Chapter 2: Rivers, Cities, and First States, 3500-2000 BCE

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. Put these four regions in order from most culturally and politically unified to least culturally and politically unified.

1- Egypt 2- mesopotamia 3- Indus River valley 4- china

Rank the following Sumerian city dwellers in order of social, political, and economic power. Begin with the most powerful and end with the least powerful.

1-king and priest 2- scribe 3- potter and metal smith 4- servants and other household dependents

In what way were the interactions between early communities within Europe similar to the interactions between communities in Mesopotamia? Click or tap a choice to answer the question.

in both regions, competition for resources led to territorial conflicts

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

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

when the 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

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?

- He would have been familiar with a widely used system of weights and measures to quantify the goods he bought and sold.

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

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

Which of these technological developments did nomadic pastoralists transmit across Afro-Eurasia

Bronze

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

Which of the following interpretations of this map are correct? Choose all that are accurate.

Correct -Early nomadic pastoralists (purple area) lived in regions with generally colder climates than early agriculturalists. -The riverine regions (circled in red) where early cities arose are located at very similar latitudes. Incorrect -People did not farm in North America during the third millennium BCE because most of it was desert (orange areas). -People who lived in and near tropical forests (green areas) never learned to farm because it was easy to eat by gathering wild tropical fruits and vegetables.

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 -In the year 4550 CE, the United States will be as old as the Egyptian kingdom was when it was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. -The United States is currently less than one-tenth as old as Egypt was when it was conquered by Alexander the Great. Incorrect -The Egyptian kingdoms lasted through the lifetimes of only twenty pharaohs. -The Egyptian kingdoms lasted for almost a full millennium.

How did the roles of men and women differ in Sumerian societies? Select all of the statements that are true.

Correct - 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 -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.

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

Correct - The inhabitants of Mohenjo Daro engaged in specialized tasks, including brickmaking, construction, engineering, and agriculture. - The inhabitants of Mohenjo Daro engaged in urban planning and community-wide cooperation. Incorrect -The inhabitants of Mohenjo Daro valued men significantly more than they valued women. -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.

Which group(s) of people most frequently transmitted knowledge and/or goods between the early river basin societies?

Correct - overland and maritime merchants - nomads who lived on Central Asia steppe lands Incorrect -religious missionaries -expansionist armies, such as the Egyptian kingdom's army

Grave sites across all of Afro-Eurasia illustrate the fact that in the ancient world

Correct - river basin communities and smaller settlements alike engaged in long distance trade - exotic items, obtained through long distance trade, were markers of wealth and powering every community Incorrect -heads of families were almost always buried with wives, servants, or slaves -only urbanized river basin communities were able to construct public works

Identify the accurate statements about nomadic pastoralists and transhumant herders.

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

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

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

How were urban and rural areas related to one another in the period from 3500 to 2000 BCE? Select all of the statements that are true.

Correct -In general, urban centers sold artisanal goods to rural areas, and rural areas sold grain, animal products, and other raw materials to urban areas. - Urban and rural areas were closely tied together through trade. - Most humans lived in rural areas, even though urban areas were more densely populated. Incorrect -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.

Consider this map, Trade and Exchange in the Third Millennium BCE. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the map?

Correct -People in the third millennium BCE traded building materials, like lumber 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 -People in the third millennium BCE generally traded minerals and metals, rather than foods, 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 heavily influenced by urban civilization, and trading hinterlands.

Which statements can be supported using information from this map and the image of a Harappan necklace made with lapis lazuli and carnelian?

Correct -The necklace is evidence of specialization and agricultural surplus in Harappan societies. -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. Incorrect -The necklace is evidence of the Anatolian practice of building fortified posts along trade routes. -The necklace is proof that maritime trade must have existed in the ancient world.

What can historians learn about Mesopotamian culture by examining royal tombs?

Correct -Trade items like gold, lapis lazuli, and shell were luxuries that identified the status of the rich and powerful, as demonstrated by the fact that leaders were buried wearing jewelry and clothing made from these objects. - Mesopotamian rulers had the power of life and death over their subjects, as demonstrated by the fact that servants and other underlings were sacrificed and buried with their leaders. - Mesopotamian leaders enjoyed plentiful food and musical entertainment during their lifetimes, as demonstrated by the cooking vessels and instruments buried with them. Incorrect -Mesopotamian people only valued male leaders, as demonstrated by the fact that no women were ever given luxurious royal burials.

what factors contributed to the growth of trade in Mesopotamia?

Correct -communities in the region were well situated for trade because the area was accessible on all sides, rather than hemmed by mountains or other natural barriers - people in the region pursued trade because they lacked a variety of natural building materials, metals and minerals Incorrect -People in the region engaged in trade because they had a strong political interest in developments in East Asia and Europe. -People in the region actually sought to avoid trade since they were not interested in products from outside their own religious community. -People in the region invented trade because they had surplus goods and no place to store them.

The Egyptian Old Kingdom was a city-state.

False

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

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

Similar to China -Interaction between European agricultural communities included both trade and frequent warfare. -Europeans learned about bronze-making techniques (indirectly) from peoples of western Asia. -Archaeologists identify major culture regions based on the styles of ceramic artifacts in Europe. Not Similar to China -European communities cooperated to create megalithic circular stone structures, indicating organization and astronomical knowledge. - The herding of cattle for milk and meat was important to European agricultural practices.

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

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