River Civilizations
What is a civilization?
large states (or groups of cities) that had urban life and writing, and shared similar customs and beliefs
What does Mesopotamia mean?
Tomb for the pharoahs
a kind of paper made from a plant
Papyrus
What is a ziggurat?
a stepped pyramid where some temples were built
Where did early civilizations usually form and why?
Near rivers
Fertile land, water supply, transportation
What were the two major city-states of the Sumerians?
Ur and Uruk
Who were the leaders of Ancient Egypt? Describe how the people thought of them
Pharaohs
Were thought of as gods and had absolute power
a type of writing developed in Mesopotamia by making sings on clay tablets.
Cuneiform writing
What was the Hammurabi code?
First written record of laws, from Babylonian Empire
What invention marked the end of prehistory and the start of history?
Writing
Why did Mesopotamian civilization end?
They were conquered by the Persians
What were the black lands and red lands?
Dark fertile mud of the river valley = “black lands”
The dry deserts = “red lands”
the belief that there are many gods
Polytheism
What were the 2 typical types of meaning of Egyptian art?
Religious, political
Name 3 of the rivers that early civilizations were formed near
Tigris, Euphrates
Nile
Indus
Yellow, Blue
What were the two architectural structures that they invented?
Arch and vault
What were the purpose of mummies?
Egyptians believed that people had a life after death if their bodies were preserved
a succession of rulers who all belonged to the same family
Dynasty
What is missing from this diagram of Mesopotamian society?
Kings
Aristocracy
Priests
________
Peasants/craftsmen
Slaves
Officials (scribes) and merchants
What was writing used for in Mesopotamia?
Record taxes, trade, population
Name the 5 peoples/empires of Mesopotamia
Sumer, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian
Name 2 gods/goddesses of Ancient Egypt and what they were the god/goddess of
Ra - sun; Amun - city of Thebes; Osiris - dead; Isis - fertility; Horus - war; Anubis - mummification; Thoth - secretary of gods/patron of scribes
a striped head clothing worn by a pharaoh that symbolised the power given by the gods
Nemes
Describe some of the struct rules of Egyptian painting
Hierarchical order
No perspective
Objects represented from the front; heads, arms and legs from profile
Important people were idealised
Static human figure