Basics For Exam Flashcards
An important import for the desert of SSA
Salt
An important export for many of the civilizations in SSA
Gold
What art method was used in SSA
Wax method
Type of religion in traditional SSA religion and what it means
Henotheism
Means that there is one main creator God and other smaller gods
What “innovation” changed the desert in SSA, and in what way
Camels, they helped with transportation
How is history passed down in SSA
Orally
Through griots
What migration in SSA connected the different civilizations
The Bantu Migrations
In the savanna of SSA what was wealth based on
Ownership of cattle
What metal was incredibly important in SSA and shows their sophistication
Iron
What does synthesis mean in Ancient India
Mixing of culture of Aryans and Dravidians
What was the social structure of Ancient India
The Caste System
A staple crop in savanna of SSA
African rice and millet
A concept shared by many Indian religions
Reincarnation
The ultimate goal of Hinduism is to be…
At one with the universe/Brahman
What is India geographically
A subcontinent
A key part of Indian weather patterns is the…
Monsoon
A key export of India
Cotton and spices
Staple crops of India
Wheat and barley
When was India not unified at all
When there were local rulers, which were called rajas
What does Buddha mean
The enlightened one
What is the Gupta Dynasty (quote)
“The last great Hindu empire”
What animal is sacred in Hinduism
Cows
Two groups at the bottom of the Chinese Social Pyramid
Merchants and warriors
What concepts of Confucianism focus on family
The Five Relationships
Filial Piety
What did China call themselves
The Middle Kingdom
What were women referred to in Ancient China
The second sex
What Chinese export was super important
Silk
An important staple crop in Ancient China
Rice (and it was double harvested), and there is also wheat
An important invention in Ancient China
Paper and printing presses
A system created in Ancient China in order to get more scholars into the government
The Examination System
Importance of balance in Ancient China/religion
Yin and Yang
Super important
Element of music in Ancient China
Timbre
What concept have people the right to overthrow the government in Ancient China?
The Mandate of Heaven
What was China’s main military strategy?
The Great Wall
An important idea that came to China through the Silk Road?
Buddhism
A reason why Empress Wu is not on the list of greatest Chinese rulers?
Because she is a woman
Because she supports Buddhism
What were the three golden ages of Ancient China?
Tang, Sung, Han
What frozen body of water was crossed to get to the Western Hemisphere?
The Bering Strait
What coincidence happened in Meso America in 1519
The Spanish came and Quetzalcoatl was supposed to come back
The staple crop on Meso America was
Corn/maize
The most important animal in Meso America was
The jaguar
What were the big colossal heads in Meso America
Big basalt sculptures from the time of the Olmecs
How did people in Meso America overcome agricultural challenges
Floating gardens
Terrace farming
Aqueducts
Meso Americans believe that “your soul is in your ______”
Blood
Which city in Meso America is the most important and is on the Mexican flag
Tenochtitlan
Meso Americans believed that caves were an opening to what?
The underworld
What stone in Meso America was very precious
Jade
A social class in Meso America that was larger than normal
Slaves
What Maya age was seen as a “golden age”
Classical
Amount of rivers and mountains in SSA
Lots of rivers but not many major mountains
Mediterranean climate zone SSA
Where traders came from
Desert climate zone SSA
Sand, camels
Savanna climate zone SSA
Good for cattle, unreliable rain, good trade
Rainforest climate zone SSA
No large scale agriculture, some trade but difficult because no animals- cannot have pack animals because of fly that carries disease, not good transportation, “hunting and gathering” mentality for food
Mother culture of SSA
Bantu Migrations
Agriculture SSA in rainforest
Hunting and gathering, limited, worse than savanna
Agriculture SSA in savanna
Decent, unreliable rain, better than rainforest
Specific trade items savanna SSA
Got salt for gold
SSA staple crops in savanna (and in general)
Millet and African rice (African rice did not need as much water as Asian rice)
Basic government SSA
Monarchy, kings and queens, had elders and advisors
SSA basic social system
Fluid mobility, lineage, matrilineal, some slaves, women were treated pretty well
Wealth was based off what in savanna in SSA
Was based off of ownership of cattle
Traditional African Religion
Henotheistic, animism, after life was important, ancestor worship
Basic art SSA
Lost wax process (shows sophistication), everybody is an artist, sophisticated
Basic music SSA
Rhythm, everyone is a musician, a part of life
Main music aspect SSA
Rhythm
How history was kept in SSA
Oral history, didn’t write stuff down, griot
Griot SSA
Knew history of town, oral, teacher of history, if griot died before passing down the history the history of the family would be lost
What revolution occurred for Meso America
The Neolithic Revolution
Meso America staple crops
Corn/maize
Rainforest Meso America
Cleared out, not like Africa, south is farmable
Savanna Meso America
Not like Africa, highlands, good farming
Rivers Meso America
No major ones
Any pack animals in Meso America?
No, didn’t have any pack animals
Geography’s affect on unity in Meso America
Didn’t affect it
Meso America resources
Wood and stone
Trade Meso America
Isolated so low trade
But traded within Meso America- no international trade
Agriculture Meso America
Challenging-needed water
Water Meso America
Had to use aqueducts
Needed to make the land work for them
Meso America architecture
Flat topped pyramids
Connected to astronomy
Arch was different
Meso America Art
Big colossal heads of basalt
Jade
Stone in Meso America that was really important
Jade
Writing system Meso America
Maya had only original writing system in Meso America- but not much information on it because Spanish burned when they came
Olmecs has yet to be deciphered
Aztecs was more limited and basic
Arrival of Spanish Meso America
1519
Spanish won because: Aztecs thought their God was coming that year, Spanish brought diseases, and many other reasons
What is the mother culture of Meso America
The Olmecs
In which religion was Nirvana the ultimate goal?
Buddhism
What is karma?
What goes around comes around/ what happens in this life will affect your next life
What civilization pressured India several years before the Mauryan Dynasty started?
Persia and Greece
What was the name of the founder of the Mauryan Empire?
Chandragupta Maurya
What does Shih Huangdi mean?
The First Universal Emperor
What items did Shih Huangdi standardize?
Money, coinage, government, and tax
What was the name of the trade route that was developed during the Han Dynasty in China?
The Silk Road
The warrior class in Japan was known as…
Samurais
What was a ronin in Ancient Japan?
bandit samurai/samurai who did not have masters or who had economic troubles
The political ruler of Ancient Japan was called a…
The Shogun-indirect ruler
Who tried to attack Ancient Japan in the late 1200s?
The Mongols (Kublai Khan)
“The Maya were obsessed with _______”
War
What was an important part of Mayan Religion which was not seen much elsewhere in the world?
Human sacrifice/giving blood
What happened to the Mayans in 800?
Began to decline and abandon the civilization for no reason known
Two groups in Maya upper class
Priests and nobles
What was another name for the Aztecs?
The Mexicas
India mountains
Himalayas and Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush had a pass
Great protection
India two great river valleys
Indus and Ganges
Great agriculture
India Deccan Plateau
Upside down triangle at bottom of India
Decent agriculture
India coasts
Rainforest ish
Indus Valley distinctive features
Sophisticated, undeciphered language
What Buddha means
The enlightened one
Asoka
First ruled horribly the became kind and converted to Buddhism
Chandragupta Maurya
Started Mauryan Dynasty, wasn’t liked, very harsh
Synthesis
Ancient India
Blending of Aryans and Dravidians
Caste System
In India
Determines life, very rigid, Aryans started to separate themselves from Dravidians
Caste System order
Brahmans (priests) Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers) Vaisyas (merchants, farmers, artisans) Shudras Outcasts (not a formal caste, majorly shunned)
Reason to follow Caste System
Tradition
Gods created
Reincarnation
Vedas
Sacred religious texts from Hinduism from Vedic Age
Sanskrit
Written language
Started in Vedic Age
Raja
Local tribal chief
Special Indian music aspect
Melody
India women
Seen as the second sex
Not educated
Sati (when husband died, had to burn to death when her husband was cremated)
India trade
Used Silk Road and imported a lot from Africa
India key products
Cotton, spices, tea
Decline of Buddhism India
Declined during Gupta Dynasty
Against Hinduism
Lost appeal because didn’t believe in caste system
Reincarnation India
Hinduism and Buddhism believe that you become something else when you die
Goes along with karma
Karma India
What you do in this life will affect your next life/what goes around comes around
India Mother Culture
Vedic Age
Empress Wu
Age of Early Empire
Favored Buddhism- people didn’t like her that much because Buddhism was seen as a foreign religion
Confucius
Started Confucianism
Was really poor as a kid
Shih Huangdi
Unifies China
Standardized a bunch of things
Legalist
Crucial
Kublai Khan
Ruled China and started Mongol Dynasty
Peaceful
Problem was that he is not Chinese
Golden Ages of China
T’ang Dynasty, Han Dynasty, Sung Dynasty
Mandate of Heaven
Chinese dynastic cycle
When the rulers were being bad the citizens rebelled, and it was as if “heaven” didn’t like the rulers anymore
Staple crops of China
Rice (double harvest) in south, wheat in north
Natural Boundaries of China
Strong
Only problem was to North- which is why The Great Wall was built
Very protected and isolated
Great Wall of China
Couldn’t battle the barbarians (Huns) so created wall to stop them and their horses
Why Great Wall of China was bad
Got people killed because was so hard to make
Wasted a lot of money
Filial Piety
Respecting ones elders and parents
Ancient China
Five Relationships
Five important relationships in Confucianism~
- older brother to younger brother
- father to son
- husband to wife
- older friend to younger friend
- subject to ruler
Writing system China
Ideographic
People who could read/write were in upper classes
Three Doctrines
Ancient China
Three main religions: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism
Trade China
Export: silk
Import: nothing for a while, eventually tea
did not really need trade because they had many resources, but traded a lot anyway/economy was strong because of it
Arrival of Buddhism to China
Through Silk Road
Silk China
Only China had it for hundreds of years
Main export
Very strict to not let it out
Examination System China
Exams people took to get into government
Based a lot on confucianism
Train entire life for this
Seen as a way to make government non-hereditary and to get more scholars into government
Women China
Foot binding
Seen as property
Son preference
In SSA extended family would be grouped into larger groups based on ancestry called…
Lineage groups
Matrilineal SSA
The lineage was through ones mother
Japan geography
Archipelago, volcanic islands
Lots of mountains
Protected/isolated
Japan natural boundaries
Good
Isolated
Japan natural resources
Limited
Wood
Japan agriculture
Not much farmland but what they have is good
Japan staple crops
Rice (double harvest) and fish
Japan unity
Decent, not amazing
Japanese clans
Uji
Large family groups
Japan rulers
Monarchy
Rulers were more focused on religion than on government and politics
Japan and China similarities
Confucianism, Buddhism, little bit of language, art, culture, government structure
Japan music
Like China Timbre, only upper class could play, pentatonic scale
Japan and China differences
No mandate of heaven in Japan and no examination system
Mongol Invasion of Japan
Tried to invade but couldn’t because of a typhoon
Kamikaze means…
Divine winds
Japan social
Decent mobility
Family of Shogun would rule
Taoism basics
Secondary religion for China
Yin and Yang
Polytheistic
Non-violence
Shinto basics
No founder
The Kami: deities
Nature is really important
Real rulers name in Japan
Shogun
Shogun Japan
Military warlord, an amazing warrior, political ruler
Name for warriors in Japan
Samurais
Ronin Japan
Used to be a samurai but master abandoned them
“free agent”
Where are merchants on Japan Social Pyramid
Bottom
Portuguese coming to Japan
Brought trade, christianity, and weapons
Tokugawa Japan
Last unifier of Japan
Made social system super rigid
Very peaceful
Japan closed off from rest of world
