Anthropology test 4

early states

a society with a formal, central government and a division of society into classes

urban revolution theory

if you have food surplus → you get more benefits, soldiers, laws, system

cuniform

earliest written document in Mesopotamia

ziggurat

temple and redistribution in early mesopotamia

class conflict

if wealth differentials can arise, they will.

Bronze

what was important in the Shang dynasty that help determine the next leader and makes weapons for the military?

Shang dynasty

Highly stratified society with divine King, nobility and commoners

Shang

inscribed Turtle shells Scapulimancy

Hydraulic hypothesis

If you control the river, you can have agriculture surplus and wealth differences

nile valley

example of the hydraulic hypothesis, but out of necessity

circumscription and warfare Hypothesis

Population increased through time and led to a scarcity of land. Scarcity of land led to conflict/war → conquering neighbor territories

trade theory

The change to a market economy based on regulated commerce- fixed prices and currency is closely tied to the development of the state

Indus valley

example of trade theory, had Standardized weights, sewage system, traded pottery and marine shells

collapse of states

Resource Depletion, human mismanagement, environmental fluctuation

characteristics of the state

Urbanism, Record Keeping, Agricultural Surplus & Long-Distance Trade, Social Stratification, State Religion, Monumental Public Works

Palette of Namar

evidence for unification of Egypt

Theories for Origins

Hydraulic, Circumscription, Trade

Rosetta Stone

contained hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek (translation)

papyrus

earliest paper

Caste system

occupational work passed down from one generation to the next

when king stops feeding workers when they build his funeral

early evidence of worker 1st strike in Egypt

Polytheism

belief in many gods

life of the commoner

Not isolated from outside to protect state secrets, Birth-beds, Stele & wall niches, first development of cellars

Rites of Legitimization

reinforce the divine authority of the ruler

monotheism

Cult of Aton, Sole creator of the universe, Sun god

iron comes from meteorites, iron was part of the sky, info taken from Pyramid Texts

what did Egyptians believe about meteorites?

Egypt was ruled by Nubians, who restored everything

What happened during the Third Intermediate Period regarding control of the state?

funerary ritual

What are the contents of the ceramic pots?

life on the east, death on the west

why is the cemetery on the west side of the Nile?

untouched tomb with artifacts not typical of Egypt

What was found in Burial Tomb 6 that is so unique?

women had power to do anything and independence

What was the role of women in Nubian culture?

canopic jars

Where are the organs of the dead placed?

it collapsed

What happened to Tomb 6 after they stopped excavating due to the heat?

arrival of Persians

What caused the elimination of the God’s Wife of Amun?

mummification

Body packed with natron & let dry, wrapped in linen and covered with tree resin, belief in physical body, shadow, name, spirit, personality and immortality

mastabas

earliest architecture in Egypt

tomb of king tut

Tomb created in a rush-few- polychrome bas-reliefs on wall

representing journey to the land of the dead