Classics 2500 Mid Term 1

Front 1

What are the 4 key ages in the Near East / Greece / Rome?

What are the key dates?

Back 1

1. Stone Age
2. Chalcolithic (ca. 5000-3100 BC)
3. Bronze Age (ca. 3100-1200)
4. Iron Age 1200/1000-800/700 - depends on location

Front 2

What are some key items left behind by nomadic groups? (non-complex societies)

Back 2

• Post Holes - holes left by posts after they rot away
• Clusters of animal bones
• We may find figurines or figural art

Front 3

What are things that complex societies may leave behind?

Back 3

• Architecture: standing buildings and ruins
• City plans: streets, open spaces, buildings
• Artefacts: pottery, metal, stone, coins, etc.
• Ecofacts: Seeds, pollen, grains, bones, etc.
• Tombs
• Written sources: inscribed stones, documents

Front 4

Why is pottery such an important find and where did it originate?

Back 4

• Pottery is used to date archaeological layers based on the form, style and sometimes stamps of potters or graffito from owners found on the sherds found in a layer.
• We can test it to see what was inside (oil, wine)
• Originated in the near east in 7000 - 6800 BC

Front 5

What is Palaeobotany?

Back 5

• Seeds, pollen and other small organic materials are collected through a sieving process called Flotation.
• Allows us to study food sources, plant resources, and processes of deforestation and landscape change.

Front 6

What is Bioarchaeology

Back 6

• The study of animal remains
• Animal remains tell us about food sources, domestication of animals, and pets in antiquity.
• Human remains are even more helpful to understand the lives and deaths of past human groups.

Front 7

What is Stratigraphy?

Back 7

• The levels that build up one on top of another to create an archaeological site, each level is called a stratum
• The lowest stratum is the earliest, the highest stratum is the latest
• Archeologists excavate stratigraphically which means layer by layer

Front 8

What is a Tell Site

Back 8

Area where the same site is reused by successive human groups. Walls, pits, floors, and debris all remain in their stratigraphic sequence for archaeologists to find.

Also known as a hoyak

(Image associated with this)

Front 9

What are methods of Relative Dating?

Back 9

1. Typology - ordering objects by type and characteristics
2. Seriation - ordering objects by which layer they were found in

Front 10

What are methods of Absolute Dating?

Back 10

1. Dendrochronology - trees may be used for a building or burning
2. Radiocarbon Dating (C14) - Has an accuracy of +/- 50 years, and can tell when a tree was cut down but not when it was used

Front 11

What are the 3 methods of dating?

Back 11

1. Historical (Using inscribed dates on coins)
2. Relative
3. Absolute

Front 12

Name dates for:

1. Total Near East
2. Neolithic Era
3. Chalcolitic
4. Bronze Age
5. Iron Age / Dark Age

Back 12

Near East: 12,500 - 330 BC

Neolithic: 10,000 - 5,000 BC

Chalcolitic: 5,000 - 3,100 BC

Bronze Age: 3100 - 1200 BC

Iron Age: 1,200 - 330 BC

Front 13

Name 3 characteristics of a large ancient city according to V. Gordon Childe (1950)

Back 13

1. Social Stratification
2. Writing
3. Sciences
4. Sophisticated Art
5. Long Distance Trade
6. Collective identity and worship

Front 14

When and where were the first settlements?

How do we know they settled?

Back 14

12,500 - 10,000 BC

Small settlements in southern Levant and Northwest Syria

We know they settled because we saw signs of agriculture which would indicate settlement

• plant remains
• bones and storage pits

Front 15

Where and when were plants domesticated / agriculture invented?

Back 15

10,000 - 5,000 BC

Occurred in the Fertile Crescent

Front 16

What were the impacts of settlement and agriculture

Back 16

1. Social Stratification came with settlement, where certain groups controlled resources
2. Family and tribes became urban communities
3. Population Increase

Front 17

Why did settlement happen in the near East and Anatolia?

Back 17

1. Ideal growing conditions during the cooler months
2. Abundant natural resources and access to water made self sustaining societies easy to exist

Front 18

When is Pre-Pottery Neolithic v Pottery Neolithic

Back 18

10,000 - 6,800 - Pre Pottery

• Agriculture, sedentary communities

6,800 - 5,000 - Pottery

• metallurgy

Front 19

4 Characteristics of a Neolithic Village, and what is the most famous village we study?

Back 19

1. Small settlements (10-20 Houses)
2. Circular (or rectangular) Mudbrick houses
3. Food storage facilities
4. We begin to see social stratification by comparing the complexity of houses within a village

Jericho (Palestine) is the most famous

Front 20

3 Characteristic of Wattle and Daub house

Back 20

1. Timber Uprights
2. Twigs and Branches placed across the way
3. covered with mud and grass

Front 21

Where and when did Jericho exist?

Back 21

Existed in palestine between 8,500 - 7,300 BC

(PrePottery Neolithic)

Front 22

Key Aspects of Jericho (5)

a "porto-city" moving toward urbanization

Back 22

1. Complex and large fortifications which signify specialized labour groups
2. Peer Polity Interaction - how cities interact with each other
3. Complex Houses with sunken floors and storage (wattle and daub)
4. Social Stratification
5. Religion and Burials
6. Long Distance trade (obsidian)

Front 23

When was Bronze Age Greece

Back 23

3,100 - 1,200 BC

Front 24

When were Minoans on Crete?

What is the other major Greek civilization that was concurued

Back 24

Minoans (2,000 - 1,4000 BC) conquered the Mycenaeans ( 1,600 - 1,200)

Front 25

Key Concepts of Mesopotamian Urbanization

When did the Mesopotamia Exist?

What are 3 important concepts?

Back 25

5,000 - 1,200 BC

1. Development of class / social stratification (priests, scribes, kings) - priests link gods to ppl
2. The state and religion collide - surplus is held within the temple
3. Deity was the primary ruler

Front 26

Where was the Palace of Zimri Lim? When was it completed

Back 26

Palace was located in Mari (Modern day Syria)

Completed in 1,700 BC

Front 27

Key Features of Zimri Lim (5)

(Old Babylonian Period)

Back 27

1. Palace if now social centre - large central courtyard
2. Reception area for political meetings
3. Temple in the palace (religion under power of the king)
4. Everything under rule of the king now
5. Sophisticated artwork

Front 28

Where is Mesopotamia?

Back 28

Between the Tigres and Euphrates rivers

Front 29

Where is the Aegean and what is the landscape

Back 29

Aegeans are and ancient greek civilization

• rocky and landlocked results in slow movements of technology
• lack of navigable plains and rivers

Front 30

Two major Crete palace complexes

Back 30

1. Knossos
2. Gournia

Front 31

Mari v Knossos (2)

Back 31

1. Both have large central courtyards and the "piano key" type storage units
2. Notion of reception or ceremonial space in both leads us to believe Knossos was modelled after Mari

Front 32

5 Main functions of Minoan (Greek) Palace

Back 32

1. Private Residence (for King)
2. Community Space
3. Ceremonial Space
4. Religious Centre (Temple)
5. Economic Centre (storage space)

Front 33

What is special about the Knossos: “Throne” Room

Back 33

Since there was no real concept of king like we know today, it was likely a room of religious practice with a bowl in the centre for washing

cleanliness = religious

Front 34

What is this an example of? and what are the individual layers called

Back 34

Stratigraphy - the layers built up that we look for when doing archeological excavations

Each layer is called a stratum

Front 35

What is this? and what are the layers called

Back 35

This is a Tell Site and the layers are called stratigraphy

Front 36

What is this showing

Back 36

Palaeobotany - scientific investigation to determine several aspects of life in antiquity such as food sources, plant resources, and processes of deforestation and landscape change.

Front 37

What is this an example of and from what time period? (location)

Back 37

Pottery Originates ca. 7000-6800 BC in Near East

Allows us to create relative dates

Front 38

What does this show?

Back 38

Bones and Bioarcheology

Front 39

What is this?

Back 39

dendrochronology used for relative dating

Front 40

Back 40

Example of a textual source, allows us to come up with relative or sometimes absolute dating

Front 41

What is this?

Back 41

Round sunken house with one room common the Neolithic villages

Front 42

What are these?

Back 42

Pieces of pottery known as Sherds

Front 43

What is these and where was it located?

Back 43

Wattle and Daub walls found usually at Jericho (neolithic villages)

Front 44

Where is this?

Back 44

Jericho (8500 - 6000 BC) that lies over one of the earliest examples of a hunter gatherer society

Jericho is a Neolithic settlement

Front 45

What is this and whats the significace

Back 45

This is the fortified wall at Jericho that is complex and suggests that there was job specialization

Front 46

What is this and what are 4 key details

Back 46

Jericho home is the PrePottery neolithic period.

1. complex architecture
2. food processing area
3. space for storage
4. May indicate social stratification as some houses were nicer than others

Front 47

What is this / Significane

Back 47

Obsidian which does not come from Greece, meaning there were significant trade ties with the Jericho people

Front 48

What is this

Back 48

Knossos, built in 1,700 BC

Front 49

What is this?

Back 49

Knossos (finished 1700BC)

Front 50

Describe and significance

Back 50

This is one of the roads that leads to the courtyard of Knossos, all roads led to the centre.

Knossos was also a burial ground or a place of celebration

Front 51

What is this, and where is it from

Back 51

It is an image inside the palace of Knossos

This is Minoan art which usually depicts women as being white, however this shows men as being white

Front 52

Who is this and what does she represent?

Back 52

Knossos Snake Goddess

• snakes represent fertility in both humans and the land
• idea that through god, man can control fertility

Front 53

What are these called, where were they found and what are they used for

Significance

Back 53

Pithos jars found at Knossos are massive pots meant for storage, not transportation.

Further suggests that Knossos would have been more than just a palace but an economic centre

Front 54

What is this depiction and what is the significance

Back 54

Shows peak sanctuaries - shows how the countryside collides with the urban centre. Allowed the deity to look over the whole countryside

Front 55

What time period and what is it known as?

Back 55

Linear B Tablet - a Mycencean tablet

Front 56

Where is this and what is the palace also known as?

Back 56

Mycenae depicting the locations of grace circle A and B

Palace is also known as the Megaron

Front 57

What place is this

Back 57

Mycenae

Front 58

What place is this

Back 58

Mycenae

Front 59

What is this? Where and whats the significance

Back 59

This is the lions gate at Mycenae

Cyclopean Masonry would suggest peer polity interaction. Also shows that the Minoans are interested in showing off their power through artistic representation

Front 60

What is this?

Back 60

Lions on the top of Lions Gate at Mycenae

Front 61

What is this?

Key Features (3)?

Back 61

The plan of the Mycenaean Megaron (palace)

• Four columns
• Also had a storeroom
• Think of it as a living quarters for the king

Front 62

What is this?

Back 62

Excavated Mycenaean Megaron

Front 63

What is this? What are the dates

Significant Feautre?

Back 63

Grace circle A (1600 - 1500 BC)

The wall surrounding it was implemented 250 years after it was last used

Front 64

What is this

Back 64

Grave Circle B Mycenae

Front 65

What is this and where is it located?

Significance?

Back 65

It is a Grave Stele - Located at grave circle A

The depictions indicates a war like society

Front 66

What is this and where was it found

Back 66

Found at grave circle B, and is a luxury good used to represent power and wealth known as Exotica

This is Minoan but found in a Mycenaean context

Front 67

what are these? Significance?

Back 67

Mycenaean Daggers

Hunting scene depicted on the daggers indicates again that people gain power through war or war like activities.

1v1 fighting was very popular at the time

Front 68

What are these? Where were they found?

What is the centre one

Back 68

Gold Funerary Masks (death masks), with the centre one called agamemnon's mask. Could be fake since the centre looks like Kaiser Wilhelm

Found at grave circle A

Front 69

What are the key functions of the Mycenaean palace?

Back 69

1. Residence of the King, which is different than the Minoan palace which was centred around community
2. Palace was place of central administration (according to linear B tablets)
3. Collection and redistribution of surplus goods

Front 70

Grave Circle B

Dates

Significance of location

Back 70

Used between 1650 - 1550, and actually predates grave circle A but was found after it

Located right beside road leading to city, since it was the burial place of the upper class they wanted all citizens to pass by them

Front 71

What is this an example of and what is this specific one?

Back 71

Megaton with central hearth

This is the Palace of Nestor, in Pylos

Front 72

Similarities / Differences between Mycenaean and Minoan Society (4 key)

Back 72

1. Mycenaean palaces are fortifies, minoan are not
2. Minoan palace is centre for all, Mycenaean palace is only for king
3. Mycenaeans are about power and wealth, we are not sure about the Minoans
4. Minoans were about public ritual, Mycenaeans are about ritual of the king

Front 73

What is this picture supposed to represent?

Back 73

Shipping in the late bronze age and the idea of "interconnectedness"

Front 74

Describe

Back 74

Uluburun Shipwreck (14th Century)

• Idea of interconnectedness, the cargo contained everything from Spanish tin, glass, Egyptian goods, items from the Baltic Sea
• Everything from Europe to North African

Front 75

Back 75

Uluburun Shipwreck from 14th century BC

Cypriot or Caananite Origin. The ship was built of Lebanese wood but Syrian anchors

Front 76

Describe

Back 76

Cargo from the Uluburun ship wreck

Front 77

Describe

Back 77

Nefertiti from the Uluburun ship wreck

Front 78

Describe

Back 78

Gold wring with Nefertiti On the Face from the Uluburun ship wreck

Front 79

What are these

Back 79

Pots from the Uluburun ship wreck

Front 80

What is this and where was it found?

Back 80

Teracotta ox cart state from Karphi (1150 - 1000 BC)

This is a clay cult symbol that could be a remnant of the Minoan religious culture

Front 81

What is this?

Back 81

A reconstruction of Karphi

Front 82

Late Bronze Age Collapse

Back 82

Started in 1200BC but did not occur all at once, some parts lasted until 1100BC.

• no one single event, there was extreme specialization and breakdown of palace rule
• One theory was due to population movement

Front 83

What is Karphi

Back 83

• Known as "the nail" was a refuge settlement from 1050 - 950BC
• was quickly built (no sign of planning), could have been a Minoan peak sanctuary