Quiz 1 Flashcards
Urbanization
Growth of cities, beginning (in Mesopotamia) around 4000 BC with the Sumerians. Began the rise of what we now call civilization.
Neolithic
An East Asian civ. in the middle region of the Yellow River Valley. Approx. 5000-3000 BC, before the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. Ruins of the Banpo Village tell us about this civ., and because of this we know that civilization itself begins to rise ca. 3000.
Sumer
Dominant people in Mesopotamia until Semitic peoples from the north came in about 2300 BC. Had city-states and, by 5000 BC, complex irrigation systems that show them to be relatively well-advanced.
Ziggurat
Stepped pyramids built by the Sumerians (and other peoples). Built and used as temples to the gods (in contrast to the pyramid tombs of Egypt), showing how much time, money, and effort these societies put into their religious practices.
Mesopotamia
Region near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Very fertile (called the “Fertile Crescent”) and thus a high-traffic area. Often invaded and at war due to the value of the land, and thus home to many unstable societies.
Cuneiform
Wedge-shaped way of writing (not a language) used by accountants to keep debt records until they were settled. First written items were written in cuneiform, and therefore these texts are our main sources of knowledge about these ancient civilizations.
Hammurabi
Babylonian king (1792-1750 BC) who improved legislation and used local governors to maintain control. Wrote a law code so that crimes could be dealt with on the spot rather than going through him each time. Variations of this law code were used by others, changing the established method of law-giving.
Henotheism
Having one god ahead of all others. Unlike monotheism, which is having only one god. Hebrews were henotheistic, worshipping their God first but also other gods from societies around them, until they became monotheistic.
Indus
The Indus River, located in the Indus Valley, is the source of the name “India.” It was also the site of many early south Asian societies, such as Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. The frequently-flooding river most likely shaped their way of life to some extent.
Harappa
Early south Asian society ca. 2000 BC. Placed much emphasis on fertility. Disappeared, leaving unburied dead and no explanation. The society had great influence on later Indian culture in the areas of religion and technology.
Rig Veda
Rig Veda is a collection of Indian hymns giving the origins of the world. Written in the Aryan society ca. 1700 BC. Gives us insight into the culture at the time.
Upanishads
Written ca. 500-200 BC. Texts that represent blending of Aryan and Dravidian traditions. Shows us that the society valued truth and religious knowledge, and also that the caste system was part of their religion and there fore permanent in their eyes.
Afterlife vs. Reincarnation
Afterlife, such as thought of by the Egyptians, deals with the life after this one and assumes that you, or your soul, move on after you die. Reincarnation, such as the Hindu idea, is when you are born again after your death. This is a cycle that continues until you are the best you can possibly be, and then you die and no longer exist. Both ideas shed light on the societies that believe them, and on what they value.
Ikhnaton
Egyptian pharaoh (also called Akhenaten) who imposed monotheism on Egypt. He held that he was the son of Aten, the god he worshipped, and therefore had the sole right to rule. Though his plan worked for a while, it was covered up after his murder and not rediscovered until the 20th century.
Cosmic Man
The Cosmic Man (in the Rig Veda text) was a man that the gods bound and cut up to create the world. Certain parts of him became different classes of people, and this shows that the caste system was embedded in the society’s beliefs.