World History Midterm Study Guide Primary source: eyewitness accounts of an event, laws, artifacts: reveal to historians culture, lifestyle, prejudices and biases of ancient civilizations Radiocarbon dating: determines the age of artifacts by measuring the amount of radioactive elements remaining in the artifact. Cultural diffusion: the spreading of ideas to other areas as a result of division of labor, traders transported goods to sell and spread ideas Prehistoric Man Man originated in Africa Australopithecus: the earliest hominids probably survived by moving constantly in search of food and shelter. Hominids: humanlike creatures that live about 3.4 million years ago. Neanderthals: 1. Disappeared due to dying out or intermingling with Cro-Magnons. 2. Hunter-gatherers 3. Cared for their sick and aged. Buried their dead 4. Lived I clans of 35-50 5. Wore animal skins Paleolitic artifacts: flint scrapers and cutting tools Neolithic Revolution: cultural and lifestyle changes caused by the development of agriculture and the domestication of animals Neolithic agricultural revolution: long process of lifestyle change from food gathering to food producing With the invention of the plow, men took over farming and became the primary food providers. The first Homo Sapiens appeared about 100,000 to 400,000 years ago. Neolithic settlements that developed into towns and small cities are 1. Jericho on the banks of the Jordan River 2. Jarmo in Iraq 3. CatalHuyuk in Turkey
Early Civilizations The Fertile Crescent (Tigris/Euphrates River Valley) was frequently invaded because there was no natural barriers so it was easy to reach by land. The geographic feature that the ancient civilizations have in common is that they all began in river valleys. (Egypt, Sumer, Harappa) Began around the Yellow (China), Indus (India), Nile (Egypt), Tigris/Euphrates (Mesopotamia) Ancient Mesopotamia: started in the Tigris Euphrates River valleys. Two of the cultures that started there were Sumer and Babylonia. Studying the Nile, Indus and Huang River valleys is most important in understanding the role of geography in the development of early civilizations. Sumerians: the first people to develop writing Harappa o Began in the Indus River valley o Cities are notable for their grid-like layouts and underground sewers Ancient cities o Ziggurat: know what one looks like: structure common in Sumer, Babylonia and Assyria. o Babylonia: had the first written laws: Code of Hammurabi o Ur, Uruk, Jericho, Aleppo are considered by historians to be among the world s first cities Phoenicians Created a simplified alphabet Developed an easy to learn, 22 character, writing system (Greek alphabet was based on it) After 1000 B.C. became great traders China The oldest continuous civilization in the world
The natural barrier between India and China was the Himalaya Mountains Silk Road: a trade route between China and the Mediterranean region. Inventions: acupuncture, paper, compass Shang dynasty kings tried to predict the future by scratching on oracle bones. Ancient Chinese believed that just and effective rulers would receive the mandate of heaven to rule The Great Wall of China is a long and massive wall built in ancient China. 1. Built to defend China against invasion The yin yang symbol represents the dualism of nature Huang River was called China s Sorrow because it often flooded causing death and devastation Religions Hinduism Hindu holy texts are the Vedas and Upanishads Caste system Belief in reincarnation and moksha Confucianism Confucius thought ethics, morals, and respect of family were of greatest importance. Stressed social order, harmony and good government could be restored by organizing society around 5 basic relationships Legalism: believes that people are by nature selfish and untrustworthy Shi Huangdi (a Qin Ruler) followed this philosophy when he 1. Burned useless books 2. Created force3d labor 3. Murdered hundreds of scholars Dao: created by Laozi taught that the Dao was the governing force of nature Buddhism Holy texts: Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
Founded by Siddhartha Gautama Be able to identify a Buddha statue Teaches the Four Noble Truths Followers seek nirvana, the end of death, rebirth and suffering Taught: selflessness, nonviolence, virtuous conduct Nirvana: the release from the cycle of reincarnation that comes from complete understanding Hinduism and Buddhism: both believe in reincarnation Zoroaster of Persia Taught that humans had to choose between the forces of good and evil Zoroaster, Christianity and Islam are all similar in their beliefs of heaven, hell, and final judgment day. Judaism Holy book: Torah Moses: let Hebrews out of slavering Egypt and received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Persia Be able to identify on a map Conquered by Alexander the Great Aegean Civilizations Minoan and Mycenaean Greece Transportation and communication difficulty because of the mountainous terrain Words that are essential to the concept of the city state: polis, acropolis, agora Phalanx: a government body Greek gods and goddesses had human qualities and unique personalities o They were connected to city-states as guardians of each state
Be able to identify important buildings such as the Parthenon Parthenon is admired due to its perfectly balanced proportions Vase paintings illustrate scenes from everyday life Sculptures exhibit the human traits of pride, beauty and grace, strength and athletic ability Homer wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey Plato wrote The Republic Pericles: believed that the essence of a city s survival is ensuring citizen participation in government 1. Sparta Emphasized military and athletic ability Paid a high price for their unbeatable army: they gave up much of their personal freedoms 2. Athens Created art, literature, philosophy and science Had a direct democracy Socrates: philosopher. He was condemned to death for corrupting the youth of Athens and encouraging them to seek the truth through questioning 3. Wars Spartan land power and Athenian sea power were equally important in turning back the two Persian invasions of Greece The Battle of Thermopylae takes its name from the narrow mountain pass where it happened Salamis Straits: the smaller Greek navy was able to sink much of the larger Persian fleet because the Greek ships were easier to maneuver. Peloponnesian War More than 1/3 of the Athenians including Pericles died as a result of a plague Won by Sparta Macedonia
Alexander the Great was the Macedonian king who conquered most of Greece after the Peloponnesian War. Alexander the Great s empire went as far east as the Indus River. After Alexander the Great conquered Greece, he conquered the Persian Empire, Egypt and the Indus Valley Hellenistic culture: The mixture of Greek and Middle Eastern culture that was formed during and after Alexander the Great. o Indian, Persian and Egyptian cultures are represented in this blend India Asoka improved the living conditions of the people in India by planting trees, digging wells and building rest houses along trade routes Aryans established the social class system that came to be known as the caste system. Invention: concept of zero, infinity, the decimal system, numerals, and the existence of gravity. Zhou dynasty: the belief was developed of the dualism of nature which is the root of many philosophies. Egypt Menes was the pharaoh that united Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt into one kingdom Cleopatra: first female ruler in history