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MTEL: General Curriculum > History > Flashcards

History Flashcards

1
Q

Ancient History

A

4000 BC - 500 AD

The Fertile Crescent

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2
Q

The Fertile Crescent

A

Civilization began here
Stretched from Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf
Eastern section was called Mesopotamia because it was between the Tigris and Euphrates
Western section was called the Mediterranean section

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3
Q

The Sumerians

A

Lived in the southern part of Mesopotamia in a place called Sumer
First known people to live in the Fertile Crescent
Farmed, raised cattle, were traders and artisans
Developed a written language called cuneiform
Class system with kings and slaves
Studied math and science

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4
Q

The Babylonians

A

City of Babylon was located on the Euphrates River - present day Iraq
2000 BC
Hammurabi - great ruler of Bablyon - Hammurabi’s Code: the strong should not injure the weak - strong punishments for guilty
Nebuchadnezzer II - conquered Jerusalem, Tyre, and Judah
Believed in astrology - their beliefs led to the scientific study of astronomy

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5
Q

The Assyrians

A

Lived where the Sumerians had once lived
Traders and fierce warriors
Conquered the Fertile Crescent including Babylon and Egypt
Built a system of roads
Established the first library
Had governors

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6
Q

The Hebrews

A

Believed there was only one god - monotheism
Set of laws- Ten Commandments
First to record the Old Testament
Prophets fought for justice for the poor and the weak

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7
Q

The Phoenicians

A

Lived in small city states along the Mediterranean coast in modern day Lebanon
Most famous traders of the ancient world
Skilled shipbuilders and master sailors - could sail by the stars
Wealthy
Invented an alphabet based on the sounds spoken language “phonetic alphabet”
Traded all over the Med
Artistic skills - carving ivory and colored glass ornaments

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8
Q

The Persians

A

Lived on the east of the Fertile Crescent in modern day Iran
Warriors on horseback from central Asia
built by the Achaemenid family- rulers
Divided their empire into provinces for easier rule
Built roads and canals
Wrote the Avesta, a religious book based on the beliefs of the prophet Zoroaster

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9
Q

The Hittites

A

Lived in the mountains in modern day Turkey
First to use a treaty to settle differences with other peoples
First people to use iron to make weapons - one of the biggest accomplishments of the ancient world

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10
Q

Ancient Egypt

A

Located in northeast Africa along the Nile River
“gift of the Nile” because it provided them food and work
Developed irrigation systems and paper (from papyrus reeds)
Excellent engineers and builders
Language based on hieroglyphics - written history, laws, books, prayers, and hymns
Did math and invented a calendar

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11
Q

The Nile River

A

Center of life for Egyptians
Starts in central Africa and flows 4000 miles to the Mediterranean Sea
Flooded every year and left a rich layer of soil which was super important as they got little rain

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12
Q

Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt

A

2700-2200 BC
Captiol was Memphis and then Heliopolis
The great pyramids and the Sphinx were built

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13
Q

Middle Kingdom of Egypt

A

2100-1800 BC
Egyptian civilization reached great heights. Engineering projects such as irrigation ditches and canals were built. Egypt was conquered by invaders but then recovered. There were several capitals during this era, including Thebes and Memphis

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14
Q

New Kingdom of Egypt

A

1700-1100 BC
This era is also called the Empire, and the capital was Thebes. Egypt conquered many areas during this time. About 1100 BC, its power started to decline.

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15
Q

Menes

A

First pharaoh of Egypt
Joined Lower and Upper Egypt into one land
His dynasty was called the First Dynasty

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16
Q

Queen Hatshepsut

A

Became queen when her father, King Thutmose I, died, at his request. When her husband, Thutmose II died, she called herself King Hatshepsut and became pharaoh. During her reign, Egypt rose to great power and wealth. It was a period of peace and prosperity.

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17
Q

Cleopatra

A

Queen of Egypt from 51-30 BC
Fell in love with Julius Caesar and moved to Rome
When she returned to Egypt after Caesar’s death, she married her brother (king of Egypt)
She had her brother poisoned and became Queen
Saw Mark Antony as a way to expand her power and wealth but his armies were defeated and he killed himself.
She later killed herself as well.

18
Q

Ancient Greece

A

Was divided into city-states meaning each city had its own laws and government
Built Sparta, Athens, and other famous cities
Southeast Asia more than 2,000 years ago

19
Q

Athens

A

Great democracy - was governed by all free males in the city
Wealthy from its trade and colonies
Especially wealthy during 500 to 430 BC in a period called Golden Age of Athens or the Golden Age of Pericles (a famous politician and speaker)
A great period of writing and learning
Center of Greek civilization
Philosophy thrived during this era - Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

20
Q

Pericles

A

A politician and speaker in ancient Athens
One of his most important achievements was to organize the rebuilding of the Acropolis, a hill where a group of temples had been destroyed by the Persians. This included the Parthenon, one of the most famous buildings of ancient Greece.

21
Q

Socrates

A

a great Athenian philosopher
a teacher who asked his students careful questions to force his students to learn how to think
Plato was one of his students

22
Q

Plato

A

a student of Socrates
wrote down the talks of Socrates
also became a teacher of philosophy and taught Aristotle

23
Q

Aristotle

A

a student of Plato
first to look for the truth about things by testing facts and organizing ideas in a logical way
was also a scientist

24
Q

Sparta

A

a city state of Ancient Greece
a military state
most powerful soldiers of Greece
boys left their homes at age 7 to begin training
men had to serve till 60 years old
Spartan women were treated as citizens and equals to men - they had to stay physically fit
Conquered Messenia and captured slaves. Slaves were used to work the land and construct buildings

25
Q

Peloponnesian War

A

431 BC
War between Sparta and Athens
Sparta defeated Athens after 27 years of war

26
Q

Accomplishments of the Greeks

A
  1. Developed the worlds first democracy
  2. First to take a scientific approach to medicine - studied diseases (Hippocrates = father of medicine)
  3. Playwrights wrote and produced the first dramas in outdoor theaters - Euripides and Sophocles were two of the most famous playwrights
  4. Invented geometry - Euclid wrote a geometry text called Elements
  5. Developed the art of philosophy
  6. Created outstanding literature - The Odyssey and The Illiad by Homer.
  7. Wrote the first histories
27
Q

Alexander the Great

A

had the largest empire of the ancient world
Greece to India
spread Greek culture
wanted to unite all the peoples of his land

28
Q

Accomplishments of Ancient Rome

A
  1. Wrote a set of laws that became the basis of many legal systems for many countries of Europe and Latin America
  2. Built roads, bridges, and aqueducts to carry water.
  3. Created sculptures that actually looked like the people they portray
  4. Latin, their language, became the base for many other languages
  5. Roman poet, Virgil, wrote The Aeneid
  6. Invented the roman numerals
  7. United people and created a vast empire
29
Q

The Roman Republic

A

A republic is a form of government where there is no king and the citizens chose the people to run the government - free men (not women or slaves)
Roman citizens were divided into two classes: patricians (rich nobles) and plebeians (common people)
Had provinces - Roman lands and those people paid taxes to Rome

30
Q

Beginning of the Roman Empire

A

Julius Caesar was the first general and military hero to take power in Rome. He became dictator and built new buildings, reduced taxes, and made life better for the plebeians. Some senators thought he had too much power and murdered him.
Octavian took power and called himself Augustus. Became the first emperor of Rome - his rule began a period called Pax Romana or “Roman Peace.”

31
Q

Decline and Fall of Rome

A

The Roman empire stretched from the Middle East to Great Britain
Diocletian divided the empires into Eastern and Western Empires
The power shifted from Rome, the capital of the Western Empire to the East.
The Huns eventually invade the Roman Empire and took over the Western Empire while the Romans maintained control of the Eastern Empire

32
Q

The Beginnings of Christianity

A

During Augustus’s reign, Jesus was born. Romans believed Jesus was dangerous and he was put to death. Christianity was illegal and punishable until Constantine became Christian and made it legal.

33
Q

Ancient Asia (India and China)

A

Early civilizations of Asia began along the Indus River of India and Yellow River of China

34
Q

Ancient India

A

Began more than 4000 years ago along the Indus River in an area called the Indus River Valley.
Main cities were Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
Had drainage and sewer systems, homes with bathrooms, large farms with irrigation canals, and many artifacts including jewelry, pottery, woven cloth, and tools and implements of copper and bronze.
No one knows what happened to these civilizations as it was hundreds of years before new cities were built

35
Q

Hinduism

A

Began from the culture of the nomadic people who entered India
Special language was called Sanskrit
Thousands of gods and goddesses
Closely tied to Hinduism was the caste system: 4 groups of people
People who didn’t belong to any group were called untouchables
Caste system was outlawed in 1950

36
Q

Buddhism

A

Siddhartha Gautama was born near the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal
Went to find the meaning of life
Meditated under a tree until he found the answer
Was known as Buddha and taught that suffering is brought on by people’s desires and can be ended, and happiness found, by ending all desires
Appealed to people because it rejected the caste system

37
Q

Accomplishments of the Ancient Indians

A
  1. Founded the Hindu religion
  2. Originated Buddhism
  3. Further developed art and architecture
  4. Wrote fine literature
38
Q

The Golden Age of India

A

Occurred during the Gupta reign

  1. Medical doctors set broken bones, used plastic surgery, and gave shots to prevent diseases
  2. Mathematicians invented the decimal (base 10) number system and the Arabic numerals used today. Also developed the idea of zero
  3. Textiles were created from slender threats including cashmere
39
Q

Mogul Empire

A

Ancient India
Muslims began to invade India between 1000 AD and 1500s AD
Babur - first ruler, united India with Afghanistan
Muslims became the ruling class of India
Islam grew and so did hostility between Muslims and Hindus
Mosques were built

40
Q

British Rule in India

A

First, trade routes were established with England, France, and Denmark
The British East India Company built trading posts and as the Mogul Empire weakened, the Co began taking control of territories before gaining complete control of India.
Britain was the worlds biggest imperial power and made money off it’s territories - destroying India’s economy
However, Britain did improve India by building railroads, highways, hospitals, and a telegraph system - all of which created jobs - but the population grew so rapidly many Indians still lived in poverty

41
Q

Mohandas Gandhi

A

Called for peaceful protest of the British when Indians were fighting for independence from Britain
Eventually, the British gave in in 1947 when modern day India and Pakistan were formed
India became the world’s largest democracy

MTEL: General Curriculum (1 decks)

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