Compact Master Revision: Prehistory to Ancient Near East and Egypt

Comprehensive practice flashcards in question-and-answer format covering Human Origins, Prehistoric Settlement, Epic of Gilgamesh, Akkad, Babylon, Mari, the Hittite Empire, and the New Kingdom of Egypt based strictly on the compact lecture revision notes.

According to the notes, which African ape lived around 20 million years ago, dwelt in trees, and ate fruit and leaves?

Proconsul

Which hominin lived around 4 million years ago, walked upright, gathered food, and lived in groups in the African savanna?

Australopiths

What hominin is known as "handy man," dates to around 2.5 million years ago, and is associated with simple stone tools and a brain size of approximately $600\text{--}800\,\text{g}$?

Homo habilis

What were the names given to the first pair of hominin fossils discovered at Dmanisi, Georgia, in 1999?

Zezva and Mzia

What brain volume and approximate age are associated with Skull 5, discovered at Dmanisi in 2005?

Approximately $546\,\text{cm}^3$ brain volume and around 1.77 million years old

What social hypothesis was proposed based on the discovery of a toothless elderly man at Dmanisi?

Scientists suggested that companions may have cared for him, although this remains a hypothesis

What are the two models of human origins described in the notes?

The Multiregional model and the "Eve" or replacement model

When, where, and by whom was Homo naledi discovered?

In 2013 by Lee Berger and colleagues in a South African cave system (named in 2015)

What physical features characterized Neanderthals according to your notes?

A large middle part of the face, angled cheekbones, a large nose, short and stocky bodies adapted to cold environments, and brains as large as, or larger than, modern human brains

What percentage of the modern human genome in people of European and Asian heritage consists of Neanderthal DNA?

Roughly $2\%$

Where were Denisovans first identified, and from what skeletal element was their DNA extracted?

In Denisova Cave, Siberia, from DNA extracted from a finger bone

What modern human adaptations are linked to Denisovan DNA in your notes?

High-altitude adaptation in Tibetans and heat-storing brown fat in Inuit populations

According to the textbook, when did modern humans appear in Africa, and within what timeframe did they begin appearing in Europe and Asia?

In Africa no later than approximately 120,000 years ago, and in Europe and Asia within the next 30,000 years

When and how did New Guineans reach Polynesia according to the textbook?

Around 1000 CE using canoes

How did anthropologist Sally Slocum challenge traditional theories of human evolution?

She argued that hunting alone did not drive evolution, showing that gathering contributed significantly to nutrition, tools were used for digging roots and plants, and containers, slings, childcare, and social organization influenced brain development

Which Paleolithic tool tradition is associated with hand axes and cleavers from 2.5 million to 150,000 years ago?

Acheulian

Which tool tradition, dating to approximately $20{,}000\text{--}17{,}000\text{ BCE}$, is credited with the first known needles?

Solutrean

What key features characterize the Magdalenian tool tradition ($17{,}000\text{--}12{,}000\text{ BCE}$)?

Bone and antler tools, including barbed harpoons

What two explanations for the origins of language are presented in the notes?

Language developed gradually through cultural evolution, or humans possess an innate biological capacity for it (as argued by Noam Chomsky)

How did annual working hours for early farmers compare to those of hunter-gatherers?

Early farmers worked $1{,}000\text{--}1{,}300\,\text{hours}$ per year obtaining food, compared with $800\text{--}1{,}000\,\text{hours}$ for hunter-gatherers

Which crops and domesticated animals were associated with the Fertile Crescent in the notes?

Wheat, barley, peas, lentils, goats, and sheep

To what date do the notes assign Gilgamesh's rule at Uruk, and where was the most complete version of his epic found?

Around 2600 BCE; the most complete version came from tablets in the library at Nineveh, around 750 BCE

Why was the Cedar Forest expedition to defeat Humbaba and fell trees economically significant for Mesopotamia?

Mesopotamia lacked wood, stone, and metals, making timber a vital natural resource

In the Sumerian flood account, why did the gods decide to destroy humanity?

Humanity grew in number and became too noisy, disturbing Enlil

How long did the storm last in the Sumerian flood account, and which birds did Utnapishtim release to check the water level?

Six days and seven nights; he released a dove, a swallow, and a raven

In Genesis 6–8, why did God bring the flood, and who were Noah's three sons?

God saw increasing human wickedness and injustice; Noah's sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth

How does the ending of Utnapishtim's story differ from the conclusion of Noah's flood account?

Utnapishtim and his wife received immortality from Enlil, whereas Noah built an altar, offered sacrifices, and received God's promise never to destroy all living creatures again in the same way

According to the Legend of Sargon, who rescued Sargon from the Euphrates, and what position did Sargon attain under Ur-Zababa of Kish?

Akki, chief gardener to Ur-Zababa, rescued him; Sargon later became the king's cup-bearer

What symbolic act did Sargon perform upon reaching the Persian Gulf (the Lower Sea)?

He symbolically washed his weapons there

Which specific trade goods did Akkad import from Dilmun, Magan, and Meluhha?

Dilmun: copper, tin, ivory, and timber; Magan: copper and diorite; Meluhha: pearls, carnelian, silver, elephants, monkeys, and buffalo

Who was Enheduanna, and how did she help legitimize Sargon's rule?

Sargon's daughter; she was appointed high priestess at the Temple of Nanna in Ur and composed hymns

During what years did Hammurabi rule, and what script and language were used for his law code?

1792–1750 BCE; written in the Akkadian language using Sumerian cuneiform script

How did the Code of Hammurabi use the Euphrates River in determining legal judgment?

An accused person could be required to jump into the Euphrates, and the river's outcome was treated as a judgment of guilt or innocence

How were the clay tablets of Mari preserved, and how many were discovered between 1933 and 1938?

They were unintentionally baked and preserved by a palace fire; more than 15,000 tablets were excavated

What roles did Shibtu and Inibshina hold in the royal court of Mari?

Shibtu was Zimri-Lim's wife and held considerable authority at court; Inibshina managed royal archives and conveyed prophecies to the king

What symbolic and punitive action did Anitta take after capturing the city of Hattusa?

He captured Hattusa, sowed weeds there, and warned future kings not to rebuild it

What symbolic gifts did the ruler of Purušhanda present to Anitta?

An iron throne and an iron scepter

Which deity did Mursili II address in his first prayer regarding the plague, and how was the prayer performed?

The Sun Goddess of Arinna; the prayer was repeated for seven days in Hattusa and Arinna

According to Mursili II's second prayer, what two specific offenses caused the twenty-year plague in Hatti?

A neglected sacrifice/ritual to the Mala River and a broken treaty agreement with Egypt after his father attacked border territory following the murder of an Egyptian prince sent to Hatti

What religious and moral belief does Mursili II's second prayer express regarding ancestral guilt?

The belief that a father's sin can pass to his son

How did Mursili II deal with Queen Tawannanna after accusing her of causing his wife's death?

He chose not to execute her, instead removing her from the palace and priestly office and granting her an estate

Which Babylonian official did King Hattusili accuse of falsely claiming that Hatti treated Babylon as a subordinate?

Itti-Marduk-balatu

How do the penalties in the Hittite Laws generally differ from those in the Code of Hammurabi?

Hittite Laws frequently prescribe financial compensation and medical care or replacement labor, whereas Hammurabi's code emphasizes physical talionic punishments ("an eye for an eye")

What were the primary military and defensive accomplishments of Ahmose I?

He expelled the Hyksos, restored Egyptian independence, built buffer zones and fortified settlements, and campaigned in the Levant, Syria, and south against Kush

What was the extent of Thutmose III's military campaigns during his reign ($1458\text{--}1425\text{ BCE}$)?

He led at least 17 military campaigns and captured around 350 cities

What major religious changes did Akhenaten enact in the fifth and ninth years of his reign?

In year 5, he shifted exclusive devotion from Amun to Aten and changed his name; by year 9, he closed traditional temples and suppressed traditional religious practices

How did Amarna-period art differ from traditional Egyptian royal art?

Amarna art depicted Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their children with unusual facial features and bodily proportions beneath Aten's sun disk and rays, breaking from the traditional depiction of the king as an idealized, strong ruler

How do the notes define an "Empire"?

A state controlling multiple cities and territories, as Sargon did in Akkad

How do the notes define the court role of a "cup-bearer"?

A trusted court official who served drinks to the king and could hold influence through close access to the ruler