What is Oldowan technology?
Earliest stone tools (~2.6 million years ago) by Homo habilis; simple choppers for cutting.
Who was Homo habilis?
Early human (‘handy man’); made Oldowan tools; lived 2.4–1.4 million years ago.
Who was Homo erectus?
Early human species; used symmetrical tools, fire, and possibly language.
Who were the Neanderthals?
Human relatives (400k–40k years ago); buried dead, made symbolic tools.
What was the Paleolithic Age?
‘Old Stone Age’ of hunters and gatherers using stone tools and art.
What is the Mesolithic Period?
Transition between Paleolithic and Neolithic; used microliths.
What are microliths?
Small sharp blades used in arrows or spears; advanced tool design.
What defines the Neolithic Age?
Agriculture, animal domestication, permanent villages.
What was the Neolithic Revolution?
Shift from hunting-gathering to farming and settlements.
What are bifacial stone tools?
Tools shaped on both sides; show planning and skill.
Why is Çatal Hüyük important?
Early large town; rooftop entrances, shrines, and wall art.
What is special about Jericho?
One of the first fortified cities; had stone walls and a tower.
What was Göbekli Tepe?
Oldest temple complex; pre-agriculture; shows early religion.
What are megaliths, menhirs, dolmens?
Large stone ritual or burial monuments.
Who were the Sumerians?
First Mesopotamian civilization; writing, ziggurats, city-states.
Who were the Akkadians?
Empire under Sargon; united Mesopotamia.
Who were the Babylonians?
Old Babylonian Empire; Hammurabi’s Law Code.
What was Hammurabi’s Law Code?
First written legal code; ‘eye for an eye’ justice.
What are Law Codes?
Written laws governing property, crime, family, and class.
What was the Uruk Period?
Early Mesopotamian urbanization and writing.
What is a Ziggurat?
Stepped temple tower linking heaven and earth.
What is Cuneiform?
Wedge-shaped Mesopotamian writing on clay tablets.
What are Cylinder Seals?
Carved rollers to mark documents or property.
What was Hattusa?
Hittite capital; strong walls; destroyed ~1200 BCE.
