Test 1 Flashcards
The unbinding of Isaac
Biblical story in which God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his son.
Civilization
First began in the regions between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. One of the first cities was Catalhoyuk
Homo sapiens
Our species. Evolved about 50,000 years ago in 200k BCE
Out of Africa Theory.
The theory that homo sapiens fully evolved in Africa before branching out to other regions.
Pleistocene overkill
Occured at the start of the Neolithic Revolution. The killing off of large ice age animals.
Lascaux cave painting.
Artist between 10,000 and 15,000 BCE painted species hunted by the people of the Ice Age in the caves of Lascaux, France. They were discovered in 1940. these paintings reveal that there were human communities that hunted wild game in what was then harash conditions of the Mediterrenean Basin.
Paleolithic/Neolithic
“Old Stone” and “New Stone”. There divide is placed near 11,000BCE. The sudden turn reflects developments that were brought about by changes in the climate. These developements began food production, settlements, trade, accultative wealth, and stability.
1st Agricultural Revolution
Occured between 9,000 and 5,000 BCE. Cereal grains were farmed and animals were domesticated
Hydraulic Society
Term coined by Karl Wittfogel. Refers to societies that rely fully on their access and control of water such as rivers and streams.
Mythopoeic tradition.
Exaggrated stories of human past. Includes tales such as The unbinding of Isaac, The flood in Genesis, and The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Epic of Gilgamesh.
The first literary monument in world History. The tale accounts the exploits of a Lugal. It is based sometime around 2700BCE. Later known as “The one who looked into the depths”. This tale reveals the core values of the Sumerian society.
Rosetta Stone
Carved in 196BCE. One decree in 3 languaghes; Hieroglyphs, demotic Egyptian, and Classical Greek.
Cuneiform writing
Created by Sumerian scribes in 3100BCE written by using a cuneus(wedge) to quickly impress symbols into clay. Replaced pictograms. Symbols were invented for every possible phonetic combination in the Sumerian language. Reduced symbols from 1200 to 600. made reading and writing specialized. Led to the use of alphabets.
Indo-European sky gods
()
Sargon the Akkadian
“Great King”. Initiated a systematic program of conquest designed to subject all neighboring regions to his authority. Conquered Sumer by 2350BCE. Installed Akkadian speaking governors to rule cities of Sumer to destroy fortifictions, collect taxes and to impose his will. Created the world’s first empire. He impacted the political, economical, and religious roles of that time.
