Era 3 world history--short version long answers

How were agricultural cities different from foraging societies in terms of social systems?

Cities tended to have more social hierarchy than foraging societies.

Why was cuneiform first developed and why is writing important?

Cuneiform was first developed to record economic transactions and trade. Writing is important because it is something that not everyone can do (only elites), so it helped to create a class distinction. Writing gives us access to history. Writing provides employment.

Which statement describes how most early villages grew?

Early villages grew in different ways. because some were proto-cities that eventually developed into large urban population centers and parts of states. But others remained self-sufficient villages, exchanging with other villages in networks.

Which of the following statements describes early trade networks?

Early villages traded with one another in local networks.

Describe how foragers, pastoralists, and farmers interacted and established trade networks.

Foragers did not interact with trade network and didn't grow their own food. Pastoralists interacted by raising sheep and cattle, and they traded wool and cow products. Farmers grew and sold crops

What technologies helped Hittites travel across wide distances?Aside from making weapons, how else was iron primarily used?

Hittites traveled across wide distances using domesticated horses and wagons with wheel technology.

Where did several Afro-Eurasian agrarian societies first develop?

In fertile river valleys

How did iron-smelting technologies impact the environment?

Increased deforestation

After the Agricultural Revolution, social hierarchies intensified in most societies. Which of the following major processes contributed most to this process and why?

Increased long-distance trade, because it concentrated immense amounts of wealth in the hands of a minority of people

Which river is known as the heartbeat of India?

Indus River

Aside from making weapons, how else was iron primarily used?

Iron was also used to make tools to clear forests and make room for crops, to make iron plows, other tools, pots, and art.

Why was the timing significant, when it comes to the invention of iron-smelting technology? How did some societies benefit from this timing?

Many major states in the Mediterranean region seem to have collapsed at about the same time, probably because of iron weapon wielding invaders. With states getting ahold of iron technology at the same time, the ancient world started to look really different. Societies that were able to create super-hot furnaces got much stronger at the beginning of the Iron Age, because they could make more tools and weapons faster and cheaper.

How are metropolitan networks different from village networks?

Metropolitan networks connected many different locations, whereas village networks connected limited areas.

What does evidence from the Shang Dynasty China tell you about how production and distribution worked in this society?

Most people farmed. Some were servants of wealthier people; others were probably peasant farmers. There were skilled artisans and craftspeople, including some who worked in bronze, which gave them very high status. There was a ruling class, including kings, and their wealth can be seen in their tombs. There was trade, including cowries from quite far away.

As cities grew, what also grew?

Networks of trade

Which of the following best explains why some sedentary societies described nomadic groups as, "predatory, violent, and without morals"?

Nomadic groups were generally misunderstood

What is the relationship between living a sedentary life and cultivating or domesticating food?

Non-farming communities were generally more mobile. But they still cultivated some plants and domesticated animals a lot of the time. They didn't tend to settle down in permanent locations, but they did intentionally change the plant and animal life around them to suit their needs.

What does evidence from the Americas tell you about how production and distribution worked in these societies?

Olmec cities were probably places for rulers and elites. Most of the production was done in surrounding areas, where food was grown. Also, they extracted rubber for use in games. Chavín society grew food in two distinct regions - the mountains for potatoes and lowland river basins for quinoa. Llamas and pottery were used to carry goods between the two. The presence of goods from far away suggests they participated in a larger, regional trade network.

What do we know about women's lives in early farming villages? How did this change as early farming villages grew?

Over time, it seems that gender inequality increased, and women's lives were increasingly about children and the home. In early villages, women probably played a bigger role in food production. Eventually, defined families and strategic marriages made it so women had more fixed roles in the family. They tended to control family wealth less often.

How was life in early farming villages different from life in hunter-gatherer communities?

People in farming villages lived closer together and had more diseases. They worried a lot about the environment and the weather. A lot of spiritual beliefs had to do with the weather. Fertility was an important symbol. People were more settled and had ideas about ownership. There were sharper gender and family divisions.

What was life like in early farming villages?

People were relatively equal. Most people spent most of their time producing food in one way or another. Labor was divided by gender, but that doesn't mean that gender inequalities were really sharp. Women participated in making food and taking care of children.

Describe women's roles in Phoenician society.

Phoenician women had more freedom than women in some other ancient societies. They participated in banquets and other large public gatherings, including religious events. Some gods were female. Phoenicians had female leaders

What system of production and distribution sustained Phoenician society?

Phoenicians didn't have a lot of land to farm because they were pushed to the coast. Inland territory also was difficult to farm. They farmed but not extensively. Instead, they relied mostly on trade, which their location really helped with. They became expert sailors and became powerful sea-based merchants. They used their colonies to produce and distribute key goods.

Why were the rivers important to farmers in the Indus Valley civilization?

Provided fresh water to drink and grow crops, and also a source of fish

Which statement best describes why many of the earliest societies — Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley — were founded in river valleys?

River water made agriculture easier and more predictable

What are some items that were traded across the Afro-Eurasian trade network?

Silk, ceramics, spices, textiles, glassware, tea, horses, jade, gold, and iron are some items that were traded.

How and why did early agrarian societies form in China?

The Huang he river valley provided fertile soil and lots of water. People hunted and gathered in this region, and then began to farm as well. There is some evidence of walls around cities, which suggests they may have developed for protection against outside threats.

After the Agricultural Revolution, long-distance networks grew as smaller networks linked up and expanded. how did new technologies make this possible?

The domestication of horses and camels made traveling easier and more efficient

Which of the following correctly identifies one negative consequence of the Silk Road?

The spread of disease

Which statement best explains why the term 'civilized' is no longer used by several historians to characterize an individual or group of people?

The term 'civilized' implies moral or intellectual superiority

What is the main way villages were different from earlier communities?

Their ways of governing themselves were more complex.

What does evidence from your research tell you about how people of the Indus Valley formed and maintained communities (religious, state, and otherwise)?

There is no evidence of a ruling class or palaces, and it is likely that trading families were important. Certainly, the cities were carefully laid out and trade routes were maintained by someone. There is evidence of a shared religion perhaps, but not temples for worshipping gods.

What was the Hittite political structure like?

There was a king, but other officials were also important because they controlled specific branches of government, like the royal bodyguards or scribes.

In what way did the seafaring Phoenician society have a massive impact on trade networks?

They expanded regional trade networks.

Which statement best demonstrates how agricultural, pastoralist, and forager communities differ from one another?

They have different primary food sources.

What evidence do historians have that the Hittites were linked to Mesopotamia?

They used cylinder seals to sign documents and mark property, which they also did in Mesopotamia. They used cuneiform.

What networks were pastoralists, nomads, and foragers a part of? How did these networks affect the communities of people involved in trade?

They were part of regional trade networks. They traded with each other and with farming communities. They usually traded dairy, meat, and wool for agricultural goods, especially grains. This trade actually created trade settlements, and non-farming people often moved around between these settlements, moving people and goods and protecting them. They used their animals to help with this, for example, camels.

What are some advantages that nomadic communities had over settled communities?

They weren't tied to land and possessions, so they were less vulnerable to attack. They had a mobile community and a mobile food supply, which helped them attack other communities to get their possessions. They got the products other groups made, whether by trading or attacking.

Why was long-distance trade more difficult in Mesoamerica than in Afro-Eurasia?

This difficulty was partially because of geography, as the Mesoamerican region had high mountains and rivers that weren't as good for transportation as those in Afro-Eurasia. But perhaps the biggest problem was the lack of pack animals. This meant that goods had to be transported by foot across vast distances.

How did changes in production and distribution affect communities?

To trade things, you often needed things like roads and bridges. Irrigation and drainage systems helped make more food to trade, and as food surplus grew, so did specialization. People could do other things like make pottery and baskets, so there was a different social structure. To build road, bridges, and irrigation, someone had to be the leader and organize these things. This created sharper social classes. Women's roles also changed (see above answer). Trade helped villages grow into cities.

In what ways did village networks affect the population of villages, towns, and cities?

Trade across village networks helped the population of villages grow. In turn, village networks boosted trade, which led to other villages growing along trade routes. Populations grew there, too. Eventually, these villages often grew together and made big cities with big, dense populations.

Nomadic societies played an important role in trade networks. Which of the following statements best describes that role?

Trade between farming villages and nomadic societies expanded trade networks.

Which of the following best describes the effect trade had on social functions within early farming communities?

Trade expanded social hierarchies

Some characteristics of states include:

collection of taxes, and institutions that would make and enforce rules

What does evidence from the Nile River region tell you about how production and distribution worked in this society?

most of what was needed was produced in rural communities, which were largely self-sufficient, but kings emerged who taxed them. Some people clearly became quite wealthy. They were probably in important political positions as well.

Why was the region around Mesopotamia called the Fertile Crescent?

the soil was rich with silt from the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Which statement best supports the conclusion, "networks not only led to the exchange of goods but also the sharing of new ideas"?

"The spread of technologies like the wheel and wagon, which were also used in ancient Mesopotamia and other early societies..., boosted the success of both pastoralists (animal farmers) and agrarian states."

What was central to nomadic pastoralists' way of life? Why?

Animals were really important for nomadic pastoralists. Many nomadic pastoralists lived in regions that had climates which weren't good for farming. They relied on animals for a lot of important things. Animals were food sources, especially dairy and but also meat. Animal dung was used for fuel, and their hides were used to make clothes and shelter. They were also really important for transportation, especially horses.