MMW 11 Midterm Studyguide

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)