Characteristics of Civilization
Define civilization
A civilization is a large state (or groups of cities) with common characteristics
The method by which Mesopotamia received its water
Irrigation canals took water from the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers and brought them to the land for drinking and irrigation
Define city-state
An independent city and its surrounding land
Polytheistic
Believing in multiple gods, each which had emotions similar to humans but were immortal
Compare history and prehistory
History is the study of the past of humanity after the invention of writing.
Prehistory is the study of the past of humanity before the invention of writing.
Reason why civilizations began in river valleys
Easy access to fresh water, food (fishing), and aided in agriculture (flooding provided nutrients to the land)
The reason Mesopotamia had fertile soil
When the rivers flooded, they left behind organic matter and minerals on the land
The major invention of Mesopotamia, how it was done, and what it kept track of
Cuneiform Writing, making signs on a clay tablet with reed and left to dry in the sun; writing was invented to keep records of taxes, trade and the population
Temples
Places where the gods lived on Earth, used as a place for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice
Three historical sources that help us know what happened in the past.
Includes: documents, bones, artifacts, archaeological sites, oral transmissions, stone inscriptions, recorded sounds, photos, film and more.
The rivers on which Mesopotamia developed
The Tigris and the Euphrates
The modern-day location of Mesopotamia
The Middle East, including parts of southwest Asia and lands around the eastern Mediterranean Sea
(Iraq, Kuwait, eastern parts of Syria, southereastern Turkey)
Kings who expanded their territories through conquest and alliances eventually ruled this
Empires
Ziggurats
A stepped pyramid, typically with a temple at the top
Four types of time-measurement that chronolgists use when arranging dates.
Years (365 days)
Centuries (100 years)
Millennia (1,000 years)
Periods (e.g. prehistory, middle ages, contemporary age)
The earliest civilizations which developed in river valleys
The Tigris and the Euphrates in Mesopotamia
The Nile in Egypt
The Indus in Pakistan and India
The Huang-He and Yangtze rivers in China
Mesopotamia in the Greek language
"Between Rivers"
The group of people who conquered Mesopotamia in the 6th Century BCE
Persians
Architectural inventions of Mesopotamia
The arch and the vault, built with mud bricks
Order the following: Middle Ages, Contemporary Age, Ancient History, Prehistory, Modern Age
Prehistory, Ancient History, Middle Ages, Modern Age, Contemporary Age
List the 6 characteristics of a civilization
1. Writing
2. Urban life (cities)
3. Located near great rivers; flooding fertilised the land
4. Powerful political heads (King leading an army and making laws)
5. Social hierarchy: a small minotry of privileged people
6. Large-scale building works: irrigation canals, palaces, temples and tombs
The name given to the area in which Mesopotamia developed due to its productive soils
The Fertile Crescent
List 3 levels of Mesopotamian society and describe each
The king held political, military and religious power
The artistocracy (the king's family) were landowners and state officials
The priests were responable for religious rituals
Scribes were officials who registered laws and commercial transactions
Merchants traded metals, wood and wool
Craftsmen like weavers, carpenters or jewellers worked in workshops
Peasants rented land, paying with part of the harvest
Slaves had no rights, and worked for the state, the temple or wealthy people
Code of Hammurabi
One of the oldest codes of law in history, establishing that the punishment should be equal to the crime committed ("an eye for an eye")
The major difference between English and Spanish when discussing centuries.
In English, centuries are indicated with ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th).
In Spanish, centuries are written using Roman Numerals (I, II, III, IV, V).