Mr. B's Grade 5 Class- Intro To Ancient Civilizations Unit With Pictures!

Front 1

Define: archaeology

Back 1

Archeology is:
1) the scientific study
2) of people of the past (who died long ago)
3) through the things they left behind

Front 2

What are the Greek root words of "archaeology"?

Back 2

arkhaios= "ancient"
+ logia= "study"

Front 3

Name the 3 methods used by archaeologists to discover the past.

Back 3

1) photography
2) carbon-dating
3) excavation

Front 4

Which archeological method is pictured here?

Back 4

photography
from a plane, archaeologists can see where to dig

Front 5

How does excavation work?

Back 5

- archaeologists find an object from the past
- they look at which layer of sediment it was found in
- based on the layer, they can figure out how old it is

Front 6

Which archeological method is pictured here?

Back 6

excavation

Front 7

What is carbon-14?

Back 7

- a radioactive compound found in all living things (e.g. plants, animals, humans)
- it decays at a constant rate
- when archaelogists find something, they can measure the amount of carbon-14
-and they know how old it is

Front 8

Define: prehistorical period

Back 8

History before any written records

Front 9

When did the Stone Age take place?

Back 9

40,000 to 12,000 years ago

Front 10

Define: Stone Age

Back 10

1) A prehistoric time period
2) In which stone was used most of the time to make tools

Front 11

In the word "paleolithic," what does "paleo" mean? What about "lithic"?

Back 11

From the Greek roots

paleo= old
lithic= stone

Front 12

What is this? What does it tell us about the Stone Age?

Back 12

Cave painting

It tells us the people in the Stone Age were hunters

Front 13

Define: nomadic

Back 13

Nomadic is an adjective to describe people who don't live in one place, but keep moving around.

They moved around to follow the animals they hunted.

Front 14

What did the people of the Stone Age eat?

Back 14

They mostly ate the meat they hunted.

They also gathered some fruits and nuts.

Front 15

What did they do to keep warm? To cook?

Back 15

They wore animal skins (i.e. leather) and used fire.

Front 16

What is another name for Stone Age?

Back 16

Paleolithic period

Front 17

What revolution took place at the end of the Stone Age?

Back 17

The Agricultural Revolution

Front 18

What changed during the Agricultural Revolution?

Back 18

1) For the first time, people planted seeds & domesticated animals
2) They made the first farms--in history!
3) Now they weren't nomadic--they could stay in one place
4) The beginning of human civilization

Front 19

How did they discover farming?

Back 19

We can't be 100% sure.

Some say it was by accident--the Stone Age people noticed that if they dropped seeds on the ground, plants would grow.

Front 20

Did the lives of the people get better where the first farms grew?

Back 20

Yes.
1) People now had permanent homes-- no running after meat!
2) They had extra food (called a surplus)
3) With enough food, they focused on invention and creation of other goods
4) They began to trade surplus food, and later coins, for special goods like furniture, pottery, and jewellery

Front 21

In what ways did the lives of people worsen after the Agricultural Revolution/Stone Age ended?

Back 21

1) hierarchy- organization of people based on rank
2) less time-- arguably because business/trade took over
3) wars-- new villages & kingdoms fought for land
4) environmental destruction-- through cultivation of the land

Front 22

Define: surplus

Back 22

Extra crops (food)

Front 23

Fill in the blank: The Agricultural Revolution led to the first human ____________________.

Back 23

CIVILIZATION

Front 24

What is the name of the first civilization? Where was it located?

Back 24

Mesopotamia

the Middle East, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Front 25

What is the meaning of "Mesopotamia"?

Back 25

Greek for "land between two rivers"

Front 26

What are the 6 characteristics of civilization?

Back 26

Overall, a civilization is a complex social system.
1) economy
2) social system
3) political system
4) knowledge
5) technology
6) religion

Front 27

What is included in the ECONOMY aspect of civilization? Give an artifact example.

Back 27

economy= trade, surplus/money, and job specialization

e.g. money, evidence of trade, receipts, tax accounts, many types of jobs (e.g. banker, farmer, artisan, etc.)

Front 28

What is included in the SOCIAL SYSTEM aspect of civilization? Give an artifact example.

Back 28

social system= hierarchy (some people considered higher than others),
division of labour,
culture (art, music etc.)

e.g. pictures of different classes of society, evidence of different jobs, paintings, musical instruments
e.g.

Front 29

What is included in the POLITICAL SYSTEM aspect of civilization? Give an artifact example.

Back 29

political systemn= rulers, government, laws, military

e.g. statue of King Gudea, Code of Hammurabi (laws)

Front 30

What is included in the KNOWLEDGE aspect of civilization? Give an artifact example.

Back 30

writing and other studies

e.g. written records, mathematics, science

Front 31

What is included in the TECHNOLOGY aspect of civilization? Give an artifact example.

Back 31

scientific and other inventions

e.g. the chariot, architecture (ziggurat), irrigation, the wheel

Front 32

What is included in the RELIGIOUS BELIEFS aspect of civilization? Give an artifact example.

Back 32

evidence of religion, beliefs in God/gods

e.g. prayer statues, statues of gods

Front 33

What is surplus and why is it "an essential development of civilization"?

Back 33

A surplus= extra food

If there's extra food, not everyone has to work as a farmer.

The people who aren't farming can find other type of work; for example, building, fighting in the army, crafting trade items, ruling, or leading religious worship.

These people would get food surplus/money in exchange for their services or products.

Front 34

True or false? "A surplus leads to less jobs for people"

Back 34

False!

Having extra food means people can have MORE jobs.
They don't all have to be farmers, like before. [txt. pg. 104]

Front 35

True or false? "A surplus in a city stops trade"

Back 35

False!

If there's extra food (a surplus) it can be traded for other things.

For example, since Babylon had a lot of extra grain, it could trade with other cities for what it lacked: stone and wood. [txt. pg. 104]

Front 36

What is a hierarchical society? Where the first civilizations hierarchical?

Back 36

Yes, the first civilizations were hierarchical.

This means that political and social life was organized in such a way that people were put in different levels, or ranks. The ranks went from highest (most powerful) to lowest (least powerful). [txt. pg. 104]

Front 37

How many levels were there in the social/political hierarchy? Give examples of the types of workers in each rank.

Back 37

There were 3 main ranks in the social/political hierarchy:

TOP rank: most powerful people (ruling family, religious leaders, trusted advisers to the king)

MIDDLE rank: medium power (military leaders, skilled artisans [craftspeople], government clerks, priests, merchants)

LOWEST rank: least powerful (labourers, peasant farmers, and slaves

Front 38

In which level of the social hierarchy would you find this person? Who is he?

Back 38

He's a slave.

He's in the lowest rank. He has little or no say in how he is governed.

Front 39

In which level of the social hierarchy would you find this person? Who is he?

Back 39

He's an Egyptian pharoah (ruler).

He's in the highest rank. He decides how everyone else will be governed.

Front 40

In which level of the social hierarchy would you find these people? Who are they?

Back 40

They're artisans (craftspeople).

They're in the middle rank. They have some say in how they are governed.

Front 41

In which level of the social hierarchy would you find this person? Who is he?

Back 41

He's a priest.

He's in the middle rank, because he's not a head religious leader (e.g. the high priest).

He has some say in how he is governed.

Front 42

In which level of the social hierarchy would you find these people? Who are they?

Back 42

They're farmers.

They're in the lowest rank. They have little say in how they are governed.

Front 43

A complex society is hierarchical.

What other distinguishing features do complex societies have?

(hint: government, politics)

Back 43

- ways to get taxes from people, to pay for various services like:

1. irrigation for farming
2. military for protection
3. construction of public buildings, walls, roads

- and laws to...
protect property + people

[txt. pg. 105]

Front 44

Knowledge and technology are essential to ancient civilization. Name at least 5 such developments in Mesopotamia/ancient Babylon.

Back 44

1. writing (cuneiform)
2. astronomy (study of the stars and planets)
3. wheel invented
4. glass
5. metal tools
6. pottery
7. clothing
8. arches in architecture
9. irrigation in farming
10. chariots & complex weaponry [pg. 108 + worksheet]

Front 45

What did the people of ancient civilizations all believe?

Back 45

People of ancient civilizations believed..
1. Gods and goddesses govern human life (including different aspects of life like war, childbirth, love etc.)
2. Rulers and religious leaders can communicated with these gods and goddesses
3. Rulers were chosen by gods and goddesses
4. That when they died, some part of them would survive
[pg. 110-111]

Front 46

Did religion support the hierarchical organization of society?

Back 46

Yes.

Since people believed gods ruled the universe, and chose their rulers, those rulers were given extreme powers.

High priests were also very important; they could communicate with the gods.

Front 47

True or false? "People of ancient civilizations did not really fear death, for in it they saw continuation."

Back 47

True!

Peoples of all ancient civilization believed life continued after death (i.e. through the soul, the spirit)

Front 48

What is the name of the longest river of the world, and the site of African civilization?

Back 48

The Nile

Front 49

How did the Nile support African civilization?

Back 49

When the Nile overflowed sometimes, it left sediment, or fertile soil on the river banks.

This made the soil excellent for farming. People settled around the river and grew a surplus of crops, leading to civilization. [p. 114]

Front 50

Besides providing nutrient-rich soil, what were the other benefits from living near the Nile?

Back 50

1. nutrient-rich soil

2. water for irrigation (water to feed crops)
3. fishing
4. for travel & trade
5. mud for pottery & bricks [p. 114]

Front 51

Two civilizations that arose by the Nile are A) the N_ _ _ _ _ and B) E_ _ _ _ _ _ _ civilizations.

Back 51

A) Nubian
B) Egyptian

[p. 115]

Front 52

The Nubians lived in the area which is modern-day S_ _ _ _.

Back 52

Sudan

[p. 115]

Front 53

What colour was the skin of the Nubians?

Back 53

It was dark, black. The Greeks and the Romans called Nubia the "land of the burnt faces."

Front 54

The Kingdom of the Nubians was called:

Back 54

The Kingdom of Kush

Front 55

True or False? "The Nubians and Egyptians were friendly to each other."

Back 55

False!

-After Egypt gained its independence in 3100 B.C. , it often raided Nubia for slaves
-When Eygpt was weaker, Nubia gained control over its trade routes and became wealthier
-Then Egypt conquered Lower Nubia in 2000 B.C.
-They later lost Nubia
- Nubia then conquered Egypt around 750 B.C., and ruled it for about 80 years
- Egypt regained control after that [pg. 116-119]

Front 56

True or False? "The Eygptians were always more powerful than the Nubians."

Back 56

False!

Nubian pharaohs ruled Egypt for 80 years!

Front 57

True or False? "Archaeologists find it difficult to understand the Nubians, because they didn't write."

Back 57

False!

The Nubians wrote using symbols for their language, Merotic.

The only difficulty is that so little is known about the Meroitic language that their writing remains a mystery.

[p. 121

Front 58

What were some of the items Nubians traded?

Back 58

1. superb pottery
2. cattle (cows)
3. timber (wood)
4. gold & ebony
5. incense & oil
6. leopard skins

[p. 116-120, 124]

Front 59

What was the most important animal to the Nubians, and why?

Back 59

The cow.

Because...
1. it was a valued commodity in trade
2. a source of food

[p. 124]

Front 60

What metal did the Nubians use to make their famous arrows?

Back 60

Iron.

It was much stronger than copper and bronze.

[p. 124]

Front 61

True or False? "The most important factor for prosperity in Kush wasn't fertile land or the iron industry, but trade."

Back 61

True!

The area around Meroe-- a central Nubian city-- connected with important trade routes. Many caravans from central Africa passed through Meroe and traded with the Nubians there.

[p. 124]

Front 62

In your opinion, was the economy of Kush strong or weak?

Back 62

It was strong due to trade.