chapter 1: from the origins of agriculture to the first river-valley civilizations 8000-1500 b.c.e....
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 1: From the Origins of Agriculture to the First River-Valley Civilizations 8000-1500 B.C.E.
By: Kim Jacobsen
Key Terms Stone Age - The historical period characterized by the
production of tools from stone and other nonmetallic substances.
Paleolithic - The period of the Stone Age associated with the evolution of humans.
Neolithic - The period of the Stone Age associated with the ancient Agricultural Revolution.
Foragers - People who support themselves by hunting wild animals and gathering wild edible plants and insects.
Agricultural Revolution - The change from food gathering to food production that occurred between ca. 8000 and 2000 B.C.E.
Ziggurat - A massive pyramidal stepped tower made of mud bricks. It is associated with religious complexes in ancient Mesopotamian cities, but its function is unknown.
Key Terms Cuneiform - A system of writing in which wedge-shaped
symbols represented words or syllables. Originated in Mesopotamia and is one of the first written languages ever invented.
Hieroglyphics - A system of writing in which picture symbols represented sounds, syllables or concepts. It was used for inscriptions on monuments in Egypt.
Before Civilization Culture Stone Age Hunter-gatherer societies Agricultural Revolution
- Domestication
- Pastoralism Hunter-gatherer societies vs. Farming societies
Mesopotamia: Politics Semitic people were politically dominant
City-states
Lugal (king)
Hammurabi
Mesopotamia: Society Social division
Hammurabi’s Code
Male dominated
Women
Mesopotamia: Religion Gods that embody nature
Anthropomorphism
Temples and ziggurats
Priests
Demons and amulets
Mesopotamia: Tech and Art Cuneiform
Irrigation
Clay
Bronze
Number system
Egypt: Politics Divine kingship - Pharaoh
Ma’at
Hereditary kingship
Complex bureaucracy
Egypt: Society Ethnically diverse
Less pronounced social divisions
Women had more rights
Slavery limited
Egypt: Religion Polytheistic
Some of the more important gods: Ra, Horus, Osiris, etc.
Pyramids
Afterlife
- Mummies
Divine kingship
Egypt: Tech and Art Architecture
- Pyramids
- Temples
- Monuments
Hieroglyphics
Irrigation
Chemistry
Egypt: Economy Self-sufficient
Nubia
Trade
Agriculture
Indus Valley Civilization
“Priest-King” Strong central authority Writing system City layout Technology Natural resources Metal “Systems failure”