WH Chapter 1-3 Flashcards
Archeologist
Study Artifacts
Artifacts
Are human-made objects, such as hunting goods and jewelry.
Anthropologists
Study Culture
Paleonthologists
Study Fossils
Mary Leakey
The orchestrator of the team that helped discover human foot prints from 3.5 million years ago.
Hominids
Animals that walk upright (the first being australopithecines)
Old Stone Age / Paleolithic Age
2.5 million ——- 8,000 BC
New Stone Age / Neolithic Age
8,000 BC ——- 3,000 BC
Cromagnons
- Studied their prey (greater efficiency in hunting).
- Increased population beyond the neanderthal.
- Had a spoken langauge
Where do human beings originate from?
Africa
The “Habilis” in Homo Habilis stands for?
Tools
Describe characteristics of the Homo Erectus
Appeared about 1.6 million years ago in East Africa.
Homo erectus, upright man, used intelligence to develop technology
Describe characteristics of the Neanderthals
- Powerful muscles and thick bones
- Lived 200,000 to 30,000 years ago in Europe and Southwest Asia
- Developed religious beliefs and performed rituals
- Lived in caves, shelters made of wood and skin
Describe characteristics of the Cro-Magnons
- About 40,000 years ago Cro-Magnons appear
- Physically identical to modern humans •-Hunted in groups; better hunters than Neanderthals
- Advanced skill in spoken language
- Replaced the Neanderthals
What are nomads?
People who move around in search for food.
Hunger-gathers
Are those who move around and hunt for food. Groups that existed prior to the agricultural (neolithic) revolution?
What type of art existed in the neolithic period?
- cave paintings, animal sculptures, rock engravings and paintings
- jewelry of sea shells, lion teeth, bear claws
- polished beads from mammoth tusks
Describe the Neolithic or Agricultural Revolution.
- Nomadic women scattered seeds, then discovered crops growing.
- Shift from food-gathering to food-production great breakthrough
Causes of the Agricultural Revolution
- Rising temperatures probably a key reason
- Longer growing season, drier land for wild grasses
What is slash-and-burn farming?
- Clear land by cutting and burning trees
- Farmers moved to new area after year or two
What is domestication?
- Taming wild animals to ensure a constant source of food.
- Hunters and farmers tamed horses, dogs, goats, and pigs
Describe Catal Huyuk
- Farming thrived here 8,000 years ago; located in modern Turkey
- Population of 5,000 to 6,000 grew crops, raised sheep and cattle
- Made pottery, wove baskets, traded valuable obsidian
- In 1958, remains of village found; wall paintings, religious shrines
Where were the initial locations where farming grew?
Africa (Nile River Valley), China (Yellow River), Mexico, Central America, Peru
How did religion change during Stone Age this era?
Religion become more organized.
What type of belief system was prominent (main) among most prehistoric peoples?
Polytheism (the belief of multiple gods).
Where as Christianity, Islam and Judaism would be “Monotheism”, the belief of one God.
What are the five major factors for civilizations to develop?
- Advanced Cities
- Specialized Workers
- Complex Institution
- Record Keeping
- Improved Technology
What distinguishes a city from a village other than population?
The fact that it is the center of trade for a larger area..
What are scribes?
Professional recorders.
During the early era of civilization, Sumerian scribes invented a system of writing called _____________.
Cuneiform (which included symbols of objects, otherwise known as pictographs)
What type of new technology was developed by the Sumerians?
- The wheel
- Ox plow
- Irrigation systems
- Creation of bronze (later used for spears)
When was the Bronze Age?
Approximately 3000 BC.
What does it mean to “Barter”?
Prior to money, goods and services were done through trade.
What was the pyramid-shaped monument in the center of the city Ur called?
(This building was also the tallest and most important in Ur)
Ziggurat
What does Mesopotamia mean in Greek?
“land between the rivers”.
Which two rivers surround Mesopotamia?
Tigris and the Euhprates
What were some environmental challenges the Sumerians faced?
- Unpredictable flooding
- No natural barriers for protection
- Limited natural resources (such as wood and metal)
What were some strategies the Sumerians had to create a strong city state?
- Create an irrigation system to control water flow
- Built city walls with mud bricks in order to create a strong defensive system
- Traded with people in the deserts for raw materials such as stone, wood and metal.
How do “city-states” work?
They are like modern day countries, they have their own leaders, own governments and work accordingly within those parameters.
Rulers from one family member to the next is known as a _____________.
Dynasty
What is the process in which a new idea or a product spreads from one culture to another?
Cultural diffusion
The area where the Mesopotamian civilization developed was in an area between two rivers, this area was also known as the
Fertile Crescent
How did the Sumerians solve (or attempt to solve) flooding issues?
Dug irrigation ditches.
In Sumerian society there were a number of cities who shared the same cultures, but had their own distinctive governments. We classify these cities today as,
“City-States”
Changing power from ruler to ruler within the same family is known as a
Dynasty
When new ideas or products spread across one culture or another
Cultural Difficusion
The belief in more than one god.
Polytheism
How did Sumerians advance arithmetic and geometry?
They developed a numbering system in a base 60, from which stem the modern units for measuring time (60 seconds) and 360 degrees of a circle.
The peak of the Babylonian Empire came about in the late 1700s when they were ruled by
Hammurabi
Rule 196:
If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
This law is an example coming from the set of laws, also known as the
Hammurabi Code
The ______________ provided a reliable system of transportation between Upper and Lower Egypt.
Nile River
In Egypt the rulers were not only Kings, but Gods, they were called
Pharaohs
A government in which rule is based on religious authority is called
Theocracy
The time periods for Egypt are (loosely) split into these three categories,
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
The process to preserve the royal and elite Egyptian bodies after their death was known as
Mummification
The Egyptian writing system
Hieroglyphics
The Egyptians developed a surface to write on known as
Papyrus
Seasonal winds which occur in Indias climate are known as
Monsoons
Why do historians known less about the Indus Valley that hose to the West?
Historians have had difficulty deciphering the writing by the Indus Valley civilization.
The Indus Valley civilization is sometimes called the ___________ civilization, because of the many archaeological discoveries made at that site.
Harappan
Why do historians believe that the Indus Valley had little distinction of social classes?
Most of the houses were about the same in quality and size.
Which two major rivers flowed near the River Dynasties of China?
Yellow River (Huange He River) Yangtze River (Chang Jiang)
In Northern China, a Homo erectus skeleton was found, this skeleton was known as,
Peking Man
Why did the Shang Dynasty shield their society with walls?
They were constantly waging war.
The nobles had power in ancient Chinese civilizations. One of the distinct differences between the nobles and the peasants was that the peasants owned __________.
Land
How did the Shang kings consult the gods?
Through the use of oracle bones (bones made from animals and tortoise shells).
How did Chinese language help unify different territories that spoke in different dialects?
The Chinese language can be read the same, even if the local dialects or the way they speak differ.
In China the rulers were thought to have gained authority, based upon the Gods giving them the right, this is also known as
Mandate of Heaven
The rise, decline and replacement of dynasties is also known as
Dynastic Cycle.
The system where
- nobles and lords own land
- nobles and lords in exchange guarantee the King their loyalty
- peasants work for their local lords
is known as
Feaudalism
Coined money was introduced by the _________ Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty
Vedas
Sacred Writings
King Minos
A legendary King who owned a “Minotaur”.
Phoenicians
Powerful traders in the city-states along the Mediterranean. They are primarily known for developing a system of writing and the Western alphabet.
The first five books of the Hebrew Bible are called the,
Torah
Who was asked by God to sacrifice his son?
Abraham
A mutual promise made between God and Abraham is known as the
covenant
Hebrews are treated as _________ in Egypt, until they are liberated by Moses.
slaves
After being liberated by Moses, the Hebrews wonder the _______ ______ for 40 years.
Sinai Desert
King David’s Kingdom establishes which city as their capital?
Jerusalem
The two major reasons why King Davids Kingdom falls apart is
- High taxes
2. Forced labor
King Davids Kingdom is divided into north and south. The north being Israel and the south being ________
Judah
Who appears in front of Muhammad around 610AD informing him that he is the final prophet?
Angel Gabriel
What is one major difference between the Quran and the Christian bible?
The Quran are the direct words of God, where as the bible was written by people.
What is “Judgement Day” or “Day of Reckoning”?
A day which all monotheistic religions believe in, where all the loyal believers will be taken to heaven and everyone else will be left on earth.
What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
Daily Confession of Faith
Daily Ritual Prayer (5 times a day)
Paying the Alms Tax (Rich pay poor)
Fasting during the month of Ramadan (during sunlight hours)
Pilgrimage to Mecca (once in a life time is enough)
The two major sects in Islam are the Shia and Sunni. How did this divide occur?
When the prophet Muhammad died in 632AD, there was a dispute in regards who would take over as his successor. The Sunnis backed Abu Bakr while the Shias, Muhammads cousin, Ali. The Sunnis were victorious, however, the Shias continued to live on in the shadows of the Shias choosing to follow the descendants of Ali for guidance.
Which two Middle Eastern nations are primarily Shia?
Iran and Iraq.
What is Jainism?
A a religion that was formed in the 500 BC’s. Jains main focus is to not harm anyone or anything around them.
What is the Caste System?
The caste system refers to the pyramid shaped system of classifying people in a Hindu society. Although, it has been rid of in major cities, many rural areas in India continue this practice.
The top to bottom being Brahmins (priests) Khsatriyas (warriors) Vaishyas (merchants) Shudras (servants)
Untouchables (subordinate to all, outside the caste system).
Who is Siddhartha Guatama?
- Raised in isolation, Siddhartha Gautama wants to learn about world
- Seeks enlightenment (wisdom), how to escape human suffering
- Tries many methods; gains enlightenment by meditating
- Becomes the Buddha, the “enlightened one”
What are the Four Noble Truths?
The Truth of Suffering
The Truth of the Cause of Suffering
The Truth of the End of Suffering
The Truth of the Path leading to the End of Suffering
What are some similarities between Buddhism and Hinduism?
The belief in reincarnation, karma, multiple gods (for certain buddhists) and moksha/nirvana.
Which way did Buddhism spread?
Eastward.
