-- Flashcards
1
Q
paleolithic periodic
A
During this time
period, those include the development of spoken language, the ability
to control and use fire, and the ability to make simple tools out of
stone.
2
Q
foraging societies
A
hunter gatherer clans
3
Q
pastoral societies
A
- characterized by the domestication of
animals. These societies were often found in mountainous regions and
in areas with insufficient rainfall to support other forms of settlement. - small scale agriculture
- extended family
- didn’t settle down b/c continuous search for new grazing areas
4
Q
neolithic revolution
A
agricultural revolution. settling down – As pastoral societies increasingly domesticated more and more
animals, they also began to experiment with securing a more
dependable food supply through the cultivation of plants
5
Q
neolithic revolution results
A
- people
in a community stayed within close proximity of each other, which
added to their sense of unity and helped them build and sustain
cultural traditions - property ownership
- division specialization of labor
6
Q
bronze age
A
copper + tin = bronze. some people call the latter part of
the Neolithic Era the Bronze Age. Bronze was superseded by the
discovery of iron.
7
Q
Major early civilizations
A
Mesopotamia, Egypt,
India, and China
8
Q
sumer
A
- cuneiform: wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets
- wheel
- 12mo calendar, math 60, geometry
- ziggurats
- The interesting thing about Sumerian polytheism was
that each city-state had its own god that was worshipped only by its
people. In addition, there were a bunch of gods that all the city-states
worshipped collectively.
9
Q
akkadians
A
As the Sumerian city-states declined, the city of Akkad, which was
north of Sumer, rose to dominate the region. The Akkadians major
contribution was they developed the first known code of laws, which
they wrote in cuneiform, which they learned from the Sumerians.
10
Q
babylon
A
overran akkad. King Hammurabi of Babylon expanded on
this idea of a code of laws by developing an extensive code that dealt
with every part of daily life.
11
Q
code of hammurabi
A
The Code of Hammurabi, as it has
come to be called, is often credited as a significant step toward our modern legal codes. It distinguished between major and minor
offenses (a big deal at the time) and it established a sense of justice and
fairness by applying the laws to nearly everyone (the beginnings of
“rule of law”).
12
Q
hittites
A
after babylon. learned how to use iron in their weapons.
Because iron is a lot stronger than bronze, the Hittites quickly became
a military superpower
13
Q
assyrians
A
learned how to use iron. enabled them to establish a
capital at Nineveh and eventually build an empire that swept across
the entire Fertile Crescent. Highly disciplined but cruel, the Assyrian
army was hated by those it conquered. sent large groups of ppl into exile, enhancing cultural diffusion
14
Q
chaldeans
A
after assyrians. The Chaldean king,
Nebuchadnezzar, rebuilt Babylon as a showplace of architecture and
culture. He extended his empire throughout the Fertile Crescent, as the
Assyrians had done before him.
15
Q
nile
A
The Nile cuts through an otherwise arid landscape, so the
people clustered along the riverbanks. Unlike the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers, the Nile floods at a predictable time of the year and in relatively
predictable stages. This made it possible for the ancient Egyptians to
follow a very stable agricultural cycle and compile substantial food
surpluses.
16
Q
pre-old kingdom
A
the entire river valley was united under
King Menes, who built his capital at Memphis and led efforts to
manage the floodwaters and build drainage and irrigation systems. hieroglyphics
17
Q
egyptian women
A
- egyptian women more rights n opportunities than meso women
- queen hatshepsut: 1st female ruler knowin in history, new kingdom
18
Q
persian empire
A
after chaldeans (which were after assyrians), also after egyptians;
developed into major world force
19
Q
indus valley
A
the Indus Valley civilization was built
along the banks of a river system. However, because of the huge
mountains north and west of the Indus River, contact with outside
civilizations was more limited there than in Mesopotamia
20
Q
khyber pass
A
indus valley wasn’t entirely cut off – The Khyber Pass through the Hindu Kush
Mountains provided a connection to the outside world and was used by
merchants on trade excursions. Later, it also gave
invading forces a way into the land.
21
Q
2 major indus valley cities
A
Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro
22
Q
indus valley decline
A
Sometime around 1900 B.C.E., the cities of the Indus Valley were
abandoned for reasons that remain unknown; 1500 BCE crumbled when Aryans arrived
23
Q
aryans
A
nomadic tribes. Using horses and
advanced weaponry, they easily defeated the populations in the Indus
Valley. gave up their nomadic lifestyles when they settled
24
Q
aryan religion
A
The
Aryans, yet another polytheistic people, recorded their beliefs and
traditions in the Vedas and the Upanishads. basis for hinduism
25
brahmans
priest class
26
shang china
yellow river valley, trade-centered civ; limited contact w/ rest of the world, believed themselves to be at center
27
zhou dynasty
after shang. ruled longer than any other.
- mandate of heaven
- feudal system
- ended due to fighting among feudal kingdoms
28
mandate of heaven
meaning that heaven would grant the Zhou power only as
long as its rulers governed justly and wisely. Put another way, the Zhou
Dynasty would remain in power only as long as it had the blessing of
heaven.
29
feudal system
The king was the ruler of the entire empire, but because it
was too big for one person to manage, nobles were given power over
smaller regions within the empire. This worked out well for a couple
hundred years. The king gave each noble protection as long as the
noble remained loyal to him. As time passed, however, a number of the nobles built up a lot of wealth and power within the regions under
their control and eventually split off into independent kingdoms
30
bureaucracies
Some
of the most complex kingdoms developed bureaucracies within their
governments, which was a way of organizing government tasks by
department, or bureau, so that different parts of the government
could specialize and stabilize. A bureaucratic form of government
remained popular in China for thousands of years
31
bantu migrations
farmers in the Niger and Benue River
valleys in West Africa began migrating south and east, bringing with
them their languages (from the Bantu family of languages) and their
knowledge of agriculture and metallurgy. These migrations, usually
referred to as the Bantu migrations, continued over the course of
the next 2,000 years. Bantu speakers gradually moved into areas
formerly occupied by nomads. migration was spurred by climactic
changes, which made the area now known as the Sahara Desert too dry
to live in.
32
jenne-jeno
1st city in sub saharn africa. unusual because although it reached urban
density, its architecture suggests that it was not a hierarchically
organized society. Instead, archeologists believe that it was a unique
form of urbanism comprising a collection of individual communities.
33
early american civs
olmec and chavin. neither developed in a
| river valley
34
olmec
mexico. urban society supported by surpluses of corn,
| beans, and squash.
35
chavin
andes. While mostly agricultural, they also had access to the
coast, and therefore supplemented their diet with seafood. The Chavin
developed ways to use metals in tools and weapons.
36
shared chars of early civs
- polytheistic
- irrigation techniques
- large scale buildings
- dev writing system + calendar
- agriculture
37
founding of mauryan empire
Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire
and continued into India. During this
time, the Aryan culture and belief systems continued to spread
throughout India.the Mauryan Empire
was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, who unified the smaller
Aryan kingdoms into a civilization. It was his grandson, Ashoka
Maurya, who took the empire to its greatest heights.
38
why mauryan empire so pwoerful
trade w/ mesopotamia and eastern roman empire; powerful miliary
39
buddhism
Stricken with disgust and filled with
remorse for a very violent and bloody victory his forces claimed over
the Kalinga in southeast India, Ashoka converted to Buddhism. For
the rest of his reign, Ashoka preached nonviolence and moderation.Ashoka is also known for his Rock and Pillar Edicts.
These edicts reminded Mauryans to live generous and righteous lives.Following Ashoka’s conversion and commitment to Buddhism, the
religion spread beyond India into many parts of Southeast Asia.
40
gupta empire
mauryan empire declined but experienced a revival under Chandra Gupta II, known as Chandra
Gupta the Great. The Gupta Empire was more decentralized and
smaller than its predecessor, but it is often referred to as a golden age
because it enjoyed relative peace and saw significant advances in the
arts and sciences. For example, Gupta mathematicians developed the
concepts of pi and of zero. They also devised a decimal system that
used the numerals 1 through 9 (which were diffused to the Arabs and
became known as Arabic numerals).
41
qin dynasty
Unlike the Zhou Dynasty that preceded it, the Qin Dynasty was
extremely short, just over a decade
42
great wall of china
The Qin Dynasty is the empire that connected separate fortification
walls that eventually became the Great Wall of China. That fact is
more than just an interesting piece of trivia; it tells us that the empire
was incredibly well organized, centralized, and territorial.
43
qin shi huang
Qin
Shihuangdi, also known as Qin Shi Huang, was the dynasty’s first
emperor, and he recentralized various feudal kingdoms that had split
apart at the end of the Zhou Dynasty; standardized all the laws,
currencies, weights, measures, and systems of writing; and refused to
tolerate any dissent whatsoever.
44
xiongnu
large nomadic group from
northern Asia; invaded territories extending
from China to Eastern Europe but were more successful in europe
45
wu ti
han dynasty emperor -- often called the
Warrior Emperor, who greatly enlarged the Han Empire to central
Asia. Trade thrived along the Silk Road to the Mediterranean; more
significantly, along this same route, Buddhism spread.
46
han dynasty developments
civil service system based on confucian teacings, paper, navigation
47
satrapies
persian empire: On account of the vast expanse of
their empire, they delegated local administration of their provinces, or
Satrapies, to important people in the provinces. As long as the
governor, or satrap, paid his taxes and contributed soldiers to the
Great King whenever they were requested, the satrapy was allowed a
wide range of self government, which was vital to keeping such a far
flung empire of so many different cultures together.
48
great royal road
To improve transportation and communication across the vast empire,
the Persians built a series of long roads. The longest was the Great
Royal Road, which stretched from the Persian Gulf
to the Aegean Sea.
49
lydians
came up with the concept of
using coined money to conduct trade rather than using the barter
system, in which goods are exchanged for other goods. This innovation
led to a monetary system of consistent prices and allowed people to
save money for future use.
50
Phoenicians
developed a simple
alphabet that used only 22 letters as opposed to the much more
complex cuneiform system. The Greeks later adopted the Phoenician
alphabet, and from there it spread and changed
51
greece location
on a peninsula between the waters of the
| Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.
52
greek geography
mostly mountainous. did have natural harbors and mild weather, and its coastal
position aided trade and cultural diffusion by boat
- Land was tight, so Greece was always looking to
establish colonies abroad to ease overcrowding and gain raw
materials. This meant that the Greeks had to have a powerful
military.
53
polis
greece was a collection of city-states. Each city-state, known as a polis, shared a common culture and
identity. Although each polis was part of a broader civilization and
shared a common language and many similar traditions, each was
independent from, and often in conflict with, the others.
54
3 groups in each polis
• Citizens, composed of adult males, often engaged in business
or commerce
• Free people with no political rights
• Noncitizens (slaves, who accounted for nearly one-third of
the people in Athens, and who had no rights)
55
sparta vs athens
Athens was the
political, commercial, and cultural center of Greek civilization. Sparta
was an agricultural and highly militaristic region. Most citizens in
Sparta lived a very austere, highly disciplined existence
56
draco and solon
aristocrats who worked to create the democracy in
| Athens and to ensure fair, equal, and open participation
57
slavery and democracy
Ironically, it was slavery that enabled the Greeks to develop their
democracy. It was by slave labor that Greek citizens found
themselves with free time to meet and vote and create great works
of art and philosophy.
58
Greek
| polytheism was unique in one major respect:
The Greek gods were
| believed to possess human failings
59
persian wars
Prior to the development of the democracy in Athens, Greece was
involved in a series of wars that threatened its existence. The Persian
Wars united all the Greek city-states against their
mutual enemy, Persia. Much
of Athens was destroyed in these wars, but Greece held on and the
wars ended in a stalemate. With Persia held back, Greece was free to
enter into an era of peace and prosperity, which is often called the
Golden Age of Pericles.
60
pericles
- established democracy for all adult males.
- rebuilt athens (parthenon)
- Delian League with the
other city-states, an alliance against aggression from its common
enemies.
- Philosophy and the arts flourished, and continued to do so
for the next two centuries. The accomplishments of
this period served as the inspiration for the European Renaissance and
the Enlightenment
61
homer
Of course, cultural achievement existed in Greece prior to the Golden
Age. Homer, for example, wrote the epic poems the Illiad and the
Odyssey a few centuries earlier; they are widely regarded as Western
civilization’s first two masterworks of literature.
62
peloponnesian league
other Greek city-states in the Aegean allied themselves with Sparta’s
great army to form the Peloponnesian League.
63
peloponnesian war
Athens and Sparta, as
leaders of their respective alliances, became increasingly fearful and
envious of each other’s power. After years of increasing tensions, a
trade dispute involving the city of Corinth pushed Athens and Sparta
into the Peloponnesian War (431–404 B.C.E.). Athens attempted a
defensive strategy, hiding behind its great walls while allowing the
Spartan army to ravage its farmlands.
64
fall of athens
First, a great plague
afflicted the city, killing vast numbers of the population, including
Pericles. Then, Athens’ navy suffered a devastating defeat at Syracuse
on the island of Sicily.
65
fall of sparta
Although it could have, Sparta didn’t destroy Athens out of respect for
the defeated city’s former role in the Persian War. Sparta failed to
dominate the region for long; despite its victory, it was so weakened by
the war that it became vulnerable to outside aggression.
66
macedonians
invaded Athens from the north and conquered
the entire region. Fortunately, Philip III of Macedon respected Greek culture and,
rather than destroy it, encouraged it to flourish.
67
alexander the great
- taught by aristotle
- son of phillip III of Macedon
- Under Alexander, the Macedonians conquered the mighty
Persian Empire and moved eastward to the shores of the Indus River
in what today is India, eventually creating the largest empire of the
time.
68
fall of macedonian empire
When Alexander the Great died at age 33, his empire started to
crumble. Because the Macedonians were focused on the East and on
Egypt, the door was open in the West for a new power to rise to the
world stage. That power was the Romans.
69
hellenism
Along with its size, the Macedonian Empire is notable for the fact that
it adopted Greek customs and then spread them to much of the known
world. Consequently, much of the world became connected under a
uniform law and common trade practices. Therefore, Hellenism—the culture, ideals, and pattern of life of Classical Greece—didn’t perish as
a result of the victories over Athens and Sparta; instead, it came to be
influential far beyond its original borders.
70
rome geography
- alps to north
- sea surrounding italian peninsula
- easy access to northern africa, palestine, greece, iberian peninsula
71
roman republic social structure
```
patricians (landowning noblemen), plebeians (all other free men),
and slaves (at one point 1/3 of population, most from conquered territories)
```
72
roman republic gov
representative republic
- main governing body made up of 2 groups
- senate: comprised patrician families
- assembly: initially made up of patricians, but later
was opened to plebeians
73
consuls
Two consuls were elected annually by the
Assembly. The consuls had veto power over decisions made by the
Assembly. (= american president)
74
greek gov vs roman gov
roman structure was much more stable than the direct democracies of
the Greek polis, in which every male citizen was expected to participate
on a regular basis. In a republic, the people have representatives, so
they don’t have to vote on every issue.
75
12 tables of rome
Early on, Rome developed civil laws to protect individual rights (in
some ways similar to our Bill of Rights). The laws of Rome were
codified (remember that the idea of a code was Hammurabi’s, in
Babylon) and became known as the Twelve Tables of Rome (the
concept of “innocent until proven guilty” originated here). Later, these
laws were extended to an international code that Rome applied to its
conquered territories.
76
pater familias
The social structure of the Roman family centered on the pater
familias—eldest male in the family—though women did have
considerable influence within their families, but still inferior to men
77
punic wars
As Rome expanded, Carthage, a city-state in North Africa with
powerful ambitions of its own, became its first enemy. It didn’t take
long for this conflict to escalate into full-fledged wars, which came to
be called the Punic Wars. These lasted on and off from 264 through
146 B.C.E.
78
1st punic war
s fought to gain control of the
| island of Sicily; Rome won this one.
79
2nd punic war
began with an attack by Hannibal, a Carthaginian general
considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all time. In an
amazing feat, Hannibal led his army all the way to northern Italy,
crossed the Alps (on elephants no less!), and surprised the Romans,
who were expecting an attack from the south. Hannibal’s army
destroyed many towns and villages to the north of Rome and were on
the verge of destroying Rome. However, a Roman army had landed in
North Africa, forcing Hannibal to return to Carthage to defend his city.
Carthage eventually agreed to sue for peace, and this made Rome the
undisputed power in the western Mediterranean
80
3rd punic war
50yr after 2nd.
- instigated by Rome. Rome
invaded Carthage and burned it to the ground. With Carthage out of
the picture, Rome continued its expansion throughout the
Mediterranean.
81
fall of roman republic
1. large landowners had begun using more
slaves from the conquered territories. This displaced many small
farmers, who moved into the cities, causing overcrowding among the
plebeians and not enough jobs to support them
2. currency was devalued, causing a high rate of inflation. This meant
that the plebeians did not have enough money to buy the things they
previously could afford
3. political leaders began fighting amongst
themselves
82
1st triumvirate
political leaders began fighting amongst
themselves. The result was that the power of the Senate weakened,
ultimately to be transferred to three men, who came to be known as
the First Triumvirate: Pompey, Crassus, and Julius Caesar
83
caesar
Caesar was given power over southern Gaul (modern France) and
other parts of Europe. He chose not to conquer the part of Europe we
now call Germany, which would later prove significant. (Germany
developed a different culture and ultimately served as a training
ground for groups intent on conquering Rome.) Civil war between the
Senate and Caesar’s followers resulted in pushing Pompey and Crassus
out of the picture, after which Caesar became “emperor for life.” But
his life didn’t last long. His angry senators assassinated him in 44 B.C.E.
84
2nd triumvirate
After the death of Julius Caesar, a Second Triumvirate, composed
of Octavius, Marc Antony, and Lepidus, came to power. Things didn’t
improve the second time around. Power again shifted to one person,
Octavius, who rose to power, assumed the name Augustus Caesar,
and became emperor. The days of the Roman Republic were over once
and for all. Rome was now an empire led by a single emperor
85
pax romana
- imperial rome
- Under Augustus, Rome became the capital of the Western world.
Augustus established the rule of law, a common coinage, civil service,
and secure travel for merchants. With all these elements in place
throughout the empire, stability returned to its people, and for 200
years they enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity known as the Pax
Romana (Roman Peace).
- a
number of traditional customs of the people in the conquered
territories survived.
86
comparing golden ages
When a major empire greatly expands its territory, it becomes the
center of artistic and scientific energy. This is because it has a
tremendous amount of wealth flowing into its capital from its
conquered regions, and because the people have the freedom and
confidence to pursue goals other than military protection.
87
edict of milan
The Edict of Milan was a letter signed by the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius, that proclaimed religious toleration in the Roman Empire. The letter was issued in February, 313 AD and stopped the persecution of Christians.
88
civs contemporary w/ 1 another
maya, romans, han, gupta
89
Interestingly, like the __, the Maya were
Interestingly, like the Egyptians, the Maya were
| pyramid-builders and also wrote using hieroglyphics
90
maya geography
present-day southern Mexico and parts of Central America
91
The Mayan
civilization was similar to many other civilizations at that time in that
it
was a collection of city-states; however, all the city-states were ruled
by the same king.
92
mayan beliefs
The Maya divided their cosmos into three parts: the heavens above, the
humans in the middle, and the underworld below. The Maya believed
that the gods created humans out of maize (one of the main Mayan
dietary staples) and water. They also believed that the gods maintained
agricultural cycles in exchange for honors, sacrifices, and bloodletting
rituals.
93
Mayan warfare was somewhat unique in that
it was imbued with a
tremendous amount of religious significance. Days of religious ritual
would precede a battle, and the King and nobility would actively
participate in combat. One unique characteristic of Mayan warfare was
that it was generally conducted not to gain territory, but to acquire slaves, who were used in large-scale building projects and in
agricultural production. The Maya had no large animals, as horses and
oxen would not arrive until much later with the Europeans, so humans
were their primary source of labor.
94
maya social structure
As was the case in most agricultural societies, the majority of the
people were peasants or slaves. Kings, priests, and hereditary nobility
were at the top of the social pyramid. Merchants also enjoyed a high
status.
95
late classical period
- han, gupta, western part of the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean, maya fall
- cultural diffusion (ppl move)
96
fall of maya
no one's sure. deserted cities in 9th cent
97
fall of han
The Han dynasty was interrupted by the reign of Wang Mang (9–23
C.E.), who established the Xin dynasty after seizing the throne from the
ruling Liu family, successfully using the belief in the Mandate of
Heaven to undermine them. Wang Mang had been a respected
government official before he took power, but soon made some
disastrous missteps that weakened the empire and his control over it. The Xin Dynasty came to an end in
23 C.E. with the death of Wang Mang in battle.
- The Han Dynasty was restored a couple of years later, but full recovery
proved impossible and, in 220 C.E., the government collapsed. For the
next 400 years, China was divided into several regional kingdoms.
98
fall of gupta
- invaded by white huns
- The Gupta were able to hold off the Huns for the first
half of the fifth century, but they did so at a tremendous cost, which
weakened the state.
99
diocletian
emperor of rome.
- attempted to deal
with the increasing problems by dividing the empire into two regions
run by co-emperors
- attempt solve economic problems: forcing a budget on the
government, and capping prices to deal with inflation
- civil war erupted upon his retirement in 305
