Ancient World Flashcards

1
Q

What do we call the replacement of hunting and gathering with purposeful farming and animal herding in early human history?

A

The Agricultural Revolution

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2
Q

How did the Agricultural Revolution lead to the growth of civilization?

A

It provided consistant food sources, which allowed for new jobs and skills, like craftsmen, builders, and artists.

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3
Q

What were the first two ancients civilizations that we have discovered?

A

The Indus River Valley Civilization and Mesopotamia

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4
Q

True or False: The Indus were peaceful, had a great trade system between themselves and Mesopotamia, had benevolent gods, and disappeared with no real evidence to show why.

A

True

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5
Q

Name the four separate civilizations that rose and fell within Ancient Mesopotamia (hint: Savage Apes Attack Bananas)

A

Sumerians, Assyrians, Akkadians, and Babylonians

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6
Q

Who was the famous Babylonian king who wrote the code of justice containing the idea of “an eye for an eye?”

A

Hammurabi

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7
Q

What were the three eras of Ancient Egypt?

A

Old, Middle, New Kingdoms

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8
Q

What was gold called by the Egyptians?

A

the divine metal

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9
Q

Like the Indus, the Egyptians had benevolent, kind gods in their religion. Why?

A

Because their life circumstances were extremely easy. The Nile made farming consistently simple, they were wealthy, and their society was fluorishing

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10
Q

Why did the Egyptians practice mummification and build tombs like the Pyramids to store their treasure with their dead?

A

They believed that the afterlife was just an extension of life on earth and having all of their stuff (and their preserved bodies) would help them get started

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11
Q

What kept Ancient China isolated from the other ancient empires during its early years?

A

It was surrounded by mountain ranges, deserts and the ocean, which made travelling long distances extremely challenging early in its history

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12
Q

What is a dynasty?

A

a term from ancient China’s ruling system that describes when rulers continually pass their power on to members of their own family

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13
Q

China was famous for their advanced bronze work and architecture, but they were most famous for which cloth they made from the byproducts of worms?

A

Silk

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14
Q

The first massive international trade network established by the Han dynasty became known as the _____________.

A

Silk Road

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15
Q

The two philosophies practiced by most ancient Chinese people were C_______________ and T_____________.

A

Confuicism (based on Confucius’ teaching about the five key relationships) and Taoism (based on Lao-Tzu’s teaching about harmony with nature and selfless living)

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16
Q

The ancient Persians, led by Cyrus the Great, became known as the “kings of kings”. Why?

A

Because when they conquered another nation, they allowed the current rulers to remain “in charge” as long as they obeyed the Persian emperor

17
Q

Ancient Persia were great at improving city infrastructure, which includes things like…..

A

roads, sewers, buildings, and communication (our US Postal Service motto is based on what a historian said about Ancient Persia’s messengers)

18
Q

True or False: The Persians abolished (got rid of) slavery in their territories.

A

True

19
Q

The Ancient Greeks used to be a collection of local, independent governments known as ____________.

A

City-states

20
Q

Some famous city-states included……

A

Athens and Sparta

21
Q

When did all of the city-states unite into a civilization?

A

After they worked with each other to defeat the Persian invasion.

22
Q

During the Golden Age of Greece, what were the Greeks famous for?

A

philosophy, democracy, and the beginnings of Western science

23
Q

Phillip the 2nd came from Macedonia, conquered all of Greece, and was the father of __________________, who went on to conquer the Persian Empire.

A

Alexander the Great

24
Q

How old was Alexander when he finished conquering new territory (right before he died)?

A

32

25
Q

Alexander was a great general who never lost a significant battle, but he was not a good ruler. Why?

A

He never worked on improving the places that he conquered. He simply took over and moved on to the next target, leaving the old one in a state of disrepair.

26
Q

In the early days, Rome wasn’t an empire. It was a ___________.

A

Republic (certain citizens could vote on changes and actions)

27
Q

What made the Roman Republic successful in defeating their many enemies and expanding their territory?

A

a strong sense of duty and courage, giving their conquered subjects a lot of freedom, great military strategy, and practicality (they didn’t try to be perfect, they just solved real problems).

28
Q

What were the two social classes of the Republic?

A

Patricians (upper class, held all the power) and plebians (lower class)

29
Q

The Romans created a position of power that was a single elected official who took absolute power over the government in times of emergency. That power was called a _______________.

A

dictator

30
Q

Which famous dictator ultimately became the starting point of the Roman Empire (though not the first emperor)?

A

Julius Gaius Caesar

31
Q

Who was first true emperor of the Roman Empire?

A

Caesar’s adopted son Octavian (later called Augustus)

32
Q

The powerful military force that allowed for the rapid expansion and peace of the Roman Empire were called ____________.

A

legions. Each of the 28 legions was about 5,000 highly trained men who not only fought, but also built roads and improvements as they conquered new territory.

33
Q

One thing that almost all ancient civilizations have in common is that they were founded along ___________.

A

Rivers

34
Q

What river was Egypt founded along?

A

The Nile

35
Q

What rivers was Mesopotamia between?

A

The Tigris and the Euphrates

36
Q

What two main rivers ran through China?

A

The Yellow River and the Yangtze

37
Q

What was the main river of early Rome?

A

The Tiber