anc civ midterm

neolithic period

Also known as the *New Stone Age*, this is the period that saw the arrival of the *Agricultural Revolution*

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.

fertile crescent

A geographical area of fertile land in the Middle East stretching in a broad semicircle from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates. where most plants were grown as it was the only piece of fertile land

agriculture

The deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth's surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain.

irrigation

The process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.

bronze

Some people call the later part of the Neolithic Age the \______ Age because of the advancements in metalurgy and tools.

hunter-gatherers

Nomadic groups whose food supply depends on hunting animals and collecting plant foods

nomadic

wandering, moving about from place to place

sedentary

remaining in one place

civilization

A society with cities, a central government, job specialization, and social classes

surplus

A situation in which quantity supplied is greater than quantity demanded

divison of labor

the type of arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job

Domestication

the taming of animals for human use, such as work or as food

cuneiform

A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge shaped stylus and clay tablets.

city-state

a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.

Bureaucracy

a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

Social Heirarchy

the division of society by rank or class

shamash

God of the sun

Gilgamesh

A legendary Sumerian king who was the hero of an epic collection of mythic stories

Ziggurat

A rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians

hierartic scale

used in ancient depictions, used size to show importance

register

an official list or record, for example of births, marriages, and deaths, of shipping, or of historic places.

lapis lazuli

a bright blue metamorphic rock consisting largely of lazurite, used for decoration and in jewelry in the ancient periods

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Monotheism

belief in only one god

Arhcaeology

study of everything around humans

Anthropology

The study of humans

Sargon the Great

Mesopotamian rule and created the worlds first empire of nations and city-states

akkadians

this civilization included Semitic people living north of Sumeria; united city-states of Mesopotamia; first empire in history; established by Sargon the Great

ensi

Sumerian ruler

stele

A carved stone slab used to mark graves or to commemorate historical events.

old babylonians

Mesopotamia, Amorites established this empire, conqered plains under great ruler Hammurabi

hammurabi

He designed a legal code in early Babylon that gave punishment based on crime and social status. Relied on the principle of lex talionis.

code of hammurabi

A collection of 282 laws. One of the first (but not THE first) examples of written law in the ancient world.

Nile River

The world's longest river, which flows northward through East Africa into the Mediterranean Sea. controlled by the god hapi. thought to bring good floods and bad floods for the egyptians

delta

A landform made of sediment that is deposited where a river flows into an ocean or lake

upper egypt

the southern part of ancient Egypt

lower egypt

Northern Egypt

narmer

Egyptian King who is believed to have brought 2 Egyptian Kingdoms together.

sneferu

King of the 4th dynasty; Old Kingdom; 1st classical pyramid at Dashur; Depicted with both crowns of Egypt; Pyramid initially constructed bent

COMPOSITE PERSPECTIVE/STANCE

a perspective where different parts of the body are shown form different views

smiting pose

used in Egyptian art and shows one figure about to kill another

dynasty

a powerful family or group of rulers that maintains its position or power for some time

pharoah

a king of ancient Egypt, considered a god as well as a political leader

nomes

the various provinces of Upper and Lower Egypt

vizier

chief minister who supervised the business of government in ancient Egypt

ma'at

the Egyptian concept of truth, justice, and cosmic order, represented by a goddess, often portrayed with a feather upon her head

djoser

had the first step pyramid built at his tomb in Saqqara

khufu

Egyptian pharaoh who built the great pyramid

pyramids

Huge stone tombs with four triangle-shaped walls that met in a point on top

giza

City in northern Egypt and site of the Great Pyramid

orisis

God of the underworld

horus

God of the sky

ra

God of the sun

weni the elder

very trusted member of Egyptian monarchy, led many military campaigns

intermediate period

Times when Egypt was fragmented and ruled by foreign kings

Metuhotep

credited for reuniting egypt, sixth ruler of the eleventh dynasty, ended the first intermediate period

coregency

a practice in which a royal successor is chosen and rules alongside the reigning kind to ensure a competent transition from one to the other.

Internal Colonization

the policy of exploiting minority groups for economic gain

old kingdom

a period in Egyptian history that lasted from about 2700 BC to 2200 BC

middle kingdom

the period of Egyptian history from about 2050 to 1750 BC and marked by order and stability

Red Crown of Lower Egypt

worn by pharaohs to symbolize rule over lower Egypt

White Crown of Upper Egypt

worn by pharaohs to symbolize rule over upper Egypt

pyramid texts

A collection of ancient Egyptian religious texts, possibly the oldest religious texts in the world

ahmose

New Kingdom pharaoh who drove the Hyksos out of the Nile Delta and reunited Egypt.

hyksos

a group of nomadic invaders from southwest Asia who ruled Egypt from 1640 to 1570 B.C.

avaris

capital of Egypt under the Hyksos

composite bow

A bow made of several materials

chariots

A strong military unit of the ancient time, combining pastoralist technologies of horseback riding and wheels.

manetho

Egyptian priest and advisor who began keeping records of the ancient Egyptian kings

hatshepsut

First female pharaoh who expanded Egypt through trade

thutmose III

Stepson of Hatshepsut; considered a great pharaoh of the New Kingdom of Egypt, led the battle of meggido

Akhenaten

early ruler of Egypt who rejected the old gods and replaced them with Aten, the sun god.

aten

The sun disk god worshipped by Akhenaten

Tutankhamen

a 10 year old pharaoh who ruled for nine years and then died unexpectantly; restored the old gods

Battle of Kadesh

around 1300 B.C.Hittites and Egyptians go to war and end up making peace-beneficial to both allance with both and babylonians, first allance evry between major nations

Ramsses II

A long-lived ruler of New Kingdom Egypt (1290-1224 B.C.E.) He reached an accommodation with the Hittites of Anatolia, and built on a grand scale around Egypt.

3100 bce

sumerians, egyptians

2625 bce

old kingdom egypt

2334 bce

akkadians

2130 bce

1st intermediate period

1980 bce

middle kingdom egypt

1900 bce

Babylonians

1630 bce

2nd Intermediate Period (Hyksos rule Lower Egypt)

1539 bce

New Kingdom Egypt

1392 bce

Middle Assyrians

911 bce

Neo-Assyrians expand empire after Dark Ages end

609 bce

Neo-Babylonians (Chaldeans) successfully rebel against Assyria

ramsses II

what pharoah fought the hittite empire at the battle of kadesh

ahmose

which pharoah defeated the hyksos

nomarchs

what people did ahmose use to strengthen his authority in egypt

Hittites

the first known peace treaty in the world was between egypt and what empire

valley of the kings

what is the name of the burial site for the new kingdom pharoahs

syria and nubia

where did the new kingdom pharoahs first start to campaign for new territory

hatshepsut

which egyptian pharoah was most proud of her diplomatic and economic ventures, such as the expedition to punt

tutankhamun

whose wife tricked a hittite king into sending a prince to marru her only to be killed

the first written records in human history

what represents the primary significance of the neolithic period

hunter-gatherer family groups

before c 6000 bc in what type of society did mesopotamians live

polytheism

what describes the sumerian religion

temple

who controlled the collection and distribution of crops in sumeria