Chapter 1: From the Origins of Agriculture to the First River-Valley Civilizations 8000-1500 B.C.E. By: Kim Jacobsen
Key Terms Stone Age - The historical period characterized by the production of tools from stone and other nonmetallic substances. Paleolithic - The period of the Stone Age associated with the evolution of humans. Neolithic - The period of the Stone Age associated with the ancient Agricultural Revolution. Foragers - People who support themselves by hunting wild animals and gathering wild edible plants and insects. Agricultural Revolution - The change from food gathering to food production that occurred between ca. 8000 and 2000 B.C.E. Ziggurat - A massive pyramidal stepped tower made of mud bricks. It is associated with religious complexes in ancient Mesopotamian cities, but its function is unknown.
Key Terms Cuneiform - A system of writing in which wedge-shaped symbols represented words or syllables. Originated in Mesopotamia and is one of the first written languages ever invented. Hieroglyphics - A system of writing in which picture symbols represented sounds, syllables or concepts. It was used for inscriptions on monuments in Egypt.
Before Civilization Culture Stone Age Hunter-gatherer societies Agricultural Revolution - Domestication - Pastoralism Hunter-gatherer societies vs. Farming societies
Mesopotamia: Politics Semitic people were politically dominant City-states Lugal (king) Hammurabi
Mesopotamia: Society Social division Hammurabi’s Code Male dominated Women
Mesopotamia: Religion Gods that embody nature Anthropomorphism Temples and ziggurats Priests Demons and amulets
Mesopotamia: Tech and Art Cuneiform Irrigation Clay Bronze Number system
Egypt: Politics Divine kingship - Pharaoh Ma’at Hereditary kingship Complex bureaucracy
Egypt: Society Ethnically diverse Less pronounced social divisions Women had more rights Slavery limited
Egypt: Religion Polytheistic Some of the more important gods: Ra, Horus, Osiris, etc. Pyramids Afterlife - Mummies Divine kingship
Egypt: Tech and Art Architecture - Pyramids - Temples - Monuments Hieroglyphics Irrigation Chemistry
Egypt: Economy Self-sufficient Nubia Trade Agriculture
Indus Valley Civilization “Priest-King” Strong central authority Writing system City layout Technology Natural resources Metal “Systems failure”