Week Two-Mesolithic and Neolithic Era

3 Major Innovations in Mesolithic Era

1. Domestication of Dog 2. Invention of Bow and Arrow 3. Invention of Canoe

How many inhabitants did Catalhoyuk have?

10,000 at around 7000 BC

Ain Ghazal

A Neolithic site in Jordan where both skull caching and the use of lime plaster were found.

Megalithic Tomb

A large burial tomb made from stones; "Passage grave"

Passage Grave

A prehistoric tomb with a long stone corridor leading to a burial chamber covered by a great tumulus.

What was the population in Ain Ghazal?

About 3,000; then it dropped after 6500 BC approx. 1/6th of what it was before.

When did Catalhoyuk flourish?

Around 7500-5700 BC

What were needles made of?

Bone

Stonehenge

Built on Salisbury Plain, England in 2,550-1,600 BC by Stone age people; called a "Megalith", stones weighed 50 tons. Arranged in a circle.

How were the dead buried in Catalhoyuk and Ain Ghazal?

Buried in fetal position after being decomposed, under their floors/dwellings.

What type of artifacts were found in Lepenski Vir?

Clay pots and containers

What did the figures represent in Lepenski Vir?

Deities, totems, or idols

Catalhoyuk

Early urban culture based on sedentary agriculture; located in modern southern Turkey; was larger in population than Jericho, had greater degree of social stratification.

Danube River

Europe's second longest river

What is discovered when humans move from caves in Mesolithic Era?

Farming and Man-made dwellings

Tower of Jericho

First of monumental architecture (8000-7000 CA)

What were the artifacts used for in Lepenski Vir?

For worship or animal sacrifice, and then placed on an altar

Lepenski Vir

Impressive Mesolithic site along the Danube River in Serbia where structures, burials, and sculptures were found.

What was the oldest landscape with Volcanic Eruption?

It was the oldest landscape painting, it depicts actual twin mountain with volcano erupting. 10,600 ft. tall, created around 6150 BC.

How was Jericho used?

It was used as a campground for hunters (9,600 BC)

How were houses built in Jericho?

They were built using mud-brick and the roof is made with branches

What was the purpose of needles?

They were used for sewing and amulets

What type of statues are found in Ain Ghazal?

They're larger in size than those in Paleolithic era. Approx. 3 & 1/2 ft. tall; they have paint, bitumen, and shells to decorate it; gender is rarely portrayed.

What happened during Neolithic Era to towns?

Towns turned into big cities, farming was established, armies are assembled, and surplus food is traded for goods

How did people get into their homes in Catalhoyuk?

With Ladders

What animals went extinct in Mesolithic Era?

Wooly Mammoth and Wooly Rhinoceros

Megalith

a large stone that forms a prehistoric monument

Altar

a raised structure on which gifts or sacrifices to a god are made

Tumulus

an ancient burial mound; a barrow.

Jericho

oldest Neolithic community in the West Bank between Israel and Jordan; "city of Palms"

The Neolithic Era

the New Stone Age; when people learned to make fire and tools such as saws and drills

The Mesolithic Era

the middle part of the Stone Age; marked by the creation of smaller and more complex tools

Monumental Architecture

Large structures, such as pyramids, temples, public spaces, and large statues, that generally appear wherever powerful leaders emerge; a feature of all agrarian civilizations.

Newgrange, Ireland

Monumental architecture begins in Western Europe 4000 BC; builders use large rough-cut stones.

Artistic Innovations during Neolithic Period

Paintings on walls include humans (new convention), walls prepared with plaster first, and large monumental structures are built (of stone)

What type of sculptures were found in Lepenski Vir?

Round-figures carved of stone, resembling human heads with fish-like characteristics

Twin Sculptures

There were twin sculptures during Neolithic era, 32 were found; some had 2 heads and one body; intentional designs