Unit 1 -Transformations Flashcards
The oldest script in the world (from Mesopotamia)
Cuneiform
The Sumerians are most famous for (4)
Ziggurat buildings, inventing cuneiform, the first literary epic of Gilgamesh, and for inventing the wheel
Who was the first Babylonian king
Hammurabi
A series of laws established during the rule of the Babylonian king which listed certain punishments for certain crimes
- tended to favor the elite at the expense of the poor (including slaves); women Had virtually no legal rights
- First law code to be written down
Code of Hammurabi
List the three Mesopotamian civilizations (in order)
Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians
What were the Assyrians known for?
Their ferocity and archers, military might
Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians built upon the glories and culture of their predecessors. This cultural continuity in Mesopotamia led to great advances in
The arts and sciences
Ancient Egypt owes it’s wealth and prestige to what
The flowing waters of the Nile
River
Why do historians have a broad insight into ancient Egyptians religion, philosophy, and general thoughts about the world?
They left behind a lot of writings
True or false:
Egyptians believed that their Pharaohs, or rules, were incarnations of divinities
True
True or false:
There was a separation of church and state in ancient Egypt
FALSE
Ancient Egypt was the opposite of the idea of “separation or church and state”
What were the two most important centers of civilization in the Indus River valley?
Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
Why do historians know less about the Indus river valley civilizations then any other ancient civilization?
They didnt leave much of a historical record, and archaeologists still have not been able to decipher their written script
Which Chinese dynasty existed during the Bronze Age?
Shang? Check
True or false:
The rulers of ancient China were thought to have a special connection to the gods and heavens
True
True or false:
Olmecs had a written language, but no scholar as of yet has been able to decipher it
True
Similar to the Indus River valley
What ancient civilization thrived in present day Mexico?
Olmec
True or false:
The olmecs traded extensively and were skilled architects
True
What civilization emerged around 1000 BCE in the Andes of central Peru and was dependent on trade?
Chavín
What animal was very useful to the Chavíns, that made trade possible and were sheared for wool to make clothes? Without them, the Chavín would have been completely isolated.
Llamas
This was a wealthy kingdom along the Nile River, just to the south of Egypt in what is today Sudan. They warred, traded, and exchanged culture with the Egyptians for over two thousand years. Large quantities of slaves were taken from here to work in Egypt
Nubia
These were the people who lived on the island of Crete off the coast of Greece. Flourishing from 2250 BCE to 1450 CE, they traded avidly with their neighbors, especially with Egypt.
Minoans
They developed their civilization very slowly compared to other ancient civilizations. Between 1800 and 1200 BCE, the Mycenaean culture dominated them.
Mainland greeks
They flourished from 1700 BCE to 400 BCE. Originally from what is today Lebanon, they were the mercantile neighbors of the ancient Hebrews. As sailors and merchants, they crisscrossed the Mediterranean in search of trade and wealth. Their cities - Carthage, Byblos, Tyre, and Beirut - became dynamic centers of commerce and exchange. We get our alphabet from them
Phoenicians
These people, based originally along the Niger River, began to migrate and settle other parts of sub-Saharan Africa beginning around 1500 BCE. One of the most important events in African history, as they came to compose the dominant ethnic group south of the Sahara Desert
Bantu
Throughout the Paleolithic period, humans migrated from Africa to where
to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas
True or false: Hunter-gatherers were relatively egalitarian.
True. By making an analogy with modern hunter forager societies, anthropologists infer that these bands were relatively egalitarian.
How did the switch to agriculture change the food supply?
It created a more reliable, but not necessarily more diversified, food supply
examples of improvements in agricultural production, trade, and transportation (5)
- Pottery
- Plows
- Woven textiles
- Metallurgy
- Wheels and wheeled vehicles
The term civilization is normally used to designate large societies with cities and powerful states. What are some shared features? (3)
They all produced agricultural surpluses that permitted significant specialization of labor. All civilizations contained cities and generated complex institutions, such as political bureaucracies, armies, and religious hierarchies. They also featured clearly stratified social hierarchies and organized long-distance trading relationships.
These were powerful new systems of rule that mobilized surplus labor and resources over large areas. Early ones were often led by a ruler whose source of power was believed to be divine or had divine support and/or who was supported by the military.
states
Three new religious beliefs in early civilizations
- The Vedic religion
- Hebrew monotheism
- Zoroastrianism
Before 8000 BCE, every culture in the world was in which period, which means “Old Stone Age.”
Paleolithic
During the paleolithic period, humans migrated from where to Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, and the Americas.
Africa
When was the Ice Age?
Between 15000 BCE and 10000 BCE
What allowed humans to transition from being nomadic hunter-gatherers to permanent settlers?
The introduction of agriculture
When did humans first make it to North America? (from Africa)
30,000 and 14,000 BCE
What was was the most important and most commonly used material to make tools during the Paleolithic era?
stone
What came after the Paleolithic?
Neolithic
What were the 3 biggest things that began with the neolithic revolution?
growing crops, raising livestock, and living together as a society
True or false:
pastoralists rarely built large cities or complex societies like the cultures built on agriculture did.
True
In order to raise large herds, pastoralists had to move their herds every few months to greener pastures. As a result, cultures built on pastoralism rarely built large cities or complex societies like the cultures built on agriculture did.
However, because they moved around so much, who were often the ones who actually spread technology, ideas, religions, and trade goods between settled agricultural regions.`
pastoralists
And despite pastoralists’ low numbers, their lifelong training at chariot riding or horseback riding often made them a very significant military threat to agricultural regions.
What came after the Neolithic era?
The Bronze Age
What was the first metal discovered that was later used to make bronze?
copper
What came after bronze?
Iron
This was the first known form of writing came from the land of Mesopotamia, in the Middle East. around 3300 BCE. It was basically straight lines and triangles scratched into clay with a bronze knife.
cuneiform
Where did cuneiform come from?
Mesopotamia
This form of writing was mostly used for record keeping and determining who owed who how much wheat, but it was also used to write humanity’s first known piece of literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Cuneiform
What form of writing did the Ancient Egyptians develop?
Hieroglyphics
In north India,what language was developed that is the basis of not only modern Indian languages but is also distantly related to all modern Middle Eastern and European languages?
Sanskrit
What was the name of a book of hymns that is one of the foundational texts of Hinduism, that was written in Sanskrit?
Rig Veda
What was a major architectural structure in Mesopotamia?
Ziggurats
True or False:
Architecture helped ancient peoples realize the importance of urban planning
The better the system of organization, the more smoothly things would run in centers of population. For example, Egyptian and Olmec cities were created with urban planning in mind, and there were designated spaces for religious buildings and economic zones for marketplaces. The elite and the monarchs were given prime real estate away from the common riff raff. Merchants tended to cluster together to attract shoppers already out buying things—an instinct similar to that of stores that open up near Walmarts.
Most ancient civilizations and peoples were what, meaning they worshipped many gods, goddesses, and other divinities?
polytheistic
These two ancient civilizations were something of unusual exceptions as they worshipped only one deity and were therefore monotheistic.
The ancient Hebrews and Persians
This religion can be thought of as a precursor to Hinduism (the dominant religion of modern India).
The Vedic Religion
Vedism
How did Vedism come to India?
It is generally assumed that foreign invaders from outside of India—tribes of Indo-European peoples—brought these beliefs to the subcontinent around the year 1500 BCE.
Sacred books called _____ formed the basis of the Vedic religion
the Vedas
In Vedism (and Hinduism), there was no central prophet, central authority, or orthodoxy. This led to a lot of diversity in beliefs. What are three common features of this religion?
Vedic religions were all polytheistic. While different groups focused on different gods, they all agreed that everyone’s gods existed.
All forms of Vedism also placed emphasis on the importance of ritual recitation of the Vedas. Those who had memorized the Vedas, or who could read them in Sanskrit, often found high roles in society.
Vedic religions share concepts with modern-day religions, such as karma, a divine cycle of cause and effect, and reincarnation.
____ is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion.
Judaism
At the core of this religion is the unique covenant that Hebrew people have in their relationship with Yahweh.
Judaism
Believers of this religion are expected to uphold their commitment to God by following a certain set of rules as explained in the Torah, or the Hebrew Bible.
Judaism
True or False: the Hebrew covenant is fairly simple: if people follow the rules, God will favor them. One of the major perks of God’s relationship with the Jews was the promise of the aptly named Promised Land, where Hebrews could live under their own rule.
True
The largest populations of this religion are in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and India, but there are smaller communities scattered around the world.
Zoroastrians
What religion:
The universe was the battleground between two cosmic principles—one of purity and the other of corruption. The central figure of purity was the creator god, Ahura Mazda (“light of wisdom”), while the central figure of corruption was Ahriman (“destructive spirit”).
Zoroastrianism
When did the first people in East Africa start to move? Why did they move?
750,000 years ago
in search of food
True or false:
At the end of Ice Age in 12000 BCE, large areas of North America, Europe, and Asia became habitable
True
When was the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age)?
2.5 million years ago to 10,000 years ago
When was the Neolithic revolution? (years ago)
10,000 years ago to 5,000 years ago
Six characteristics of civilization
Food Surplus Advanced Cities Advanced Technology Skilled Workers Complex institutions - govt, religion System of writing/record keeping
What were foraging societies?
Small groups of people that traveled based on climate and food availability
- no permanent shelters
- some had chiefs, leaders, religious figures
Why couldn’t pastoral societies settle?
They needed to look for food for herd
When was the neolithic revolution? (dates)
8000-3000 BCE
What region?
Plantains, bananas, yams
Central Africa
What region?
Maize, beans, squash
Americas
What region?
Millet, Barley
India
Where (when) did the first civilizations develop writing?
Sumerians 3500-3000 BCE
Three main accomplishments of sumerians
Writing (cuneiform)
Architecture (ziggurats)
First Epic (Epic of Gilgamesh)
What was the first written law code? (and where)
Code of Hammurabi (Mesopotamia)
Egyptian Civilization developed along what river?
Nile River
Ancient Egypt:
Monothiestic or Polytheistic?
Polytheistic - afterlife, mummification
Accomplishments of Ancient Egypt (at least 4)
Pyramids - tombs
Hieroglyphics
Papyrus - paper making
365 Day calendar, medicine, math, astronomy
If a leader governed wisely and fairly, he could claim right to divine rule
Mandate of Heaven
True or false:
The ancient Egyptians believed that the kings and queens of their country were the incarnations of the gods on earth.
True
True or false:
The kings of the region of Mesopotamia were thought of as the emissaries of the gods rather than gods themselves.
True
The major shift nearly 12,000 years ago that marks the beginning of the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture.
Neolithic Revolution
Simply put, the domestication or cultivation of plants for the purposes of food and money.
Agriculture
The world’s first system of writing. Originated in Mesopotamia and was invented by the Sumerians.
Cuneiform
The form of writing used by the ancient Egyptians.
Hieroglyphics
A large crescent of fertile land in the Middle East and North Africa. It begins in the Nile River Valley in Egypt, goes up along the Mediterranean coast, and swings back down into Mesopotamia. The land immediately adjacent to this crescent is mostly hilly, rocky desert.
Fertile Cresent
The religion of the ancient Hebrew people (later called the Jews). Judaism differs from other religions as it mandates the belief in one god called Yahweh. It is filled with complex rituals concerning everyday life and worship.
Judaism
A monotheistic religion extremely popular in ancient Persia. Like the ancient Hebrews, the Zoroastrians worshipped one god that they called Ahura Mazda.
Zoroastrianism
The religion that formed in northern India following the invasions of Persian peoples. This religion is the precursor of Hinduism and emphasizes the role one is supposed to play within society.
Vedic Religion
The holy book of the Hebrew (Jewish) People.
Torah
The holy books of the Vedic religion. They are often composed as hymns to be sung
Vedas
A book of burial rituals, listing the preparations that should be made for the deceased from ancient Egypt.
Book of the Dead
The holy book of the Zoroastrian faith.
Avesta
The world’s first literary masterpiece. It is a story that narrates the adventures, triumphs, and failure of the mythical Sumerian King Gilgamesh.
“Epic of Gilgamesh”
The world’s first and oldest legal code. Put into place by King Hammurabi of Babylon.
Hammurabi’s Code
Bone fragments from oxen or turtles that are the primary source of written evidence from the Shang Dynasty. They bear witness to the beginning of the Chinese writing system.
Oracle Bones
A form or system of government in which members of the religious elite have the most power.
Theocracy
A form or system of government in which a single individual holds the most power.
Monarchy
A small social class of elite people and families who perform political, military, and administrative duties for a ruler or king. This class had immense power and social influence over the other classes.
Nobility
A social phenomenon that occurred when mankind became sedentary, settling down into civilized life. Different groups of people entered into different occupations of specialization.
Specialization of Labor
This term denotes societies or cultures in which masculinity is held to be more valuable than femininity. This term even applies to societies where masculinity and femininity were defined very differently than in the modern age. For example, in medieval China, writing poetry was considered a masculine trait, while wanting to have sex was considered a feminine trait. Nonetheless, the term patriarchy still applies to medieval China because masculine things like poetry were considered more important.
Patriarchy
Located in present-day Iraq, Mesopotamia is the site of the world’s first civilization. Later empires and kingdoms, such as Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria, all occupied this rich and fertile area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Mesopotamia
A major civilization in North Africa, located between the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and along the Nile River. Long lasting and influential, Egypt was a rich and dynamic civilization.
Egypt
The major civilization of the Indian subcontinent located along the Indus River Valley. It flourished and then disappeared mysteriously. Characterized by many cities like Harrapa, it may have been the most urban of all the ancient civilizations.
Indus River Valley Civilization
The first dynasty in Chinese history to leave records of itself. This dynasty marks the beginning of an organized and powerful Chinese state along the Yellow River.
Shang
The second historical dynasty of China. The Zhou were pastoralists from the northwest of China who conquered the Shang. They established the ideology of the Mandate of Heaven. In 770 BCE, the Zhou kings lost most of their influence and became powerless figureheads of an increasingly disunited empire.
Zhou
An ancient civilization based in Mexico (near present-day Veracruz). This civilization is mysterious, as scholars have been unable to decipher the Olmec system of writing. Scholars are also puzzled by the presence of large heads that were created by Olmec craftsmen.
Olmec
A civilization emerging along the Peruvian Pacific coast and stretching into the highlands of the Andes. This civilization was distinguished by the ingenuity of its craftsmen and traders.
Chavín
An ideology established by the Zhou Dynasty in China. The basic gist was that Chinese rulers only ruled through the permission of Heaven, the supreme moral force of nature. If a Chinese ruler were a bad ruler, Heaven would react with natural disasters, disease, and famine. As a result, it became extra important for Chinese rulers to mitigate famines and natural disasters.
Mandate of Heaven
A millennia-long migration of the Bantu ethno-linguistic group across Africa. Lasted from 1000 BCE to 500 CE.
Bantu migration
What dynasty replaced Shang and lasted from 1027 to 771 BCE?
Zhou
True or false:
The Zhou dynasty was the longest lasting Chinese dynasty.?
Treu
Who was in India in 1500 BCE
Aryans
These societies were characterized by the domestication of animals.
Pastoral societies
Were pastoral societies more egalitarian than those that came later?
Yes.
Stratification and social status, which were limited in foraging societies, were based on the size if one’s herd in pastoral societies.
Why didnt pastoral societies have many personal possessions?
They didnt settle down because they had to continually search for new grazing areas and water for herds
By 3000 BCE, Ur, Erech, and Kish were the major city states of the first civilization of what
Sumer
Scribes in Sumer used this form of writing to set down laws, treaties, and important social and religious customs
Cuneiform
Trade was enhanced in Sumer by the introduction of this, a major development that greatly reduced the time it took to transport both goods and people between two points.
The wheel
True or false:
Sumerians were polytheistic
True
However, each city state in Sumer had its own god that was worshipped only by it’s people, and there were a bunch if gods that all of them worshiped
Sumerians built these temples to appease their gods.
Ziggurats
They came up with the concept of using coined money to conduct trade rather than using the barter system.
The Lydians
They established powerful naval city states all along the Mediterranean and developed an alphabet that used only 22 letters.
Ohoenicians
They were the first Jews. They were monotheistic and by around 1000 BCE, they had established Israel in Palestine.
Hebrews
True or false:
Over time, ancient Egyptian civilization became dependent in trade.
True
It’s people needed a constant supply of timber and stone for their many ambitious building projects, and their culture valued luxuries such as gold and spices
What was the most significant aspect of ancient Egyptian’s beliefs
Life after death - the afterlife
-polytheistic
She was the first female ruler known in history, and ruled for 22 years during the new kingdom of Egypt. Many Egyptian women enjoyed more rights here than in Mesopotamia.
Queen harsheput
Why was contact with outside civilizations in the Indus Valley more limited than in Mesopotamia
There were huge mountains north and west of the Indus ricer
