Prehistory to Ancient Near East – Key Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of 75 vocabulary flashcards covering chronological terms, prehistoric periods and sites, early artistic techniques, Neolithic settlements, and major architectural, cultural, and decorative concepts from the Ancient Near East. These cards provide concise definitions to aid quick recall and exam preparation.

Millennium

A period of 1,000 years (e.g., the third millennium AD runs from 2001-3000).

Century

A period of 100 years (e.g., the 21st century spans 2001-2100).

Decade

A period of 10 years (e.g., the 2020s run from 2020-2029).

y.a. (years ago)

A dating abbreviation indicating more than 10,000 years before the present.

ca. / c.

Latin for circa; placed before a date to show it is approximate or ‘around’ that time.

b.p.

Stands for ‘before the present,’ used mainly in scientific dating contexts.

BC / AD

Christian date notation meaning ‘Before Christ’ and ‘Anno Domini’ (‘in the year of our Lord’).

BCE / CE

Secular notation meaning ‘Before the Common Era’ and ‘Common Era.’

Stone Age

Umbrella term for the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods when stone tools dominated.

Paleolithic

‘Old Stone Age’ (c. 2,500,000 y.a.–10,000 BCE); chipped-stone tools; hunter-gatherers and cave art.

Mesolithic

‘Middle Stone Age’; transitional phase with microlithic tools and increased seasonal settlements.

Neolithic

‘New Stone Age’ (c. 10,000–3,000 BCE); polished-stone tools, agriculture, animal domestication, villages.

Bronze Age

Era following the Stone Age when metal smelting (bronze) became widespread (c. 3,000–1,200 BCE).

Neolithic Revolution

Shift from hunting-gathering to farming and herding that led to permanent settlements and villages.

Homo sapiens

Modern humans; emerged c. 200,000 BCE and eventually created complex cultures and art.

Terra Amata

One of the earliest known fabricated shelters (c. 400,000–300,000 y.a.) on the French Riviera.

Mammoth-bone hut

Ice-Age dwellings in Ukraine/Czech Republic (c. 23,000–12,000 BCE) built from mammoth bones.

Nesting instinct

Human desire for a secure, permanent home—root of architecture.

Artistic instinct

Urge to create visual order and significance—root of art and interior decoration.

Chauvet Cave

French cave with the world’s oldest known cave paintings (c. 30,000 y.a.).

Lascaux Cave

French cave famous for polychrome animal paintings (c. 17,000–15,000 y.a.).

Altamira Cave

Spanish cave with polychrome bison paintings (c. 11,000–9,000 y.a.); first discovered cave art site.

Petroglyph

Rock engraving created by incising or abrading a stone surface to form pictograms or symbols.

Great Black Bull

Largest painted figure in Lascaux (5.2 m long), exemplifying Paleolithic monumental art.

Shaft of the Dead Man

Rare human scene in Lascaux showing a wounded bison and bird-headed man.

Polychrome painting

Multi-colored painting technique used in Altamira and Lascaux cave art.

Venus of Willendorf

Limestone female figurine (Austria, 24,000–22,000 BCE) symbolizing fertility.

Venus of Laussel

French relief of a woman holding a horn (22,000–19,000 BCE); fertility icon.

Catal Huyuk

Large Neolithic settlement in Anatolia (c. 7500 BCE) of mud-brick houses, shrines, rooftop entrances.

Skara Brae

Stone-built Neolithic village in Orkney, Scotland (3180–2500 BCE) with stone furniture.

Stone dresser

Prominent stone shelving unit facing the entrance in Skara Brae homes, likely symbolic.

Post-and-lintel

Basic construction system of upright posts supporting horizontal beams; used at Stonehenge.

Megalithic construction

Building with large stones without mortar; characteristic of Stonehenge and other monuments.

Stonehenge

Neolithic/Bronze Age stone circle in Wiltshire, England (c. 3500–1500 BCE); ritual monument.

Hearth (Neolithic)

Central fireplace providing heat, light, cooking, and social focus in early dwellings.

Platform burial

Catal Huyuk practice of burying deceased under mud-brick platforms within the home.

Sumerians

Earliest Mesopotamian civilization (c. 2800–2003 BCE); invented writing and built ziggurats.

Cuneiform

Wedge-shaped script of Sumerians written on clay tablets with a reed stylus.

Ziggurat

Stepped, terraced Mesopotamian temple platform symbolizing a ‘mountain of the gods.’

Great Ziggurat of Ur

Massive three-tiered ziggurat (c. 2100 BCE) built by Ur-Nammu for moon-god Nanna.

Nanna / Sin

Mesopotamian moon deity honored at Ur; temples crowned the ziggurat.

Lamassu

Assyrian protective sculpture of a human-headed, winged bull or lion placed at gateways.

Low relief

Shallow stone carving technique used in Assyrian narrative panels and palace dados.

Ishtar Gate

Glazed-brick ceremonial gate of Babylon (c. 575 BCE) decorated with dragons and bulls.

Glazed brick

Fired brick coated with colored glaze; produced brilliant façades in Neo-Babylonian architecture.

Processional Way

Sacred road leading through the Ishtar Gate into Babylon, lined with glazed-brick reliefs.

Persepolis

Persian Achaemenid royal citadel (518–460 BCE) featuring grand palaces on a raised platform.

Apadana

Audience hall at Persepolis with 72 columns and elaborate stairway reliefs.

Tachara

‘Palace of Darius’ at Persepolis, an exclusive residence of Darius I.

Gate of All Nations

Persepolis gateway adorned with colossal guardian figures, welcoming envoys of the empire.

Hall of Hundred Columns

Large throne hall at Persepolis supported by 100 animal-topped columns.

Bull capital

Double-headed bull sculpture topping Persian columns, supporting wooden roof beams.

Achaemenid style

Persian architectural style marked by high stone platforms, columned halls, and sculpted capitals.

Tree of Life motif

Stylized palmette composition symbolizing fertility and eternity in Near Eastern art.

Rosette motif

Circular floral design common in Mesopotamian ornament and later Islamic art.

Guilloche motif

Interlaced band pattern resembling braided ribbons, used on bricks and reliefs.

Palmette motif

Fan-shaped leaf design frequently decorating Near Eastern and Greek objects.

Lotus-flower motif

Stylized lotus blossom used decoratively in Mesopotamian and Egyptian art.

Fertile Crescent

Arc of rich lands between the Tigris and Euphrates; cradle of early agriculture and cities.

Arch

Curved structural element perfected by Mesopotamians to span openings.

Barrel vault

Continuous arched ceiling formed by extending an arch in depth; early example in Sumerian work.

Dome

Rounded roof developed from arches; Sumerians employed mud-brick domes on reed houses.

Reed house

Traditional Sumerian dwelling built of bundled reeds and mud plaster.

Mud brick

Sun-dried clay block; principal construction material in Mesopotamia and Catal Huyuk.

Bitumen

Natural tar used as mortar or waterproof coating on ziggurat facings.

Assyria

Northern Mesopotamian kingdom (884–612 BCE) that built fortified palaces and war reliefs.

Dur Sharrukin

Capital city founded by Sargon II (c. 722–705 BCE) with massive palaces and lamassu gates.

Throne Room (Assyrian)

Grand audience chamber lined with carved stone slabs depicting royal exploits.

Relief panel

Stone slab with carved imagery, often forming a continuous narrative along palace walls.

Nineveh

Assyrian capital under Ashurbanipal; site of vast libraries and palace reliefs.

Tigris River

Eastern river of Mesopotamia; flanks sites like Ashur, Nineveh, and Nimrud.

Euphrates River

Western Mesopotamian river flowing past Ur and Babylon; nurtured early civilization.

Zodiac (12 signs)

Astrological division of the heavens first formalized by Babylonian astronomers.

Aqueduct

Engineered water channel; technology learned from Near East and perfected in Rome.

Glazed tile

Color-coated ceramic tile used for decorative wall surfaces in Babylon and Persia.