Chapter 7: Structure of Early Civilizations Flashcards
(30 cards)
covenant
Agreement; in the Judeo-Christian heritage, an agreement between God and humankind.
cuneiform
A system of writing originating in Mesopotamia in which a wedge-shaped stylus was used to press symbols into clay. The Sumerian-invented first example of writing.
diaspora
The exile of an ethnic or racial group from their homeland.
hieroglyphics
A system of picture writing used in Egypt.
jati
One of many subcastes in the Hindu caste system.
mandate of heaven
The concept developed by the Zhou dynasty that the deity granted a dynasty the right to rule and took away that right if the dynasty did not rule wisely.
matrilineal
Referring to a social system in which descent and inheritance are traced through the mother
monotheism
The belief in one god.
oracle bones
Animal bones or shells used by Chinese priests to receive messages from the gods.
patriarchal
Pertaining to a social system in which the father is the head of the family.
pharaoh
An Egyptian monarch.
polytheism
The belief in many gods.
Quetzalcóatl
According to Mayan legend, a god who would someday return to rule his people in peace. (feathered serpent god)
Ten Commandments
The moral law of the Hebrews.
theocracy
A government ruled by God or by church leaders.
Torah
The first five books of the Jewish scripture.
untouchables
The social division in Hindu society that fell in rank below the caste system; it was occupied by those who carried out undesirable occupations such as undertaking, butchering, and waste collection.
varna
A caste in the Hindu caste system.
Vedas
The oral hymns to the Aryan deities, later written down, that formed the basis of the Hindu beliefs during the Vedic Age (1500-500 BCE).
Yahweh
Jehovah, the god of the Jews.
ziggurat
A multitiered pyramid constructed by Mesopotamians. The Sumerians expressed the glories of their civilization and of their gods by building these towers.
Mesopotamia
The “Land Between the Rivers” is the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. First invaded by the Sumerians, then the Akkadians and Babylonians, and then the Assyrians and Persians (900 BCE).
Sumerians
Group of people that settled in Mesopotamia. They are known for creating cuneiform, a number system based on 60, and ziggurats. They studied the movement of heavenly bodies. They are credited with the first epic in history which is similar to the great flood, “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” There was a strong social structure headed by rulers and elite classes and slaves at the bottom. The families were patriarchal. The Sumerian culture later fell to conquest by the Akkadians and the Babylonians, both of whom spread the Sumerian culture.
“The Code of Hammurabi”
Code of laws devised by the Babylonian king Hammurabi that regulated daily life and had harsh “eye for an eye” punishment for criminal offenses. It drew distinctions between social classes and genders-administered less severe punishments to elite classes over commoners and men over women for the same offense.
