Cultural Hearths
What is a cultural hearth?
A place where a culture develops and spreads.
In what region was Çatalhöyük located?
Southwest Asia.
What crop became important in Oaxaca?
Maize.
What does cultural diffusion mean?
The spread of ideas or practices from one culture to another.
What is a food surplus?
Food left over after people meet their immediate needs.
Name two features shared by ancient cultural hearths.
Fertile land and access to rivers. A mild climate is also acceptable.
What kind of settlement was Çatalhöyük?
One of the world’s oldest known permanent settlements.
What kind of evidence suggests similar social status in Banpo?
Most graves had similar grave goods.
In what region was Faiyum located?
The Nile River Valley in Egypt.
What was carved into the pillars at GöbekliTepe?
Images of fierce animals.
Were cultural hearths found only in Southwest Asia?
No. They developed in several parts of the world.
What provided a stable food supply at Çatalhöyük?
Farming.
What may have caused Banpo’s people to abandon their village?
Over farming exhausted the soil’s nutrients.
From where did many Faiyum farming practices come?
Southwest Asia.
Why is Göbekli Tepe significant in the chapter?
It is described as an early structure built for religious use.
Why were cultural hearths important?
They allowed new ideas, practices, and technologies to develop.
How did a stable food supply affect its population?
It helped the population grow.
Why was maize useful in Oaxaca?
It could produce a lot of food in a small space.
Give one example of cultural diffusion in Faiyum.
Neighboring cultures introduced domesticated grains or animals.
Which trait of civilization allowed some people to take jobs beyond farming?
Food surpluses.
How could a river help an early farming community grow?
It supplied water for crops and supported a stable food supply.
Why was farming more important to its growth than murals or house placement?
Farming supported a reliable food supply and population growth.
What do similar grave goods tell archaeologists about Banpo society?
Many people may have held similar social status.
How do farming practices show that Faiyum had contact with other cultures?
Some of its agricultural practices were introduced from outside the area.
How could food surpluses lead to specialized workers and government?
Extra food supported people with other jobs; growing communities organized leadership.