Chpt. 1, Early Civilization

Question 1

Paleolithic Age

Answer 1

aka the Old Stone Age, it ended in 12,000 BCE; typified by the use of crude stone tools and hunting and gathering for subsistence

Question 2

Homo sapiens

Answer 2

the humanoid species that emerged as the most successful at the end of the Paleolithic period

Question 3

Neolithic Age (New Stone Age)

Answer 3

the New Stone Age between 8000 and 5000 (sometimes 3,000) BCE; a period in which adaptation of sedentary agriculture occurred; domestication of plants and animals was also accomplished

Question 4

Neolithic Revolution

Answer 4

the succession of technological innovation and changes in human organization that led to the development of agriculture, and lasted from 8500 to 3500 BCE

Question 5

hunting and gathering

Answer 5

the original human economic form, it was ultimately eclipsed by agriculture; in this type of economy, groups of humans hunt for meat and forage for grains, nuts, and berries

Question 6

Bronze Age

Answer 6

this lasted from about 4000 BCE, when bronze tools were first introduced in the Middle East, to about 1500 BCE, when iron began to replace bronze

Question 7

slash and burn agriculture

Answer 7

a system of cultivation typical of shifting cultivators; forest floors were cleared by fire and then planted

Question 8

band

Answer 8

a level of social organization normally consisting of 20 to 30 people; consisted of nomadic hunters and gatherers; labor was divided on a gender basis; men generally did more hunting, especially for bigger game, and women more gathering

Question 9

Çatal Hüyük

Answer 9

an early urban culture based on sedentary agriculture; located in modern southern Turkey, this city was larger in population than Jericho (another early city), and had a greater degree of social stratification

Question 10

civilization

Answer 10

societies distinguished by reliance on sedentary agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses, and the existence of nonfarming elites, as well as merchant and manufacturing groups (there is debate over what exactly defines one of these)

Question 11

cuneiform

Answer 11

a form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge-shaped stylus and clay tablets; it was the Sumerians’ most important contribution

Question 12

nomads

Answer 12

cattle- and sheep-herding societies normally found on the fringes of civilized societies; they were commonly referred to as “barbarian” by civilized societies

Question 13

Mesopotamia

Answer 13

literally “between the rivers”; the civilizations that arose in the alluvial plain of Tigris and Euphrates river valleys

Question 14

Sumerians

Answer 14

people who migrated into Mesopotamia c. 4000 BCE; created the first civilization within the region, and organized the area into city-states

Question 15

ziggurats

Answer 15

massive towers usually associated with Mesopotamian temple complexes

Question 16

city-state

Answer 16

a form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilizations; consisted of agricultural hinterlands ruled by an urban-based king

Question 17

Babylonian Empire

Answer 17

unified all of Mesopotamia c. 1800 BCE; collapsed due to foreign invasion c. 1600 BCE

Question 18

Hammurabi

Answer 18

the most important ruler of the Babylonian empire; he was responsible for the codification of the law into what would become known as the “Code of Hammurabi”

Question 19

pharaoh

Answer 19

title of the kings of ancient Egypt

Question 20

Kush

Answer 20

an African state that developed along the upper reaches of the Nile c. 1000 BCE; they conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries

Question 21

Indus River Valley

Answer 21

a region whose rivers have sources in the Himalayas and mouths in the Arabian Sea; this was the location of the Harappan civilization

Question 22

Mohenjo Daro

Answer 22

along with Harappa, this was one of the major urban complexes of the Harappan civilization; it was laid out on a planned grid pattern; had around 100,000 people

Question 23

Chinese river valleys

Answer 23

the Yellow River (Huang He) and Yangzi (Yangtze) Because the western reaches of China border on desert, and much of the interior is hilly or mountainous, these two east-west rivers are especially important for supporting agriculture, allowing movement, and fostering social and political unity

Question 24

Shang

Answer 24

the first Chinese dynasty for which archeological evidence exists; its capital was located in the Ordos bulge of the Huanghe; flourished between 1600 and 1046 BCE

Question 25

oracles

Answer 25

Shamans or priests in Chinese society who foretold the future through interpretations of animal bones, cracked by heat; inscriptions on bones led to Chinese writing

Question 26

ideograph

Answer 26

pictographic characters grouped together to creates new concepts, typical of Chinese writing

Question 27

Phoenicians

Answer 27

a seafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean; it had established colonies throughout the Mediterranean

Question 28

monotheism

Answer 28

the exclusive worship of a single god; introduced by the Jews into Western civilization

Question 29

pyramids

Answer 29

monumental architecture typical of the Old Kingdom of Egypt; they were used as a burial site for pharaohs

Question 30

Eurasia

Answer 30

Europe and Asia together are sometimes referred to as this

Question 31

Afro-Eurasia

Answer 31

Europe, Asia, and Africa together are sometimes referred to as this

Question 32

land features that favored civilization

Answer 32

-a climate that was not extremely hot, cold, dry, or wet -a suitable amount of fertile land, preferably flat -a reliable source of water -topography (the shape of the land) that permitted reasonably easy movement -access to a river, seacoast, or both, for the sake of transport and food supply -the presence of one or more desirable natural resources -proximity to one or more trade routes

Question 33

Bering land bridge

Answer 33

an overland route between Siberia and Alaska which most scholars believe existed; 15,000 years ago, settlers from Eurasia could have crossed this to enter North America