Mesopotamia and Africa

Question 1

afrocentrism

Answer 1

• viewpoint that egyptian civilization is deeply african in origin
• contrasts eurocentric ideas that egypt developed in isolation
• supported Martin Bernals “Black Athena Theory”
• interconnection between egypt nubia and other african civilization

Question 2

cuneiform

Answer 2

• early mesopotamian writing system made by incising symbol into clay tablets
• first used to econmic transactions
• then letters to communicate w families

Question 3

divine kings

Answer 3

rulers w sacred or god given power
- common in egypt, like Pharaoh
- regionalized central authority and dynastic rule

Question 4

eridu

Answer 4

• important early ubaid-period agricultural town
• popultion grew to 5000 ppl
• site of a temple later replaced by the great ziggaurate of eridu 9 religious complez, huge, covered by fired bricks

Question 5

euphrates

Answer 5

one of the two major rivers of mesopotamia (w/ tigiris)
- essential for irrigation agriculture, transportation, and trade in early cities

Question 6

Gao

Answer 6

• city in west african that led the seccesion from mali to found the songhay empire
  collapsed after decline in gold trade form european civilization

Question 7

ghana

Answer 7

• early west african kingdom based in upper niger and senegal river valleys
• grew wealthy through gold, ivory, and salt trade
• arab writers
• collapsed to war and decentralization

Question 8

incipient elite

Answer 8

• emerging upper class seen in early civilization like the ubaid period
• gained power thorugh contorl of surplus, religion, long distance trade

Question 9

karanga

Answer 9

• the people of the interior plateau of southern africa
• organized into alot of poewrful kingdoms headed by hereditary rulers
• many farmers cattle herds

Question 10

kerma

Answer 10

• an early nubia kingdom often in clonflict or trade w egypt
• predecessor to kush and ties to nubia cultural devleopment

Question 11

kush

Answer 11

nubian kingdom that ruled egypt
rose during periods ofthier weakness
eventually pushed out, but left a legancy of rebellion and resistnace

Question 12

long distance trade

Answer 12

• movement of goods around vast regions, critical to early state development
• seen in ubaid culture, meroe, ghana , and mali
• gold, ivory, copper, slaves to even rome and chine

Question 13

lower egypt

Answer 13

• northern region of egypt near the nile delta
• unifed w upper egypt under first pharaohs

Question 14

mali

Answer 14

• empire that succeeded ghana
• founded by Sundiata
• capital at mali on the niger river
• known for timbuktu and mansa mua, who made mali famous

Question 15

mansa musa

Answer 15

• emperor of mali who expanded its power and wealth
• famously flooded in european gold market on his pilgrimage
• one of the richest people in history

Question 16

meroe

Answer 16

• nubian city on the east bank of the nile (modern sudan)
• controlled trade between midde nite, africa red sea more
• developed two writing sytems hieroglpyhic and alphabetic and built pyamirds smaller than egypts
• long itnace trade to rome and china and ironworking

Question 17

mesopotamia

Answer 17

land between rivers (tigris and euphrates)
- cradle of earliet urban civilizations
- included uruk, sumer, babylon
- irrgation writing metaallurgy copepr bronze iron

Question 18

metallurgy

Answer 18

the development of working w metals copper bronze iron
- key to power is mesopotamian city states and african centers like meroe

Question 19

naqada (nagada)

Answer 19

one of three major predynastic egyptian kingdoms
- alongside nekhen and this, formed foundation of dyanstic egypt

Question 20

nekhen

Answer 20

anoter predynatic egyptian kingdom part of early poitical unification
- site of important early rituals and elite burials

Question 21

nubia

Answer 21

region of south egypt modern sudan w early civilizations
traded in slaves, gold, ivory exploited egypt but ruled over egypt later as the kingdom of kush

Question 22

pharaoh

Answer 22

• egyptian term for king meaning “great house” par-aa
• seen as divine ruler with control over labor, resources, writing

Question 23

pre dyanastic egypt

Answer 23

• the period before egypt became unified
• dominated by naqada, nekhen, and this
• ens w ride of the first pharaoh and dynastic egpyt

Question 24

songhay

Answer 24

west african empire founded by gao
gained power after seceding from mali
exppanded under sonni ali and controlled gold ivory trade

Question 25

This

Answer 25

one of 3 predynatic egyptian kingdoms that helped unify egypt

Question 26

Tigris

Answer 26

river that defined mesopotamia w the euphrates- provided wter trade routes and supported urban growth

Question 27

trimbuktu

Answer 27

major city in mali empire islamis schoalrshop and caravan trade - hub for knowledge and commerce across african and the islamic world

Question 28

ubaid culture

Answer 28

- neolithic roots of mesopotamian cvilization - featured small farming villages, irrigation, redistrbution, incipient elite - early signs of long distance trade and religious centralization

Question 29

uruk

Answer 29

major mesopotamian city state known for its size and earlt use of writing and monumentla architecture

Question 30

ziggurat

Answer 30

stepped temple tower found in mesopotamian cities like eridu - used religious and political purposes - the great ziggurat of eridu covered earlier temples and was off 200m