Government & World History
This lesson is about government & world history including human history.
old stone age/ paleolithic
the early period in human history in which humans used simple stone tools. the people were hunters and gatherers
new stone age/ neolithic
changed from the old stone age when people shifted from hunting animals and gathering food to keeping animals and growing food on a regular basis (systematic agriculture)
effects of neolithic revolution
-more stable food supply
-domestication of animals
-settled villages
-increased population
prehistory
the period of time before writing was invented and scientists relied on archaeological and biological evidence
history
the period of time when writing was invented
mesopotamian cities/ sumerian city-states
there were 12 of these, each with their own government
fertile crescent/ crossroads of the world
an arc of land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf
homo sapiens sapiens
“wise, wise humans”
species that appeared in Africa between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago; they were the first anatomically modern humans
sumerian inventions
wagon wheel, sundial, arch, bronze, number system based on 60, constellation charts, advancements in math and astronomy
city-states
a state with political and economical control over the surrounding countryside
archaeology
the study of past societies through analysis of what people left behind
anthropology
the study of human life and culture
radiocarbon dating
modern scientific method for telling age of once living material by measuring the amount of radioactive carbon remaining in it
homo habilis
“handy human”
somewhat larger brain
may have used stone tools
neanderthals
the species that descended from homo sapiens; first found in a valley in Germany. were the first people who buried their dead and used stone tools. they lived between 100,000 & 30,000 BC
sumerian economy
based chiefly on farming, but included trade and industry as well
sumerian society
three classes:
nobles- kings and priests/priestesses
commoners- farmers, merchants, artisans, fisherman
slaves- owned by palace officials and rich land owners
neolithic farming villages
permanent settlements that contained only a few roads on which lay simple mud brick houses. had walls around the villages. specialization of labor began and religion was beginning to become more important
gilgamesh
the first epic poem was written about him and teaches the people that immortality is only for the gods: written by the Sumeritans
scribes
a person specially trained to read, write, and keep records
polytheistic
belief in many gods
theocracy
a government established by the divine authority
ziggurat
massive stepped tower on which was built a temple dedicated to the chief god or goddess of sumerian city
culture
way of life for a group of people studied by anthropologists and includes language, behavior, and belief
define and describe the term civilization
is a complex culture in which large numbers of people share a number of common elements
use the characteristics of civilization to describe the Sumerian way of life
Sumer was an early civilization that exemplified all the characteristics of civilization: cities, government, religion, social structure, writing, and art. Sumerians exemplified cities by the way they lived- in city states. A city-state was a state with political and economic control over the surrounding country-side. The Sumerian government was a theocracy, which was a government established by divine authority. The king was believed to have derived power from the gods, therefore, the people must obey the king so as not to anger the gods. Aided by the government, army, priests, and priestesses, the king led armies, organized workers, and supervised construction. The social structure of Sumer had three classes: nobles, commoners, and slaves. The nobles included the kings and priests; the commoners included the farmers, merchants, artisans (craftspeople), and fisherman. The slaves were owned by the palace officials or sometimes rich landowners, and included people who were captured or in debt. The Sumerian writing system was called cunieform. The people used a reed stylus to create wedge-shaped impressions on clay tablets. Mesopotamian peoples primarily used writing for record keeping, training scribes, passing down information, and writing literature. Sumerians had different forms of art, including literature and and architecture