of a small hill adjoining the cepheren valley temple
- at highest point, measures 66ft high
what is mummification?
- the methods of embalming, or treating the dead body, using either nature, or ritual, to remove moisture and preserve body from decay
- practiced in every continent, in ancient egypt, and inca empire
what is the pharaoh’s curse?
- pharaoh tutankhamun, aka “king tut”
- tomb was discovered and opened in 1923, by howard carter (british archaeologist) and team
- there was no curse, discovered in this tomb. however, there had already been rumors of curses on anyone that would rob a pharaoh’s tomb
- about 6 weeks after the opening of the tomb, lord carnarvon (who financed the expedition) died of an infected mosquito bite
- 8 people (of the original 58) who entered the tomb, died of various causes over the next decade
- carter either survived the curse, or the curse took a very long time because he died in 1939
where did the mummies go?
- we used to eat mummies as medicine, use them in makeup and paints (mummy/egyptian brown), and used to make oils and incense
- when mummies started getting scarce, regular corpses were sometimes mummified and then used
what are cities in egypt like?
epypt was a territorial state rather than a city-state.
who was akhenaten?
- a religious reformer who built the city of amarna
- he tried to switch the religion of egypt from a pantheon (worshipped for over 3,000 years) to worshipping one deity
- wanted to remove evidence of previous gods
what is amarna?
- a city built by the heretic king akhenaten and abandoned after his reign
- excavation of this city has provided a unique horizontal exposure of an egyptian urban center
- after akhenaten’s death, his religious reforms were rejected, his monuments smashed, and his city at amarna abandoned
what was jenne-jeno?
- the site of an urban center in mali, west africa, that predates extensive external contact
- played an important trade center for caravans coming from timbuktu to the north
- axum is famous for its standing stones carved in the shape of multistory buildings
- the tallest of these monuments, carved from a single block of stone, rises 21 meters
what is aegean?
the aegean sea and surrounding areas; the civilizations of bronze age greece.
what is knossos?
a site excavated by arthur evans that is the largest minoan settlement.
what is the minoan?
- a bronze age society located on the island of create
- depicted minoan society as peace-loving flower worshippers
what is the mycenaean?
- a bronze age society that developed on the peloponnese peninsula and in central greece
- portrayed mycenaean society as aggressive warriors
what is lion gate?
an important example of mycenaean defensive architecture.
what are early state modules?
autonomous political units.
what are peer polity interaction?
the full range of exchanges taking place between autonomous sociopolitical units.
what is heterarchy?
the relationship of elements to one another when they are not ranked.
what was the core of society in minoan and mycenaean societies?
- the palace
- minoan palaces were so intricate and elaborate, that they may have served as the inspiration for the myth of the labyrinth
what is the megaron?
- a large hall located at the center of the mycenaean palace at the site of pylos
- had a central hearth, and four central pillars
- also had a public, open court but on a smaller scale than the minoan palaces
- major difference between the palaces/societies: no large tombs on minoan sites and elaborate funerary rituals on mycenaean sites
what is akrotiri?
a bronze age town on the island of thera that was buried by a catastrophic volcanic eruption.
what is thera/santorini?
a cycladic island that was devastated by a major volcanic eruption during the bronze age.
