Social
Neolithic individuals at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
What are slaves?
A region organized in a dozen or more separate and independent city states.
What is Sumer?
another term for hunter-gatherers; earliest human lifestyle, before agriculture
What are foragers?
Promoted by the urbanized elite and important in early civilization.
What are arts and literature?
In a group: when there is little or no difference in wealth, status, and power between members of the group.
What is egalitarian?
Reverence for and worship of one's ancestors (the generations of ones family that have died). Important in early Chinese religion.
What is ancestor veneration?
Chinese concept of the divine right to rule. According to this principle, a new dynasty received the mandate - or authority - from the gods to rule China justly and for the good of the people. If the dynasty becomes corrupt, incompetent, or unjust then the mandate will transfer to a new dynasty who will overthrow them and rule China.
What is the Mandate of Heaven?
Nomads who live primarily on the food and materials obtained from domesticated herds of animals; responsible for new military technology and horseback riding
What is pastoralism?
The idea that technology, religion, goods, and ideas spread between civilizations during the Neolithic period.
What is cultural diffusion?
This technology emerged to record accounting transactions and keep track of important rituals.
What is writing?
A group of related families that served as the basic organizing unit of Paleolithic (and some pastoral and agricultural) societies. Decisions were usually made through discussion and consensus among family leaders.
What is kinship group?
A political system in which a single center of power, such as a king or parliament, makes decisions for the whole state. Lower ranking government officials carry out the laws of the central authority but are not free to act independently.
What is centralized government?
Environment where most of the First Civilizations flourished.
What is flood plain/river valley?
Extremely large-scale buildings that are built for a primarily ritual or symbolic purpose. Examples include the Egyptian pyramids, the Sumerian ziggurats, the Olmec giant heads, and others.
What is monumental building?
Two countries that carried out long-distance trade, mostly in luxury goods.
What are Mesopotamia and Egypt?
The idea that the first humans migrated to the Americas around 12,000 b.c.e.
What is the “land bridge” theory?
The primary core task of governments in the Neolithic period.
What is supporting agricultural production?
The primary reason why ancient Egypt enjoyed more prosperity and peace than ancient Mesopotamia.
What is favorable geography?
This military technology spread from pastoral societies in central Asia to Egypt and Mesopotamia.
What are horse-drawn chariots?
Three specific species of domesticated amimals found in Neolithic pastoral communities.
What are horse, Bactrian camel, and cattle?
Male control of women, facilitated by male desire to know their children were actually theirs and by agriculture replacing female gathering of wild plant foods with male-centric heavy farmwork.
What is patriarchy?
Laws inspired by Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, intended to "bring about the rule of righteousness in the land."
What is the code of Hammurabi?
The ecological reason for the fall of Sumer.
What is salinization of the soil from deforestation and soil erosion?
This material was used for both sculptures in the Indus Valley and for military technology in China, where it enabled the creation of a strong state ruled by the Shang Dynasty.
What is bronze?
Grain-based agriculture, pottery, metallurgy, and writing were not found in this First Civilization city.
What is Caral?