Exam #1 Flashcards
What did Howard Carter do?
discovered the first steps of King Tut’s tomb
Where is Howard Carter from?
British archaeologist
How long did it take Howard Carter and his crew to complete the excavation of King Tut’s tomb?
10 years
What is monotheism? To what is it opposed to?
belief in a single God, or a religion affirming that belief, as opposed to polytheism (belief in many deities)
What did Zoroastrianism become to a certain state?
the de-facto state religion of Persia (Iran)
How does Zoroastrianism view the world?
as being divided between the spirits of good and evil (dualistic)
Zoroastrians worship a supreme deity which is the spirit of good. What is the name of this deity?
Ahura Mazda
The supreme deity of Zoroastrianism is forever in conflict with the spirit of evil. What is this spirit’s name?
Ahriman
Why was it hard for scholars to fix dates prior to the birth of Christ?
there was no uniform reference point
Because it was hard for scholars to fix dates prior to the birth of Christ, how did they accomplish dating instead?
using a system called Regnal Dating
What is the system of Regnal Dating based off?
based off the reign of kings
What does “Mesopotamia” literally mean?
land between the rivers
Between which two rivers was Mesopotamia located?
Tigris and Euphrates
Where in modern-day context is Mesopotamia located?
Iran & Syria
In the broad sense, what does “Mesopotamia” encompass?
the entire region around the rivers
What areas does the Fertile Crescent include?
Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Palestine
In modern-day context, what areas does the Fertile Crescent include?
Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel
What areas does Babylonia refer to?
the area of Akkad, the city of Babylon, the area of Sumer
What areas does Near East refer to?
Mesopotamia, Palestine, Egypt
What areas does Far East refer to?
India, China
Whom are the Semites descendants of?
Shem, the first son of Noah
Semites refer to a member of any group of people of what region?
Southwest Asia
Whom are the Semites now chiefly represented by?
Jews, Arabs
What is another name by which Mesopotamia was called?
The Cradle of Civilization
Which civilization (not nomadic, more than tiny villages) is generally regarded as the first one?
Sumer
What is the definition of a civilization?
a culture that has attained a high degree of complexity, characterized by urban life
What are four factors/aspects of a civilization?
- cities and organized government
- specialization of labor
- monumental architecture and religious structures
- writing system and advanced technology
What is a dark side which these first civilizations have?
epidemic disease thrived in urban centers
What fascinated the people who created the first civilizations?
warfare
How did the first civilizations show their fascination for warfare?
warrior-kings boasted of conquests, military heroes held in high esteem
What was a home in early Mesopotamian life like?
a swampy flood plain, that allowed for productive fruit and grain agriculture
What was a home in early Mesopotamian life subject to?
irregular flooding
What did irrigation create in early Mesopotamian life?
careers beyond farming; thus trade and manufacturing
What is Mesopotamia marked by? Why? Why why?
a succession of conquests; the Tigris/Euphrates area was open to invasion and saw constant warfare: each city wanted to enlarge its land and guarantee access to water and irrigation
Describe the city-state in early Mesopotamian life.
urban region and agricultural land under city control (Ur a leader)
How many cities roughly dotted the region of the city-state?
12
About how many people lived in the city-state?
30K
Describe the imperial state in early Mesopotamian life.
more extensive, politically centralize, poly-ethnic
What was the imperial state supported by?
a formal military organization (Akkadians)
What was the writing system of early Mesopotamian life called?
Cuneiform
What did cuneiform consist of?
wedge marks on clay
About how many “characters” did cuneiform create?
300
Cuneiform was complex and usually practiced by what group of people?
specially trained scribes
Slavery was widespread in early Mesopotamian life. What was the percentage of enslaved?
40-50%
What two reasons account for the widespread slavery in early Mesopotamian life?
- people were taken captive during conquests
2. slavery served as a means to pay off debt
What was religion like in early Mesopotamian life? Afterlife?
polytheistic; concerned with life “now”; afterlife was uncertain and gloomy
What are three characteristics of religion in early Mesopotamian life?
- saw gods and demons everywhere
- hoped that appeasing gods would bring security and prosperity to their cities
- temple/priests were vital; ziggurats
What are ziggurats?
stepped pyramids with temples at their summit
What is a notable city on the Euphrates? To what was its name given to? Who founded it?
Akkad; an ancient northern Semitic kingdom traditionally founded by Sargon I (Sargon the Great)
What did Sargon I build?
the world’s first substantial empire
From where to where did Sargon I’s empire stretched?
from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean
What city was prominent under Hammurabi’s rule? Why?
Babylon; made it the capital of Babylonia (area)
Where does Babylon lay?
on the Euphrates, about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad
For what is Hammurabi best known for?
his law code
What are two characteristics of Hammurabi’s law code?
- one of the most complete to survive from the ancient world
- class distinctions: penalties varied with status
How did the Nile rise and fall?
with precision
What is black silt?
surrounding soil was renewed by black silt left behind (a layer of fertile earth), when the Nile rises and falls
What did the Egyptians build at the Nile? What was its purpose?
an elaborate network of canals (some for irrigation; others for transportation)
What mentioned thing was a reliable resource which the Nile provided?
transportation (going south: wind; going north: current, which flows into Mediterranean Sea)
Egyptians had one of the most __________ civilizations in history.
long-lasting
How many years did the civilization of Egypt last? How many ruling dynasties?
about 3000 years; 30
Egypt was possibly the first “national” government. How did they function?
more like a unit than a city-state
What is Egypt’s location surrounded by? What did this provide?
deserts (Arabian, Libyan, Sahara) and water; protection
What was the Pharaoh believed to be?
both man and god
Who was the Pharaoh?
absolute ruler of the land, a benevolent protector
What was a pyramid?
a burial chamber for the pharaohs
About how many pyramids survive?
80
What was originally the tallest made-made building until the Eiffel Tower?
Great Pyramid at Giza
How many people worked on the Great Pyramid at Giza for how many days a year?
about 84K people working 80 days a year
How long did it take for the Great Pyramid at Giza to be built?
about 20 years
How tall was the Great Pyramid at Giza?
480 feet tall
What was a mummy?
a human being (or animal) embalmed or treated for burial
Why did the Egyptians mummify people?
they wanted to live forever; to achieve this, they believed the person’s body had to be preserved
Who was mummified?
at first Pharaohs, then anyone who could afford it, also animals: cats, etc.
What are Egyptian picture-writing called? In detail what are they?
Hieroglyphs; symbols could have various meaning (could be a word or a sound)
How many hieroglyphs did the alphabet contain?
24
What calendar did the Egyptians devise? How did they do on calculations?
the first solar calendar; calculated a leap year, observed that the average period between floods was 365 days (used stars also)
What are two characteristics of the Old Kingdom Period of Egyptian History?
- age of pyramids reaches zenith at Giza
2. economy and culture flourished
How did the Old Kingdom Period end?
the enormous expenditure on pyramids led to its decline; financially destroyed by over-building (and upkeep); crop failure and increased taxes
In what period did the central authority of Egypt weaken?
2nd Intermediate Period
During the 2nd Intermediate Period, who ruled the north and who ruled the south?
Hyksos - north
Thebans - south
Who were the Hyksos? How could they have started?
name literally means in Egyptian “rulers of foreign lands”; invaders from Syria (or Palestine); they could have started as an economic force and thus “conquered”
Hyksos power lasted until what happened?
overthrown in national uprising
What started the New Kingdom Period?
Hyksos driven out and Egypt reunited
What is the New Kingdom Period known to be?
the greatest period of Egypt’s history; an “age of empire” as warrior kings conquered parts of Syria, Palestine
Who was the 1st female Pharaoh?
Hatshepsut
Whom did Hatshepsut marry and rule alongside with?
her half-brother Thutmose II
What happened after Thutmose II’s death?
Thutmose III assumed the throne but was a child; Hatshepsut replaced him as effective ruler and reigned till her death.
Who was the Pharaoh during the 1446 Exodus of the Hebrews?
Amenhotep II
Who attempted a type of monotheistic reform in Egpyt?
Akhenaton aka Amenhotep IV
What kind of religion did Akhenaton try to implement?
worship of the sun god Aton; essentially henotheism: the worship of one god without denying the existence of others
Whom did Akhenaton marry?
Nefertiti
Who succeeded Akhenaton?
“son” Tutankhamun (by “secondary wife”)
For most of King Tut’s reign, where did his power lay?
with a general and elderly official
King Tut would just be a footnote to history, but what happened?
his tomb escaped looting and was found largely intact; world tours followed
