Semester 1 Study Guide

Question 1

What is the job description of an archeologist? What kinds of things to archeologists search for?

Answer 1

studies past civilizations using artifacts

Question 2

What is the job description of a historian? (Investigating the Past)

Answer 2

to create an account of what happened in the past

Question 3

What is the difference between a primary source and a secondary source?

Answer 3

primary = first person/witness
secondary = not direct

Question 4

What is inference?

Answer 4

a conclusion made after observing information

Question 5

Define prehistory.

Answer 5

the time before writing

Question 6

What is the difference between a fossil and an artifact?

Answer 6

fossil = natural/once alive
artifact = man made

Question 7

What is a hominid?

Answer 7

an early human ancestor/bipedal (2 feet)

Question 8

Why did early hominids create cave paintings?

Answer 8

for religion/animals

Question 9

What was life like for hunters/gatherers in the Paleolithic Age?

Answer 9

simple; lots of time; always moving/nomads

Question 10

Define domestication and agriculture.

Answer 10

domestication: taming animals for human use
agriculture: planting crops for farming

Question 11

What happened during the Neolithic Revolution?

Answer 11

people settled down and started farming

Question 12

In what part of the work did agriculture FIRST appear?

Answer 12

Fertile Crescent

Question 13

What EFFECTS did the development of farming have on early humans in the New Stone Age?

Answer 13

people had more time; build more sturdy structures; had more children

Question 14

Which land feature gave Mesopotamia its name?

Answer 14

the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Question 15

Describe the geography of the Fertile Crescent.

Answer 15

the area was very hot and full of mud; the two rivers made life possible

Question 16

What were FOUR hardships/solutions created by the geography of Mesopotamia?

Answer 16

1. food shortage/moved to plains
2. uncontrolled water supply/built irrigation systems
3. maintaining irrigation systems/banded together to maintain them
4. attacks from other communities/built walls

Question 17

What are the 7 features of civilization?

Answer 17

1. stable food supply
2. social structure
3. religious system
4. way of life
5. system of government
6. technology
7. written language

Question 18

How did ancient Mesopotamians view their gods?

Answer 18

they influenced daily life and tried to please them in all ways

Question 19

Identify the contributions of these ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent:

• Sumerians
• Akkadians
• Babylonians
• Assyrians
• Neo-Babylonians

Answer 19

Sumerians = cuneiform
Akkadians = sword-shield formation; first empire
Babylonians = code of laws
Assyrians = battle rams; siege; iron weapons; bas-relief
Neo-Babylonians = science; astronomy; mathematics

Question 20

Describe cuneiform.

Answer 20

earliest form of writing; looks like a lot of lines and triangles originated from pictograms; used for business

Question 21

The Nile River flowed through which two important regions of Egypt?

Answer 21

Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt

Question 22

Explain how the Nile’s water flows.

Answer 22

flows S to N into the Mediterranean Sea

Question 23

List 2 advantages of Egypt’s geography for early Egyptians.

Answer 23

1. fertile silt from the Nile

2. desert protected land and provided precious metals and semi-precious stones

Question 24

What is a dynasty?

Answer 24

a line of heredity

Question 25

What was a central belief of Egyptian religion?

Answer 25

preparing for the afterlife

Question 26

Who is considered to be Egypt’s first pharaoh? Why did he wear a double crown?

Answer 26

• Menes

- he united Lower and Upper Egypt and wore both of their crowns

Question 27

How will Ramses II be remembered? What are his accomplishments?

Answer 27

• he was one of the greatest pharaohs

- known for his building projects such as Abu Simbel; signed the first peace treaty

Question 28

Why is King Tut the most recognizable pharaoh in our modern world? Is it because of his accomplishments?

Answer 28

his tomb was one of the last royal tombs so it was a huge discovery; it was not because of his achievements but more because archaeologists learned so much due to the fact that his tomb was found completely intact

Question 29

What archeological discovery helped historians understand hieroglyphics?

Answer 29

the Rosetta Stone

Question 30

Explain the importance and contributions of the following Jewish people:

• Abraham
• Moses
• David
• Solomon

Answer 30

Abraham = led Hebrews from Ur to Canaan
Moses = led the Israelites on the Exodus
David = united Israel and established Jerusalem as the capital
Solomon = built Israel's first temple

Question 31

Identify the following events in Jewish history:

• Exodus
• Babylonian Captivity
• Holocaust

Answer 31

Exodus = Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, where they had been slaves for 400 years
Babylonian Captivity = Babylonians conquered Judah and enslaved the Jews
Holocaust = the genocide of the Jews performed by Nazi Germany in WWII

Question 32

What is monotheism?

Answer 32

worshipping/believing in one God

Question 33

What are the FOUR central beliefs of Judaism?

Answer 33

1. belief in one God
2. education and study
3. Jewish teachings
4. equality and social justice

Question 34

How have the Jewish people been persecuted? Provide examples and mention the Jewish Diaspora.

Answer 34

Egypt = enslaved by the Egyptians for 400 years
Babylon = Babylonians conquered Judah and enslaved the Jews; would not allow them to leave
Europe = holocaust
Jewish Diaspora = exile of Jews from their ancestral homeland; forcing them to settle other parts of the globe

Question 35

Why is Jerusalem a holy city to three world religions?

Answer 35

Christians, Jews, and Muslims all have holy sites and ancestral ties there