MMW 11 Midterm 1

Advantages of full bipedalism

*led to bigger brains because of diet change
*more sophisticated tools
*migration
*favored narrower hips
*distance
*hold more things

Australopithicus (Chronology, brain size, tool use)

2.5-4 mya
*began to develop bipedalism in response to changing "mosaic" environment
*resembled chimpanzees today
*lived in trees & on land

Homo Habilis (Chronology, brain size, tool use)

2.8-1.8 mya
*50% increase in brain size

Homo Erectus (Chronology, brain size, tool use)

1.9 mya - 140k years ago
*more sophisticated tools (Acheulean hand axes, cleavers, scrapers)
*stood upright
*cooperative work
*started migrating out of Africa

Homo Sapiens (Chronology, brain size, tool use)

*more human-like
*bipedal
*larger brains

Multi-regionalism vs. Out of Africa debate

multi: evolved different parts of the world where homo erectus migrated to

africa: homo erectus specifically evolved in east Africa and then migrated

Compromise between bipedalism and brain size

Delayed maturation for children—social implications (loss of estrus, women as childrearers)

Elimination of female estrus in Homo Sapiens

*strengthen male bonding
*reduced violence among males for mating rights
*allowed women to stay with children longer

Impact of cooked food on brain size

Social adaptations:
*more energy for brain use rather than gut -> larger brain
*more leisure time
*led to more socializing
*smaller jaw b/c food was softer and easier to chew
*deferment of appetite and impulse

Persistence of the Acheulean hand-axe

distinctive tool used for millions of years with little change

Barter vs. reciprocity (e.g. Adam and Oz)

*reciprocity= like for like

2 equals
*bartering= something you value for something that you value even more

Catallaxy effect

the reason for human evolution is economics
•explosive effect of division of labor and economics
*adam smith praised benefits of division of labor in capitalism

Gendered division of labor

*divided tasks to men and women
*they each found food and came together to share->led to beginning of family unit

Ideal population density for hunter-gatherers

*hunter gatherers could not support a large population so they resorted to:
-infanticide (drowning, smashing head on rock, neglect)
-prolonged nursing which delayed pregnancy

Gradual shift to horticulture 9000 B.C.E.

b/c of large expansion of population, people decided to settle and go into horticulture (it was either move or grow food)

Advent of agriculture

c. 6000 BCE

Co-dependent Domestication

humans domesticated plants but plants also domesticated humans

Why urbanization?

Irrigation management (water theory), trade center (trade theory), security needs/religious center (temple theory)

Bronze Age (3100-1200 B.C.E.)

Assembly of elders→Kingship
Impact of "surplus" and inheritance
Social stratification (among wealth and gender)

Mesopotamia

A region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that developed the first urban societies. In the Bronze Age this area included Sumer and the Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires, In the Iron Age, it was ruled by the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires.

Tigris-Euphrates

two rivers that form the outside border of Mesopotamia

Sumer

A group of ancient city-states in southern Mesopotamia

the earliest civilization in Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform

A system of writing in which wedge-shaped symbols represented words or syllables. It originated in Mesopotamia and was used initially for Sumerian and Akkadian but later was adapted to represent other languages of western Asia.

Marduk's defeat of Tiamat

symbolized shift from pluralistic, consensus-based authority to permanent authority
Patron god of Babylon

Gilgamesh

City of Uruk, Extent of power, Loss of personal privacy

Symbolism of Enkidu

-represented how man became civilized
-People asked gods for someone to be equal and defeat Gilgamesh
-Represented wilder, nomadic roots
-How he relates to animals, appearance, what happens to him when he is seduced

Siduri's Counsel

to be content with the simple pleasures in life (advice to Gilgamesh)

Hammurabi's code

"Eye for an eye" justice

Tanak

Old Testament/Hebrew Bible (contains torah/laws, prophets, writings)

Torah or Pentateuch

First five books of the Hebrew Bible

The Documentary Hypothesis

The theory that the Torah came to exist through the combination of several originally separate "documents." The most common "documents" are labeled: J, E, P & D.

Yahweh vs. Elohim

J- "lord"/ Yahweh
E- "god"/ Elohim

Book of Genesis—2 versions of creation

E- version: *Adam and Eve created at the same time
*More allusions to Mesopotamian myths, humans more wicked

J-version: *Adam created first & Eve created from rib bone
*God: fallible, complex with emotion/thoughts, more human characteristics

Hebrew

linguistic designation for a Semitic language spoken by a nomadic people

Israelite

Hebrew speaking people who settled in Palestine

Jew

descendants of Israelites who returned to Judah after the Babylonian Exile

Ethical Monotheism

approach to religion based around expected behavior (morality)

Abraham

Historical context of migration (underdog nomadic people), personal attributes (resourceful survivor, skilled negotiator, hospitality, lack of greed, humility)

Moses and the Covenant

Promise: we are God's people
Sign: 10 commandments

Shift to Kingship

need for stability, military leadership

Prophet Samuel

anointed the kings of Israel

12 Tribes of Israel

the future name for the descendants of Abraham

tribes named for the sons of Jacob/Israel

King Saul

First king of Israel
-Important, bc big tribe leaders would only think about the big tribes
-Saul over-stepped his role

King David

Second king of Israel who united Israel and made Israel a powerful nation.

Dual Priesthood in Jerusalem

David in Jerusalem
-Share religious authority- symbolize unity between north and south
(1) From the North—Abiathar: descendant of Moses (Shiloh)
(2) From the South—Zadok: descendant of Aaron (Hebron)

Professional army

David was the First to create professional army (very successful)
Represents first king to not be dependent on tribes

Bathsheba and Uriah

David wanted Uriah dead so he could have Bathsheba as a wife, so David puts Uriah in the front line of battle and he is killed.

Trans-generational retribution

the idea that actions both good and bad have consequences in subsequent generations

Solomon

David's son, noted for his wisdom

Purging of rivals (Adonijah, Abiathar)

Solomon killed Adonijah his half-brother (he wanted the throne), and banishing Abiathar (David's priest) because he wanted Adonijah as king

12 Administrative Districts

Solomon divided region into 12 districts and each was in charge of food for a month and taxes

Marriage Diplomacy

Solomon is a great example of this, he had 700 marriages (300 concubines)

• Pagan Princesses
  (he became influenced by his wives and concubines so God punished him)

King Hiram of Tyre

gave Solomon wood for a temple in return for labor

Divided Kingdom

The split of Israel after Solomon died

Rehobaum of Judah

i) Rehobaum in the South—Judah
(1) "My small finger (male organ) is thicker than my father's loins"
People rebelled against him

Jerobaum of Israel

Jerobaum in the North—Israel
crowned King after Rehobaum rebellion

Fall of Israel 722

Fall of Israel in 722 at the hands of the Assyrians

Prophet Isaiah

Warned against alliances & encouraged faith in God
(1) Return to righteous conduct and social justice
(2) Believe that God is behind all historical developments

Jerusalem

God's city

King Hezekiah

centralization of worship in Jerusalem
(outlawed religious worship outside of the Temple of Jerusalem)

JE source time period

-written c. 10th century BCE (after rule of David, possibly)
-evidence of two sources possibly mirrors the difference in stories between the northern and southern kingdoms
-edited after Babylonian Exile

Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

king of the Neo-Babylonians who conquers the northern kingdom of Israel in 722

King Josiah's reforms in 622

Deuteronomy, new Ethical Code, second Age of Moses, death at Megiddo

Babylonian Exile of 597

occurs after neo-Babylonians overrun Judah

Destruction of Jerusalem 587

following a rebellion

Prophet Jeremiah

dismissed myth of invincibility, called for realism (having to earn being the Chosen People), live life as best you can where you are (follow God's commandments)

Job's integrity of faith

Job was tested by God, did not give up his faith, no spiritual barter

Question of divine justice

(1)Judgment and blame dominate their discourse
(a)Eli'phaz, Bildad, and Zophar
-Wife: "Curse God and die"
-Friends' silence: most sympathetic
-Moment they start talking: blame & judgement
-Eli'phaz: Job probably sinned in some way

Meaning of God's response

don't have right to question God
God is benevolent but the covenant does not mean you are entitled to rewards during your life if you follow God's commandments

Xia "Dynasty" (Hsia)

c. 2100-1700 BCE
a legendary dynasty before the Shang (unknown if truly existed)

Erlitou Culture

bronze age culture found at Erlitou

Shang "Dynasty"

c. 1500-1050 BCE
Oracle Bones, Shamanism, political-religious legitimacy, portrayal of Di, consort Fu Hao, Shang Tombs, feudal system, development of writing

Geographical Determinism

geography shapes history (ex. Yellow River + need for flood control shaped Chinese government --> centralization)

Yellow River

a large river in northern China, where Chinese civilization developed

Guiqui Convention

c. 7th century BCE
convened to organize flood control

Sinocentrism

The "Middle Kingdom" concept of China as the center of the world. Based on centuries of isolation

Isohyet Line

a line on a map or chart connecting areas of equal rainfall
in China, the Great Wall roughly follows its path

Origin myths

a story told about the founding and history of a particular group to reinforce a sense of common identity
(ex. the toeprint of a God, the eating of a wild bird's egg, etc)

The Great Yu

(a) The Great Yu taming the waters
-Pops out of Kun's rock
-Hero bc determined/resourceful in controlling floods
-Worked on river for 13 years without returning home
-Mythical founder of Shang Dynasty
-Renowned for hairless shins
-hero of Mohist philosophy

Myth of Pangu

• Eyes: sun & mon
• Blood: rivers & oceans
• Hair: grass & trees
• Body Lice: humans & animals
  Humble position to humanity-not center of creation

Shan-rang

ideal of succession (passing onto person of merit, not necessarily blood relation)

Mandate of Heaven

a political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source (could be revoked)

Written script

arose c. 1200 BCE
pictograms, phonograms, ideograms

Western Zhou Dynasty (Chou)

Shift from bronze to iron weaponry, Metal Bound Box, Collapse in 771

Duke of Zhou (Metal Bound Box)

(a)Sagely hero of "The Metal Bound Box"
-Humble & righteous & lack of egotism
(b)Confucius idealized the Duke of Zhou as the epitome of a sagely minister
-Felt longing for Duke of Zhou & his complete world with loyal ministers

Lineage Fission

creation of new lineages by sending lesser family members to create new towns
contributed to warring states period as the offshoots became more autonomous

Eastern Zhou—Luoyang

Spring and Autumn Period (8th to 5th century BCE), Warring States (5th to 3rd century BCE)

Warring States Period

the period from 475 BC until the unification of China under the Qin dynasty, characterized by lack of centralized government in China. It followed the Zhou dynasty.

State of Lu

(1) Responsible for the observance of old Zhou ceremonial rites
(2) Direct descent from 11th century figure, the Duke of Zhou

Demise of Rituals

-Royal family: too poor to afford music/dance rituals
(1)Acts of sacrilege and mockery from three powerful barons
-Rich merchants that controlled royal family
-Barons took on sacred rituals - very violating
(2)World defined by political anarchy, ethical void, and spiritual vacuum
-Vassals killed kings
-Fathers killed by sons

"Hundred Schools of Thought"

a lot of ideas were started during the warring states period about how to make the society more stable. 3 major philosophies began that influenced China: Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism

Mo Tzu and the Mohists

• Large following
• Hero: hairless-shin Yu
  (i) Utilitarianism
  *only things with practical use (no music, funerals)
  (ii) Universal love
  *Formed vigilante army to protect weakest state being attacked
  -Formed new defensive weaponry

Hui Shi (Hui Shih)

Logicians, experts in debate

Shen Tao

Ascetics, renouncing the self

Confucianism

The system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct.

Confucius's personal life

-Native of Lu, probably from an aristocratic but impoverished family
-Early professional aspirations
-In order to redeem title, only way to redeem honor: education
-Wanted to be political adviser
-Career failed b/c: too righteous

The Analects

a record of the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples
represents Confucius as "a real person, afraid, frustrated, moved by music, growing old, convinced that each of us can be truly humane at any moment if we really try"
-Believed in human potential