The Americas, Europe, and Africa before 1492 Flashcards
Beringia
ancient land bridge linking Asia and North America
Black Death
two strains of the bubonic plague that simultaneously swept western Europe in the
fourteenth century, causing the death of nearly half the population
Chattel Slavery
a system of servitude in which people are treated as personal property to be bought and sold
chasquis
Incan relay runners used to send messages over great distances
mita
the Incan labor tax, with each family donating time and work to communal project
quipu
an ancient Incan device for recording information, consisting of variously colored threads knotted in different ways
Reconquista
Spain’s nearly eight-hundred-year holy war against Islam, which ended in 1492
How did Maize stem growth in the pre-colonial American
Maize –> Economic Developemnt–> Settlement–>Irrigatin–> Social Diversification
What kind of lifestyle emerged in the Great Basins and why?
The Aridity of the region caused the emergence of “nomadic” tribes
What similarities did communities in the Northeast, the Mississippi River Valley, and along the Atlantic seaboard, share
some societies developed mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer economies that favored the development of permanent villages.
How were societies in the Northwest and present-day California structured
supported themselves by hunting and gathering, and in some areas developed settled communities supported by the vast resources of the ocean.
Describe the major facets of the Olmec cultures
- Calendar (eclipses/ solstices)
- Math
- Writing
- Stone heads/pyramids
- Irrigation
- trade
Describe the major facets of the Mayan culture
- Perfected Calendar
- Perfected Maths (crop and population control)
- Perfected written language
- Apartment Complex
- Teotihuacan 2,500 ppl
- Human Sacrifice
- Irrigation
- Special trades/skilled workers
Describe the major facets of the Aztec (Mexica) culture
- Tenochitatian (floating city 200,000 pl)
- Chinampas (floating gardens of reeds and soil)
- Warrior Nobles (ruling class)
- Steam baths/running water
- well-organized society
- Human Sacrifice
Describe the major facets of the Incan culture
- Largest/most advanced empire
- 2,500 miles
- Well maintained road system (rivaled romes)
- Adminstration ( chasquis) runners to relay info
- Stepped roads to allow movement along steep slopes o Andes
- Monarchal ruling class
- Welfare system (taxable food crops for surplus)
- Working Peseant class
- Quiou ( system of communication using ropes and strings)