Flashcards
When did the first cities start to appear and where?
Around 5000 BCE in on the banks of rivers in Europe, Asia, and the Americas
What two environmental changes took place around 5000 BCE that caused the development of the first cities in World History?
1.) The world’s major rivers started to have more predictable flooding
2.) The melting of the polar glaciers slowed, allowing sea levels to become more stable
What are three reasons why humans began, after 5000 BCE, to migrate to river valley environments in larger numbers than before?
1.) Soil quality increased
2.) The amount of wild plants & animals increased
3.) Flooding of these areas became less wild and more predictable
What did this migration cause the villages and towns in river valleys to turn into?
Cities
What is a synonym for a city?
Civilization
Why did people in these cities start farming for their food, rather than hunt and gather for it?
With so many people now living in these river valleys, there was no longer enough wild resources available for everyone to feed themselves off of
What new invention made the work of farming much easier?
The plow
If you were living outside of a city, did you have to farm for all of your food?
No - only people in cities had to resort to farming for most of their food.
People in towns and villages still could hunt and gather for most of their food, while keeping farming as something they did on the side.
Because of the invention of the plow and the upper-body strength required to use it effectively, ____ began to specialize in farming tasks and _____ began to specialize in household tasks.
Because of the invention of the plow and the upper-body strength required to use it effectively, men began to specialize in farming tasks and women began to specialize in household tasks.
The cities of Nekhan, Thebes, and Memphis were all cities located along in the Nile River in …
Egypt
The cities of Jerusalem, Megiddo, and Ebla were all cities located along in the Jordan River in …
The Levant
The cities of Uruk, Susa, and Mari were all cities located along in the Tigris & Euphrates River in …
Mesopotamia
The cities of Dholavira, Mohenjo Daro, and Harappa were all cities located along in the Indus River in …
Northwest India
The cities of Louyang, Xi’an, Anyang, and Taosi were all cities located along in the Yellow & Yangzi River in …
China
Almost all of the first cities in World History were centered around religious buildings called …
Temples
What main things was housed inside of ancient temples?
The statue of a god/goddess from that group of people’s pantheon
What three human needs did ancient people believe their gods’ statues had?
Needed …
1.) Food
2.) Beverages
3.) Clothing
What are five kinds of rituals that ancient people did for their statues?
1.) Slaughtering/sacrificing animals
2.) Gifting them objects made from precious metals and stones
3.) Burning incense made from tree saps
4.) Performed songs, dances, and acrobatics for them
5.) Carrying their statue through the streets on “festival days”
What two kinds of things did temples own in order to acquire food and precious rocks/metals for their gods?
Farmlands & Mines
What did temples own in order to store all of the resources they acquired for their gods?
Storehouses
What four things did temples own to cook, bake, and brew beverages for their gods?
Bakeries, Kitchens, Wineries, & Breweries
What did temples own to create clothing and gifts for their gods?
Workshops
What are three theories on how temples acquired the workers needed to do all of the work needed to worship/care for their gods’ statues?
1.) Temples had permanent full-time workers
2.) Temples would call people from their cities in for “temple duty” for periods of time
3.) Temples employed people in their city who had no where else to go (the homeless, orphans, widows, etc.)
If you did a day of work at the temple, what were you typically paid?
2 bushels of barley
