Final Flashcards
What is Prehistory?
Its a time period before written records; before the last 5,000 years. Historians analyzed artifacts; such as tools, fossils bones ect. to find information.
Tools, artifacts from the Old Stone Age
Old stone age is called Paleolithic Period. During this period, they began to make new tools. One million years ago humans could have used fire. They made simple tools, such as digging sticks, spears, and axes out of stone, bone, or wood. They believed in animism, that spirits inhabited plants, animals, or other objects. Men hunted and fished, while women and children gathered food such as berries, fruits, and nuts.
Nomads
People lived in small hunting and food-gathering bands, with 20 - 30 people. Nomads would form shifting alliances with one another and engage in raids against settled civilizations, primarily to acquire goods and booty.
Empires
Sargon invaded and conquered the city-states of Sumer. He built the first empire. It was called the Akkadian empire. Its downfall was likely caused to a severe drought. The Babylonian empire was then formed, under Hammurabi. He improved irrigation systems and organized a well-trained army. Then, some conquerors, known as the Hittites, pushed out of Asia Minor into Mesopotamia. They learned to extract iron from ore, which they made tools out of iron. They fell and the use of iron tools spread. Then, Assyrian warriors built a city-state and began expanding their empire. They were the most warlike people in history. Nebuchadnezzar revived the power of Babylon and was a ruthless ruler. He built the famous hanging gardens. Then started the rise of the Persian empire. Darius I set up a bureaucracy. He divided the empire into provinces. He encouraged the use of coins. It brought many diverse people under control. They respected the traditions and beliefs of others and used the first mail system.
Characteristics of civilization
The features of a civilization were well-organized governments, complex religions, job specialization, social classes, arts and architecture, public works, and writing. (7)
Hammurabi’s code
Artisans carved 282 laws on a stone pillar. This was the first important attempt for a ruler to write down laws to govern a state. It listed criminal laws and civil laws. Had the idea that a ruler had the responsibility to ensure justice and order. It was designed to ensure peace and project his power across the empire. In the civil code, it protected the powerless, including women and slaves. It was made for the public to understand and obey. Hammurabi’s code was found in the city of susa.
Sumer
It was in the middle-east. It lies in the fertile crescent. The fertile soil of the Tigris-Euphrates valley attracted stone-age farmers, who began to raise crops. The first civilization developed. Sometimes the rivers overflowed but still were leftover from the floods which made the soil fertile. The control of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers was key to the rise of civilization in Mesopotamia. They built dams, dikes, and irrigation systems. Sumerians built many city-states. They were built with clay and water. Trade brought riches to these cities. They may have made the first wheeled vehicles. The largest buildings were ziggurats and pyramid temples. On top of them stood a shrine to a god or goddess. Traders sailed long distances. They battled for control over land and water, which led to war leaders. This led to the rise of monarchies. Each city-state had a leader and employed scribes to carry out functions. Had a social hierarchy. The base of society was peasant farmers. They were polytheistic, worshipping gods who controlled the forces of nature. They believed they had to keep gods happy, so they offered sacrifices and had ceremonies. Their earliest known writing was cuneiform. Scribes wrote on wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets. They developed the potter’s wheel and used bronze to make tools.
Indus civilization
A notable feature of the Indus Valley civilization was its architecture. Cities were carefully planned as they were laid out in a grid pattern. Houses were built with baked clay bricks. Houses had complex plumbing systems with baths, drains, and water chutes. They had a well-organized government. The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are possible twin capitals of the civilization. Most people were farmers. They were polytheistic, in which they viewed animals as sacred, such as buffalo and bulls. Scholars think that environmental factors led to their disappearance.
Hinduism - beliefs, major concepts
Teachings were recorded in the Vedas. The ultimate goal of existence was to achieve moksha, or union with Brahman. They believe they must love and serve God unconditionally and free themselves from selfish desires. They believed in reincarnation to achieve Moksha. They can become closer to moksha by obeying the law of karma. Someone’s good and moral actions lead to good results either in their current life or the next. They had a caste system into which you are born. Each caste determined where you can live, how you earn a living, who you can marry, and who you can talk to. The caste you are in determines how close you are to achieving Moksha.
Buddhism - beliefs, major concepts
It was started by a wealthy prince in 530 BC. Gautama started the new religion. He was known as the Buddha. He taught the four noble truths, which were all life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow. The second one is the cause of suffering is rooted in evils such as greed, desire, and hatred. The third is the only cure for suffering is to overcome desire and other evils. The fourth one is the way to overcome desire and other evils is to follow the eightfold path. The eightfold path is the right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right contemplation. A person had to live a moral life. The final goal is nirvana or union with the universe.
Daoism: The second school of thought of belief. Daoists sought to live in harmony with nature. The founder of Daoism was Laozi, or “Old Master”. Daoists rejected the world of conflict. Daoists viewed government as unnatural and the cause of many problems. The best government was the ones that governed the least. They experimented with alchemy, trying to turn metals into gold. They are thought to have invented gunpowder.
Shi Huangdi
The first emperor of China.
The Mandate of Heaven
Chinese rulers claimed the Mandate of Heaven the divine right to rule. As long as the dynasty provided good government, it enjoyed the Mandate of Heaven. If the rulers became weak or corrupt, heaven would draw its support.
Confucianism
It wasn’t a religion, but Chinese rulers would base their governments on Confucius’s ideas. It reinforced the social hierarchy of inferior and superior while stress the mutual duties of each. Introduced the delicate balance of two powers in the universe, yin and yang. Yin was linked to Earth, darkness, and female forces, while yang stood for heaven, light, and male forces. The well-being of the universe depended on harmony between yin and yang. It showed people how to behave.
The types of government in ancient Greece
At first, they started with a monarchy. Slowly, it shifted to a class of noble landowners, which were also the military defenders of city-states. The result was an aristocracy. As trade expanded, a new middle class formed. They challenged the nobles and dominated some city-states. This form an oligarchy, or the power is in the hands of a small, wealthy elite. Under an aristocracy in Athens, people were unhappy. People demanded change, and they slowly moved toward democracy. Democracy was limited, as only citizens could participate in government, voting to choose officials, and citizenship was restricted to landowning men over 30. Women had no share in political life.
Differences between Sparta and Athens
The government included two kings and a council of elders. Citizens were male and born in Sparta over the age of 30. A spartan prepared to be a part of the military state. They examined newborns and sickly children were abandoned. At the age of 7, boys began training for a lifetime in the military. Women were required to exercise and strengthen their bodies. Women had the right to inherit property.
Athens: In Athens, there was a democracy. There was a council of 500, whose members were chosen by lots from the citizens about 30 and were landowners. Democracy was limited. Women were excluded from political activities. Women managed the entire household. Girls received little to no education while boys attended school. Athens encouraged young men to explore knowledge.
