Ancient Civ Finals Study Guide

Studying the Past: What is historical evidence and examples

Things left by people which are studied in order to understand what life was like in the past

* diaries, letters, photographs

Artifacts and examples

Objects that were made by humans

* art, tools, clothing, pottery

Documents and examples

Piece of written or printed information that serves as an official record.

* letters, executive orders, written laws

Prehistory: How old is the earth? How old are written records?

The earth = 4 billion years old

Written Records = 5000 years old (3,000 BCE)

Prehistory: Where do we get our information for the prehistoric period?

artifacts, anthropology, and archeology

Anthropology:

The study of origins and development of people and their societies

Archaeology:

(a branch of anthropology) → study of past people and cultures through their material remains

Prehistory: Are there exact dates?

no, humans either did not exist or were not capable of recording information

What were the 2 eras of the Prehistoric period

Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras

Dates for the Paleolithic Era

2,000,000 - 10,000 BCE

* Part of the prehistoric time period

Paleolithic Era:

A period of stone and era where people were completely dependent on the environment for survival - crucial to adapt to changes in the environment (no medicine or technology)

Paleolithic Era: What does Paleolithic refer to?

The Old Stone Age

* Lithos= stone (no metal) → they used bones, wood, and stone

Paleolithic Era: This was a time of environmental changes. Like what?

Ice Ages

Paleolithic Era: Were men and women equal?

yes

Paleolithic Era: How did Paleolithic people live and survive during the ice ages?

They were nomadic tribes that split two jobs. Men= hunters and women= gatherers. They had religious beliefs, used tools and weapons, used fire, and used every part of the animal for everything.

Nomads:

People who moved from place to place for food

* non-settled bands of 20-30 people

Hunter gatherers:

Hunters: males who would hunt animals for food - very hard though

Gatherers: women were the main providers for food because they collected berries and used string for nets and fish.

Paleolithic Era: Evidence of religious beliefs:

* the perished were buried with tools and food - evidence that they believe in an afterlife - it was a way to prepare them for the dangers of the afterlife

Paleolithic Era: What was fire used for?

warmth, cooking, and keeping dangerous animals away

Paleolithic Era: Use of every part of the animals:

* shelter
* clothing
* tools
* etc.

When was the first evidence of art and where

30,000 years ago in caves of Altamira, Spain and Lascaux, France

* Still no language or writing

Paleolithic Era: What did they paint:

painted animals on walls and ceilings deep inside the caves

Paleolithic Era: Why animals:

* out of fear and respect
* animals provided for them everything

Paleolithic Era: Why did they paint the animals deep inside the caves:

Because the paintings were specials to them and they wanted to preserve them from the rain and weather.

Paleolithic Era: What did they look like?

* 20-50 ft tall
* used fowers, blood, charcoal, and utilized their knowledge of the climate to make it stick.
* Realistic
* Used depth, shading, etc.

Why were they created?

Theory : because of animism

Animism:

belief in spirit in each animal, nature, and humans

How were the nomads able to see in caves

used lanterns that used the fat of animals to keep the fire going and grow bright. (since there was lack of oxygen, without animal fat it was hard for the fire to stay up)

Paleolithic people also created statues. Like what?

The Venus of Willendorf

What was that?

Size?

Why?

A 3-4 in pregnant woman created for religious meaning

* They didn’t understand birth, so they believed women were magical
* Tiny so you could easily carry it around
* Had no face to imply that is was for all women
* had a hair net to convey women’s gathering duties

What were the dates for the Neolithic Era?

10,000- 3,000 BCE

* also part of the prehistoric period

Neolithic Era: What does this time refer to?

The New Stone Age

Why is this time called Neolithic?

Neo = new lithos = stone

* no writing or language still
* They are learning to grind and make better tools
* This was the first major revolution
* Will eventually happen everywhere
* End of Ice Age

Neolithic Era: Where did it first begin?

in the Middle East

* Happened at different times on different continens

Neolithic Era: Why was this the turning point in history?

Agriculture

began to settle

Neolithic Revolution summary

A revolution that first began in the Middle East and was a turning point for history. This is because this revolution was a wide-scale transition of human cultures from hunter gathering and nomadic lifestyles to agriculture and settlement.

Neolithic Era: When does it come to an end:

* When the Ice Age ends
* Metal - copper and bronze - begin to be used, becoming the Bronze Age → a new age
* Bigger homes and language emerge
* Learned to melt and bend metal
* Learning to domesticate animals, but it is hard

Neolithic Era: What is the significance of settlement?

* domestication of animals
* bigger homes and ideas when you stay home
* farming

Significance of Farming

* Domestication
* Permanent communities
* Controlled government
* Population grows
* New technology
* Division of Labor
* Inequality/ patriarchy
* Leads to civilization

Domestication

to put under control for use

* Did this with plants and animals

Permanent community examples

* Jericho→ Established first, located in Israel, population of 1000 people, built one of the most famous walls in all history
* Catal Huyuk → Located in Turkey, population of 6000 people, known for connecting their homes with vegatation

Controlled government

Meant he people would be better protected from environment/elements

* we are no longer dependent on moving with animals

Population growth

* Surpluses of food caused a bigger population
* People became wealthy, beginning the separation of what would soon become different classes

New technology

Since we are settled, we have time to think of more ideas. Since they are no longer moving, they can develop bigger products they won’t have to carry with them.

* yar
* Hoe
* water buffalo with a plow
* grinding and sharpening tools

Division of Labor

Certain people with certain jobs are dependent on each other and trade

Inequality/ patriarchy

Women end up in the homes while men do the labor and become leaders. Meaning, inequality began when nomadic life ended and the neolithic revolution began.

Development of civilizations

Farming leads to surpluses of food, to population growth, to a new stage of human development, creating civilizations

What did flat open plains mean for the civilization

* No natural barriers against attack
* Invasion and conquest = the most important features in history of the ancient Middle East
* The Fertile Crescent became a crossroad for cultural diffusion and the exchange of ideas
* Good for farming

Who were the Sumerians

The first civilization in history

* 3000 BCE

What were their cities

12 cities : Ur, Urek, etc.

* center of population ehere jobs, homes, and diversity is
* Cities were rivals of each other

What was each city surrounded by and why

a wall to provide security and protection against rivals and enemies

What were the walls made out of why

clay and water → all they knew how to use, all the had (no lumber)

What was found in the rubble of Sumerian cities and what does it tell us

Items from Egypt and India - tells us there was cultural diffusion and trade

How do we know about the Sumerians

They were the first civilization to write so we have primary sources of them

What was the religion back at the time

polytheistic

How did they view their gods

* everything was controlled by the gods / they were the cause of everything
* gods has human emotions

What are ziggurats

Large stepped platforms with temples at the tp to honor the gods

* public works
* pieces of art

What was their view of the afterlife and why

Grim afterlife with no escape

* They have a depressing view because they live an unsteady life with their unpredictable rivers
* They have a dark life so they only have pessimistic views

Where was it written that the afterlife is the “house where on goes in and never cmes out again”

Epic of Gilgamesh

What is cuneiform

wedge-like clay tablet with inscribed symbols

* culturally diffused
* lasts for thousands of years
* Indents were made in the clay, then the clay would be baked in the sun
* Oldest form of writing in the world
* Before hyroglifics

Who learns it and who uses it

Males and **wealthy** girls learned it

Priests and Scribes used it

Why is it so significant

* First writings
* tells us more about early civilizations like Sumeria

What is Behisten Rock

A large inscription on a mountain in cuneiform located in Iran ( the Middle East )

who discovered the Behistun Rock

Sir Henry Rawlinson

What was the Epic of Gilgamesh

A legend of a king/hero looking for immortality

* there was a huge flood

Where was it inscribed

on 12 tablets - some of which are missing or broken

What is the Epic of Gilgamesh similar to

Stories of the Old Testament, like Noah’s Ark

Why was the Epic of Gilgamesh significant

Tells us about Sumerians

Legacy of the Sumerians

Invented writing, libraries, cities, and schools in Mesopotamia

Who took over the Sumerians and why

Akkadians because they were attracted to the fertile land of Mesopotamia

Who were they?

The first solid empire and like the Sumerian ways

* 2300 BCE

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Who was their ruler

Sargon 1 of Akkad

What did he do

* build the first solid empire by establishing a permanent army to defend Akkad.
* 1st to conquer

What culture did he adopt

Sumerian culture, including: Artistic style, cuneiform, and religion

Who conquered the Akkadians

The Babylonians

Who ruled the Babylonians

King Hammurabi

Who was he?

He was the king of Babylon who conquered Mesopotamia in 1790 BCE

* Public works and trade advisor

What culture did he adopt

Also adopted Sumerian culture - cuneiform, religion, etc.

What did he create that was so important

haHammurabi

What is it

The oldest known legal system (1)

* Set of laws for all to follow (3)

Where was it published

on an 8ft tall pillar (2)

What kind of laws did it have

civil and criminal laws that were codified (4)

What were these laws about

5. fairness and religion
6. punishment
7. upper class unfairness (upper class is treated better)
8. Patriarchy
9. Protect the powerless (like women)
10. Value of life and role in society, or else you would face punishment

Who took over the Babylonians

Hittites in 1400 BCE

* Domesticated from Asia
* violent

What culture did they adopt

they all adopt sumerian culture

What did the introduce to Mesopotamia

Iron

* Super strong metal that was culturally diffused
* Important because now they can make better weapons

What did the Hittites modify

horse drawn chariots

* important because it started the launch of the military world

How long did they rule and who did they come into contact with

* Ruled in the Fertile Crescent until 1200 BCE
* As their civilization was growing, they came into contact with Egypt

Who took over the Hittites

Assyrians

Who are they

The biggest empire so far and conquered the whole Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean Coast) as well as Egypt

* 1100 BCE

Why did they believe the land was so fertile?

Adopted the belief of the Sumerians and believed the gods graced them

What was their cultural contribution

A library at Nineveh

Who built it

King Assurbanipal

* wanted to collect as many cuneiform tablets as possible

What is the significance of the library

The books are preserved and didn’t break

Who says this quote:

“Many of the captives I burned in a fire…. I put out the eyes of many”

Ashurnasirpal II

→ Assyrians loved to torture

What happened to them

Their violent, large empire made people want to overthrow them until they were conquered in 612 BCE by the Chaldeans

Who are the Chaldeans

The New Babylonians who rebuild the city of Babylon and made it as their capital

* built walls and a moat around their civilization for protection

Who was the ruler of this 2nd Babylonian Empire

King Nebuchadnezzar

* also adopted much Sumerian culture