the neolithic revolution and the world's first civilizations

Anthropomorphic

- (Typically nonhuman beings...) having human form and characteristics.

City-state

- A form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilizations; consisted of agricultural hinterlands ruled by an urban-based king.

Artifact

- A manmade object (typically from another time period). • Examples: weapons, stone tools.

Prehistory

- A period of time before writing was invented.

Merchant

- A person who buys and sells goods; participates in commerce.

Prophet

- A person who has direct contact with God. - Speaks God's truth to others.

Slave

- A person's legal property; forced to obey their owner (typically with no pay and in harsh conditions).

Religion

- A set of spiritual beliefs and practices, such as divine forces and the afterlife. • Examples: Judaism, Hinduism.

Colony

- A settled, colonized land.

Artisan

- A skilled craftsman who handcrafts objects.

Covenant

- An agreement or contract.

Animism

- Belief that deities are animal-like. - Religious beliefs centered on nature. • Examples: Native Americans believe Coyote is a god, animal-headed gods in the ancient Egyptian pantheon.

Catal Huyuk and Jericho

- Catal Huyuk: early urban culture based on sedentary agriculture; located in modern southern Turkey (Anatolia). Successful Neolithic town. - Jericho: most important city in the Jordan valley (strong fortress); located in modern Palestine (Canaan). Conquered by the Israelites. - Both were in the Middle East, and transitioned from villages to towns to cities.

Barter economy

- Economic system in which services and goods are traded by negotiation. - Without currency.

Abraham

- Father of Jews. - Jewish prophet.

Cuneiform

- First form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge-shaped stylus and clay tablets.

Paleolithic Age

- First period of the Stone Age. - Began 2.5 million B.C.E., ended 12,000 B.C.E. - People learned simple tool use. - Humans evolved.

Primary source

- Firsthand account or evidence of a certain event. - Recorded during the event. • Examples: artifacts, letters.

Pastoral/pastoralism

- Herding/domesticating animals in societies.

Neolithic Age

- Last period of the Stone Age. - Began 8,000 B.C.E., ended 5,000 B.C.E. - Agriculture emerged.

Ten Commandments

- Laws or rules handed down to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.

Moses

- Led the Jews out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea for them to cross. - Received the Ten Commandments from God at Mount Sinai.

Ziggurats

- Massive towers (typically associated with Mesopotamian temple complexes) where Sumerians practiced complex religious rituals.

Migration

- Movement of people to a new area or country (typically in order to find work or better living conditions).

Linguist/lingual

- One who specializes in languages. - Relating to speech or language.

Archaeologist

- One who studies prehistoric people and their cultures through their material remains.

Anthropologist

- One who studies the origins and development of people and their society.

Sedentary

- Opposite of migratory - permanent settling.

Hierarchy

- Organized, ranked social system (typically highest to lowest).

Nobility/aristocracy/gentry

- People of high social class. - Powerful, influential members of society. • Examples: priests, scribes, warriors.

Rural

- Relating to a countryside area (typically with low populations). • Examples: Rocky Mountains, Great Plains.

Urban

- Relating to an area such as a city or town (typically with high populations). • Examples: New York City, Miami.

Agrarian

- Relating to producing and maintaining crops and farmland.

Dynasty

- Ruling royal family.

Torah

- Sacred text of Judaism.

Secondary source

- Secondhand account or evidence of a certain event. - Recorded after the event. • Examples: textbooks, essays.1

Patriarchy/patriarchal

- Societies run by men and based on the assumption that men directed political, economic, and cultural life.

Civilization

- Society distinguished by reliance on sedentary agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses, and existence of non-farming elites, and merchant and manufacturing groups.

Polytheism

- The belief in multiple gods.

Monotheism

- The belief in one god.

Egalitarian

- The belief of political, economic, social equality of all people.

Culture

- The characteristics (such as history, art, traditions, languages) of a group of people.

Commerce

- The exchange of goods between places (typically between two different countries).

Nomadism/nomadic

- The movement of people from place to place to find foods; hunting-gathering. - Cattle- and sheep-herding societies normally found on the fringes of civilized societies; commonly referred to as "barbarian" by civilized societies.

Demographics

- The study of population and where people settle.

Neolithic Revolution

- The succession of technological innovations and changes in human organization that led to the development of agriculture, 8500-3500 B.C.E.

Domestication

- To tame/cultivate animals or plants.

Bias

- Unjust prejudice (against a group). • Examples: anti-Semitism, Islamophobia.

Palestine/Canaan/Israel

- Where monotheism and Judaism originated.

Why was the introduction of agriculture such a significant turning point in history?

Agriculture inspired sedentary lifestyles, increased the population, and caused farming to evolve.

What were the 8 features/characteristics of a civilization? How did each emerge and why are each important for a civilization to exist?

Art and architecture (emerged from building structure and artwork; important parts of culture and production), cities (emerged from reliable food sources and steady population; important part of political power and trade), government structure (emerged from city-states; important part of political organization), social hierarchy (emerged from patriarchal societies; important part of how people are treated/viewed), religion (emerged from a need to explain the unknown; important part of culture), job specialization (emerged from economic needs; important part of exchanging goods), writing systems (emerged from Sumerians; important part of communication), public works (emerged from widespread community needs; important part of unifying civilizations).

Why did people and their societies shift away from hunting-gathering to food production during the Neolithic Revolution?

Climate change prompted people to search for new and more reliable food sources. Additionally, the end of the last great ice age saw the retreat of many big game animals, so hunters had difficulty obtaining food by means of hunting.

How did the beliefs of the Hebrews differ from those of nearby peoples by 1000 B.C.E.?

Hebrews had monotheistic religious beliefs, and nearby peoples had polytheistic religious beliefs.

Explain how gender roles and relations changed over time as a result of the Neolithic Revolution and birth of civilizations.

In nomadic societies, men and women were equal: men hunted, women gathered, and both tasks were of equal significance. However, when agriculture developed during the Neolithic Revolution, the population increased. Sedentary lifestyles led to an increase in births. Women had to spend more time catering to their pregnancies and children than working. Men began to work more than women, so they were seen as superior.

Identify the various plants and animals that were first domesticated in the earliest settled societies in different regions of the world.

Mesoamerica: maize, beans. Andes: beans, potatoes, llamas. Middle East: wheat, barley, beans. India: rice. North China: millet, soybeans, pigs. North Africa: yams. Sheep, goats, cows, pigs, ox.

Name the first civilizations to emerge in world history and discuss the role that geography played in shaping their environment.

Mesopotamia in the Middle East (3500 B.C.E.), Egypt (3000 B.C.E.), Northwestern India (Indus Civilization) (2500 B.C.E.), Northern China (Chang Civilization) (2200 B.C.E.), Central Peru (3000 B.C.E.), Mesoamerica (1200 B.C.E.). These civilizations are located by water sources (rivers) and between 0-40°N latitude.

In what ways was social inequality present in early civilizations?

Social inequality was present against the lower class and against women. Laws (such as Hammurabi's Code) were far more strict against the lower class than the upper class. Additionally, the patriarchal societies present in many early civilizations established the belief that men are superior to women.

In what region of the world did the first agricultural (agrarian) societies and civilizations emerge and why?

The Middle East/Fertile Crescent. This area was very fertile and grains were abundant. Also, this area was not heavily forested, and animals were in short supply, so a new method of obtaining food had to be constructed.

How did the Neolithic Revolution provide "progress" in human history? What new "problems" did it create for societies?

The Neolithic Revolution developed agriculture and tool use, and foreshadowed civilization. However, patriarchal societies, warfare, and the spread of diseases developed.

Why was the name "Mesopotamia" given to the Fertile Crescent and why is it considered to be the "crossroads of civilization"?

This name was given to the Fertile Crescent because the Fertile Crescent is located between two rivers - the Tigris River, and the Euphrates River. "Mesopotamia" translates to "between two rivers". It is considered to be the "crossroads of civilization" because it is located between/in Europe, Asia, and Africa - the Fertile Crescent connects three continents geographically, socially, and economically.

Discuss the significant role of each of the following peoples in shaping early civilization in the Middle East:

a. Phoenicians - cultural diffusion (spread of ideas), "carriers of civilization" (because they thrived on trade and building colonies), advanced ship-builders, established an alphabet. b. Hebrews - founded monotheism. c. Sumerians - founded polytheism, first city (Ur), first civilization (Mesopotamia), cuneiform. d. Akkadians - first empire (built by Sargon), unified the city-states. e. Babylonians - Hammurabi's code (civil law, criminal law). f. Hittites - largest empire to date, ironworking, conquered Egypt. g. Assyrians - most feared warriors in history, first to conquer the Fertile Crescent and Egypt.

What do the following primary sources reveal about life in Mesopotamia?

a. The Epic of Gilgamesh - religious beliefs and culture of the ancient Sumerians; gods are omnipotent, afterlife, anthropormorphic. b. The Code of Hammurabi - life in Babylonia under Hammurabi's rule; higher classes were more protected than lower classes, very strict codes, honesty was expected.

What are the characteristics of Paleolithic societies?

nomads/nomadic societies/nomadism (hunting-gathering societies; men hunted, women gathered), egalitarian societies, polytheism, pastoralism.