Chapter one
The objective of Chapter one is to examine Paleolithic civilization, Neolithic
civilization and the development of major river valley civilizations of
Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China.
After reading this chapter, you should be familiar with:
1. The visual record and meaning of Paleolithic cave art.
2. Neolithic developments of food production, awareness of seasonal change and post
and lintel construction
3. The birth of cities specialization of labor and writing: origins and function
4. The ways in which the natural environment influenced religious beliefs in Sumer?
5. The basic features of Mesopotamian culture as reflected in its literature and art?
6. The function of written law in ancient Babylon?
7. The role of technology in the rise of empires in Mesopotamia?
8. The ways in which the natural environment influenced spiritual life and religious
beliefs in ancient Egypt?
9. The basic features of religious, political, and social life in ancient Egypt?
10. The unique features of Egyptian art and literature?
11. The spiritual, political, and artistic achievements of ancient India and China.
12. The unique features of early Hinduism.
13. The unique features of the first Chinese dynasties.
Key terms
animism
the belief that the forces of nature are inhabited by spirits
Atman
the Hindu name for the Self; the personal part of Brahman
Brahman
the Hindu name for the Absolute Spirit, an impersonal World Soul that
pervades all things
calligraphy
(Greek, "beautiful writing") the art of ornamental handwriting
caste system the rigid social stratification in India based on differences in wealth, rank, or
occupation
cosmology
the theory of the origins, evolution, and structure of the universe
culture
the sum total of those things (including traditions, techniques, material goods,
and symbol systems) that people have invented, developed, and transmitted
cuneiform
("wedge-shaped") one of humankind's earliest writing systems, consisting of
wedge-shaped marks
dolmen
a stone tomb formed by two posts capped by a lintel
dynasty
a sequence of rulers from the same family
empire
a state achieved militarily from the unification of territories under a single
sovereign power
epic
a long narrative poem that recounts the deeds of a legendary or historical
hero in his quest for meaning or identity
fresco
(Italian, "fresh") a method of painting on walls or ceilings surfaced with fresh,
moist lime plaster
hieroglyphs
(Greek, "sacred sign") the pictographic script of ancient Egypt
hypostyle
a hall whose roof is supported by columns
karma
(Sanskrit, "deed") the law that holds that one's deeds determine one's future
life in the Wheel of Rebirth
lyre
any one of a group of plucked stringed instruments; usually made of
tortoiseshell or horn and therefore light in weight
lyric
literally "accompanied by the lyre," hence, verse that is meant to be sung
rather than spoken, usually characterized by individual and personal emotion
megalith
a large, roughly shaped stone, often used in ancient architectural construction
metallurgy
the science of working or heating metals
monarch
a single or sole ruler
monotheism
the belief in one and only one god
nirvana
(Sanskrit, "extinction") the blissful reabsorption of the Self into the Absolute
Spirit ("Brahman"): release from the endless cycle of rebirth
obelisk
a tall, four-sided pillar that tapers into to a pyramidal apex
pantheism
the belief that a divine spirit pervades all things in the universe
papyrus
a reed-like plant from which the ancient Egyptians made paper
pictograph
a pictorial symbol used in humankind's earliest systems of writing
polychrome
having many or various colors
polytheism
the belief in many gods
post-andlintel
the simplest form of architectural construction, consisting of vertical members
(posts) and supporting horizontals (lintels)
pylons
a massive gateway in the form of a pair of truncated pyramids
qi
(Chinese, "substance" or "breath") the material substance of vital force of the
universe
relief
a sculptural technique in which figures or forms are carved either to project
from the background surface (raised relief) or cut away below the background
level (sunk relief); the degree of relief is designated as high, low, or sunken
stele
an upright stone slab or pillar
terra-cotta
(Italian, "baked earth") a clay medium that may be glazed or painted; also
called "earthenware"
theocracy
rule by god or god's representative
ziggurat
a terraced tower of rubble and brick that served ancient Mesopotamians as a
temple-shrine