GS 210 - Vermote - Midterm Questions

What distinguished humans from chimpanzees first (set them on different tracks of evolution)?

Bipedalism

How tall was Lucy?

3’7

Were humans more prone to violent tactics now or back then? Explain why?

Less violent back then = more cooperation thrive as a community

How much DNA do humans and chimpanzees share?

98.4%

What anatomical change made humans better hunters?

Stronger shoulders = throw hard and accurately

What were the 3 last close relatives to humans?

Hobbits, Neanderthals, and Denisovans

What is the name of the process by which skeletons became thinner, smaller, and lighter?

Gracialization

What were the health effects of farming?

Diseases; less diverse diet

What was grown in the Huang He river valley in Northern China?

Soybeans millet

What was predominantly grown in the Yangzi river?

Rice

Who pioneered the transition to agriculture?

Natufians

The Ainu in today’s northern Japan used what animal to help them catch salmon?

Dogs

What was unusual about the domestication process in Meso-America?

No domestication of animals initially

What reversed pattern occurred in Africa regarding domestication (compared to other places in the world)?

Domesticate animals before plants

What is the name of the religious attitude to allow many different religions to coexist?

Polytheism

What is the name of the Buddha?

Siddhartha Gautama

Besides Buddhism, what is the name of another religion that took shape in the 6th century BCE in India?

Jainism

Which Indian ruler experienced a spiritual crisis - provoked by remorse over killing thousands of people?

Ashoka

What are the names of the four main castes?

brahmins , warriors, peasants, slaves/artisans

What happened to the position of women in the Vedic writings?

Worsened

What is the word for the main duties of the pharaoh?

Ma’at

What is the name of the people who invaded Egypt in the 18th century BCE from what is Lebanon today?

Hyksos

How many pharaohs were there in total? How many were women?

170 total - 2 women

What is the name of the Mediterranean seaport founded by Alexander?

Alexandria

To what did Aristotle object regarding his pupil Alexander?

When Alexander claimed divine status

What is the name of the wars between Athens and Sparta?

Peloponnesian

What is the name of spear-wielding Spartan soldiers?

Hoplites

What is the name of the culture where women competed in the sport of vaulting over bulls?

Minoan

What is the name of the god worshipped by the Achaemenid rulers?

Ahura Mazda

What is the Greek name for a city-state?

Polis

Who succeeded the Seleucids in Mesopotamia?

Parthians

On what type of material did the Chinese first write?

Turtle shells/cattle scapula

What is the name of the weather system, similar to the one in the Indian Ocean, that dictated rain and wind in the East Asian climate?

Monsoon systems

In what ways were all ancient writing systems similar?

They were logographic

What is different about the ancient Chinese writing system - unlike any of the other non-alphabetic ancient writing systems?

It’s the only one still in use today

How did the Chinese armies change from the Zhou to the Warring States period?

They got bigger + less focused on aristocratic chariots + more on massive manpower

Who was one of China’s first historians - he wrote a history of the Han people and was later castrated by the emperor?

Sima Qian

In what governmental task were the Han Chinese better than the Romans?

Taxation

What ism was more important than Confucianism, at first, for the Qin state?

Legalism

What are scholars called in China?

Shi or literati

Who wrote the Art of War?

Sun Zi