Semester 1 final Flashcards
a prehistoric period that lasted from about 2,500,000 to 8000 b.c., during which people made use of crude stone tools and weapons—also called the Old Stone Age.
paleolithic
a prehistoric period that began about 8000 b.c. and in some areas ended as early as 3000 b.c., during which people learned to polish stone tools, make pottery, grow crops, and raise animals—also called the New Stone Age.
Neolithic
a member of a biological group including human beings and related species that walk upright
hominid
is a common name that has been used to describe the first early modern humans that lived in the European Upper Paleolithic
Cro Magnon
an extinct species of human that was widely distributed in ice-age Europe between c. 120,000–35,000 years ago, with a receding forehead and prominent brow ridges.
Neanderthal
a form of culture characterized by cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and advanced technology
civilization
the development of skills in a particular kind of work, such as trading or record keeping.
Specialization
a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand.
artisan
a human-made object, such as a tool, weapon, or piece of jewelry
artifact
a people’s unique way of life, as shown by its tools, customs, arts, and ideas
culture
. the ways in which people apply knowledge, tools, and inventions to meet their needs.
Technology
the biological species to which modern human beings belong
Homo sapiens
a member of a group that has no permanent home, wandering from place to place in search of food and water
nomad
a member of a nomadic group whose food supply depends on hunting animals and collecting plant foods.
Hunter-gatherer
the major change in human life caused by the beginnings of farming—that is, by people’s shift from food gathering to food producing.
Neolithic Revolution
a farming method in which people clear fields by cutting and burning trees and grasses, the ashes of which serve to fertilize the soil
slash-and-burn farming
the taming of animals for human use.
domestication
a long-lasting pattern of organization in a Community.
institution
one of the professional record keepers in early Civilizations.
scribe
a system of writing with wedge-shaped symbols, invented by the Sumerians around 3000 b.c.
cuneiform
a period in human history, beginning around 3000 b.c. in some areas, during which people began using bronze, rather than copper or stone, to fashion tools and weapons.
Bronze Age
a form of trade in which people exchange goods and services without the use of money.
barter
a tiered, pyramid shaped structure that formed part of a Sumerian temple.
ziggurat
prehistoric archeological site located in Southern Kurdistan n the foothills. … Excavations revealed that Jarmo was an agricultural community dating back to 7090 BCE
jarmo
An archaeological site in south-central Turkey southeast of Konya. It contains well-preserved ruins of a large Neolithic settlement
catal
s an archaeological site in what is now south-central Turkey. Along with Jericho, it’s considered one of the oldest cities in the world, dating from almost 7500 BC
huyuk
was the southernmost region of ancient Mesopotamia which is generally considered the cradle of civilization
sumer
an arc of rich farmland in Southwest Asia, between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea
Fertile Crescent
An ancient region of SW Asia in present-day Iraq, lying between the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Its alluvial plains were the site of the civilizations of Akkad, Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria
mesopotamia
a city and its surrounding lands functioning as an independent political unit
City-state
a series of rulers from a single Family
dynasty
the spreading of ideas or products from one culture to another
cultural diffusion
a belief in many Gods
polytheism
a political unit in which a number of peoples or countries are controlled by a single ruler.
empire
a marshy region formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of a river
delta
a king of Egypt identified by modern scholars as the Menes of tradition and depicted as the unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt on an ancient slate tablet (Narmer Palette or Palette of Narmer) c3200 b.c. with relief carvings on both sides
Narmer
a king of ancient Egypt, considered a god as well as a political and military leader.
pharaoh
a government in which the ruler is viewed as a divine figure. (p. 37) 2. a govern- ment controlled by religious leaders
theocracy
a massive structure with a rectangular base and four triangular sides, like those that were built in Egypt as burial places for Old Kingdom Pharaohs.
pyramid
an ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds
hieroglyphic
a tall reed that grows in the Nile delta, used by the ancient Egyptians to make a paperlike material for writing on
papyrus
a large landmass that forms a distinct part of a continent
subcontinent
another name for the Indus Valley civilization that arose along the Indus River, possibly as early as 7000 b.c.; characterized by sophisticated city planning
Harappan civilization
a fertile deposit of windblown soil
loess
in Chinese history, the divine approval thought to be the basis of royal authority.
Mandate of Heaven
the historical pattern of the rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties.
dynastic cycle
a political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land
feudalism
a well-preserved Babylonian law code of ancient Mesopotamia, dating back to about 1754 BC (Middle Chronology). It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world
Code of Hammurabi
an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia that is often regarded as the earliest surviving great work of literature. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian poems about ‘Bilgamesh’ (Sumerian for ‘Gilgamesh’), king of Uruk, dating from the Third Dynasty of Ur (circa 2100 BC).
Epic of Gilgamesh
denoting or relating to the wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia, Persia, and Ugarit, surviving mainly impressed on clay tablets
cuneiform
a rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surmounted by a temple. Ziggurats are first attested in the late 3rd millennium BC and probably inspired the biblical story of the Tower of Babel
ziggurat
the first ruler of the Semitic-speaking Akkadian Empire, known for his conquests of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC
sargon
a contemptuous or dismissive term for aspects of a society seen as degenerate or oppressive, especially the police
babylon
originating in central Africa and flowing north to the Mediterranean Sea, with its delta in Egypt. The Nile proper is formed by the joining of the Blue Nile, which flows from Ethiopia, and the White Nile, which flows from Lake Victoria. They meet at Khartoum, Sudan
Nile River
the strip of land on both sides of the Nile that extends between Nubia and downriver (northwards) to Lower Egypt
upper egypt
the northernmost region of Egypt: the fertile Nile Delta, between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea — from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur
lower egypt
a process in which the skin and flesh of a corpse can be preserved. The process can occur either naturally, or it can be intentional. If it occurs naturally, it is the result of cold (as can be found in a glacier), acid (as can be found in a bog) or dryness
mummification
Foremost of Noble Ladies; 1507–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the second historically confirmed female pharaoh, the first being Sobekneferu
hatshepsut
a pharaoh of Egypt of the 18th Dynasty. He is also known as Akhenaton' or Ikhnaton’ and also Khuenaten', all of which are translated to mean successful for’ or `of great use to’ the god Aten
akhenaten
the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. During the first twenty-two years of Thutmose’s reign he was co-regent with his stepmother and aunt, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharao
Tuthmosis III
the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty and is considered to be the last New Kingdom king to wield any substantial authority over Egypt
Ramesses III
the name given to the period in the third millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization – the first of three so-called “Kingdom” periods (followed by the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom) which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley
Old Kingdom
the Chinese Empire was known as historically by the Chinese, and the period of Egyptian history 2000-1785 B. C. An example of the Middle Kingdom were the 18 provinces of China
Middle Kingdom
referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt
new kingdom
a confederacy of naval raiders who harried the coastal towns and cities of the Mediterranean region between c. 1276-1178 BCE, concentrating their efforts especially on Egypt
Sea Peoples
a people of mixed Semitic and Asian descent who invaded Egypt and settled in the Nile delta c. 1640 BC. They formed the 15th and 16th dynasties of Egypt and ruled a large part of the country until driven out c. 1532 BC
Hyksos
the Egyptian god of the underworld and husband and brother of Isis
osiris
a valley on the west bank of the Nile near the site of Thebes: the necropolis of many of the kings and queens of the 18th and 19th dynasties of ancient Egypt, c1350–c1200 b.c
Valley of Kings
a member of a Semitic people inhabiting ancient Phoenicia and its colonies. The Phoenicians prospered from trade and manufacturing until the capital, Tyre, was sacked by Alexander the Great in 332 BC
phoenicians
an Indo-European people who settled in Anatolia around 2000 b.c.
Hittites
a group of seminomadic peoples who, about 1700 b.c., began to migrate from what is now southern Russia to the Indian subcontinent, Europe, and Southwest Asia
Indo European
relating to or denoting a family of languages that includes Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic and certain ancient languages such as Phoenician and Akkadian, constituting the main subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic family
Semitic
a member of an ancient people living in what is now Israel and Palestine and, according to biblical tradition, descended from the patriarch Jacob, grandson of Abraham. After the Exodus ( c. 1300 BC) they established the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and their scriptures and traditions form the basis of the Jewish religion
Hebrews
the first of the great Biblical patriarchs, father of Isaac, and traditional founder of the ancient Hebrew nation: considered by Muslims an ancestor of the Arab peoples through his son Ishmael
abraham
he great leader, lawgiver, and prophet of the ancient Israelites (Hebrews). According to the Old Testament, Moses was born in Egypt, where the Hebrews were living as slaves. When Moses was an infant, the Egyptian ruler, or pharaoh, ordered all the male children of the Hebrews slain
Moses
the doctrine or belief that there is only one God
Monotheism
defined as a man’s name that often refers to the second king of Israel and Judah in the Bible
David
In the Old Testament, a Hebrew king, son and successor of David. The “wisdom of _____” is proverbial. ___ is also known for his many wives, for his splendor and wealth, and for building the Temple at Jerusalem
Solomon
A holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; the capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah and of the modern state of Israel. The name means “city of peace.”
jerusalem
he law of God as revealed to Moses and recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures
torah
Also called Holy Land. Biblical name Canaan. an ancient country in SW Asia, on the E coast of the Mediterranean
Palestine
he part of ancient Palestine between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea —sometimes used to refer to all of ancient Palestine
Canaan
n agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people. The Jewish faith is based on the biblical covenants made with Abraham, Moses, and David
covenant
a country between Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. An example of Israel is where Tel Aviv is located. Israel are the Hebrew people descended from Jacob of the Bible
Israel
payment made periodically by one state or ruler to another, especially as a sign of dependence
tribute
a contemptuous or dismissive term for aspects of a society seen as degenerate or oppressive, especially the police
babylon
an inhabitant of ancient Assyria
assyrians
