All Flashcards
Most important/longest river
Nile river
Nile river used for
- food/other riches
- yearly flooding -> irrigation
- water
- unification
- travel
- natural barrier
- isolation/changelessness -> prosperity
Time divisions (+in between)
- Old kingdom
- political disorder/invasions
- Middle kingdom
- New kingdom
King Menes
- united upper/lower Egypt
- first dynasty
Government setup Egypt
- pharaoh
- bureaucracy (support)
- 42 provinces, each run by governors chosen by the pharaoh
Pyramids were built under…
King Khufu
Mummification
- Preserved body after death
- expensive, only rich did it
- pharaohs were mummified and placed in the pyramids
Middle Kingdom traits
- golden age of stability
- expansion
- new fortresses
- pharaohs became more concerned about their people (expected to provide more)
Social classes Egypt
- pharaoh
- nobles/priests
- merchants/artisans/scribes/tax collectors
- farmers
- slaves
Farmers worked for…
Egypt
Higher classes
- military service
- labor
- paid crop taxes
Marriage/family/jobs Egypt
- arranged marriages (girls=12, boys=14)
- sons carried family name
- husband is household leader
- women had property rights, yet were denied most jobs
- upper class women became priestesses (+4 pharaohs)
The Egyptian writing system was called…
Hieroglyphics
-hieratic script = simplified
Math developments Egypt
- numbers
- area/volume/geometry
- calendar (365 days)
Pastoral nomads
- relied on domesticated animals (food/clothing
- formed the Hittite Kingdom
- threatened power of Egyptians
- first Indo-Europeans to use iron
- destroyed by mysterious “sea peoples”
- new West Asian empires
Phonecians
- trade (sea)
- colonies in Western Mediterranean
- modern alphabet
Israelites
- Judaism (monotheistic=one god)
- King Solomon=height of power
- after death, Israel split into two
- Kingdom of Israel/Judah
- kingdoms faded, however, religion stayed
Minoans
- lived on the island of Crete
- trade (sea)
- mysterious destruction
Indian geography (impact)
- Ganges + Indes = most important
- diverse (people)
- monsoon brought seasonal rain (too heavy/too light)
Indus River Valley Civilization
- Cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
- 35,000 to 40,000 people
- farming/trading (land)
Migration/interaction India
- ending=mystery
- culture shift
- Aryan settlement
- nomadic -> farming
- small kingdoms/wars until 4th century
4th century India changes
-large Indian state
-centered on family
-oldest male = household leader
-only men get property
12 years of study before marriage
Suttee india
- a former practice in India where a widow kills herself once her wife dies
- voluntary, yet people were shunned if they didn’t participate
Ideographs Chinese
-characters in Chinese in which picture or character symbols are combined to represent ideas. For example, showing the sun rising behind the trees to represent “east”
Shang dynasty
The 2nd Chinese dynasty, which was mostly a farming society but was also concerned with warfare
Filial piety
The duty of members of a family to subordinate their needs and desires to those of the male head of the family
Pictographs Chinese
Characters or picture symbols in the Chinese language that represent an object, like a mountain or the sun
Zhou dynasty
Longest-lasting Chinese dynasty, ruled for almost 800 years and claimed possession of the Mandate of Heaven to rule
Mandate of Heaven Chinese
The permission from heaven to rule over the people, in Chinese culture. You obtain this by being in charge of the Chinese people, and to get/stay there, you need this mandate
Northern/western borders of china
Mountains and deserts
Northern conflicts between the Chinese and the…
Mongolians
During Shang dynasty, the class of people that owned the land and waged war were the…
Aristocrats
Basic economic and social unit in ancient China
Family
Chinese geography
- Largest population/culture base
- 10% suitable for farming
- climates vary by region/season
- summer=wet
- winter=cold/dry
First Chinese dynasty
Xia
Shang social classes
- Royal family (dynasty)
- aristocracy (rulers of provinces)
- farmers/slaves
Oracle bones
- used to communicate with gods
- scratched questions
- struck with metal rod
- cracks in bone interpreted as answers from the gods
Afterlife China
- burned physical objects to accompany the dead
- spirits brought good/bad fortune to family (IMPORTANT^^^^^)
Zhou dynasty
- overthrew shang
- Dao=ruling the proper way, if not followed, a new king is chosen
- warfare changes (iron/Calvary)
- family = sacred
Most important Chinese rivers (2)
- Huang He (Yellow) River
- Chang Jiang River
