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Medieval West Africa, South America, Europe > Medieval O.M.A.I. > Flashcards

Medieval O.M.A.I. Flashcards

Olmecs, Mayas, Aztecs, Incas

1
Q

When did the Mayan Empire start?

A

Around 2000 BCE

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2
Q

When was the Classical Period of the Maya?

A

200-900 CE

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3
Q

How was the government in the Mayan Empire different from normal countries or empires?

A

Each city-state ruled itself

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4
Q

Why did Mayan city-states build large temples?

A

To intimidate other city-states

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5
Q

Why was the climate good for the Mayans?

A

the hot weather and rainy forecast was good for farming

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6
Q

What was the Mayans’ primary food?

A

Maize (corn)

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7
Q

How did the Mayans create farmland in the mountains?

A

They terraced the land so it was flat (without iron tools)

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8
Q

How did the Mayans create farmland in the swamps?

A

They put dirt on the water to create raised earth platforms surrounded by water - no watering

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9
Q

What technique did the Mayans use to clear the trees?

A

Slash-and-burn

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10
Q

What upside did the slash-and-burn technique have?

A

Could use ash as fertilizer

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11
Q

What downside did the slash-and-burn technique have?

A

The soil could only be used for 2-4 years

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12
Q

What likely caused the end of the Classical Period?

A

A drought

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13
Q

What kind of writing did the Mayans have?

A

Hieroglyphs/Glyphs

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14
Q

How did the Mayan calendar work?

A

One 365-day agricultural calendar, one 260-day sacred caleldar

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15
Q

Why did the Mayans offer blood to the gods?

A

People were born in blood, so they have to give blood back to gods - blood was most sacred to offer

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16
Q

How did the Mayans carry hundreds of pounds of stone per person?

A

They hung it from their forehead

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17
Q

Who were the Aztecs influenced by?

A

The Toltecs and Teotihuacan

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18
Q

Who did the Aztecs work as mercenaries for?

A

The Tepanecs

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19
Q

What did the Aztecs do after revolting?

A

They destroyed all connections with Tepanecs

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20
Q

How did the Aztecs conquer so much land?

A

They conquered the smaller villages and forced them to pay tribute

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21
Q

What happened if the tribes that the Aztecs tried to conquer did not accept the Aztecs’ rule?

A

War between Aztecs and that tribe

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22
Q

What did tribes do once the Aztecs conquered them?

A

They had to pay tribute, build a statue to Huitzilopochtili, no other conformities

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23
Q

What was the problem with the Aztecs not giving many conformities to conquered tribes?

A

The tribes did not feel like true Aztecs, so they revolted

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24
Q

What was the Aztecs’ spoken language?

A

Nahuatl

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25
Q

What animals were honored in Aztec culture?

A

Eagles and jaguars

26
Q

Why did the Aztecs choose to build their civilization where they built it?

A

An eagle landed there

27
Q

Where did the Aztecs choose to build their civilization?

A

On a rock in the middle of Lake Texcoco

28
Q

What was the Aztecs’ city called?

A

Tenochtitlan

29
Q

What was Teotihuacan (city about 25 miles away on the shore of the lake) thought to be?

A

The stomping place of he gods and birthplace of the Sun

30
Q

What was the pyramid in the middle of Teotihuacan called?

A

The Pyramid of the Sun (about 1 millian cubic yards - size of Giza pyramid)

31
Q

How did the Aztecs expand their rock (Tenochtitlan)?

A

They anchored wood pilings into the floor of the lake, surrounded it by volcanic stone, then built walls

32
Q

Why did the Aztecs build causeways?

A

To get mainland, for fresh water

33
Q

How did the Aztecs later get fresh water from?

A

Aqueducts

34
Q

What is the geography of the Incan Empire?

A

Mountain, ocean, desert

35
Q

What separated the coastal desert and the inland Amazon Jungle?

A

The Andes Mountains

36
Q

What were the Andes Mountain peaks revered as?

A

Gods

37
Q

Why didn’t the Incas enter the Amazon Rainforest very often?

A

They did not know about the many valuable items that could be found there, such as wood, fruit, natural medicines, etc.

38
Q

What was it hard to live in the Andes Mountains?

A

Rugged terrain, cold climate, less oxygen

39
Q

What the the Incas do to combat the difficulties in living in the Andes?

A

Used careful irrigation, cultivated cold-resistant crops like potatoes, domesticated animal like llamas and alpacas that lived in high altitudes

40
Q

Where did the Incas build their civilization?

A

In the Cuzco Valley

41
Q

How did the Incas conquer so much land?

A

Conquered weaker tribes, forced them to pay tribute

42
Q

What did tribes have to do once conquered by the Inca?

A

They had to build a Sun Temple, admit that Incan gods were better than their gods, send leaders/sons to Cuzco to study Incan language, have Incan teachers reorganize the village to fit Incan standards, give up an important religious object belonging to the tribe “out of respect to their religion” (kept the object hostage in Cuzco) - lot of conformities

43
Q

What was the Incas’ “written language”?

A

Used quipus - numerous strings, knots used as “writing”

44
Q

What was trephination?

A

Doctors drilled a hole into patient’s skull to remove bone fragment pressing into the brain - surprisingly effective

45
Q

Where did the Incas build their 15,000-mile long road?

A

Along the coastal desert

46
Q

What was the Incas’ spoken language?

A

Quechua

47
Q

What were the social classes in Mayan society?

A

Slaves, peasants, merchants/artisans, nobles/priests, ruler

48
Q

Who were the slaves in Mayan society?

A

Lowest social class - people mostly born into slavery, but parents could sell their child into slavery, and war prisoners and lawbreakers sometimes also became slaves

49
Q

Who were the peasants in Mayan society?

A

The backbone of Mayan society, worked as farmers - in growing season, men would work on the fields and women would sew, when not in growing season they had to help build temples and pyramids

50
Q

Who were the merchants and artisans in Mayan society?

A

Did trade and craft - merchants traveled by land and sea to other city-states for trade, artisans would make items for sale and to pay tribute to the gods

51
Q

Who were the nobles and priests in Mayan society?

A

Lowest social class that knew how to read - nobles were scribes and officials, gathered taxes, supplies, labor, etc., priests maintained favor with gods with rituals and sacrifices

52
Q

Who was the ruler in Mayan society?

A

The highest authority - called “halach uinic”, “true man” - almost like a god, was always male

53
Q

What were the social classes Aztec society?

A

Slaves, commoners, government officials/priests/military leaders, ruler

54
Q

Who were the slaves in Aztec society?

A

Lowest social class - people not born into slavery (children of slaves were not slaves) - could be war prisoners, debtors, criminals, etc., slaves had many rights like owning property, goods, or other slaves, many slaves were emancipated when debt was paid, completed punishment, etc.

55
Q

Who were the commoners in Aztec society?

A

Main class, had several smaller subclasses - highest subclass was pochteca, led caravans to distant lands to acquire exotic goods or acted as spies for the ruler - below pochteca was craftspeople and artisans, then farmers, fishers, laborers, and servants

56
Q

Who were the government officials, priests, and military leaders in Aztec society?

A

Emperor was supported by this noble class - officials counseled the emperor, worked as judges, or governed the districts of Tenochitlan, - appointed for life by emperor (not hereditary), but many sons of nobles got appointed - some nobles governed cities in the empire, priests conducted religious events

57
Q

Who was the ruler in Aztec society?

A

Considered semidivine - called “tlitoani”, “he who speaks” (emperor’s word was law) - position was not hereditary, a group of advisors would choose the next ruler after the previous one died - each ruler was expected to acquire his wealth on his own

58
Q

What were the social classes in Incan society?

A

Commoners, nobles, emperor (no slaves)

59
Q

Who were the commoners in Incan society?

A

Lowest social class, worked as farmers and herders - farmers grew squash, peppers, beans, corn, potatoes, etc. - commoners were required to support the government, men did labor like building roads, women might have weaved cloth

60
Q

Who were the nobles in Incan society?

A

Leaders who helped to administrate parts of the empire - had certain privileges, like gifts of land, clothing, llamas, servants - three main classes of nobles - Capac Incas, who were considered relatives if the emperor, Hahua Incas, who were “Incas by privilege” and were sometimes non-Incans and commoners, and “curacas”, who were leaders of people conquered by the Incans

61
Q

Who was the emperor in Incan society?

A

Believed to be descended from Inti, the Sun God, and ruled with complete authority - called Sapa Inca, he could have many wives and children, but had one main wife called Coya

Medieval West Africa, South America, Europe (3 decks)

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