Paleolithic and Early Civilizations Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the Paleolithic Era and early civilizations in Mesopotamia and the Middle East, including their characteristics, societal structures, technologies, and significant achievements.

Paleolithic Era

The Old Stone Age, a period from 2 million B.C.E. to about 10,000 B.C.E., characterized by the use of stone tools.

Hunting and Gathering

The act of obtaining food by killing wild animals and collecting wild fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

Nomad

A person who moves from one place to another, typically following food sources.

Hunter-gatherer

One who obtains food by killing wild animals and collecting wild fruit, vegetables, and nuts.

Paleolithic Tools

Tools made from various types of stones, bone, and antler, used for digging, cutting, hunting, and cleaning hides during the Old Stone Age.

Hominids

Ancestors of humans who walked upright, first found in the Great Rift Valley, Africa, around 2 million years ago.

Domesticate

The process by which humans learned to tame and control plants and animals for their benefit, leading to agriculture and pastoralism.

Neolithic Revolution

A major turning point when humans learned to domesticate plants and animals, leading to the development of agriculture and pastoralism.

Neolithic Age

The New Stone Age, characterized by the practice of agriculture, permanent settlements, food surpluses, and job specialization.

Agriculture

The practice of cultivating plants for food.

Pastoralism

The practice of raising livestock or herding animals.

Job Specialization

The development of different roles and occupations within a society due to food surpluses, such as farmers, craftsmen, and warriors.

Environmental Modification

Techniques like irrigation developed to manage and alter the environment for human benefit, particularly in agriculture.

CAARS

An acronym representing the five characteristics of a civilization: Complex Institutions, Advanced Technology, Advanced Cities, Record-keeping, and Specialized Workers.

Complex Institutions

Organized systems within a society, including government, religion, and social classes, designed to control and manage large populations.

Organized Government

A system of state control over people and resources, involved in large projects, law enforcement, tax collection, and defense.

Organized Religions

Systems of belief, often polytheistic, involving temples, rituals, and powerful priests who interpret divine will.

Social Classes

Hierarchical groups within society, determined by job or economic standing, typically ranging from rulers and nobles to farmers and slaves.

Art & Architecture (Civilization)

Various artworks and large-scale buildings expressing the talents, beliefs, and values of a society, often for religious or public purposes.

Public Works Projects

Large-scale, costly projects that benefit a city and its people publicly, such as canals for irrigation, clean water systems, or defensive walls.

Advanced Technology (Civilization)

New tools and techniques invented to solve the problems of living in large groups, such as the wheel, plow, and advanced irrigation systems.

Advanced Cities

Well-planned urban centers that served as hubs for trade and could support large, dense populations.

Record-keeping

The practice of documenting important information, often by scribes, for governments, religious leaders, or merchants.

Scribes

A new social class in early civilizations, responsible for writing and recording important information.

Tigris & Euphrates Rivers

Two major rivers in Mesopotamia, whose unpredictable flooding shaped the worldview of early civilizations and supported successful irrigation systems.

Fertile Crescent

A crescent-shaped region in the Middle East, known for its fertile land, where many early civilizations arose due to access to water.

Sumerians

An early civilization in Mesopotamia (3300-1793 BC) known for developing the first cities (Ur, Uruk, Kish), cuneiform, wheeled carts, and the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Cuneiform

The world's first system of writing, developed by the Sumerians, using wedge-shaped symbols pressed into clay tablets.

Epic of Gilgamesh

An ancient Mesopotamian epic poem from Sumerian culture, one of the earliest surviving works of literature.

Ziggurats

Massive stepped temples built by Sumerians (and later adopted by Babylonians) at the center of each city-state to honor and house the gods.

Polytheistic

The belief in or worship of more than one god.

Theocracy

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

Cultural Diffusion

The spread of cultural beliefs, social activities, and technologies from one group or society to another.

Babylonians

An ancient Mesopotamian civilization (2000-1600 BC) known for their empire under King Hammurabi and his comprehensive legal code.

Hammurabi's Code

One of the world's earliest and most complete written legal codes, established by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, known for its 'eye for an eye' principle.

Phoenicians

A civilization (1200-300 BC) along the Mediterranean Sea, known as the 'Carriers of Civilization' for their seafaring trade, development of the first alphabet, and 'Royal purple' dye.

Phoenician Alphabet

The world's first alphabet, developed by the Phoenicians, consisting of 22 consonant symbols, which later influenced the Greek and Roman alphabets.

Carriers of Civilization

A title given to the Phoenicians for their role in widely diffusing ancient culture, goods, and ideas throughout the Mediterranean region through trade.

Royal Purple

An expensive dyed cloth color, characteristic of the Phoenicians, derived from snails unique to the Mediterranean coast and a symbol of wealth and royalty.

Persians

A powerful empire (586-330 BC) that established the largest Middle Eastern empire (Achaemenid Empire), known for building roads, centralized government, and tolerant rulers like Cyrus.

Cyrus the Great

A Persian king and great general, known for his wise and tolerant rule over conquered cultures, allowing some self-rule within his vast empire.

Darius

A Persian king who expanded the Persian Empire, established a centralized government, unified laws, taxes, and a money system, but failed to conquer Greece.

Hebrews

An ancient people (2000-586 BC) in Palestine, known for developing the first major monotheistic belief, Judaism, and the Ten Commandments.

Monotheism

The belief in or worship of one god.

Judaism

The first major monotheistic religion, developed by the Hebrews, centered around the worship of YHWH and the observance of the Ten Commandments.

Ten Commandments

One of the earliest moral and ethical codes, given to the Hebrews, outlining fundamental principles of behavior and worship.

The Exodus

The biblical story of the Hebrews fleeing Egyptian slavery, led by Moses, to reach the Promised Land.

King David and Solomon

Important Hebrew kings who helped build Jerusalem into a magnificent capital, glorifying the Jewish faith and strengthening the kingdom.