Near East Flashcards
Votive Religion
Must give gifts to gods to get something back
When did city-states form?
3,000
Neolithic Period
Ag Revolution
When was the neolithic period?
8,000
Features of Uruk period
writing, wheel made pottery, villages to cities
When was the Uruk period
4000-3100
When was the Early Bronze Age?
3100-2000
Cuneiform
Wedge-shaped writing
First purposes for writing
record keeping(nouns and numbers)
When was writing developed?
3200
pictograph
picture of what something represents
What did they write on?
clay tablets
When was the Sumerian period?
3000-2300
Sumerian language used for more than just what?
lists
Urban revolution
development of city-states
Where was administration centered?
The temple
What were the social levels of Sumerian society?
King/ Priest, Priest(ess, bureaucracy, craftsman, laborer, farmer
What were the two biggest social levels of Sumerian society?
Laborers and farmers
Redistributive economy
All the goods are brought to the temple and rationed between people
What was the White Temple covered in?
White plaster
Why did ancient people build tall temples?
To get closer to the gods
Who could go on the white temple?
Kings/ priests
cult sculpture
statue of deity
anthropomorphic
human form
Inanna
queen of gods, goddess of fertility
Uruk vase
Ceremonial vase found in white temple
What was all on the Uruk vase?
Rivers, plants, animals, priests(making offerings to Inanna), Inanna(at the temple), and the king making an offering to her
“hieros gamos”
sacred marriage; festival when king has sex with goddess in the form of her high priestess
votive statues
gifts given to deities
What happened when there were to many gifts in the temple?
excess gifts were buried carefully
What were features of votive statues?
They were offering cups, had big eyes of worshippers, typical clothes
When was the royal cemetery at Ur discovered?
1920
How did they save artifacts made of wood?
Poured plaster in hollow cavities
What was tomb 800?
The chambers of the queen
What was all in tomb 800?
The queen and her servants, jewelry, etc…
How did the servants in tomb 800 die?
They willingly drank poison
What were Sumerian statues made of?
Gold and Lapis lazuli
What scenes were on the bull-headed lyre?
Man wrestling animals(mastering animals), odd creatures acting like people
When was the Akkadian empire?
2300-2100
Sargon
Akkadian king, mythologized, 1st unified empire, viewed as god
What did the Akkadians emphasize?
military
Did the Akkadians have there own writing?
No, they adopted Sumerian writing
Naram-Sin
Akkadian king; called himself king of the 4 quarters and God of Akkad
How did the Akkadian empire end?
Nomadic raids
What happened to the head of the Akkadian King(likely Sargon) statue?
It was mutilated by invading forces
Naram-Sin stele
NS defeating the Lullabi, showing him as being favored by the gods
stele
upright slab
what were bull-horns a sign of?
divinity
When was the third dynasty of Ur?
2100-2000
Ur Nammu
King of Ur, does not say he’s divine, first surviving code of law
Sumerian renaissance
Revival of Sumerian culture, building program, irrigation, economic boom, piety, peace, prosperity
How does the third dynasty of Ur end?
An ag crisis and the Elamites
Statues of King Gudea
In pious position, temple plan on his lap, covered in cuneiform writings of his good deeds
When was the babylonian empire?
2000-1595
When was Babylon established as the capital?
1894
Hammurabi
Brings order and expansion, establishes bureaucracy with taxation, Law code
Official language of Babylonia
Akkadian
What is the Sumerian language used for in Babylon?
religion
How did the Babylonian empire end
Ag troubles and Hittites and Kassites
Code of Hammurabi
Public(written on statues), given by gods
How many laws in CoH? Content?
700+, most on business, offense/punishment
When was the late Bronze Age?
1500-1200
What civilizations ruled During the LBA?
Kassites-Hittites-Assyrians
What happened at the end of the LBA?
Chaos, mass emigration(Sea peoples), Israelites move to Canaan
When did the Assyrians Rule?
1350-626
Who did the Assyrians think of themselves as successors of?
Akkadians
Assurnasirpal
Assyrian King, grew empire and military
What did the Assyrians use to fight?
chariots and horses
Sargon II
Assyrian king, founded new capital, military campaigns, unfinished palace
Assurbanipal
biggest expansion, palace at Nineveh
Who defeated the Assyrians?
Babylonians/Medes(Persians)
What writing did the Assyrians use?
cuneiform
Citadel of Sargon II
unfinished, fortified, guarded
Ziggurat of the Citadel
more steps, but less centered(religion not as important)
Rooms in courtyard of Citadel
for religious uses, officials, archives
Second fortified are in citadel for who
king
art in the citadel
stone reliefs, depict intimidating scenes, historic battles, Assyrian victory, siege warfare and machines
Lamassu
mythical creatures( wings, bull, human head), protected doorways, huge, intricate
Palace at Nineveh art
King hunting lions, easy sport(in zoos), brutal
When was the Neo-Babylonian empire?
626-539
Nebuchadnezzar II
Conquered Judah and moved Jews, reconstructed Babylon
Reconstruction of babylon
Created hanging gardens, museums, library, Ishtar gate
Ishtar Gate
Glazed brick, bright, supernatural creatures guard way into Babylon
When was the Persian Empire
550-331
Cyrus the Great
Persian King, founds one of the greatest empires of all time
Darius I
1st Persian War King, began palace at Persepolis
Palace at Persepolis
Influences from all over empire, builders and art from Greece, Egypt, etc
Persian Wars
Stopped western expansion, an embarrassment to Persians to be defeated by Greeks
How was the Persian empire organized?
Into satrapies
Who ruled a satrapy
A satrap
who frees the jews
cyrus the great
