WTWA Chapter Two

Consider what you have read about cultural and political unification between 4000 BCE and 2000 BCE in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus River valley, and China. Place these four regions in order from most culturally and politically unified to least culturally and politically unified.

1) Egypt. Egyptian settlements were dense and interconnected because of the geography of the Nile River basin. The region is described as having a unified culture, a powerful leader, and an established bureaucracy. 2) Mesopotamia 3) Indus River Valley 4)China

True or False: The Egyptian Old Kingdom was a city-state.

False. Egypt's Old Kingdom was a territorial state that controlled the Nile River valley for about five centuries.

True or False: In ancient Egypt, the knowledge and practice of writing were secret, and only scribes learned how to write.

False. Members of upper-class families often learned to read and write, as evidenced by the fact that many of them were buried with their textbooks, as proof of their accomplishment.

In what way were the interactions between early communities within Europe similar to the interactions between communities in Mesopotamia?

In both regions, competition for resources led to territorial conflicts.

Which modern small-town institution is most like an ancient Sumerian temple in terms of its social power and economic importance to its hometown?

The local factory: it employs thousands of local people, owns local real estate, donates to charitable functions, and has a strong relationship with the political leaders.

Rank the following Sumerian city dwellers in order of social, political, and economic power.

1)King and Priest 2)Scribe 3) Potter and metal-smith 4)Servants and other household dependents

What does each ancient American development suggest about the region of Peru described in the reading?

-Inland agricultural produce consumed at the coasts, plus fish consumed inland, ... demonstrate a regular local trading network, similar to the ones between transhumant herders and agriculturalists in western Asia. -Cobblestone roads, irrigation systems, and water sluices to manage water needs ... demonstrate community organization, cooperation, and engineering knowledge. -Domesticated beans, chili peppers, and cotton ... demonstrate the independent development of agriculture in the Americas. -Pottery and twined textiles made from dyed cotton ... demonstrate artisanal knowledge, but not necessarily economic specialization within agricultural communities.

Complete this passage comparing river basin societies to other agricultural societies.

Agricultural societies also arose outside of the river basins, but they tended to have different values and practices than river basin societies. For example, their social hierarchies were topped by warriors rather than priests and scribes, their most valued knowledge involved making weaponry rather than writing, and their engineers focused on the construction of forts rather than the building of opulent palaces.

Which of these technological developments did nomadic pastoralists transmit across Afro-Eurasia? a. Lapis Lazuli b. Bronze c. Cuneiform d. Longshan black pottery

B, Bronze.

Which statements can be supported using information from this map and the image of a Harappan necklace made with lapis lazuli and carnelian? (map on page 61, image on page 103 WTWA)

Correct Answers: -Although the necklace was discovered at a Harappan site, trade routes in the ancient world were such that it could have been buried with an Egyptian pharaoh. -The necklace is evidence of specialization and agricultural surplus in Harappan societies. Incorrect Answers: -The necklace is proof that maritime trade must have existed in the ancient world. -The necklace is evidence of the Anatolian practice of building fortified posts along trade routes.

Identify the accurate statements about nomadic pastoralists and transhumant herders.

Correct Answers: -By the second millennium BCE, nomadic pastoralists had stopped farming, instead focusing intensively on animal-breeding and herding. -Some groups of transhumant herders developed into nomadic herders as their flocks grew in size, requiring more frequent, longer-distance moves in search of new pasturage. Incorrect Answers: -Transhumant herders spent each year traveling from the Pacific coast of Asia to northern Europe, and back again. -Transhumant herders tended to raise horses and cattle, whereas nomadic pastoralists preferred goats and sheep.

Imagine that a Harappan importer/exporter lived in Lothal and engaged in trade (indirectly) with Mesopotamia. What kinds of knowledge would the Harappan importer/exporter have had?

Correct Answers: -He would have had indirect knowledge of a variety of Harappan and Mesopotamian cities. -He would have been familiar with a widely used system of weights and measures to quantify the goods he bought and sold. -He would have been familiar with (or employed a scribe who was familiar with) a system of writing used for seals on containers of trade goods. Incorrect Answers: -He would have had intimate knowledge of navigation techniques for sailing across the Indian Ocean. -He would have known how to make jewelry using gold, carnelian, and lapis lazuli.

How did the roles of men and women differ in Sumerian societies?

Correct Answers: -It was very important to have a male child because only male children could carry on the family line. -Women could gain economic independence if they joined the temple staff as priestesses. -Only male children inherited property from their parents, though female children were given dowries as part of the marriage process. Incorrect Answers: -Most men had more than one wife, but women never had two husbands. -Adoption was possible, but people only adopted female children because adopting a male child was seen as polluting the family line.

Review these four examples of cuneiform script (photo on page 68 of WTWA). Taken together, what facts about this form of writing do they illustrate?

Correct Answers: -People from different cultures and language groups adopted the use of cuneiform. -Like some modern alphabets, cuneiform was used to write many languages. Incorrect Answers: -Cuneiform was used only for tax records and other sorts of accounting. -Cuneiform died out quickly because it was an inefficient writing system.

How did communities respond to the climate changes in the late third millennium BCE?

Correct Answers: -People in Shahr-i Sokhta, on the Iranian plateau, left their city for smaller communities. -Egypt devolved into social and political chaos when the Nile stopped flooding annually. -People on the Gujarat Peninsula (in South Asia) began growing drought-resistant millet instead of wheat, and their population expanded. Incorrect Answers: -People in the Sahara region learned to grow crops without using water. -Most of the population of the Yangzi River valley died from famine.

Consider this map, Trade and Exchange in the Third Millennium BCE. (Map on page 61 of WTWA). Which of the following statements can be inferred from the map?

Correct Answers: -People in the third millennium BCE traded building materials, like wood and stone. -People in the third millennium BCE had already learned how to build boats and use them for trade, although they remained fairly close to shore in their travels. Incorrect Answers: -People in the third millennium BCE generally traded only minerals and metals, rather than foods, specifically because they were suspicious of other peoples' cultures and cuisines. -People in the third millennium BCE divided the world into three major culture areas: cities, zones of urban civilization, and trading hinterlands.

What did the grandeur and complex construction of Egyptian temples, pyramids, and royal tombs demonstrate about Egyptian society?

Correct Answers: -The Impressive wealth and agricultural surpluses of the Egyptian kingdom. -The vast difference in power between the royal family and the rest of the population. Incorrect Answers: -The egalitarian nature of Egyptian society. -The engineering knowledge that Egyptians developed as they learned to control the powerful, unpredictable Nile River.

What do the ruins of buildings and infrastructure in Mohenjo Daro demonstrate about the cultures of the Indus River valley?

Correct Answers: -The inhabitants of Mohenjo Daro engaged in urban planning and community-wide cooperation. -The inhabitants of Mohenjo Daro engaged in specialized tasks, including brickmaking, construction, engineering, and agriculture. Incorrect Answers: -For spiritual reasons, the inhabitants of Mohenjo Daro preferred to live in buildings with rectangular rooms, rather than round rooms. -The inhabitants of Mohenjo Daro used a system of canals to transport trade goods. -The inhabitants of Mohenjo Daro valued men significantly more than they valued women.

Based on the chapter text and the map below, which of the following statements about the Nile River are both true and relevant to the development of ancient Egyptian society?

Correct Answers: -The reliable annual cycle of flooding meant that the dense Egyptian population had periods devoted to agricultural work and periods available for other kinds of work. -The Nile floodplain is very narrow, resulting in a thin band of densely settled territory on its banks. -The flooding of the Nile tended to be predictable. Incorrect Answers: -The southward flow of the Nile encouraged Egyptians to explore southern Africa. -The Nile was easily navigable all the way from Meroe to the Mediterranean.

The oldest papyrus text ever located, dated to about 2550 BCE, was found at Wadi al-Jarf. The text focuses on the resources used to build a pyramid for the pharaoh Khufu. Based on the chapter and this map, which statements about this archaeological find are likely to be true?

Correct Answers: -The text was found in a port city. -The author was probably overseeing imported items. Incorrect Answers: -The text was found inside Khufu's pyramid. -The author was probably overseeing agricultural surpluses.

How were urban and rural areas related to one another in the period from 3500 to 2000 BCE?

Correct Answers: -Urban and rural areas were closely tied together through trade. -In general, urban centers sold artisanal goods to rural areas, and rural areas sold grain, animal products, and other raw materials to urban areas. -Most humans lived in rural areas, even though urban areas were more densely populated. Incorrect Answers: -By 3500 BCE more than 50 percent of the world's population lived in urban areas. -Rural and urban peoples were natural enemies because they each valued very different things.

It can be hard to conceptualize the longevity of ancient Egyptian civilization. Select all of the accurate statements about the history of Egypt's thirty-one dynasties.

Correct Answers: -The Egyptian kingdoms lasted almost 2,800 years. -The United States is currently less than one-tenth as old as Egypt was when it was conquered by Alexander the Great. Incorrect Answers: -The Egyptian kingdoms lasted through the lifetimes of twenty pharaohs. -The Egyptian kingdoms lasted for almost a full millennium.

Which of the following best describes early cities?

Early cities differed from small agricultural villages in that larger portions of their populations were made up of leaders, priests, and artisans than in agricultural villages.

To what extent were religious practice and religious belief centralized in ancient Egypt? Identify each characteristic of belief or practice as tending toward centralization or tending toward regionalism and individual expression.

Regional and Individual: -Common people acquired personal amulets to protect their health -Common people worshiped on their own behalf at small local shrines. -Gods were (initially) believed to reside in specific towns, with each city having its own deity. Centralized: -The pharaoh engaged in ritual worship on behalf of the interests of the whole kingdom. -The priesthood had sole access to the inner sanctuaries of temples and the gods statues.

In what ways was Europe similar to China during the period from 4000 BE to 2000 BCE? How was it different?

Similar to China: -Europeans learned about bronze-making techniques (indirectly) from peoples of western Asia. -Interaction between European agricultural communities included both trade and frequent warfare. Not similar to China: -The herding of cattle for milk and meat was important to European agricultural practices. -European communities cooperated to create megalithic circular stone structures, indicating organization and astronomical knowledge.

When archaeologists unearth an ancient city, what do differences in the sizes and contents of houses within the city reveal about that ancient society?

Social hierarchies

Complete this passage about the development of writing.

The first form of writing in the world was developed in Mesopotamia over a period of 800 years. In its fully developed form, each symbol represented a syllable, enabling scribes to convey complex ideas.

People living on the Aegean Islands were in contact with major river basin societies, like Egypt, but they did not adopt their ways of life, primarily because

The geography of the islands was best suited to small, scattered settlements.

Which statements are true of Harappan societies, Mesopotamia, and Egypt? (Note: If a statement is true in only one or two of these regions, it should be considered not true of all three regions.)

True of all three regions: -Their communities were organized enough to produce large-scale public works and infrastructure. -Their agricultural productivity depended on the rising and receding waters of local rivers. -They engaged in long-distance trade, especially in precious stones and metals. Not true of all three regions: -They buried their royalty in large-scale royal tombs. -They built elaborate palaces.

True or False: When Longshan people migrated and settled new lands in southern China, they created an extended region linked by common culture and trade networks.

True. As Longshan people migrated southward, they maintained trade ties with the regions they left behind, building an extended web of trade routes and an area of shared cultural practices.

True or False: The urban-rural divide refers to the different economic foundations underlying urban and rural societies, with rural residents working the land to produce food and livestock, while urban dwellers developed increasingly specialized skills.

True. The exact products created by urban and rural residents have changed over the centuries, but the economic divide persists today, despite the interdependence of rural and urban dwellers.

True or False: Evidence from Harappan sites suggests that the inhabitants of the Indus River valley, the people of the Iranian plateau, and the people living in Mesopotamia communicated ideas and practices with one another.

True: The text specifically notes that Harappan cultures seem to have been heavily influenced by people from the Iranian plateau and indirectly influenced by developments in Mesopotamia.

What was the connection between drought and the demise of the Old Kingdom in Egypt?

When drought created water shortages, local leaders claimed personal control over their home territories and fought with one another over access to the scarce Nile water.