Midterm Study Guide (SWITCH Q+A!) Flashcards
The longitude line at 0 degrees is called the…
Prime meridian
The time before people wrote down records of events that occurred is known as…
Prehistory
The technique used to determine the age of organic artifacts less than 50,000 years old is called…
Carbon dating
The latitude line at 0 degrees is called the…
Equator
When did hominids first appear on Earth? What about modern humans?
Hominids: 3.5-4 million years ago.
Modern Humans (homo sapiens): 150,000-200,000 years ago.
What was the most likely reason early humans migrated?
Following game animals for food.
What did humans do differently between the Paleolithic Era and the Neolithic Era?
Instead of being nomadic + hunter-gatherers, they began permanent farming settlements.
Archaeologists
Archaeologists study bones, fossils, and artifacts TO LEARN ABOUT PEOPLE.
Paleontologists
Paleontologists study fossils/time periods
Anthropologists
Anthropologists study primarily artifacts to LEARN ABOUT CULTURE.
Civilization Requirements
Complex institutions, Advanced cities, Improved technology, Record-keeping, and Specialized workers.
CAIRS
In what types of regions did the first civilizations develop in, and why did they develop there?
First civilizations developed in river valleys, mostly because they provide water (especially important for farming), and transportation.
The Fertile Crescent contains which 4 ancient civilizations/empires?
Babylon, Akkad, Ur, and Sumer
BAUS
What did the Zhou Dynasty do?
The Zhou Dynasty claimed the “Mandate of Heaven”, which gave theme the right to overthrow the Shang Dynasty.
The South Asian subcontinent (?,?) is separated from the rest of Asia by ?.
India and Pakistan, The Himalaya Mountains
When did the Egyptians build the pyramids and why?
- The pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom (~2500 BC)
- They were built as tombs for pharaohs.
What kingdom was located south of/trade with Egypt along the Nile River?
Kush (modern-day Sudan in N. Africa0
Ziggurat
The type of temple built by the Sumerians to worship their gods.
Who were some important Mesopotamian leaders?
- Sargon of Akkad (1st Empire)
2. Hammurabi (Written law code)
Polytheism
The worship of more than one god.
Monotheism
The worship of one god
What types of writing were used in each river valley civilization?
- Cuneiform- Mesopotamia
- Hieroglyphics- Egypt
- Writing (not yet deciphered)- Indus Valley
- Writing- China
MEIC
Theocracy
The form of government that is closely tied to religion.
Name the rivers that were important for each “River Valley Civilization”.
- Mesopotamia > Tigris + Euphrates Rivers
- Egypt > Nile River
- India > Indus River
- China > Huang He + Chang Jiang (Yangtze) Rivers.
MEIC
What NATURAL BOUNDARIES kept China relatively isolated in the early ages of civilization there?
Seas, Mountains, Oceans, and Deserts.
SMOD
Mediterranean Sea
Early trading civilizations of the Middle East bordered on this important body of water.
What aspect of Phoenician culture did other civilizations adopt?
The Phonetic Alphabet
What were the most important aspects of Persian civilization?
- Tolerance for conquered people
- Road System- Royal Road
- Bureaucracy- Structure + set of rules > control people
- Zoroastrianism- Monotheism (1 god)
TRBZ
Who were the Minoans and Mycenaeans? How were they related, and how did they affect the development of “Classical” Greek civilization?
- The Minoans + Mycenaeans were early settlers in the region in + around Greece.
- Minoans influenced Mycenaeans influenced Greeks.
- writing system> core of larp >
Who came first, Minoans or Mycenaeans?
The Minoans
How did geography impact the development of Greece?
- Need for Trade: Location near the seas, lack of fertile soil.
- City-states: Mountains, islands.
Polis means…
A Greek city-state. They weren’t politically unified, and jostled for power + land.
Sparta’s society was based on…
Military, strength, and discipline.
MSD
How are Athens + Sparta different?
Athens: MATD.
Sparta: Oligarchy, Rigid social structure, Militaristic and aggressive society.
How are Athens + Sparta similar?
Religion (polytheistic), Education, and Language.
Who fought in the Persian Wars? What happened?
Greece vs. Persia > Greece defeated Persia, and Athens became the most powerful city-state in Greece.
Who was Pericles? Importance?
- Leader of Athens during its “Golden Age”.
- Opened gov’t to more people, Built up the Athenian Navy, Led the Delian league, and Commissioned the Parthenon.
GANDC - Legacy = Direct Democracy.
Who fought in the Peloponnesian War? What was the outcome?
- Athens vs. Sparta > Sparta won, but all the city-states were weakened, opening Greece to invasion by the Macedonians several decades later.
What major regions were conquered by Philip 2 and Alexander the Great?
Greece, Egypt, Persia, Indus Valley, and Anatolia
GEPIA
Socrates
A philosopher that taught that the way to seek truth is through a series of questions + answers.
Plato
Wrote a book called “The Republic” and started a school called the “Academy”.
The Iliad and the Odyssey were both stories told by ?, who lived during the time of the ? in Greece.
Homer (blind storyteller that composed epics), Dorians (1,150 BC- 750 BC)
The gov’t of Athens was usually regarded as the first ?.
Democracy
Difference between Hellenic + Hellenistic? How does Alexander the Great fit in?
- Hellenic- only Greek.
- Hellenistic- blend of GEPI (Greece, Egypt, Persia, and Indian influences).
- Alexander the Great’s conquest of those regions led to cultural diffusion.
Descriptions of the 3 types of columns often used in Greek architecture.
- Doric: Plain
- Ionic: Scrolls
- Corinthian: Fancy
