Quiz 1

1. What were some of the long-term strengths of Paleolithic societies?

Paleolithic societies actually seemed to be more desirable than our current ones in many ways because of the highly functional social systems. Women and men were treated as equals, worked equals amounts (men hunted, women gathered) and had plenty of time for recreation in between their travels.  There was less oppression than in any other human society known to historians, and that is possibly in part to the lack of material objects they had. Without differences in class and wealth people were able to enjoy life as equals. Because these people had to keep moving in order to keep with nature’s resources they did not own very much at all, and only kept with them what they absolutely needed. They weren’t wasteful and were resourceful and observant of the seasons and the environment.

2. What was the significance of the Neolithic Revolution?

This was the period in time in which primary hunting and gathering communities began making agricultural innovations and therefore becoming more attached to certain locations. They began to travel less and put their roots in a certain place where they could begin to really develop agricultural technology. Once they were rooted, their populations began to slowly increase starting the first civilizations.

3) What characterized the transition to “civilized” human societies in the Ancient world?

 When people began to settle down they began to mold the land to their will and build small societies. As these cities grew, technologies advanced, and the people started to be considered civilized. The small groups of people grew to become large ones, and as the population and wealth grew so did the way of living. With bigger communities meant more competition, and competition spurned the start of social classes.

4.) What were the major ancient civilizations and approximately when did they thrive?

Mesopotamia, and Egypt were two of the largest, most well known civilizations in ancient times. Both were centered on the dependency of their water sources.


5) What is the importance of leisure in the development of early civilizations?

During the paleolithic era there was a lot more time for it because people worked fProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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what they needed and nothing more. Therefore people seemed to live more happy, carefree lives, albeit short.


6) What can you tell about a civilization from reading its creation story?

The creation stories say a lot about the moral and ethical intents of each society. As societies evolved, so did their stories, changing subtly over time to better suit the expectations of society. For example, in more ancient creation stories female goddess were much more prominent than in more recent ones. This is probably because patriarchy began to emerge with the founding of civilizations.