History Quiz 1 Flashcards
Describe the Shang Dynasty. What sets them apart from earlier groups? How did they organize themselves? What was their social structure? (pages 69-73)
Had dual horse chariots for fighting. Had wheels. Veneration of ancestors, ! “Ancestor Worship”. Sophisticated writing and metalworking system.
Discuss the role of geography on China’s development. Where did they settle? Why? What were some of their obstacles? (pages 68-69)
Mountains and deserts to the north and west, ocean to east, hilly area with general population to the south. Most often attacked/most vulnerable from the north (in times of internal weakness).
Describe India’s geography. How does it impact the country’s development? (page 40)
“The earliest civilizations in India arose in river valleys and were shaped, in part, by their environment.”
40 top right
Large and complex, like “continent rather than nation”.
Spade hanging off the southern ridge of Asia, has Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges to the north, the Ganges “holy river” directly to the south, Indus River valley to the west (the first place Indian civilization developed). The Indus River valley started as temperate, when civilization first sprang up there, though it is now an arid plateau.
What is the veneration of ancestors? Why is it important to Chinese culture? (page 71)
Burning of replicas of objects so they can be used by the person in the afterlife.
Why did the Zhou come into power? What did they change/implement? (pages 73-77)
According to legend, the last Shang ruler was a tyrant and overthrown to make the new nation. Supposedly also ruled because the king possessed the “mandate of Heaven”, a law of nature rather than a deity, seen as a benevolent force. maintained order through the Zhou king, who ruled as a representative of Heaven, but not as a diving being themself. King (originally) supposedly elected to rulership by talent and virtue, expected to lead with compassion and efficiency. Used Jade and silk.
Confucianism
Humans are essentially good. Status should be based on merit rather than birthright. Uneducated people trying but failing to learn are better than uneducated people who don’t care to learn. Leaders must be kind and provide moral reasoning rather than laws to do various things. Meaning of the cosmos cannot be deciphered and so is to be ignored until meaning of everyday life can be deciphered. Act and think.
How did the Qin Dynasty transform into an empire? Why did this system eventually collapse? (pages 81-85)
Horrible ruling practices for both, like cutting people in half if they failed to report crimes.
Legalism
Humans are essentially bad. Leaders must be strong and make laws to combat this.
Daoism
Don’t act and rely on instinct.
How was the family organized in ancient China? How did this help a hierarchy system? Be sure to also discuss women’s roles in ancient China. (pages 85-87)
Families lived together, patriarchal, woman raising children and cooking and cleaning, men working in rice fields and being scholars and governmental officials.
Who were the Harappans? Where did they come from? What was their structure like? (pages 40-42)
Harappans started in ‘the Punjab’ (ml 41). Their capital city of Harappa was surrounded by a massive brick wall, laid out rectangularly, and had massive streets of up to 30 ft width (bl 41). Buildings were square or rectangular and made of mudbricks (bl 41). Middle and upper class had a working plumbing system (tr 41). Possibly called Meluhha (tr 41). Indus Valley civilization was likely not a monarchy, but a collection of over 1,500 towns/cities connected by trade and alliance and ruled by a coalition of landlords and merchants (tr 41).
Discuss the various forms of Chinese culture during this period. What were some of their mediums? How did these affect their civilization? (pages 88-92)
Metalwork, pottery, sculptures, terracotta soldier army for Qin Shi Hugandi. (Writing, calligraphy)
- Who were the Aryans? How did their society develop? What impact did the Greeks have on this group? (pages 44-45)
Started as pastoralists, became agriculturalists [bl 44]. Developed their own writing system based on Aramic from the Middle East and write down legends that had been previously orally told through generations. Rig Veda is one of the Vedas and was written after the Aryans arrived in India. Each tribe led by a cheiftian (raja), who was normally a warrior (kshatriya), and had power because of his ability to protect the tribe from rival tribes. Claimed as representatives of gods, but not themselves. Chieftains slowly turned to kings (maharajas). Even kings didn’t have absolute authority and had to, as the chieftains and all humans, follow the dharma, a set of laws/standards for Indian society. (Happiness of the king lies in the happiness of their subjects.)
Greeks invaded because of resources, led by Alexander the Great, and Greek administrators took over and changed the culture for generations.
Describe the caste system. What are the components of the system? Why is it so important in understanding India’s history? How does it influence the culture and economics of India? (pages 47-50)
A system that decided who got what jobs and was what social class based on family and skin color. Affected history and economy because it denoted social class and job titles.
Brahmin (preists)
Kshatriyans (warriors)
Vaisya (merchants) All three of these had a ‘twice born’ ritual where when coming to adulthood, their men would get a “sacred thread” to wear for the rest of their lives.
Sudras (manual laborers)
Outcastes/Pariahs (slave class, PoW’s, criminals, ethnic minorities)
Why are the Mauryans considered an empire? What characterizes an empire? (pages 45-47)
Centralized government, leader, advisors, warriors, laws, leader came to power by violence and was afraid of assassins. Worked with Alexander the Great until Alexander the Great got fed up with them and they revolted and became their own empire.
