History 101 Western Civilization

Who were the creators of the Mesopotamian civilization?

Sumerians

Mesopotamia lied between what two rivers?

The Tigris and the Euphrates

How did the Tigris and Euphrates rivers make Mesopotamia fertile?

Overflow of the banks caused a deposit of fertile silt which depended on the melting of the snows in the upland mountains.

What was the cultural affect of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers on the Mesopotamian civilization?

The unpredictableness meant people could only raise crops by building a complex system of irrigation and drainage systems to control the flow.

What were the basic units of the Sumerian civilization?

City-states

What were Sumerian cities surrounded by?

Walls

What was the most prominent building in a Sumerian city?

Temple

Sumerian temples were dedicated to who?

Chief gods or goddesses

What is a ziggurat?

Massive stepped tower where Sumerian temples were built upon.

What is a theocracy?

Government in which Gods ruled the city (divine authority)

Who's economy was primarily agricultural?

Sumerians

Where was the Akkadian Empire located?

To the north of the Sumerian cities on the falt and open land of Mesopotamia

Who is the leader of the Akkadians?

Sargon

Who overran the Sumerians and established a Dynastic Empire?

Sargon

Sargon used the former rulers of the conquered city-states as what?

Governers

What type of power did Sargon have on the newly conquered city-states?

Militaristic power

Who managed to establish power and create a new empire from the Amorites (Old Babylonians) ?

Hammurabi

What was the Code of Hammurabi?

A collection of 282 laws restricting strict justice and severe penalties.

What does the code of Hammurabi reveal?

A society with a system of strict justice.

What were the penalties like in Hammurabi's code?

Severe and varied according to the social class

The principle of "eye for an eye", "tooth for a tooth", was a fundamental principle for what?

Hammurabi's Code

What system of writing did Sumerians use?

Cuneiform

What is cuneiform?

A system of writing in which Sumerians made WEDGE-SHAPED impressions on clay tablets that were baked or dried out in the sun.

What was the central importance to the development of the Egyptian civilization?

The Nile

What was the "miracle" of the Nile?

The annual flooding

How did the Nile create such a fertile Egyptian civilization?

The river rose in the summer from Central Africa to the Ethiopian Highlands and left a deposit of silt that enriched the soil.

What was the cultural affect of the Nile river on the Egyptian civilization?

The gradual and predicable flooding of the river itself was seen as life-enhancing, not life-threatening.

What did Greeks label Egyptian writing?

Hieroglyphics

What did hieroglyphics consist of?

Signs that depicted objects and had a sacred value at the same time

Did Hieroglyphics ever develop into an alphabet?

No

Who put an end to the Middle Kingdom?

The Hyksos

What was most important about the Hyksos invasion of Egypt?

Taught the Egyptians how to use bronze to make agricultural tools and weapons.

Who was preoccupied with religion whilst a military challenge from the Hittites?

Amenhotep IV

What did Amenhotep IV introduce to the Egyptians?

The worship of Aten

Who is Aten?

God of the sun disc

What did Amenhotep IV change his name to?

Akhenaten ("Servant of Aten")

What did Akhenaten strive for?

The reduction of the priests' influence by replacing Thebes as the capital of Egypt with Akenhaten.

Why was Akenhaten's reign a failure?

Egyptians would not ignore traditional ways; too much attention thought went into figuring out methods in doing so that he ignored foreign affairs which caused a loss of Syria and Canaan.

Who restored Egypt as an imperial power and regained Canaan?

Ramesses II

How did Ramesses depict his power before his death?

By constructing mammoth new temples with colossal status of himself

Who successfully invaded Egypt in the 12th century?

The "Sea Peoples"

How did the "Sea Peoples" manage to invade Egypt?

Destroyed Egyptian power in Canaan and drove the Egyptians back within their old frontiers.

Who is Hatshepsut?

Female pharaoh in the New Kingdom

Why was Hatshepsut's considered a prosperous reign?

Pristine building activity (architecture)

Who reunited the Israelites, defeated the Philistines, and established control over all of Canaan?

David

Who was seen as a warrior to the Israelites?

David

Who conquered the city of Jerusalem?

David

What is the chief source of information about Israel's spiritual conceptions?

Hebrew Bible

What is contained within the Pentateuch, known as the first five books of the Hwbrew Bible?

Torah

What is the Torah?

A law code

What is governed within the Torah?

The lives of worshipers and their relations to one another and the non-Jewish population

What were the three significant aspects of the Jewish religion?

The convent, the law, and the prophets

What is Yahweh?

A reference to God in Jewish religion

Who did the Israelites believe were sent by God to serve as his voice to his people?

Prophets

What warning did Israelite prophets propose?

The terrible retribution that Yahweh would exact from them if they did not keep the covenant to remain faithful to him alone and just in their dealings with one another

What new concepts did Israelite prophets notion?

Universalism and social justice

Where were the Israelites primarily located?

In Canaan

What type of religious concept was practiced among the Israelites?

Monotheism

Who conquers the Kingdom of Israel?

The Assyrians

Who conquers the Kingdom of Judah?

The Chaldeanians

What was the Old Kingdom dependent on?

Nature

What was the main focus of the Old Kingdom?

Structure and Stability

Pharaohs were known as what in the Old Kingdoms?

"God" Kings

What caused the fall of the Old Kingdom?

Drought

What was increased during the transition into the Middle Kingdom?

Interaction with people

What did Pharaohs do during their reign in the Middle Kingodom?

Drew people closer to one another

What was the main focus of the Middle Kingdom?

Trade

What caused the fall of the Middle Kingdom?

Invasion

What type of power did the New Kingdom begin to practice?

Imperialistic/Militarist power

What was the decline of the New Kingdom?

Invasion of Sea Peoples

What was most effective about the organization of the Assyrian Empire?

Communication and administration

Who created the Assyrian Empire?

Tiglath-Pileser I

Who was the brutal Assyrian conqueror whose policy of deliberate terror set a pattern for later Assyrians?

Tiglath-Pileser I

After the death of Tiglath-Pileser I, which two new conquerors were able to successfully reestablish control over Mesopotamia?

Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II

After the death of Tiglath-Pileser I, the two new conquerors were responsible for what?

Centralizing the system of government

Where the two main focuses of the two new conquerors of Mesopotamia following the death of Tiglath-Pileser I?

Expand and dominate

What did centralizing the system of government do for Mesopotamia?

Increased the power of the king

How did the new Assyrian government rule?

Through fear and brutuality

Who did the Assyrians assign provinces to?

Loyal Assyrians people

Why did the Assyrians assign provinces to Loyal Assyrian peoples?

To remain connected

How did the Assyrians communicate with one another?

Mules through relays

Was the Assyrian Army weak or strong?

Very strong

What were the four factors that enabled the Assyrian Army to conquer and maintain an empire?

Size, Organization, Weaponary, and Military Tactics

What advantage did the Assyrian Army have that other armies lacked?

Large armies equipped with iron weapons

What was the Assyrian Army capable of doing on mountains that other armies had trouble with?

Waging Guerrilla Warfare

What did the Assyrian Army do to conquered cities?

Lay siege to them, in other words, scorching the earth and only leaving the city and limit resources imported into city

Why was the Assyrian Army able to conquer cities when others struggled?

They used a tactic called sapping

What was Assyrian sapping?

Construction of a tunnel underneath the city to bring down city walls

What kind of tactics did the Assyrian Army mostly use?

Terror Tactics

What was the aim of the "Calculated frightfulness" terror tactic?

Encourage their enemies to surrender quickly rater than face a series of atrocities

The Babylonian Empire was driven mostly by what?

Personality

Who was the leader of the Persian Empire?

Cyrus, the Great

What Cyrus the Great's goal?

To create a world empire

What tactics did Cyrus, the Great not want to conduct in the Persian Empire?

Terror Tactics

Why was Cyrus the Great known to be the "father" of the Persian Empire?

Demonstrated considerable wisdom and compassion in the conquest and organization of his empire.

What type of government was practiced within the Persian Empire?

Satraps

What were the two key geographical importances of Greece?

Mountains and seas

Why were mountains important in Greek geography?

Had the effect of isolating Greeks from one another

Why were seas important in Greek geography?

Provided numerous harbors

What three things did Sparta seek out?

Stability, conformity, and emphasized order