Lecture 4, Agriculture: Between Life and Death Flashcards
1
Q
Agro-pastoralism:
A
- Global temperatures began to rise after 9600 BCE.
- The changes in the environment changed the way humans lived.
- Humans were able to plant crops, cultivate fields, and store the surplus, instead of gathering/hunting food and moving from one area to another.
- The advancement in agriculture contributed to the transition of human communities from a pastoral nomadic lifestyle in small groups to a settled lifestyle in large communities.
- Societies that had agriculture were considered civilized, and those who didn’t were considered barbarians.
- Increasing hierarchy of authority in the social world
- Change labour relationship between the genders in particular for women who had to weave, cook, grind grain, make pots, make baskets, sew clothing, take care of children
2
Q
whats Agriculture?
A
- combination of food farming with animal herding to the demands of humans
- The main animals that were herd were sheep, pigs, and cattle.
Grain was used to produce beer, bread, and porridge.
3
Q
Agro-pastoralism revolution?
A
- Beer dams, which were used to irrigate water away from the crops.
- Construction of walls and fences.
- Transforming landscape through irrigation, the construction of walls and fences
- The construction of granaries as a new architectural form
- Pottery as a new artistic form milk and water
The ability to produce food as a symbol of civilization
4
Q
what were beer dams used?
A
they were used to irrigate water away from the crops.
5
Q
changes in labor duties?
A
- Change in labor relationships between genders.
- The duties of women in settled communities included:
o Weaving
o Cooking
o Grinding grain
o Make pots
o Make baskets
o Sew clothing
o Take care of children
Women started to harvest, while men continued to hunt along harvesting.
6
Q
what was the use of pottery?
A
- Pottery was used as a new artistic form.
- Pottery was also used as vessels for milk and water.
7
Q
what is a sickle?
A
Sickle is a tool for harvesting crops that dates back to 4,000 BCE
8
Q
Grain as a deity?
A
It had a spiritual property
- Grain produced bread, beer, etc
- We call this agriculture, but we must remember that agriculture succeeded largely because the activity of growing grain made the farmer a tender or the goddess
9
Q
Grain Management
A
- This called for the need of a management system, where someone would need to be in charge of dividing the grains appropriately.
- This introduced the concept of social hierarchy, which created a societal shift within these communities
10
Q
Irrigation
A
Weir dam
11
Q
Fertile Crescent
A
- an arch-shaped area that stretches from the foothills of zagros mountains across the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, along the borderlands between present day northern Iraq and Syria and southeastern Turkey.
- early civilization started there
- it was a volcanic area; and there was obsidian
- and the use of obsidian was contributed to the agriculture revolution
12
Q
Obsidian
A
- is a black material made from lava; therefor it was found in volcanic areas.
- it was very sharpe
- it was used for making knives and medical equipments
13
Q
Çatal Hüyük
A
- catal huyuk is a village in the fertile crescent.
- it was in a hillside and there was a river near by.
- they used to trade with obsidian
- the river was a source of transport and trade
- the houses were clustered and stuck together, the house entrance was from the roof; possibaly for protection, there was no streets.
- there houses was made of mud brick
- their houses was a very sacred space; they would sometimes bury there ancestors in the house.
- they had storage units in the house, for food and pottery.
14
Q
Wall painting (specifically at Çatal Hüyük):
A
- back then the people were associated with bull cults, and a lot of the wall paintings were bulls.
- some of the room and courtyards had horns.
15
Q
Stone Circles
A
- stone circles was the arragemnt of stones in the megalithic tradtion.
- there would be burial sites where the stone circles were; so it was a sacred space.
- clans desgined the exterior and interior of the stone circles.
and different clans would change and add desgin to the stone circles throughout the years
16
Q
stones
A
- stones were seen more than just minerals, they were seen as living and animated things.
- stones were associated with ancestors and burial traditions
- where the stones were brought from gave it meaning.
16
Q
Stonehenge
A
- (3,000- 2,400 BCE)
- sacred space
- one of the largest religious site.
- it wass built in phases.
- it was arranged in a specfic way to align with the sun during solstices.
- in summer solstices, the sun would rize from the nourtheast part of the horizin and align with the heart of the Stonehenge.
- in winter solstices, the sun would rise from the southwest side.
17
Q
Sacred Landscape
A
is a geographical area that have a special meaning to people.
17
Q
Solstice
A
is an event that occurs when the sun appears its most southerly or nourthely peak.
18
Q
stonehenge Cursus
A
it was a long area that has trenches dug into the ground, and it was a pathway that links the river to the stonehenge
19
Q
hydria, water jar
A
- cage and wheel
- and the deity was an important person to them spirtually
- it stores water / grain
19
Q
menhir, england
A
- is a type of standing stone
- usally next to villages
- and they would be as a marker of a sacred space, where they would interact with the living spirtits
20
Q
Kermario alignment at carnac, france
A
- thousands of familys and clans contributed to this place
- it was a very sacred place, where their ancestors living spirtits lived.
- they brought the stones from different areas
21
Q
A
