Zachs Final Exam Flashcards
A group of extinct and living bipedal primates in the family Hominidae
Hominids
Describe the Egyptian religion.
There were gods, kings and the rest of humanity. After death the kings joined the gods they represented while alive. They had an unofficial religion. They were distant from temples and visited shrines to pray. They looked to omens for profound questions. It helped shape cultural and written achievements.
How did the pharaohs solidify their power during the Middle Kingdom?
The Twelfth Dynasty ruler Amenemhet advanced the god Amun (who was grafted on to the sun god Re as Amun-Re) as a supreme deity. Because Amun’s characteristics were “hidden” his worship could be embraced by believers in many different theological systems. Amun’s elevation aided the pharaohs in consolidating authority, because they could link their authority as the rulers of people to that of Amun-Re as the king of the gods.
What was the consequence of the Battle of Megiddo?
With the victory at the Battle of Megiddo, the first recorded chariot battle, Egypt established a presence in Palestine and was poised to engage in commercial, political, and cultural exchanges with Southwest Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.
What were the jobs of the Brahmans in the Indian caste system?
the Brahmans codified customary social sanctions, eventually collected together in the Laws of Manu. They also had to memorize the entire text.
What is considered a major weakness of the Zhou Dynasty?
They were not unified
Which Greek philosopher believed the key to understanding lay in the accumulation of knowledge and facts?
Confucius
How did the Chavin people organize their societies?
formed in northern Peru, organizing trade up and down mountainsides, from the tropical lands and produce of the valley floors, to the fertile fields with maize and other crops in the mountain foothills, and to the highlands with potato cultivation and llamas. Since this ecological diversity allowed them to supply all their needs locally, there was only a limited need for long-distance trade
How did the Chavin achieve cultural unification among its isolated communities?
The Chavín people were united by culture and faith more than any other political structure. Drawing on influences from as far away as the Amazon and the Pacific coast, they created devotional cults that focused on wild animals. Priests took hallucinogenic drugs that were believed to enable them to become jaguars.
Describe four consequences of Alexander the Great’s conquest.
Women gained power, silk roads increased trade, Hellenism/Buddhism and increased exposure to Persian Lands
What regions were included in Alexander the Great’s empire?
Macedonia to the Indus Valley river basin
Which of Alexander’s generals gained control of Egypt after his death?
Ptolemy
What philosophies emerged in Hellenistic Greece?
Self-sufficiency (cynicism), detachment (Epicureanism), involvement (Stoicism)
Name one of the largest empires to emerge in South Asia.
The Mauryan Empire
Who was Chandragupta?
First great conqueror in Indian History that rose to power to rule the Mauryan Empire.
Describe the reign of Asoka.
He converted to Buddhism so that he could have a reign of peace. He renounced warfare. He wanted to be a tolerant but firm ruler.
What is dharma? How was it used during the reign of Asoka?
A moral code espoused by As’oka in the Kalinga edict, which was meant to apply to all—Buddhists, Brahmans, and Greeks alike.
Why was Bactria important to the Greek world and South Asia?
It was a bridge between the South Asia and Greek World of the Mediterranean
What were bodhisattvas?
Someone halfway between human and Buddha
Describe the characteristics of Gandharan art. Where was this art typically found?
Buddhist sculptures from gray schist rock found in the norther Kushan territory
What is the mandate of heaven?
Chinese political doctrine that is an ideology established by Zhou dynasty to communicate the moral transfer of power
Describe the reign of Emperor Wu (include the changes he made and his accomplishments).
Never led troops to battle, followed Daoist principles of noninterference, wanted empire to function alone, strong penal code, processed over 1000 cases per year, founded the Imperial University, promoted social order and religion, minted coins
How were merchants perceived in society during the Han Dynasty in China?
Successful merchants were allowed to extend into the city – they were subject to controls that included regulations on luxury consumptions anad they were belittled for not doing physical labor
What type of events indicated a loss of the mandate of heaven?
destruction of crops by natural disasters, loss of money through the high cost of military
Who posed the greatest military threat to the Han Empire?
The Xionghnu and other nomadic people in the north
What was the Pax Sinica?
Period of peace in which agriculture, commerce and industry flourished in East Asia under the rule of Han.
Who were the Yellow Turbans?
A religious group (wore yellow scarves around their heads) championed Daoist millenarian movements across the empire.
Who were the Red Eyebrows?
Rebellious peasants led by Daoist clerics that painted their foreheads red when they marched on Wang’s capital at Chang’an
Describe the three major factors that influenced the beginning of Rome’s imperial expansion.
Migrations of foreign people from northern and central Europe; Rome’s military built stron using communities they conquered as manpower; and political innovations
Who was Hannibal?
A great Roman general from Carthage whose campaigns in the third century BCE swept from Spain toward the Italian peninsula. He crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps mountain ranges with war elephants. He was unable, however, to defeat the Romans in 217 BCE.
What was the Pax Romana?
Latin for “Roman Peace,” this term refers to the period between 27 BCE and 180 CE during which conditions in the Roman Empire were settled and peaceful.
In the Roman Republic, what body of elites issued policy?
Emperors
