APWH Flash Card Set
One of the main outcomes of the Neolithic revolution was
a rise in local population rates.
sedentary agriculture gave rise to permanent communities that could stay in one place and produce food. when surpluses resulted , they made higher birthrates possible. the community could feed more people, and populations could then increase over time.
One commonality of both the Roman and Hellenistic empire was their tactics of
military conquest and pacification.
both the Macedonians and the Romans built powerful armies that facilitated the expansion of the two empires in the ancient era. their militaries would generally engage an enemy and after defeating them, pacify the population and absorb the territory into their empire. SOldiers could often stay and colonize the new addition to the empire and participate in its rule
From 27 B.C.E., the period of relative peace in the Mediterraean became known as
PAx Romana.
The consolidation of the Roman Empire under Octavian produced a period of over two centuries of stability that became known as Pax Romana, or Roman Peace. Roman law, commerce, and culture spread to Northern Europe and into North Africa. Roman Caesars ruled over a vast territory that was pacified by their military and run by their civil administrators
What was the reason that caused Athens and Sparta to unite in common interest in the fifth century B.C.E.
The external military threat of Persia.
In 479 B.C.E. the encroachment of the Persians into the Aegean helped unify some of the Greek city-states in common defense. Thirty-one Greek city-states, including Sparta and Athens, decided to resist the rule of Xerxes and defeated the Persians to maintain their independence.
What is the correct chronology for the following eras in prehistory?
Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age.
The Paleolithic era, c. 12000 B.C.E., is the beginning of the so-called Stone Age. It was characterized by wandering clans who used stone for crude implements. With the discovery of copper and its use in combination with tin around 3500 B.C.E., more durable metal objects could be fashioned. This new alloy, bronze, could be used for both tools and weapons. Its military application and use in agriculture were significant. Around 1500 B.C.E., it is believed the Hittites discovered how to smelt iron from the raw ore found in nature. This was another advance in the fashioning of better tools and weapons in ancient times.
Which people migrated south into ancient India and replaced the older Harappan civilization around 1500 B.C.E.?
The Aryans.
The Aryans were originally pastoral nomads who raised cattle and domesticated horses. THey came across the Hindu Kush mountains and arrived in the subcontinent of ASia, overrunning the people already living there. Recent research has reexamined the Aryan migration into South ASia, and new theories are being advanced about the origins of Vedic culture in the Indus Valley
What is a true statement about the Shang dynasty, c. 1500 B.C.E.?
It was an early Chinese dynasty that was based on bronze technology.
The Shang dynasty was the earliest recorded Chinese era that rose because of its technological achievements, particularly in the area of bronze metallurgy. The agricultural dynasty grew millet and wheat, and kings managed the distribution of food to the population.
Which of the following religious figures lived most recently?
Mohammed.
Islam is the most recent world religion to be established. While CHristianity, Judaism, and Buddhism came into being over 2000 years ago, Islam began around 600 C.E. on the Arabian peninsula. Mohammed was the founder of the desert religion and claimed to be the last and most important prophet.
What is a statement that does not relate to the concept of the Mandate of Heaven?
It relates to the duties and responsibilities of the ruler over the people.
The Mandate of Heaven was first used by the Zhou dynasty to justify the takeover of the Shang dynasty. It suggested a relationship between the quality of leadership and the authority enjoyed by the ruling emperor or king. Europeans also came to believe that kings rule under the guidance of God.
Paleolithic society can be characterized by which of the following traits?
The division of labor was based on gender in a hunter-gatherer system.
Social groups in the Paleolithic era grew from clans into tribes and sustained themselves through hunting and gathering food. Warfare became more organized with the use of clubs and spears. Women and men had different roles to play in finding food and preparing it.
The earliest urban settlements are believed to have been established
by the sumerians in southern Mesopotamia
The Sumerians established settled urban areas about 3500 B.C.E. It is theorized that they came from the Caspian Sea area, THese early cities evolved into more sophisticated social orders, with government and administration.
The city of Teotihuacan in Central America, c. 200 B.C.E., was known for
massive pyramids dedicated to the sun and moon.
Teotihuacan was one of the great urban wonders of ancient America. Its pyramids were focused on worship of the heavens. It is believed to have grown to over 100,000 people by 600 C.E., and it was some 8 square miles. With no written records, all knowledge of this great city is limited to archeological excavation.
What religious ideas of Zoroastrianism influenced ideas found in Christianity and Judaism?
The concept of good and evil in the world.
Zoroaster was believed to have lived in ancient Persia c, 1200 B.C.E. He departed from the polytheistic culture of his time and proclaimed a single creator god and also evil spirits who opposed this god. He shared his teachings with his followers, and some of these ideas of one God are believed to have influenced the Hebrew monotheism that evolved around the same time period in the Levant.
The democracy of classical Athens allowed participation only for
free adult males.
As a city-state, Athens had an early form of democracy but alloed only free males to vote in assembly. Poor farmers sometimes ended up in debt and became slaves, thus losing their political rights. This limited sharing of power by the Athenians would have some impact on Roman republican systems and have a great impact on later governments in the modern era.
What did Ancient Rome and Sparta have in common?
Military values pervading the culture
Both Rome and Sparta had strong militaristic traditions. Young men were raised to serve as soldiers, and mothers prized the ability to bear sons. Soldiering was a prestigious profession, and one could rise in social rank based on one’s service to the state.
The Olmec, c. 1400 B.C.E., were known as
an early Mesoamerican society with a central authority.
The Olmec created the first organized civilization along the Gulf Coast of America. These people formed small urban communities that shared religious practices. Giant basalt sculptures were carved with hand tools and probably represented powerful rulers.
The world’s first empire was created by the
Akkadians, who ruled the Fertile Crescent c. 2300 B.C.E.
The Akkadians conquered the Sumerians and established rule beyond the Tigris and Euphrates area, from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf.
What relationship was NOT stressed in Confucian society?
Sister- brother.
Confucius laid the framework for a harmonious society by suggesting that certain hierarchical relationships suggested superior and inferior hierarchies within families and the nation as a whole. Sibling relationships involving sisters were not underscored.
Italian artifacts, c. 30 B.C.E.,, found on the Asian subcontinent suggest
a thriving trade between ancient Roman and South Asia.
Ceramics and small buildings linked to Ancient Rome have been excavated near present-day Madras in India. Dated around the time of Augustus, this evidence suggests that trading took place in the earliest years of the Roman Empire between Rome and ancient India.
The four noble truths of Buddhism do not include
Reincarnation is endless suffering.
Buddhists believe less in reincarnation than in the need to separate oneself from desire, which causes suffering. All yearning creates pain, and the path to bliss and happiness must end in nirvana or a state of ideal detachment.
What territory did the Roman Empire not include?
Scotland.
The Roman Empire was established in Britain but did not pacify the northern part of the island, where present-dat Scotland exists. Emperor Hadrian built a wall to separate that part of Britannia controlled by Rome and the northern region held by non-pacified tribes.
The successful warrior emperor of India who repented his military excess and converted to Buddhism was
Ashoka, c. 250 B.C.E.
Ashoka ruled parts of India in the third century B.C.E. and was so disheartened about one of his battles that he became a Buddhist and pacifist. He sent missionaries throughout the land to preach repentance and peace.
The central location for Jewish worship and ritual in ancient times was the
temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.
The temple built by Solomon was the geographical center of Judaic worship until it was destroyed for the second time by the Roans in 70 C>E. There, the priests oversaw the national rituals of atonement and worship for the Hebrew people. The Holy of Holies housed the arc of the covenant, which dated back to the time of Moses and the Exodus. These were the most important artifacts of the early Judaic experience.
Early written evidence of China’s first dynasties has been found
on oracle bones used for divination.
The bones of birds and turtle shells were used to record religious ritual and history during the Shang dynasty. Shamans or diviners used the bones to tell the future or to determine what should be done. Questions would be posed and then hot pokers would be used to fracture the bones. The resulting cracks or breaks would then be interpreted to guide people.
The Medes and the Persians were united under
Cyrus the Great, c. 550 B.C.E.
Cyrus the Great was one of the early and successful Persian conquerors in the Middle East. Under Cyrus, the empire stretched from Persia to the Mediterranean. The nearby Medes and Lydians were incorporated into the Persian sphere and the so-called Achaemenid Empire was formed.
The expansion of ancient Chinese culture and rule over surrounding peoples was accomplished through
persistent assimilation of neighboring kingdoms.
Cultural transference often took place when Chinese dynasties conquered or were overrun themselves by neighboring peoples. Two more recent examples of the latter were the Mongols and Manchus. But even in earlier times, China would pacify and absorb so-called barbarian peoples who became culturally Chinese over time.
The victory of Christianity over roman paganishm was advanced when
Constantine legalized the religion throughout the empire.
After having a battlefield vision of a cross in the heavens, Constantine ceased the persecution of Christians and even sponsored church councils so that early theology could be codified. A network of urban bishoprics was also established so church leadership could solidify.
The rugged mountainous character of Ancient Greece led to the
the development of separate poleis, or city- states.
Greece is a peninsula covered with mountains and valleys. Communities grew up in isolation and developed their own political traditions. There were dozens of city-states, including Sparta and Athens
What is not a feature of traditional Hinduism?
the concept of nirvana as the absence of pain.
Hinduism is a combination of religious practices that evolved over many years in South Asia. Folk religion, fertility rites, and other practices are part of the belief system. However, nirvana is a feature of Buddhist theology
Greater urbanization in the Andean highlands was in part a product of
the introduction of maize into the diet of the Incas.
Many times in world history, the introduction of a stable crop allows more people to survive into adulthood, which in turn leads to an increase of population. Maize is a hardy crop that supplies a reliable source of carbohydrates for the people.
As early as the second century B.C.E., the Chinese used plant fibers to make
Paper.
Paper was an ancient Chinese innovation and was made from organic plant fibers soaked with bark and pounded with a mallet. It could then be formed into sheets and dried to make crude paper.
Commonalitites between Ancient Greece and Persia included
languages that stemmed from the same Indo-European origins.
Among some of the common features of Greek and Persian cultures were languages that belonged to the same Indo-European family of languages
The Phoenicians were a seafaring people in the Mediterranean who colonized
the Levant and parts of northern Africa.
The Phoenicians were associated earlier with the easter Mediterranean area called Canaan. After900 B.C.E., the Phoenicians established colonies on Cyprus and eventually the northern western coast of Africa. Eventually, their trade routes covered most of the Mediterranean.
Ancient Greek philosophy caused controversy when its advocates.
challenged traditional Homeric religion.
Pre- Socratic philosophers sometimes rejected popular myths about the origins of humankind and the world. They postulated different ideas about the material that made up the natural world and even questioned the anthropomorphic gods that were worshipped in the area.
A reason for the decline of the Roman republic was
a series of powerful military leaders who destabilized the political order.
After 88 B.C.E., a number of ambitious senator-warlords wanted to gain power. They took power unto themselves and undermined the old democratic order. In fighting one another, a series of civil wars led to the rise of a new series of dictator-emperors, starting with Julius Caesar.
The long cycle of imperial history in China began with the
Han dynasty c. 230 B.C.E.
Historians mark the Han dynasty as the beginning of a tradition of political and cultural continuity for China. Dynasties followed one another in turn as a family would take power and rule until another group would rise up and replace them. Emperors ruled from a capital and divided territories into provinces.
What was the most important factor in enabling the Macedonians to defeat the Persians?
Alexander was tireless in his pursuit of revenge and victory.
Alexander wished to punish the Persians for the destruction of athens in 480 B.C.E. and pursued Darius across the Middle East. After numerous victories, the Persians turned on Darius and killed him. Alexander was then able to take control of one of the most well-known ancient empires.
How can Hellenism best be described?
THe sum of Greek culture associated with Macedonian conquest under Alexander the Great.
Hellenism is the descriptor used for Ancient Greek culture. From the Golden Age of Athens to the conquest of the world under Alexander, Greek culture was spread from the Aegean to India by the conquering macedonians.
What statement best describes the inequalities of Roman political life?
The patrician elites had more rights than did the plebeians.
The conflict of the orders was a struggle between the patricians and the majority of the population, the plebeians. Over time the plebeians won more concessions from the ruling patricians. Some plebeian leaders were lured into an expanded elite class, and thus the patricians could hold on to some of their privileges.
What is a true statement about the Bantu migration in Africa is true?
Migration of Bantu speakers paralleled the spread of iron making.
Some African languages can be traced to Bantu culture, which spread southward after the first millennium B.C.E. It is believed the Bantu originated in the area of present-day Nigeria and migrated south into sub Saharan Africa over many generations.
Trade aided the spread oF Buddhism to China via what route?
THe Silk Road.
As an ancient trade route, the Silk Road was used as a means of spreading Buddhism by King Asoka from South Asia after the third century b.C.E. Asoka had sent out monks, missionaries, and pilgrims to promote the spread of the religion. These representatives helped spread the Buddhist faith to East and Southeast Asia by the second century C.E.
Roman persecution of Christianity was based on which of the following viewpoints?
Romans viewed the new religion as a threat to traditional polytheism as well as to the authority of Caesar.
Rome was initially perplexed by the growing popularity of what was at first a sect of Judaiam in Judea. As more people converted to Christianity, it came ot be viewed as a dangerout cult focused on a Jewish rabbi. Persecution took many forms, from loss of rights to execution, but many roman citizens were also converted by the second century C.E.
For many centuries ancient Egypt was protected from its enemies by
the surrounding geography.
The nile region is protected by desert to the east and west. The Nile itself is hard to navigate to the south given the rapids as it descends from the Sudan. To the north is the Mediterranean, so invasion from there would have to be amphibious.
At its apex, c. 500, classical Mayan civilization can be characterized as a
sophisticated urban culture with grandiose architecture.
Mayan civilization was discovered by archeologists and historians in the last century. Large cities such as Tikal on the Yucatan peninsula reveal an urban culture with sophisticated religious rituals that involved worship of numerous nature gods. The civilization declined rapidly after 900 C.E. for reasons that are still being debated.
The Xia and Shang dynasties of China in the second millennia B.C.E. were known for
the first known writing in East Asia.
Few records of the earliest Chinese dynasties have survived. Around 2000 B.C.E., the earliest evidence of a written language begins to appear. The pictographic drawings evolved into symbols with meanings and pronunciations. Early materials such as bone and stone were used as surfaces that early Chinese would make records on.
Cuneiform writing was first used in
Mesopotamia, c. 3500 B.C.E.
Writing is first traced to West asia in the fourth millennia B.C.E and was used to record business transactions. A reed was used to make wedge-shaped marks in clay. These tablets record early communication in the Tigris and Euphrates area.
