week 6 - The Ancient Near East Mesopotamia Flashcards
What are primary state societies?
Societies that developed complex social structures, often in arid/semi-arid valleys like the Nile, Tigris/Euphrates, Indus/Ganges, Yangtze River/Huang Ho, and also in Mesoamerica and Peru.
What common elements did early state societies share?
They were often located in arid to semi-arid river environments, intensified agriculture through irrigation, supported dense populations, and were strategically located for trade and exchange networks.
What are the four periods of Mesopotamian civilization?
Ubaid Period (5500-4000 BC), Uruk Period (4000-3100 BC), Early Dynastic Period (3200/2900-2300 BC), and the Akkadian Empire (2334-2218 BC).
What significant achievements are attributed to the Sumerians during the Early Dynastic Period?
Science and Technology, Writing, Literature, and Mythology.
Who were the key rulers of the Akkadian Empire?
Sargon, Naram-Sin, and Shar-kali-sharri.
Describe the physical setting of Mesopotamia.
It is an alluvial plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, bounded by the Zagros Mountains and the Syrian Desert.
What is significant about the Ubaid Period in Mesopotamian history?
It featured the development of irrigation canals, towns with temples, and temple officials.
What characterizes the Uruk Period?
Huge urban centers, a 4-tiered settlement hierarchy, complex administration, and advancements in technology such as the potter’s wheel and mass production of ceramics.
Who was Gilgamesh and why is he significant?
Gilgamesh was a famous King of Uruk and a demi-god known for his epic quest for immortality, chronicled in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
What were some of the technological advancements of the Uruk Period?
The invention of the potter’s wheel, mass production of ceramics, the plough, the wheel, and cylinder seals.
What were the main agricultural products cultivated by the Halafian culture?
Wheat, barley, flax, lentils, and chickpeas.
What is the significance of the Sumerian cuneiform script?
It is the oldest known writing system, used for 2000 years, primarily for administrative purposes and later for various types of writings including myths and literature.
Describe the urban revolution as defined by Vere Gordon Childe.
It includes the development of large populations and settlements (cities), full-time specialization, advanced division of labor, agricultural surplus, monumental public architecture, a ruling class, writing, exact and predictive sciences, sophisticated art styles, long-distance trade, and the state.
What role did trade play in Mesopotamian society?
Mesopotamia engaged in extensive trade with regions such as the Indus Valley, Levant, Anatolia, and Egypt, exchanging goods like copper, precious stones, timber, and agricultural products.
What was the Code of Ur-Nammu?
It is the earliest known written law code, outlining laws and punishments, predating Hammurabi’s laws.
