WORLD HISTORY: beginnings of human society-1350 CE

Question 1

the agricultural revolution

Answer 1

a. also known as the neolithic revolution (10,000-4,500 BC) - thought to have begun ~12,000 years ago

b. farming is thought to have happened first in the fertile crescent of the middle east

c. as farming increased, humans became more settled
- due to the increasing domestication of plants
- settlement also led to domesticating animals (evidence of sheep and goat herding has been found in Iraq and Turkey as far back as ~12,000 years ago

d. the agricultural revolution had a variety of consequences: social inequality, decline in nutrition, and rise in infectious diseases

e. but it also gave rise to modern societies

Question 2

physical geography of Mesopotamia

Answer 2

a. located in the region now known as the Middle East, which includes parts of southwest Asia and lands around the Mediterranean Sea

b. is a part of the fertile crescent and between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

c. the region is now home to modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, and Syria

Question 3

Mesopotamian civilizations

Answer 3

a. humans first settled in Mesopotamia in the Paleolithic era - by 14,000 BC small settlements began

b. the domestication of animals and development of agriculture was taking place - irrigation techniques were being used to take advantage of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
- agricultural process was the work of the Ubaid culture

c. the Sumer people were the first to develop modern cities

Question 4

ancient Mesopotamia under the Sumerians

Answer 4

a. developed the city of Uruk (3200 BC)

b. invented the cuneiform writing

c. by 3000 BC, Mesopotamia was under the control of the Sumerian people - Sumer contained several city-states

d. the Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia

e. king Lugalzagesi was the final king of Sumer, falling to Sargon of Akkad in 2334 BC.

Question 5

Mesopotamia under Sargon and the Akkadians (2234-2154 BC)
- expansion through military
- the Gutian people

Answer 5

a. the Akkadian empire ruled from 2234-2154 BC under Sargon the Great - it was considered the world’s first multicultural empire w/ a central gov.

b. Sargon expanded his empire through military means
- trade beyond Mesopotamian borders grew, architecture became more sophisticated, etc

c. when the Akkadian Empire fell, different groups struggled for control
- the Gutian people were one of those groups - caused a severe downturn in the empire’s prospects

Question 6

Mesopotamia under the rule of Ur-Namma, the Babylonians, and the Hittites

Answer 6

a. 2100 BC: ruler Ur-Namma, king of the city of Ur, brought Sumerians back into control and defeated the Gutians
- the code of Ur-Nammu: the oldest extant law code

b. the Elamites and Amorites defeated Ur-Namma in 2004 BC

c. the Amorites took control and established Babylonia
- kings were deities (gods), the most famous: Hammurabi (ruled 1792-50 BC)
- Code of Hammurabi: eye for an eye philosophy

d. 1750 BC marks the end of the Sumerian culture

e. the Hittites conquered the Babylonians ~1595 BC
- smelting was a significant contribution of the Hittites
- reigned till around 1200 BC

Question 7

Mesopotamia under the rule of the Assyrian Empire (1365 BCE-612 BCE)

Answer 7

a. the Assyrian Empire under the leadership of Ashur rose ~1365 BCE

b. they expanded greatly from their brutal military

c. 612 BCE: the empire fell

Question 8

ancient Egypt

Answer 8

a. ancient Egypt was one of the oldest and longest lasting world civilizations - located along the Nile river in the northeast part of Africa

b. ancient Egypt is divided by the Old kingdom, the middle kingdom, and the new kingdom, w/ intermediate pds. in between

Question 9

the Old Kingdom of Egypt

Answer 9

a. 2575 BC-2150 BC - spanned from the 3rd dynasty-6th dynasty

b. pd. before the old kingdom is called the early dynastic pd. it was under the rule of Pharaoh Djoser (founder of 3rd dynasty) that the central gov. developed
- the land was divided into states and each had a nomarch
- the pharaoh was the head of the gov. and state religion

c. most famous for building pyramids, including the first pyramid (pyramid of Djoser) and the largest (the great pyramid at Giza)

d. fall of the kingdom: the central gov. weakened during the 6th dynasty causing Egypt to break up into several states

e. pd. after the old kingdom = the First Intermediate Pd. lasted around 150 years, time of civil war and chaos

Question 10

Middle Kingdom of Egypt (1975 BC-1640 BC)
- city of Thebes
- the pharaohs army and gov.
- fall of the kingdom
- the Hyksos

Answer 10

a. 1975 BC-1640 BC - ruled by the 11th, 12th, and 13th dynasties

b. the rise of the middle kingdom began w/ Egypt going under one rule

c. the city of Thebes became the capital of Egypt - a major religious and political center throughout much of ancient Egypt history

d. under the rule of the 12th dynasty, the pharaohs built a powerful army to protect the country from invaders and maintained control of the gov.

e. fall of the middle kingdom: the pharaoh’s control of Egypt weakened→ the second intermediate pd.
- the second intermediate pd. is most famous for the rule of the Hyksos
- they ruled northern Egypt until ~1550 BC

Question 11

the New Kingdom of Egypt (1520 BC-1075 BC)

Answer 11

a. 1520 BC-1075 BC - ruled under the the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties

b. rise of the New Kingdom began when the Hyksos were defeated and Egypt was under one rule again

c. during this empire, the Egyptian Empire conquered the most lands
- taking over lands in the south (Kush, Nubia) and the east (Israel, Lebanon, Syria)
- expanded trade w/ many nations and kings

d. the pharaohs built temples to the gods.

e. one of the most famous archeological sites from the new kingdom is the Valley of the Kings

f. fall of the new kingdom: the Egyptian Empire began to weaken, wars occurred as well as severe drought and famine

g. third intermediate pd.: came under attack by the Kingdom of Kush and then the Assyrians who managed to conquer much of Egypt ~650 BC

Question 12

Persian, Greek, and Roman Rule of Egypt

Answer 12

a. 525 BC: the Persian Empire invaded and conquered Egypt - becoming a province of the Persian empire
- Egypt under the rule of Persian king Darius I prospered

b. Persian rule came to an end when Greek dictator Alexander the Great brought Egypt into his empire in 332 BC
- the Ptolemaic Dynasty was the last dynasty of ancient Egypt

c. 30 BC: Egypt became a Roman province
- became one of the most important provinces of Rome as a source of grain and as a trade center
- Egypt became part of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire)

Question 13

the Persian Empire:
- Cyrus the Great (550 BC)
- Darius the Great
- trade routes of communication
- zoroastrianism
- Cyrus toward his subjects
- fall of the empire

Answer 13

a. Cyrus the Great founded the first Persian empire, also known as the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC
- united Mesopotamia, Egypt’s Nile Valley, and India’s Indus Valley under one gov.

b. Darius the Great, 4th king of the Achaemenid empire ruled when the empire was at its largest.

c. Persians were the first to establish regular routes of communication between Africa, Asia, and EU. they built many new roads and the world’s first postal service

d. Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion (one of the oldest monotheistic religions)

e. Cyrus the Great was a tolerant ruler who allowed his subjects to speak their own languages and practice their own religions

f. the empire declined after a failed invasion of Greece in 480 BC. the dynasty finally fell to Alexander the Great in 330 BC

Question 14

the Persian Wars

Answer 14

☆492-449 BCE: wars fought between Greek city-states and the Persian empire
a. under Darius I, the Ionian Greek city-states in Anatolia were under Persian control
b. Athens supported the Ionian Greek city-states, which provoked king Darius to invade Greece in 492 BCE. he was defeated in the Battle of Marathon
c. 480 BCE: Persian king Xerxes invaded Greece → all of Greece fought together, w/ Sparta in charge of the army and Athens of the navy
- known as the Battle of Thermopylae - Persians won
d. the Battle of Salamis and Plataea (479): Greek victory
e. the Peace of Callias ended the war

Question 15

the Peloponnesian War (431-405 BC)
- the Peace of Nicias
- end of the war

Answer 15

a. (431 BCE-405 BCE) fought in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta, the two most powerful city-states at the time

b. for years both Spartans and Athens were invading each others territories, which eventually led to Sparta offering peace and Athens accepting it
- the Peace of Nicias: Athens and Sparta would defend each other for the next 50 years → the treaty only lasted 6

c. the Athenians later surrendered, Spartans won

Question 16

the Roman Empire

Answer 16

a. Rome was founded by twin brothers Romulus and Remus (753 BC)

b. monarchy → republic (ruled by consuls) → Roman Empire (27 BCE)

c. the empire came to be when Augustus became the ruler of Rome - establishing an autocratic form of gov.
- the empire conquered all the nations of the Mediterranean through their powerful military
- roman society: patricians (nobles) → plebeians (working class) → slaves

d. the empire fell in the 5th century

Question 17

theories on the fall of the Roman Empire

Answer 17

1. invasions by Barbarian tribes: Germanic tribes were invading Rome. in 476 AD, Germany staged a revolt and dethroned Augustus. he was the last Roman emperor
2. economic troubles and over reliance on slave labor
3. the rise of the Eastern Empire: the West was at a weaker position than the east, disintegrating in the 5th c.
4. over-expansion and military over spending
5. gov. corruption and political instability
6. arrival of the Huns and migration of the Barbarian tribes
   - the Huns invasion of EU stems to the Barbarian attacks on Rome. these Germanic tribes migrated to the borders of the Roman Empire, and Rome welcomed them on their territory.
   - romans treated the barbarians cruelly (i.e. forcing them into slavery) which led to the tribes rebelling and killing the eastern emperor in the battle of Adrianople in AD 378.
   - 410, Goth king Alaric conquered Rome
   - the Vandals and Saxons (germanic tribes) occupied Britain, Spain, and North Africa
7. Christianity and the loss of traditional values
8. weakening of the Roman legions

Question 18

origins of Christianity

Answer 18

a. in Judea, a Roman province, the Hebrews developed monotheism: that idea that there’s only 1 God

b. the covenant: a deal God made w/ Abraham
- God would offer protection and land to Abraham and his descendants, but they must follow the path of God
- Jewish men are circumcised as a symbol of this covenant

c. Jesus of Nazareth: performed miracles and spread his message that was particularly resonant to the poor. he gained a small group of followers
- his influence was a threat to Roman authority → Romans crucified Jesus

d. the Jews believed Jesus was the messiah (son of God) bc his life was exactly like the “savior” from the prophecies

e. how Jesus became so influential:
- the Jews relied on the savior during the hardships of being under Roman rule and Paul of Tarsus spread the teachings all throughout the first c.

Question 19

origins of Islam

Answer 19

a. 7th c. CE: the angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad to recite the word of God. Muslims believe that Muhammad’s was the last of the prophets that includes Moses and Jesus.

b. Muhammad was born into the Quraish tribe in Mecca ~570 AD where the Kaaba is

c. the Quran: the holy book - written record of the revelations Muhammad received
- important themes: monotheism and taking care of those less fortunate

d. the 5 pillars of Islam
- shahada: profession of faith
- salat: prayer (5x a day)
- sawm: month long fasting during the month of Ramadan - fasting during daylight hours
- zakat: donating % of income to the poor
- hajj: if health and finances permit. one should at least once visit the holy city of Mecca

Question 20

Muhammad, Medina, and Mecca
- the migration (622 CE)
- Mecca (630 CE)
- Abu Bakr

Answer 20

a. the Quraysh forced Muhammad and his followers out of Mecca in 622 CE and they headed to Medina
- this migration is known as the Hijra - marks 1 year of the Islamic calendar

b. 630 CE: the Islamic community took back Mecca

c. after Muhammad died, Abu Bakr became the first caliph
- caused the divide between the 2 major sects of Islam: Sunni (believed Abu Bakr was rightly elected 1st caliph) and Shi’a (believed it should’ve been Ali)

Question 21

the Dark Ages in EU
- dates
- Christianity
- feudalism

Answer 21

a. after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, EU had a shift in culture, politics, and so forth. this period dates from 5th-14th c. and is also referred to as the Early Middle Ages

b. during this tine, Christianity grew immensely
- 313, Emperor Constantine first issued the Edict of Milan: granting legal practice for Christianity
- 325, the emperor introduced the Council of Nicaea: goal was to establish the primary beliefs of Christianity
> Nicene Creed: confession of faith toward Christian beliefs

c. feudalism was the dominant social system in medieval EU
- vassals swore loyalty and promised to provide military services to the lords, who would offer fiefs (parcel of land). the vassals could work the land themselves or have peasants or serfs work them
- vassals returned a % of their income to their lords, and the lords would give a % of their income to the king

Question 22

the Dark ages in the Islamic world (Dar al Islam)
- the Umayyad Dynasty expansion
- the Abbasids (750 CE)
- descending into smaller kingdoms
- the Abbasids and foreigners

Answer 22

a. the Umayyad Dynasty expanded out of their homeland in Arabia and conquered the Egyptian provinces and Spain, moving the capital to Damascus

b. after the Umayyad dynasty, the Abbasids ruled, being the 3rd caliphate of Islam - took over in 750 CE
- they moved the capital of the Empire to Baghdad

c. by ~1000 CE, the Islamic empire descended into a series of smaller kingdoms, each advocating for the caliph in Baghdad

d. the Abbasids were open to foreigners and their ideas → a golden age of Islamic learning centered in Baghdad
- Arabic replaced Greek in language, culture, philosophy, medicine, poetry, etc.

e. social hierarchy: the caliph and his family→ the professionals→ dhimmis→ slaves→ women

Question 23

China’s Golden Age
- the Tang Dynasty (618-907)
- the Song Dynasty (960-1258)

Answer 23

a. the Tang Dynasty (618-907): a rich, education, and cosmopolitan realm that was well-governed. it also saw a flourishing of Chinese poetry and innovation
- social hierarchy: gentry (wealthy and educated)→ peasants (farmers, village people)→ merchants

b. the Song Dynasty (960-1258)
- by the 11th c. Chinese metalworkers were producing mounts of iron
- famous for porcelain
- paper money and gunpowder was invented by the 11th c.

Question 24

what prompted the Crusades?

Answer 24

a. 1095-1291: the Crusades were driven by religious faith.
b. a group of Muslims, the Seljuk Turks, moved into the region and took over the holy cities, which made it difficult to make their pilgrimages
c. the Byzantines called on the West for help and the first Crusade took place

Question 25

a, first crusade (1095-1192)
b. second crusade (1147-1149)

Answer 25

a. First Crusade (1095-1102): Pope Urban II called upon all knights and nobility of EU to recover the Holy land (Jerusalem) from Islamic rule
b. the Christian forces were able to recapture Jerusalem

a. Second Crusade (1147-1149): a military campaign to recapture the city of Edessa in Mesopotamia which had fallen in 1144 to the Muslim Seljuk Turks
b. the crusaders attacked Damascus, a Muslim city, but failed - victory for the Muslims

Question 26

the Third (1189-1192) and Fourth Crusades (1202-1204)

Answer 26

a. Third Crusade (1189-1192): an attempt by 3 EU monarchs of Western Christianity to reconquer the holy land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan in 1187
- also known as the kings’ Crusade
b. ended in Muslim victory

a. Fourth Crusade (1202-1204): called by Pope Innocent III to recapture Jerusalem again. the main goal was to attack Egypt, the main center of Muslim power.
b. the crusaders sought a sea route- Venice supplied them w/ ships
c. the crusaders were in serious debt w/ the Venetians for the ships → crusaders attacked Zara to pay Venice back
d. the focus shift, instead of attacking Egypt, they attacked Constantinople (1203)
e. this ruined the Byzantine Empire

☆ OVERALL, the crusades were a fail at establishing Christian kingdoms in the Holy Land long term

Question 27

origins of Hinduism (began 2300-1500 BC)
- during the medieval pd.
- 7th c. Muslim Arabs
- British control of India (1757-1947)
- Hindu Caste System

Answer 27

a. believed to have started somewhere between 2300 BC and 1500 BC, in the Indus Valley, near modern-day Pakistan

b. no founder - instead a fusion of various beliefs

c. during the medieval pd., Hinduism lasted from about 500-1500 AD
- 7th c.: Muslim Arabs began invading areas in India, and prevented Hindus from practicing their religion

d. 1757-1947: British controlled India
- British India split into modern-day India and Pakistan. Hinduism became the major religion of India

e. Hindu Caste System: a social hierarchy in India that divides Hindus based on their karma and dharma (dates back more than 3000 years)
- TOP: priests→ warriors→ merchants, landowners→ commoners, peasants, servants→ outcasts BOTTOM

Question 28

origins of Buddhism
- founded by?
- enlightenment
- religion of India (3rd c.)
- during the middle ages

Answer 28

a. founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) more than 2500 years ago in India

b. focuses on achieving enlightenment: a state of inner peace and wisdom

c. 3rd c. BC: Buddhism was the state religion of India

d. during the Middle Ages, Islam began to spread, forcing Buddhism into the background

Question 29

origins of Confucianism

Answer 29

a. a philosophy and belief system from ancient China, which laid the foundation for much of Chinese culture (6th-5th c. BCE)

b. Confucius was a philosopher and teacher- his thoughts on ethics, good behavior, and moral character were written down in several books (most important: Lunyu)

c. main idea: the importance of having a good moral character, which can then affect the world around that person through the idea of “cosmic harmony”
- no gods

d. was the official state ideology during the Han Dynasty
- Neo-Confucianism (combination of confucianism, buddhism, and taoism) was dominant in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE)
- Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 CE): a confucian revival

Question 30

origins of Taoism (500 BCE)
- Lao Tzu
- balance w/ the Tao
- yin and yang
- well known in the 8th c. // communist takeover 1959

Answer 30

a. a religion and philosophy from ancient China. Taoism’s been connected to philosopher Lao Tzu, who around 500 BCE, wrote the main book of Taoism: Tao Te Ching

b. holds that humans and animals should live in balance w/ the Tao, or the universe
- Taoists believe in spiritual immortality
- Ch’i is the energy present in and guiding everything in the universe

c. one of the main ideas is the belief in balancing forces, yin and yang
- show that everything in the universe is connected and nothing makes sense by itself

d. became well-known in the 8th c. CE as the religion of the Tang Dynasty.
- during the Communist takeover in 1959, Taoism was banned, causing a decline of Taoism in China
- many modern Taoists live in Taiwan

Question 31

Japan (first settlements-Medieval pd.)

Answer 31

a. 10,000 BCE: early settlements in Japan
- kingdoms spread throughout the land, ruled by an emperor
b. significant events during the Medieval pd.:
- the replacement of aristocracy by the samurai class as the most powerful social group
- the establishment of the shogun military rulers
- decline in Buddhism
- stratification of feudal society
- developments in agriculture and trade, and ink painting and performance arts flourished
- Japan’s presence on the international stage became more involved w/ the Mongol Empire attacking Japan

Question 32

Japanese Feudalism
- widespread during?
- main instigator
- stewards
- shugo

Answer 32

a. feudalism became widespread in Japan from the Kamakura pd. (1185-1333 CE)
b. the main instigator was Minamoto Yoritomo who established himself as the military dictator (shogun)
- replacing the dominance of the Japanese emperor
- he distributed lands to his loyal followers and allies in return for military service and continued support
c. unlike EU, the system of Japan was more personal
d. stewards (jito) managed the lands
- principal responsibility was to manage the peasants who worked their employer’s land collect taxes
e. a shugo was involved in several estates at once- defined as the protecter, made decisions according to local customs and military laws, and collected regular taxes

Question 33

the rise and fall of samurai in Japan
- dates
- what they did
- how they rose to power and when
- fall of the samurai

Answer 33

a. arose in the 10th c. and performed military service until the 19th c.

b. samurai were employed by feudal lords to defend the lord’s territories against rivals, to fight enemies identified by the gov., and battle w/ hostile tribes

c. as samurai eventually organized into groups led by warlords w/ political power, they were able to take over a weak imperial court in the 12th c. under the rule of Yorimoto
- from the Kamakura pd. (1185-1333) a new military gov. system was founded which was dominated by warriors and led by a shogun (military leader)

d. the samurai were stripped of their power during the first decade of the Meigi rule (1868-1912)
- a new constitution was enacted in 1889, and the Diet (modern Japan’s first legislative body) was founded

Question 34

Indianization of Southeast Asia (1st-13th c.)

Answer 34

a. Indianization was a solution to the problems southeast Asia was facing during the 1st c. CE (increased wealth and population, and urbanization)
- educated Indians were imported to southeast Asia
- most of the Indian migrants married local noble women→ power

b. Indianization occurred from 1st-13th c. CE

c. Kandinia (an Indian merchant) set sail for southeast Asia in the 1st c. CE to conduct business

d. Soma (a Cambodian noble) married Kandinia → the establishment of Cambodia’s first kingdom

Question 35

origins of the Mongol Empire (1206-1368)
- unification of tribes and Genghis Khan
- expansion
- decline of the empire

Answer 35

a. 1206-1368, emerged from the unification of several nomadic tribes in the Mongol homeland under the leadership of Genghis Khan

b. their military won them the largest contiguous land empire in history
- conquered China, terroized Eastern EU, sacked Baghdad, and attacked the Mamluks in Egypt

c. the empire began to decline in the mid-14th c. after the outbreak of the black death and murder of one of its rulers

Question 36

Mongol conquest of China:
- 1211 w/ Genghis Khan
- Kublai Khan

Answer 36

a. started in 1211 when Genghis Khan took on the northern Chinese Jin empire
- China was divided into the Song Empire in the south and Jin Empire in the north
- the Jin state was absorbed into the Mongol Empire under Ogodei Khan in 1234

b. Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan) began a second invasion of the Chinese region
- conquered Song’s important fortress city: Xianyang
- Kublai Khan became the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty that lasted until 1368
- under his rule, the empire became the largest contiguous empire

Question 37

Mongols attack on eastern EU:
- began 1230s
- Batu’s expansion
- Golden Horde

Answer 37

a. 1230s: began to head west, eyeing territory in eastern EU

b. Batu (grandson of Genghis Khan) expanded Mongol rule to modern-day western Russia, Ukraine, and all the way up to the Carpathian Mountains
- 1240: burned and sacked the city of Kiev in Ukraine
- they defeated Hungarian and Polish armies, causing Hungarian king to flee but did not take control of Hungary

c. this western part of the Mongol Empire established by Batu was known as the Golden Horde

Question 38

Mongols: the sack of Baghdad (1258)

Answer 38

a. 1258, under the direction of Hulegu Khan (grandson)

b. Mongols demanded control over the city→ the caliph said no→ Mongols raged the city

c. ^this marked the end of the Abbasids

Question 39

events leading up to the Mongol invasions of Japan

Answer 39

a. first invasion (1274) – second (1281)

b. Kublai Khan already had half of China and Korea in his empire – wanted Japan

c. from 1268-1274, letters and ambassadors were sent by the Khan, demanding control over the land, but Japan ignored it all

d. shogon Hojo Tokimune (1268-1284) was confident they could take on any foreign invasions

Question 40

Mongols first invasion on Japan (Bunei Campaign)

Answer 40

a. the Khan sent 800-900 ships from Korea to Japan in Nov. 1274
- consisted of Mongols, Chinese, and Koreans

b. no conquest was intended

c. a storm killed a third of the Mongol army - they were obliged to withdraw back to Korea

Question 41

Mongols second invasion on Japan (Koan campaign)

Answer 41

a. 1281: this fleet was a LOT bigger than the first one

b. a typhoon destroyed most of the Mongol fleet and killing two-thirds of the Mongol force

c. the ships that survived sailed back to China

d. the storm winds that sunk or blew the Mongol ships away from Japan are known as kamikaze (divine winds)

Question 42

origins of the Bantu Migration (2000 BC-1500 BC)

Answer 42

a. the migration of the Bantu people from their origins in southern West Africa saw a gradual migration through the central, eastern, and southern parts of the continent
- mid-2000 BC–1500 CE

Question 43

the Bantu civilization

Answer 43

a. agriculturists who spoke various dialects of the Bantu language

b. resided around the NIger River of southern West Africa

c. grew millet, sorghum, dry rice, beans, oil palms, melons

d. their iron tools improved agricultural yields and iron weapons

Question 44

Bantu migration east and south (2000 BCE)
- reasons for migrating
- the Swahili Coast
- consequences of migration

Answer 44

a. 2000 BCE, small pop. groups of Bantu began to migrate into Central Africa and then across to the Great Lakes region of East Africa

b. there are various reasons for the migration:
- exhaustion of local resources, overpopulation, famine, epidemics, competition for local resources, warfare, etc.

c. founded the coastal settlements of east Africa, what would become the Swahili Coast

d. consequences: spread of,
- the Bantu languages, iron-smelting, pottery techniques, agricultural tools, etc.

Question 45

the spread of Islam in Ancient Africa (the Sahara Desert)

Answer 45

a. following the conquest of North Africa by Muslim Arabs in the 7th c. CE, Islam spread throughout West Africa via merchants, traders, scholars, and missionaries

b. the religion arrived in East Africa when Arab traders crossed the Red Sea, and in a second wave, settled along the Swahili Coast

c. for 6 centuries Islam spread heavily

Question 46

the Ghana Empire of Africa:
- dates and location of Africa
- capital
- the king
- dominated trade where
- Islam
- first stage of decline
- declined (12th c.)

Answer 46

a. flourished in west Africa from the 6th-13th c. CE - between the Sahara desert to the north and rainforests to the south

b. the capital of the empire was Koumbi Saleh

c. the king was an absolute monarch and the state’s head of justice and religion

d. the empire dominated central West African trade in the upper valley of the Niger River from the 6th or 7th c.

e. Islam spread throughout the region by Muslim merchants as they came into contact w/ local traders

f. first stage of the decline began in 1076 when the capital was sacked by the Almoravids of North Africa

g. by 12th c. CE: the empire declined from drought, civil wars, opening of new trade routes, and the rise of the Sosso kingdom (1180-1235 CE) and then the Mali Empire (1240-1645 CE)

Question 47

the Mali Empire of Africa (1240-1645)
- occupied what region of Africa and founded by who
- diplomacy and military expansion
- Mansa Musa
- exploited what?
- Timbuktu
- collapse of the empire

Answer 47

a. 1240-1645, occupied West Africa and founded by Sundiata Keita, following his victory over the kingdom of Sosso

b. Sundiata’s centralized gov., diplomacy and massive military expansion paved the way for the Mali Empire (the largest yet seen in Africa)

c. the reign of Mansa Musa I (1312-1337): increased territory controlled, cultural florescence, and wealth brought through Mali’s control of regional trade routes

d. Mali exploited the traffic in gold, salt, copper, ivory, and slaves

e. Muslims converted Mali rulers → centers of learning such as Timbuktu

f. the empire collapsed in the 1460s following civil wars, the opening of new trade routes, and rise of the Songhai Empire, but it did continue to control a small part of the western empire into the 17th c.

Question 48

Origins of the Swahili Coast
- geographical location
- OG inhabitants
- roman and byzantine empires
- Persian settlers (12th c.)

Answer 48

a. a narrow strip of land on the east coast of Africa, at the western edge of the Indian Ocean

b. original inhabitants were Bantu-speaking Africans

c. archaeologists found hints of connections w/ the Roman and Byzantine empires

d. 12th c., Persian settlers– shirazi– arrived

Question 49

Swahili during the Medieval pd.

Answer 49

a. reached its peak during the medieval pd. during this time, the coast comprised numerous city-states that traded across the Indian Ocean
- independent city-states
- traded pottery, silks, glassware

b. Kilwa was one of the most important trading centers on the east African coast

c. Chinese-Swahili connection: during the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He voyaged to the coast and traded w/ the locals
- the Chinese didn’t maintain a permanent presence in East Africa

Question 50

Mayan scientific achievements

Answer 50

☆ earliest settlements date back to 1800 BC – the civilization declined by 900 CE – highly dependent on agriculture

a. they figured out the concept of 0 a thousand years before Europeans did
b. they made accurate calendars w/ 365 day years
c. their astronomers tracked cycles of the sun, moon, and planets
d. by 700 BC, they invented a writing system
e. they built hundreds of cities

Question 51

Mayan religion

Answer 51

a. the Mayans practiced animism: the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence or soul.

b. they believed the world was flat and watched over by 4 strong gods (one in the north, south, east, and west)
- above the earth was heaven w/ its 13 layers, each layer was represented by its own god
- below the earth was Xibalba (underworld), divided into 9 layers, each w/ its own death lord

c. the “tree of life” connected the 3 levels. the roots stretched down into the underworld and its branches spread in the 4 directions of heaven
- the tree protected the Maya and set the stars and heavenly bodies in motions
- the souls of the dead and the gods could travel along the tree and use this “road” to make their journeys between the levels of the universe

Question 52

Aztec society

Answer 52

☆ central Mexico, the Aztecs arrived in Mesoamerica around 1428. and fell to Spanish invaders in 1521 CE- capital: Tenochtitlan

a. social structure: emperor→ nobility and priests→ merchants, artisans, soldiers→ farmers, fishers, women→ slaves

Question 53

Aztec religion: concept of god, different gods, human sacrifice

Answer 53

a. the concept of god is referred to as “teotl” – they had a wide pantheon of gods

b. the aspects that the gods represented included: culture of Aztec society and Mesoamerica, nature and the natural world, food, death, the underworld, etc.
- each god had different attributes

c. human sacrifice was an important aspect of the religion as it was necessary for survival
- to repay their debts to the gods
- took place at large temples or pyramids, especially the temple in Tenochtitlan

Question 54

Inca government

Answer 54

☆ Inca civilization flourished in ancient Peru between 1400 c. and 1534 CE - the Inca empire eventually became the largest empire ever seen in the Americas.
- fell when the Spaniards arrived, transmitting deadly diseases– eventually conquered the empire
- during this time, a civil war between the Sapa Inca’s sons

a. Cuzco was the centre of Inca power

b. Inca rule was an absolute monarchy w/ the Sapa Inca exercising the gov. authority

c. the empire was divided into 2 large areas: Hanan and Urin (north and south)
- each one included 2 administrative govs, or suyus

d. the suyus had a gov. managed by a bureaucracy and led by a governor
- the governor chose administrators to manage the households in his province, they were known as curacas
- they distributed to families, collected taxes and administered Inca law

e. their laws were administered by appointed officials in each territory which were rigidly enforced

Question 55

Inca expansion
- 1527 under Huascar
- rulers and taxes

Answer 55

a. by 1527 the empire, under the rule of Huascar, covered present day Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia, Chile, and part of Argentina

b. when the Inca won new territories they moved groups of leaders around to ensure loyalty

c. they collected taxes from all its conquered territories - everyone was obliged to work and contribute to paying taxes

Question 56

origins of the Byzantine Empire:
- founded when and by who
- capital
- the Council of Nicaea
- first emperor
- fall of the kingdom

Answer 56

a. the eastern portion of the Roman empire, founded in 330 AD by emperor Constantine I.
- chose Byzantium as the site of a “new Rome” w/ the capital city being Constantinople
b. the Council of Nicaea established Christianity as the dominant religion
c. the first emperor was Justinian I (527-565)
d. they were less vulnerable to foreign invasions bc of their geographic location
e. the empire eventually fell in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire

Question 57

the Ottoman Empire
- founded by who and when
- Istanbul
- empire’s peak
- end of the empire

Answer 57

a. Osman I, a leader of the Turkish tribes in Anatolia, founded the Ottoman Empire around 1299
b. seized the city of Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul and made it the capital of the Ottoman empire
- became a dominant international center of trade and culture
c. the empire reached its peak between 1520-1566: during the reign of Suleiman, this pd. was marked by great power, stability, and wealth
d. the empire ended in 1922 when the country was declared a republic

Question 58

Ottoman art and science

Answer 58

a. some of the most popular forms of art included calligraphy, painting, poetry, textiles, ceramics, and music

b. they learned and practiced advanced math, astronomy, philosophy, geography, and chemistry

c. they invented surgical instruments used today: forceps, catheters, scalpels, etc.