Before 1200: Patterns in World History

Question 1

Describe some aspects of the Paleolithic Era.

Answer 1

The Paleolithic people lived in small, close-knit groups and frequently moved to gather resources and to hunt. These groups lacked gender and social inequality, yet thrived in cultural aspects- as seen in cave paintings and sculptures.

Question 2

Why did the Paleolithic people begin to live in settled villages?

Answer 2

Agricultural villages allowed stability for those who lived in them. They provided shelter, food, and protection, and everyone within them worked together- allowing more time for cultural creativity and innovation.

Question 3

Describe Pastoral societies.

Answer 3

Pastoral societies were people who depended on animals in places where farming was impractical. They moved with the seasons to feed their animals who were used for their meat, hides, and milk.

Question 4

How did Agricultural and Pastoral societies interact?

Answer 4

Pastoral people would seek access to the grazing lands, crops, and products of the Agricultural people- resulting in conflict. Pastoral peoples and those of Agricultural societies would also exchange ideas, products, and people- resulting in innovation.

Question 5

Describe a chiefdom.

Answer 5

A chief (often male) came to power through inheritance and compelled obedience by gift giving, generosity, status, or personality. The role of the chief was to conduct rituals and ceremonies and resolve conflicts. Tribute was given from the people in various forms, and some would be distributed to the warriors and craftsmen.

Question 6

Why might the Eastern Hemisphere have a larger number of civilizations compared to the Western Hemisphere?

Answer 6

The Western Hemisphere is bordered by oceans. A land bridge between the two existed for only a short time, and therefore the population of the Western Hemisphere was never as great as the Eastern Hemisphere.

Question 7

How did Agricultural Villages come to form civilizations?

Answer 7

A productive agricultural economy would support a great deal of people who did not produce their own food. These villages became the first civilizations, and rural cities became a feature. These civilizations generated states and governing structures.

Question 8

List at least five (5) major civilizations.

Answer 8

1. Meso-American
2. Andean
3. Western Christendom
4. Eastern Christendom
5. Islamic
6. Indian
7. Chinese
8. Southeast Asian

Question 9

How did large civilizations impact the environment?

Answer 9

Large populations would turn the soil white (accumulation of salt) from rigorous irrigation. Deforestation, erosion, drained swamps, and terracing were also consequences.

Question 10

What led to the downfall of the Maya civilization?

Answer 10

Rapid population growth (5 million+), deforestation, and the erosion of hillsides led to prolonged droughts and their eventual collapse by 900 C.E. .

Question 11

Compare and contrast pre-1200 civilizations.

Answer 11

Civilizations differed in their geographical limitations, social structure, and range and extent of influence. They all consisted of slaves and a form of patriarchy.

The Chinese, Roman, Persian, and many other empires expanded over a large area, while the Greek and Maya were organized in competitive city-states. The Chinese civilization determined government officials using an examination system. India determined the elite by religious status and ritual purity. The Roman civilization dominated the Mediterranean between 500 BCE and 500 CE while the Chinese directly influenced the culture of Asia and indirectly influenced the economy of Eurasia for far longer.

Question 12

List four (4) characteristics of Hinduism.

Answer 12

1. The Upanishads is a collection of philosophical ideas provided by anonymous authors.
2. Atman, or the human soul, is part of Brahman, the final and ultimate reality.
3. The goal of humankind is moksha, or achieving union with Brahman.
4. Samsara is the notion of rebirth, as moksha is thought to take many lifetimes to achieve.
5. The law of karma determines a persons status in the next life based on the purity of their actions.
   Atman, Brahman, moksha, samsara, karma.

Question 13

List four (4) characteristics of Buddhism.

Answer 13

1. Suffering is the result of human desire.
2. Following the eight-fold path will result in nirvana, a state of enlightenment in which personal identity is extinguished.
3. One must overcome the ego.
4. Karma.

Question 14

List three (3) differences and (3) similarities in the teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Answer 14

1. Life is an illusion.
2. Karma and rebirth.
3. The practice of meditation.
4. Overcome the ego.
5. The Buddha argued the caste system as a barrier to enlightenment.
6. Hindus believe in the assistance of gods throughout ones spiritual development.
7. Hindus sought to reach moksha, Buddhists sought to seek nirvana.

Question 15

Contrast Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

Answer 15

Theravada Buddhism advertised time-consuming meditation, withdraw from ordinary life, and the absence of supernatural figures (though never completely denied their existence).
Mahayana Buddhism expressed compassion, followed supernatural beings (such as the Buddha) and Bodhisattvas (enlightened beings who remained to assist humanity), and promoted religious merit (protective force that accumulate from good acts and thoughts). It was more accessible and allowed the possibility of enlightenment within a single lifetime.

Question 16

Describe the bhakti movement.

Answer 16

This involved devotion to one of India’s gods or goddesses and identification with him/her through songs, prayers, and rituals- pushing against the containment of caste, gender, and hierarchy. It allowed one to find salvation through simple living and fulfilling rituals of devotion.

Question 17

What does Confucianism teach?

Answer 17

Human society is organized in unequal relationships (father to son, husband to wife, ruler to subject), but if the superior party treats the lesser with sincerity, kindness, and genuine concern then the lesser will obey and harmony will prevail. It promoted education in language, literature, history, philosophy, and ethics to maintain moral qualities, and the family became a model for political life. The most senior family members were treated with the utmost respect and children obeyed with unquestioning obedience.

Question 18

How does Daoism differ Confucianism?

Answer 18

Daoists saw efforts for moral improvement as futile and pointless. It urged spontaneous and individualistic behavior.
Where Confucianism focused on human relationships, Daoism urged withdraw into nature and its mysterious patterns.

Question 19

How does the yin yang symbol represent the Chinese attitude towards differing philosophies?

Answer 19

Although Daoism and Confucianism went against each other, the Chinese elite viewed them as complementing (such as male and female). For example, one may practice Confucianism during the day, return home and pursue simplicity, meditation, and other peaceful activities as taught by Daoism.

Question 20

Compare and contrast the monotheistic religions.

Answer 20

Judaism began among the Hebrews and promote the idea of a jealous yet righteous and moral god.
Christianity began with Jesus of Nazarath who sought to revitalize Judaism. He taught of love and compassion.
Islam began with Muhammad, who wrote the Quran, and demanded social justice and a unified society.
All of these are intolerant to other religions, but are universally available.

Question 21

How do the teachings of the Buddha and Jesus compare, and it what ways did the religions evolve?

Answer 21

Buddhism and Christianity both teach of suffering, oppression, and exploitation. Against this they promote love, compassion, and empathy. Instead of seeking wealth and power one should seek to better ones character and appreciate life.
Both Buddhism and Christianity branched into subsets of their religion- such as Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, as well as Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism. Buddhism took hold in Asia, and Christianity took hold in Europe.

Question 22

List four (4) factors that may lead to division within a religion.

Answer 22

1. Geography (Christianity).
2. Availability/inclusiveness (Buddhism).
3. Fulfillment and comfort (Buddhism, bhakti movement).
4. Differences in language, culture, and political regime (Christianity).

Question 23

How does power influence religion? Provide examples.

Answer 23

Those with power have the ability to spread a religion, such as Emperor Constantine’s proclamation of Christianity as the state religion, but they also have the ability to persecute a religion, as seen in the execution of Jesus of Nazareth and Muhammad’s forced leave of Mecca.

Question 24

How did Muhammad’s profession as a merchant influence the early years of Islam?

Answer 24

As a merchant, Muhammad was in a position to see the hoarding of wealth, exploitation of the poor, corrupt businesses, and neglect of widows and orphans. However, as he began conquering Arabia, he was no longer in a position to truly see those social injustices.

Question 25

Compare the teachings of Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity in terms of social justice.

Answer 25

The umma (community of all believers) sought to replace personal identity with a common one based in belief.
Nirvana (enlightenment) replaced personal identity with serenity, love, and compassion for life.
Christianity taught love, compassion, and salvation for all who believed.

Question 26

Compare and contrast the spread of Christianity and Islam.

Answer 26

As both religions spread, unity under a single religion became difficult if not impossible as various versions/branches formed. Conflict arose over leadership, as seen between the Pope and Eastern Europe and the succession of Muhammad.
The difference between the spread is that Christianity spread primarily through missionaries and the Islamic state spread primarily through military conquest.

Question 27

Compare leadership among major religions.

Answer 27

The role of a religious leader was to provide answers, preserve ideas and interpret religious texts. These roles were held by the ulama in Islam, moral elite in China, and philosophical thinkers and Brahmins in Buddhism and Hinduism. All of these leaders were distinct in their society.

Question 28

Describe the beliefs of Sufism.

Answer 28

Sufis saw the worldly success of Islam as a distraction from the spirituality of Muhammad. They sought to tame the ego and achieve union with Allah. This was practiced through meditation on the Quran, renouncing the physical world, and chanting the names of god.

Question 29

Provide examples of cross-cultural exchange in the pre-1200 world and how they generated change.

Answer 29

1. The culturally diverse people in large empires resulted in exchanges in products, foods, ideas, religions and disease. For example, non-Roman cultural traditions such as the cult of the Persian god Mithra or Egyptian goddess Isis spread throughout the Roman Empire.
2. The expanding Arab Empire conquered territories in Egyptian, Persian, Mesopotamian, Indian, and Roman civilizations, therefore generating a cultural transformation.
3. Commercial and communication networks allowed people to trade across Afro-Eurasia, changing working lives, creating states, and diffusing religion, technology, and disease.

Question 30

Describe the path of the Silk Road.

Answer 30

The Silk Road began in approx. 200 BCE and linked China and the Mediterranean world, along with everywhere in between.

Question 31

Describe the path of the Sea Roads.

Answer 31

The Sea Roads traversed the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, connecting the diverse people of China and East Africa.

Question 32

Describe the path of the Sand Roads.

Answer 32

The Sand Roads connected North Africa and the Mediterranean World to West Africa.

Question 33

What kind of societies emerged from the Agricultural Revolution?

Answer 33

1. Organized chiefdoms.
2. Permanently settled farming villages organized into lineages and kinship groups much like the Paleolithic Era.
3. Pastoral societies.

Question 34

What was the role of cities in early civilizations?

Answer 34

Cities were political and administrative capitals. They were central hubs of art, architecture, literature, ritual, ceremony, along with being marketplaces for local and long-distance trade and manufacture.