Hist 150 chapter 1

How did villages and towns become cities?

settlements in good locations attracted newcomers over time

Which of the following regions saw the development of urban areas within several centuries of the world's first known cities in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers?

south america, china, india

The earliest evidence of agricultural activity discovered so far dates to the era after 9000 b.c.e., when peoples of Blank______ cultivated wheat and barley while domesticating sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle.

southwest asia

Despite its intelligence, Homo erectus was not capable of

speaking a sophisticated language

which of the following tools did paleolithic hunters use to hunt big game?

spears, bows and arrows, sharp knives

Neolithic era literally means the new _____ age.

stone

The idea that neolithic cave painters might have sought to gain control over game animals by capturing their spirits (in visual form) can be described as an attempt to exercise

sympathetic magic

What does "paleolithic" mean?

Old Stone Age

How were the migrations of paleolithic people linked with the plants they ate?

They moved based on the life cycles of the plants they foraged.

How were the migrations of paleolithic people linked with the animals they hunted?

They moved based on the migrations of animals they hunted.

How did Australopithecus compare to Homo sapiens?

They were shorter, hairier, and less intelligent.

In addition to more sophisticated tools and new communication skills, a major breakthrough of Homo erectus was its ability to start and make use of

fire

In Çatal Hüyük, what made the specialization of labor possible?

food surpluses

The early craft industries cited in the text include

metallurgy, pottery, textile production

Paleolithic artists used which of the following to make their paints?

minerals, animal fat, blood, plants

In addition to archeological excavations, scholars studying the paleolithic era also look at

modern-day foraging communities

What was the purpose of most of the tools invented by Homo sapiens between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago?

more effective hunting and fishing

Which of the following paleolithic settlements was in the eastern Mediterranean (modern-day Israel and Lebanon)?

natufian

By using a land bridge that originated in Siberia, Homo sapiens were able to begin populating _____ about twenty-five thousand years ago.

north america

Important finds of Australopithecus remains have been located in all of the following places EXCEPT

northern india

Çatal Hüyük was a center of production and trade in which of the following?

obsidian tools

What kind of relationship did Neandertals and Homo sapiens groups have?

they interacted and sometimes interbred

Agriculture was more ____ than foraging, but allowed for the production of abundant food supplies.

time consuming

Slash-and-burn cultivators were forced to move when their existing fields were invaded by ______ and the soil's fertility was depleted.

weeds

Neolithic textile production was probably developed and carried out by ______.

women

Why do scholars believe that women assumed primary responsibility for crop cultivation?

As gatherers, they were already familiar with plant life.

How was Homo erectus socially organized?

In camps established for the gathering and distribution of food

Which crop appears to have been the earliest one cultivated by neolithic Mesoamericans?

maize

Homo sapiens settled in almost every habitable region of the world by about ______ years ago.

15,000

In the early days of its settlement, the neolithic village of Jericho had a population numbering approximately ______.

2,000

When did Homo sapiens first evolve?

200,000 years ago

The earliest surviving textile fragments can be dated to about what time?

6000 B.C.E.

Rice cultivation began in Blank______, and by 1500 B.C.E. it had reached Blank______.

China; India

Relative to crop cultivation, when did the domestication of animals occur?

Crop cultivation and the domestication of animals began about the same time.

How did the slash-and-burn technique favored by early cultivators help spread agriculture?

It forced cultivators to move frequently.

Why was copper smelting so important in the neolithic era?

It greatly increased the variety of tools that could be crafted.

How did agriculture compare to hunting and gathering in early agricultural societies?

It likely required more work, but it provided more food resources overall.

Where were the earliest known cities?

Mesopotamia

Early Homo sapiens relied on which of the following to shelter themselves from the elements?

Natural caves, animal skins, huts made from bones

What does the evidence of deliberate burial sites reveal about Neandertal culture?

Neandertal peoples recognized a significance of life and death.

Which of the following statements about Neandertals are true?

Neandertals inhabited some of the same regions as Homo sapiens for at least 15,000 years.

Which of the following were major reasons for the lack of pottery among Paleolithic groups?

Pots were inconvenient to move. Vessels for food storage were not needed.

Why was agriculture impossible during the ice ages?

The climate was too erratic to provide reliable conditions for cultivation.

Why do scholars believe that neolithic cave paintings had a purpose beyond pure aesthetics?

The locations of the paintings were difficult to access.

Why was Homo sapiens able to settle in progressively colder lands?

Their intelligence enabled Homo sapiens to make better clothing and shelters.

Why do individuals in hunting and gathering societies accumulate little wealth?

They are constantly moving, making most notions of personal property meaningless.

Why do hunters and gatherers tend to form groups that are quite small?

They can only find enough food if the groups remain small.

What role did cities assume with regard to their surrounding areas?

They claimed political authority over nearby regions.

Why was animal domestication so much less prominent in the western hemisphere than in the eastern hemisphere?

Very few American animal species were suitable for domestication.

How did the ice age create land bridges to allow for human migration?

Water was concentrated in glaciers and sea levels were lowered.

What does the text argue is perhaps the most important change associated with early agricultural regions?

a significant increase in human population

The defining feature of the neolithic era was the emergence of

agriculture

What tools did paleolithic hunters employ to pursue big game?

animal-skin disguises, bows and arrows

What made the few known paleolithic settlements possible?

areas with abundant food recourses

In addition to storing food and drink, what purpose did pottery serve?

as a form of artistic expression

How did neolithic religions tend to portray death?

as part of a natural cycle of rebirth

Homo sapiens entered Indonesia, New Guinea, and Australia by using land bridges originating from

asia

Which of the following pieces of archeological evidence suggest the intelligence of australopithecines?

building and using stone tools

In addition to human hunting, _____ also probably played a part in the extinction of large mammal species.

climate changes

What insight do the work of anthropologists provide about the paleolithic era?

comparisons with contemporary foraging communities

Which of the following are factors that gradually led to the development of cities several thousand years after the introduction of agriculture?

complex social relationships, dense populations, specialized labor

What was the earliest metal that humans used to produce items?

copper

In terms of consciously chosen activities, Australopithecus was capable of

deliberate trips to gather materials

Instead of focusing solely on hunting animals, men in neolithic societies began

domesticating animals

Which three of the following regions were populated simultaneously by Homo erectus and Homo sapiens?

europe, asia, africa

Place the following accomplishments of Homo sapiens in their order of first known use.

fabricating of stone blades with long cutting edges, supplementing diet with coastal fish, trading of high-quality obsidian stone, catching fish from deep waters.

The central concern of paleolithic and neolithic religion, as expressed through an interest in the rhythms that governed their society, was ______.

fertility

What aspects of life did the paleolithic Venus figurines probably represent?

fertility and fecundity

The principle characteristic of the paleolithic era was that humans

foraged for food

Where have most of the known paleolithic cave paintings been found?

france and spain

The process by which villages and towns became cities was

gradual

What evidence of Neandertal ritual observances have archaeologists discovered?

grave sites with decorations and offerings

All the following are exceptional advantages resulting from the intelligence of Homo sapiens except

great strength and natural defense mechanisms

In terms of biological classification, both Australopithecus and Homo sapiens are

hominids

Human populations ____ in regions where agriculture had emerged.

increased

The world's first known potter was produced about 10,000 B.C.E. by a society that lived in what today is

japan

What weapons and tools did early Homo sapiens develop that earlier species did not have?

knives, bows and arrows

What was the essential demonstration of wealth in neolithic society?

land

The development of ______ first enabled Homo sapiens groups to pass on knowledge accumulated over generations.

language

What is the most common subject of paleolithic cave paintings?

large game

As it expanded its range, Homo sapiens contributed to the extinction of a number of species, primarily

large mammals

In addition to crop cultivation, the neolithic residents of Jericho engaged in

limited trade

In what important area was Homo sapiens disadvantaged compared to other animals?

physical strength

Much of the work of early craft industries was

producting tools for cultivators

After the end of the last ice age, rising temperatures were accompanied by increased ______.

rainfall

Which organ was significantly larger and more effective in Homo erectus than in Australopithecus?

the brain

What early technology did the observation of the natural world first lead to?

the calendar

Which of the following was an indicator that urban life was more complex than village life?

the emergence of professionals who did not work in food production

Why did neolithic peoples develop advanced knowledge of the natural environment?

to cultivate crops more reliably

Which of the following are common motivations for meetings between neighboring groups of hunters and gatherers?

to discuss territorial boundaries, to find marriage partners

The development of language by Homo sapiens encouraged the spread of complex ideas that could be transmitted without the need for trial and error.

true

True or false: Neolithic peoples accumulated wealth that, when passed down for generations, contributed to the emergence of social classes.

true

Without the distinctions that typically accompany the accumulation of wealth, present-day hunters and gatherers usually live in egalitarian societies.

true

What were some of the physical advantages that Australopithecus enjoyed over other animal species?

upright stance and opposable thumbs

Among the artistic creations of early Homo sapiens were small sculptures of women, which are referred to as ______ figurines.

venus