Neolithic Revolution and Urban Societies of the Near East

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to the Neolithic Revolution and the rise of urban societies in the Near East, based on lecture notes.

Neolithic

Term coined by Lubbock in 1865 referring to the 'new stone' (polished stone), marking a shift in prehistoric technology and lifestyle.

Neolithic Revolution

The transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one based on agriculture and animal domestication, leading to sedentary settlements.

Oasis Theory

Theory by Gordon Childe suggesting that desertification after the last glacial period forced humans and animals to concentrate in oases, leading to agriculture and animal domestication.

Nuclear Zones Theory

Braidwood's hypothesis that domestication occurred independently in multiple 'nuclear zones' around the world.

Marginal Zones Theory

Flannery and Binford's theory that population growth in favorable areas led some groups to migrate to less prosperous regions and develop agriculture and animal husbandry.

Demographic Pressure Theory

Cohen's theory that population pressure necessitated an artificial increase in food production through agriculture.

Telluric Cults

Cults focused on the earth and natural forces, often personified as a mother goddess.

Megalithic Architecture

Complex burial practices and monuments, reflecting a reverence for the dead.

Colonization Model

Model of Neolithic expansion involving population movement in search of resources, bringing their way of life to new areas.

Acculturation Model

Model of Neolithic expansion involving small groups transmitting their way of life to the indigenous population.

Diffusionist Theory

Theory explaining the spread of Neolithic practices to Europe through gradual migration and cultural diffusion, supported by genetic studies and radiocarbon dating.

Pre-Ceramic Neolithic

Refers to the era in Mesopotamia before pottery was widely used (9500-6500 a.C.).

Ceramic Neolithic

Refers to the era in Mesopotamia when pottery became widely used (6500-5000 a.C.).

Pre-Ceramic A

Early agricultural settlements in the Levant region dating from 8000-7500 a.C.

Pre-Ceramic B

Later agricultural settlements in the Levant region dating from 7500-6000 a.C.

Jarmo

Neolithic settlement in the Zagros Mountains (Kurdistan), characterized by small, rectangular houses.

Catal Hüyük

A large Neolithic settlement in Anatolia (Turkey) with rectangular houses, connected walls, and a focus on religious and funerary rites.

Hassuna Culture

Cultural horizon in Upper Mesopotamia (5800-5400 a.C.), known for its economic expansion and technological sophistication.

Samarra Culture

Culture in Upper Mesopotamia (5400-5000 a.C.), characterized by communal spaces, large houses, irrigation techniques, and hybrid crops.

Tell Halaf Culture

Culture in Northern Syria and Iraq (5500-4500 a.C.), distinct for its round houses, cremation burials, and geometric pottery.

Obeid Culture

Culture in Lower Mesopotamia (5500-4500 a.C.), known for irrigation agriculture and the development of temples and social structures.

Badarian Culture

Early cultural phase in Upper Egypt (6500-4000 a.C.), characterized by agriculture, mud huts, and attention to burial practices.

Amratian Culture

Middle predynastic culture in Upper Egypt (4000-3500 a.C.), featuring villages with semi-subterranean structures.

Gerzean Culture

Late predynastic culture in Upper Egypt (3500-3000 a.C.), considered fully urban, with advanced ceramics and agriculture.

Urban Revolution

Gordon Childe's theory that intensive food production and surpluses led to social stratification and a dominant class.

Hydraulic Hypothesis

Theory that large-scale irrigation systems led to urbanization and state formation.

Conflict Hypothesis

Theory that population pressure and economic factors caused conflicts, stimulating the growth of fortified urban centers with administrative organizations.

Multifactorial Urbanization

Theory that multiple factors, including increased cultivated land, social stratification, and the transfer of power from temples to the state, contributed to urbanization.

Uruk Period

Period in Mesopotamian urbanization (3750-3150 a.C.), characterized by the rise of city-states and monumental constructions.

Cuneiform

Early form of writing developed in Mesopotamia during the Uruk period.

Jemdet Nasr Period

Period in Mesopotamian urbanization (3150-2800 a.C.), known for advancements from the Uruk period, including improved ceramics, widespread writing, and monumental secular architecture.

Nomos

Early Egyptian cities or provinces that existed before the unification of Egypt.

Thinite Period

First period of unified Egypt (3100-2600 a.C.), with its capital at Tinis.

Old Kingdom

Period in Egyptian history (2600-2300 a.C.) when the capital was in Memphis and the pyramids were built.

New Kingdom

Period in Egyptian history (1600-1100 a.C.) when the capital was in Thebes, marked by territorial expansion and prominent rulers.