The Agricultural Revolution and Early Civilizations

Agricultural Revolution

The process by which humans settled into villages, worked the land for food, and domesticated animals.

BCE

Before Common Era.

Hunting

Depended on location, following herds of animals living on meat.

Gathering

Collection of nuts and berries.

Nomadic

Following of herds.

Fundamental Activity of Man

Food production.

Food Surpluses

Food became abundant due to domestication of animals and farming.

Job Specialization

Emergence of specific roles as not all workers were forced to search for food.

Population Growth

Population grew almost exponentially after settlement in communities, agriculture, and domestication of animals.

Sustenance Level

Food produced only enough to live on before the Agricultural Revolution.

Nomadic to Sedentary

Shift from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to settled farming communities.

Class Systems

Emergence of social stratification as societies became more complex.

Theocracy

A system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.

Civilization

A society characterized by cities, social stratification, and a system of writing.

Sumerians

People who lived in the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia.

Irrigation

Technological development needed to water fields in Southern Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform

A system of writing developed by the Sumerians.

Bronze

An alloy consisting of 9 parts copper and 1 part tin.

Çatal Hüyük

A Near East farming village located in the Taurus Mountains.

Jericho

Regarded as the oldest continuously populated city.

Alluvial Soil

Soil that is rich due to clay deposits and river silt from flood banks.

Technological Development

Advancements such as drains, large-scale irrigation, and the wheel.

Metallurgy

The science of working with metals, including the production of bronze.

Agricultural Surpluses

The goal of most early societies to produce excess food.

Food Scarcity

A condition experienced before the Agricultural Revolution.

Surrounding mountain ranges

Trapped rain in Southern Mesopotamia.

Southern Mesopotamia

Very fertile region, along with Palestine and Syria.

Modern-day Iraq

Most of Mesopotamia existed in this area.

Importance of rivers

Provided food production and transportation.

Sumerians

Relied heavily on water transportation.

Sumer's geography

Located in a flat river valley with no natural defensive features.

Mud brick walls

Built by Sumerians for defensive features.

Written records

Done in clay by Mesopotamians.

Irrigation systems

Heavily relied upon by Sumerians, requiring many people to maintain.

Cereal crops and dates

Grown by Sumerians, with dates being high in sugar and nutrients.

Persian Gulf

Located further up near Ur.

Class systems

Arose along with job specialization in cities.

Priests

The literate ones in control of society.

First city-states

Included Ur, Eridu, and Uruk.

Standard of Ur

Describes the class dynamic of Sumer, specifically Ur.

Astronomy

An important development that helped gauge property amounts for taxation.

Lunar calendar

28 lunar days made up 12 months with a leap month every 3rd year.

Urbanization

Allowed for historical records and learning from past mistakes.

Core Functions of Urban Communities

Included sacred spaces, basic security, and economic exchange.

Monumental architecture

Characterized cities and served specific purposes.

Power dynamics

Initially held by priests, later shifted to kings.

Sargon I

Conquered both Sumer and Akkad, known for unifying Mesopotamia.

Babylon

Emerging city after the Deluge, associated with Nimrod.

Chaldeans and Amorites

Later civilizations that controlled Mesopotamia.

Babylon

Known as the 'Gateway of the Gods' and became one of the largest and most important cities in the world.

Hammurabi

Ruled around 1750 BCE.

Lapis Lazuli trade

Monopolized by the Babylonians, sourcing it exclusively from Afghanistan.

Sumerian Kings List

A primary source document that was begun around 2600 BCE, tracking kingship.

Gilgamesh

Listed on the Sumerian Kings List.

Cuneiform

A form of writing used to form language, not a language itself.

Sumerian cities

Functioned as a redistributive economy where most commerce came through the temple complexes.

Ziggurats

Temple complexes where religious leaders were in power and thought to communicate with gods.

Sumer

Located in flood plains, frequently flooded, with abundant clay reserves.

Cylinder seals

Originally began with these, carved backwards into stone cylinders and rolled onto clay.

Pictographic representation

First form of writing that was nuanced and difficult to draw.

Literacy

Ability to understand, read/write cuneiform, typically limited to elites and priests + scribes.

Akkadian

A semitic language that affects modern language, used ceremoniously alongside Sumerian.

Rebus writing system

Included determinatives and compliments as a solution to ambiguities in meaning.

Epic of Gilgamesh

The first known piece of literature.

Enuma Elish

Originally an oral tradition, written down by Babylonians in 2000 BCE.

Marduk

The patron god of Babylon.

Anthropomorphic gods

Mesopotamian gods that acted like people and felt human emotions.

Ashurbanipal's library

Discovered in 1849, contained a copy of Gilgamesh.

Apsu and Tiamat

Two creation gods that dwell together before anything else exists.

Younger gods

Their noise disturbs Apsu and Tiamat, leading to Apsu's proposal to destroy them.

Ea

A previously praised Sumerian god who kills Apsu and Mummu in his sleep.

Apsu

A deity whose prophet Mummu urges him to destroy the gods.

Mummu

The prophet of Apsu who urges him to destroy the gods.

Ea

A previously praised Sumerian god who kills Apsu and Mummu in their sleep.

Tiamat

A goddess who wages war on Ea and appoints Kingu as her general.

Kingu

The general appointed by Tiamat, given the power of Anu and married to her.

Tablets of Destiny

Artifacts created by Tiamat that grant power.

Marduk

A god who steps forward to face Tiamat and desires to become king of the gods.

Genesis

A creation story written around 2500 BCE, heavily influenced by Enuma Elish.

Firmament

The separation between heaven and earth created on the second day.

Sabbath

The seventh day when God rested from his work.

Garden of Eden

A paradise planted by God, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

The tree in the Garden of Eden that Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from.

Agricultural Revolution

A period around 9,000 BCE when permanent settlements began due to farming.

Neolithic period

A period around 7,000 BCE marked by settlement in Middle Eastern towns.

Sumerian civilization

A civilization that arose around 3,500 BCE, known for regional conflicts over land.

Cuneiform

A writing system that emerged around 3,200 BCE.

Bronze metallurgy

The discovery of bronze made from 9 parts copper and 1 part tin around 3,000 BCE.

Deluge

A flood that occurred around 2,700 BCE, leaving Mesopotamia in ruins.

Epic of Gilgamesh

A literary work from around 2,600 BCE that is part of the Kings list manuscript.

Sargon I

An Akkadian king who ruled around 2,350 BCE and united Sumer and Akkad.

Amorites

A group that took over Mesopotamia around 2,000 BCE and made Babylon its capital.

Fertile Crescent

A region in the Near East known for its rich agricultural land.

Surpluses

Excess production of goods that allows for job specialization.

Theocracy

A system of government in which priests rule in the name of a god.

Monarchy

A system of government led by a king or queen.