World History Flashcards
Mesopotamia means ____.
Land between the rivers
- lies between Tigris and Euphrates
Oldest civilisation of the world
Mesopotamia
4 regions that comprise Mesopotamia
Sumer (south), Babylonia and Akkad (middle) and Assyria (north)
Greatest ruler of Babylonia
Hammurabi
- gave the code of laws
- unified modern day Iraq
Hitties came from ____.
Asia Minor (now Turkey)
- destroyed Mesopotamian civ
First to make use of horses for war chariots
Hitties
- also first to make iron implements
First to make glass ware
Mesopotamia
_____ were first to evolve a proper system of writing.
Sumerians
- cuneiform - deciphered by Henry Rawlinson
Mesopotamian system of counting is called _____
Sexagesimal
- count in 60; still used to count divisions of time
Mesopotamians discovered _____ in geometry
Pythagoras theorem
In astronomy, Mesopotamians discovered these:
Lunar calendar
Calculated length of day and night
Divided the sky into constellations / zodiac
Old Kingdom of the Egyptian civilisation is also known as ____
Age of Pyramids
Why did Egyptians mummify bodies?
They believed after death, body and soul continue to live.
Two specimens of Egyptian architectural excellence.
Pyramids & Sphinx
_____ in Egypt is one of the seven wonders of the world.
Great Pyramid, Giza, Cairo
- built by King Cheops (Khufu)
Egyptian script is called ____.
Hieroglyphs
- found on papyrus sheets
- Discovered by Champollion
Achievement of Egyptians in astronomy
Solar calendar
Achievement of Egyptians in math
Decimal system of numeration
Earliest Chinese civilisation
Shang Dynasty
Shang dynasty was overthrown by _____
Chou Dynasty
The ____ were first to calculate length of year.
Chinese
Chinese script is _____
Pictographic
____ dynasty built the Great Wall to keep invaders out.
Chin
____ were the first dynasty to create a system of selecting public officials based on education and competitive exam.
Han Dynasty
____ were scholarly officials who qualified the system of examination in the Han Dynasty.
Mandarins
Han rulers where greatly influenced by the teaching of this philosopher.
Confucius
Two major religions of ancient China
Taoism and Confucianism
____ religion was brought into China by Indians.
Buddhism
- during Han rule
Chinese script was standardised by ____ ruler. Also influenced ____, ____ & ____ scripts.
Chin ruler
Vietnamese, Japanese & Korean
One of Ancient China’s greatest contribution to the world.
Invention of paper
_____ is also known as Herodotus of China
Ssuma Chien
____ invented the seismographs.
Chinese
____ empire started in Iran in mid 6th cent BC.
Achaemenid
- Founder: Cyrus
- Capital: Pasaragedae
The Achaemenid empire was greatest under ____.
Darius I
- spread over Iran, Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Asia minor & North western India
- New Capital: Persepolis
_____ conquered the Achaemenid empire under Darius III rule
Alexander (the Great)
The Sassanid empire was founded by _____ in 3rd century AD.
Ardashir
____ voyaged from the mouth of Indus to Egypt.
Scylax
- famous explorer in Iran
Main religion of ancient Iranians
Zoroastrianism
- founded by Zarathustra / Zoroaster
Teaching of Zarathustra are recorded in _____.
Zend Avesta
- Holy book of Parsis
- Best known ancient literature of Iran
In Zoroastrianism, _____ god was good and ____ was evil.
Ahura Mazda, Ahirman
- Sun and fire became visible symbol of Ahura Mazda
___ and ___ religions are indebted to Zoroastrianism.
Christianity and Judaism
____ revived old Persian.
Sassanids
Official language of Achaemenid empire.
Aramaic
Greek god of Sky
Zeus
- created thunder
Greek god of Sea
Poseidon
- raised storms that sank ships
Greek Sun god
Apollo
- revealed future
Greek goddess of war
Athena
- also patron of arts
Greek goddess of wine
Dionysus
Most important city states in Greece
Sparta & Athens
Most important ruler of Athens
Pericles
Greek defeated Darius I in this Battle.
Battle of Marathon
- 490 BC
Athens lost the ____ war against Sparta
Peloponnesian
Alexander was the son of _____.
Philip of Macedonia
- started conquering from age 20
____ is the reason for creation of trade between Europe and Asia.
Alexander’s conquests
Alexander defeated ____ on the Jhelum in 326 BC.
King Porus
_____, a roman emperor banned the Olympic Games as pagan manifestations.
Theodosius
Founder of Greek tragedy
Aeschylus
Greatest greek tragedian
Sophocles
- wrote Electra, Antigone and Oedipus Rex
Master of greek comedy
Aristophanes
Father of History
Herodotus
Father of medicine
Hippocrates
Rome civilisation was located on ____ river.
Tiber
Founder of city of Rome
Romulus
- language of ancient Romans: Latin