Flashcards
When did the first cities start to appear and where?
Around 5000 BCE in on the banks of rivers in Europe, Asia, and the Americas
What two environmental changes took place around 5000 BCE that caused the development of the first cities in World History?
1.) The world’s major rivers started to have more predictable flooding
2.) The melting of the polar glaciers slowed, allowing sea levels to become more stable
What are three reasons why humans began, after 5000 BCE, to migrate to river valley environments in larger numbers than before?
1.) Soil quality increased
2.) The amount of wild plants & animals increased
3.) Flooding of these areas became less wild and more predictable
What did this migration cause the villages and towns in river valleys to turn into?
Cities
What is a synonym for a city?
Civilization
Why did people in these cities start farming for their food, rather than hunt and gather for it?
With so many people now living in these river valleys, there was no longer enough wild resources available for everyone to feed themselves off of
What new invention made the work of farming much easier?
The plow
If you were living outside of a city, did you have to farm for all of your food?
No - only people in cities had to resort to farming for most of their food.
People in towns and villages still could hunt and gather for most of their food, while keeping farming as something they did on the side.
Because of the invention of the plow and the upper-body strength required to use it effectively, ____ began to specialize in farming tasks and _____ began to specialize in household tasks.
Because of the invention of the plow and the upper-body strength required to use it effectively, men began to specialize in farming tasks and women began to specialize in household tasks.
The cities of Nekhan, Thebes, and Memphis were all cities located along in the Nile River in …
Egypt
The cities of Jerusalem, Megiddo, and Ebla were all cities located along in the Jordan River in …
The Levant
The cities of Uruk, Susa, and Mari were all cities located along in the Tigris & Euphrates River in …
Mesopotamia
The cities of Dholavira, Mohenjo Daro, and Harappa were all cities located along in the Indus River in …
Northwest India
The cities of Louyang, Xi’an, Anyang, and Taosi were all cities located along in the Yellow & Yangzi River in …
China
Almost all of the first cities in World History were centered around religious buildings called …
Temples
What main things was housed inside of ancient temples?
The statue of a god/goddess from that group of people’s pantheon
What three human needs did ancient people believe their gods’ statues had?
Needed …
1.) Food
2.) Beverages
3.) Clothing
What are five kinds of rituals that ancient people did for their statues?
1.) Slaughtering/sacrificing animals
2.) Gifting them objects made from precious metals and stones
3.) Burning incense made from tree saps
4.) Performed songs, dances, and acrobatics for them
5.) Carrying their statue through the streets on “festival days”
What two kinds of things did temples own in order to acquire food and precious rocks/metals for their gods?
Farmlands & Mines
What did temples own in order to store all of the resources they acquired for their gods?
Storehouses
What four things did temples own to cook, bake, and brew beverages for their gods?
Bakeries, Kitchens, Wineries, & Breweries
What did temples own to create clothing and gifts for their gods?
Workshops
What are three theories on how temples acquired the workers needed to do all of the work needed to worship/care for their gods’ statues?
1.) Temples had permanent full-time workers
2.) Temples would call people from their cities in for “temple duty” for periods of time
3.) Temples employed people in their city who had no where else to go (the homeless, orphans, widows, etc.)
If you did a day of work at the temple, what were you typically paid?
2 bushels of barley
Because temples had so many workers, priests often had workers help them with running the operation of the temple, pay people, collect resources, and oversee/manage/direct the other workers, . What were these “helpers” called?
Bureaucrats
Some temple workers invented written language to help them keep track of how much was being produced each day and how much workers were owed. What were these workers called?
Scribes
Why did temples also employ merchants?
To travel to distant locations to acquire resources for their gods that were not locally available.
What invention helped merchants travel to distant lands quicker?
The wheel
What two metals, when combined together, make bronze?
Copper and tin
When did the Bronze Age begin?
3500 BCE
At the start of the Bronze Age, many cities begin to be taken control of by _____.
Kings
A civilization that has been taken over by a king is called that king’s ______ and the people who live in them are called that king’s _____.
A civilization that has been taken over by a king is called that king’s KINGDOM and the people who live in them are called that king’s SUBJECTS.
What is the first privilege that comes from being a king?
Kings could require their subjects to pay taxes and/or do work for them.
What did ancient kings do with the taxes people paid to them?
Used it to enrich themselves, their families, and their friends.
The rise of kings created an upper-class of people called the ____ who were wealthier than everyone else.
elite
What are four things you could do if you didn’t have enough resources to pay your taxes?
1.) Sell your things or sell yourself/your family
2.) Get a loan from a merchant
3.) Flee your home and became a permanent worker in the temple
4.) Flee the city and move to another city (or become a herder)
What did merchants add onto their loans that allowed them to become wealthy and part of the city’s elite?
Interest
What did kings often construct to prevent their people from fleeing the city?
Wall
What is the second privilege that comes from being king?
Make decisions, laws, and rules that your subjects have to follow
If all of the people of a community are involved in making decisions then your community is a ___________.
If only one person in your community is involved in making decisions then your community is a ___________.
If all of the people of a community are involved in making decisions then your community is a DEMOCRACY.
If only one person in your community is involved in making decisions then your community is a MONARCHY.
When kings died, their powers/title were almost always transferred to someone in their family. When you have a series of rulers from the same family, that is called a ______.
Dynasty
One way you can establish yourself as king is through the use of __________. But it often doesn’t work for long because doing so can usually lead to _____.
One way you can establish yourself as king is through the use of VIOLENCE/THREATS. But it often doesn’t work for long because doing so can usually lead to REVOLTS/REBELLIONS.
