Module 3 (11.2): Africa Flashcards
when was the predynastic period in Egypt?
3500 - 3000 BCE
when was the early dynastic period or the Old Kingdom in egypt?
3000 - 2150 BCE
what was the first state in Africa? why is it special?
the Nile River Valley, it was supported by the fertile farmland around the Nile River, when everything beyond that was desert
what was significant about the predynastic period?
(3500 - 3000 BCE)
- independent agricultural villages
- ruled by elites with religious/secular powers
- influence by southwest Asia
what period was Hierakonpolis from? what is significant about this city?
-> predynastic (3500 - 3000 BCE)
-> capital of upper Egypt
-> residencies, workshops, religious administrative centers
what were the two main productions of Hierakonpolis?
pottery and beer (beer was a staple of daily life, nutritious)
where was tomb 100 found? what is it?
Hierakonpolis
-> it is the oldest known tomb with painted murals (depicts hunting, rituals, boats, herding, etc.)
what is the Narmer Palate?
-> believed to be a gift from King Narmer to the Horus temple after he unified upper and lower Egypt.
-> it is one of histories first historical documents , containing hieroglyphs of Narmer’s name
what was significant about the dynastic period / the old kingdom?
(3000 - 2150 BCE)
-> unification of upper and lower Egypt
-> writing systems
-> centralized administration
-> pharaohs
who was Pharaoh Djoser? why was he important?
-> 1st king of the old kingdom
-> oldest known life-sized Egyptian statue
why are Pharaoh’s known as god-kings?
believed to mediate between the gods and the people, ensure the Nile floods, seasons change, and ensures protection for the people
what is Saqqara? why is it significant?
-> the first pyramid in Egypt
-> built for Djoser as his final resting place
-> was a necropolis
what is a necropolis?
-> a large cemetery belonging to an ancient city
what are the names of the three great pyramids? why were they built?
Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure
-> built as resting places for the Pharaohs
what are the three seasons in the Nile River Valley?
akhet: flooding
peret: growth
shemu: harvest
what were the two animals Egyptians often kept as pets?
cheetahs and hyenas
main crops / animals in the nile river valley?
-> barley, wheat, flax
-> pigs, sheep, cattle
why were cattle so important in the Nile River Valley?
> cattle counts were done to determine the taxation amounts for states
