Early-Middle Bronze Age Flashcards
1
Q
Periods included
A
- Mesopotamia - Early Dynastic I-IIIb, Ur I, Dyn of Akkad, Ur III, Babylon I
- Egypt - Dynasties III-VI, (Old Kingdom), Dyn VI-XI (First Intermediate Period), Dyn XI-XIII (Middle Kingdom), Dyn XIII-XVII (Second Intermediate Period)
- Palestine - Early Bronze Age (I-IV), MIddle Bronze Age (I-IIC)
- Greece - Early Helladic I-III, M Helladic, L Helladic L
- Crete - E Minoan II-III (Prepalatial Period), M Minoan IA- II (Protopalatial/Old Palace), M Minoan IIIA, IIIB, L Minoan IA (Neopalatial (New Palace))
- Hati - Hittite Old Kingdom
2
Q
Great Palace at Knossos
A
Middle Minoan IB, c1850 BC: First Palace built
Middle Minoan IIB, c1700 BC: destroyed by earthquake
Middle Minoan IIIA: Second Palace built; badly damaged by earthquake
Middle Minoan IIIB: Second Palace rebuilt; badly damaged by earthquake
Late Minoan IA: Second Palace rebuilt (again)
3
Q
Emergence of Minoan ‘Palaces’
A
- Minoan ‘Palaces’ = emergence of state
- When, How and Why?
- Why Crete?
- Main features and functions? Palaces or Temples?
- Who for?
4
Q
Fall of Jericho
A
- Mid 16th c BC
5
Q
Sack of Babylon
A
- Mid 16th c BC
6
Q
Kerma Culture
A
- 17th-16th BC
- Uprisings became a problem for Egyptian kings in the Second Intermediate Period
- Collaborated with Hyksos in 15th dyn
- Distinctive luster high polished wares (pottery) and monumental architecture but no texts
7
Q
2nd Cataract fortifications
A
- largely associated with Senwosret III
- e.g. Buhen
8
Q
Lahun Pyramid
A
- In the fertile Fayoum area
- Pyramid of Senwosret II
9
Q
Beni Hasan
A
- Provincial centers remain important -almost a feudal set up
- Large tombs of local governors continue to be built in an unbroken sequence from the first intermediate period to the 12th dynasty
- In late 12th dynasty, there seems to be a reform and the tombs of provincial governors stop, and some officials are buried near the king at the Capital
- Major provincial cemetery in Middle Egypt
- Includes a group of Nubian traders in depictions on tombs
10
Q
Lisht
A
- 12th dynasty capital of Amenemhat I c.1940-1920 BC
- Previously Thebes
- One of the originators of many of the reforms of the Middle Kingdom but is assassinated
- Amenemhat I resurrects straight forward pyramids near Lisht
- New capital of Ishtawi for most of the Middle Kingdom
11
Q
Murder of Amenemhat I
A
- Dyn XII 1940-1910 BC
- Assassinated - written down, nominally written by him but includes his assassination
- Instruction of King Amenemhat I, gives record of his death and instructions on what to do after death to get into the afterlife
12
Q
Great Ziggurat
A
Ur, Ur III Dynasty, 21st/20th c BC
-Some of the earliest material which is still surviving, although it has been heavily restored
13
Q
Deir el-Bahari
A
- Temple built by Mentuhotep II, reunified of Egypt after First Intermediate Period to the Middle Kingdom
- Much more monumental building and more artistic and architectural originality
14
Q
Dynasty of Akkad
A
- First dynasty not focusing on Ur
- Akkad, central mesopotamia
- One of the first well documented periods
- First major attempt at reunification of Mesopotamia and chunks of the Levant
- Leaders include Sargon I and Naramsin
- One of the first major imperial expansions
- 23rd–22nd C BC
15
Q
Saqarra
A
- Step Pyramid - first pyramid and first major monument built of stone
- Built in 2600 BC, Dynasty III for Djoser by architect Imhotep
- Contains the earliest life sized statue of a pharaoh inside the tomb - limestone statue, traces of paint, precious stone eyes
- Djoser’s name written in red ink on the Turin King list - recognition that the beginning of Dyn III marked something special/different - monumentally and politically as it is quite a feat to be able to amass the resources needed and construct a pyramid
16
Q
Pepy II
A
- Old Kingdom (Dyn VI, 2200 BC) comes to an end under his reign, followed by First Intermediate period
- Last major pyramid (at South Saqqara) for centuries
- After him, everything goes to shit - irregularities in Inundation/Nile heights, causing economic problems? Or he was old and senile, children fighting for the throne
- Longest reigning king in history with 94 years of reignal, though contemporary records don’t go past the early 60s
17
Q
Yam
A
- Another trading area in Kush/Nubia - location unknown
- Come on and slam, and welcome to the Yam
18
Q
The Punt Hunt
A
- First record from the reign of Sahure, Dyn V
- Trading expeditions lead to this country
- Location unknown - thought to be on the coast of East Africa, Sudan, Eritrea or Ethiopia
- Had to travel through the eastern desert and build ships on the Red Sea coast, then sailed down to Punt
- Source of luxury goods
19
Q
Khufu boat
A
- Giza, Dyn IV, 2500 BC
- Found buried in a pit next to the Pyramids of Giza
- Entirely built of traded Lebanese cedar
- Wood also used to make furniture, such as that found in the tomb of Khufu’s mother - v high quality, rich, gold covered crafts
20
Q
Ur Early Dynastic
A
- Mesopotamia not a unified entity to begin with - number of city states which vie for power
- Elaborate gold objects from tombs e.g. gold rhyton and headdress of Queen Puabi
- Dominated by Royal Tombs and a Ziggurat
21
Q
Seth-Horus Myth
A
- Evidence for problems in the 2nd dynasty - tombs have been robbed, ransacked and burnt king lists have a gap,
- Suggested that these events were turned into the Horus myth, depicted on a wall at Edfu
- Could depict a real civil war or war between a family?
- Difficulties between a king who followed Seth and one that followed Horus
22
Q
Naqada culture
A
- Predynastic culture
- 3400-3200 BC
- Some of the best pottery from Egypt - quality went dramatically down hill when metal became the more popular material
- Crouched, shallow desert pit burials with pots
- Culture takes name from small Egyptian village
23
Q
White Temple
A
-Stone temple unusual for mesopotamia
-Niche paneled facade typical of early mesopotamian and egyptian monumental buildings - what kind of links exist between early meso and egypt?
Uruk, Uruk III c. 3000 BC
24
Q
Early Mesopotamian City-States
A
Uruk, Ur, Ubaid, Kish, Nippur
25
Q
Uruk
A
- Stone cone temple
- Predates anything monumental in Egypt by 400-500 years
- Uruk Vi, 3400 BC
26
Q
Unification
A
- 3000 BC
- Narmer unifies south and north
- Founded Egypt and first capital at Memphis, which is administrative center until the Roman period
- Due to the water table little is known about early Memphis
- Many officials of the time are buried overlooking Memphis
27
Q
Dashur
A
- Dyn 4, Sneferu builds 3 pyramids at Dashur in his relatively short reign, indicating very robust economy
- All a bit shit but a lot bigger/better than what came afterwards
28
Q
Byblos
A
- Key trading node on the coast on the Levant - particularly important for Egypt as their trading route into the Levant
- Also Lebanon very good source of pine and cedar wood - problem in Egypt and Mesopotamia is that their wood, mostly palm trees, is very shit and difficult to build with
29
Q
Story of Sinuhe
A
Story of Sinuhe, one of the classics of Egyptian literature, lots of copies of it including school boy copies
-Sinuhe, the hero, hears of Amenemhat I’s death, runs away from Egypt and to Syria-Palestine to have adventures
30
Q
Senwosret III
A
- Reforms which centralise power and remove power from the provinces seem to be carried out by Senwosret III
- Also has a lot to do with borders between Egypt and South Nubia
- In the 12th dyn, border of Egypt regressed to 2nd cataract and fortification carried out around that border
- Senwosret expands this to large fortress complex running for miles along the river
- Buhen fortresses at Semna/Kumm narrows - two fortresses on either side of the river - military frontier to prevent raiders passing from Nubia to Egypt, and to enforce a trading monopoly for the state
- Nubians could only come past the cataract to trade at an official trading post
31
Q
Sobekneferu
A
- First female pharoah
- Reigns for 4 years at the end of the 4th dynasty
- Daughter of Amenemhat II? No male heirs?
- Bit of a mess after her - no one line, self made commoner kings with short reigns
32
Q
Hyksos
A
- Palestinian invaders of the 15th/16th/17th dynasty of the North East Delta who then expand downwards (second Intermediate Period)
- Established themselves at Tell el-Daba
- Collaborated with Kerma to push South while Kerma pushed North to restrict the native rulers to the area around Thebes/ into the desert
33
Q
Babylon I
A
- King Hammurabi (of law code fame)
- 18th c BC
34
Q
Santorini
A
- Eruption of Thera
- Difference in pumice findings and carbon 14 dates
- Appears to happen around the end of the Middle Bronze Age, around the 16th c
- Contemporary to disasters such as fall of jericho, babylon, and hyksos and kerma invasions
