western civ test 1

Sequentially (Chronology)

• Focus on timeline and cause-effect:
  
  

  • Causes → Why events happened (war, famine, trade, migration, religion).
    
    

  • Events → Stages, key figures, actions, conflicts.
    
    

  • Results → Short-term (political shifts, immediate wars) vs. long-term (cultural legacies, religion, technologies).
    
    

Thematically (Analysis)

• Break history into themes:
  
  

  • Politics & Government (rulers, kings, systems of power, laws).
    
    

  • Society (classes, roles, gender, daily life).
    
    

  • Religion (polytheism, monotheism, rituals).
    
    

  • Economy (trade, agriculture, technology).
    
    

Intellectual & Cultural (writing, art, philosophy, literature).

 Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age)

• Timeframe: Up to 10,000 BC.
  
  

• Lifestyle: Foraging and hunting → nomadic, moving constantly.
  
  

• Tools: Simple stone and wood tools.
  
  

• Society: Small bands of people, no permanent settlements.
  
  

 Neolithic Era (New Stone Age) (10,000–4,000 BC)

• Agriculture Revolution → Farming, domestication of animals.
  
  

• Settlements → Villages → Cities (5000–3000 BC).
  
  

• Population Growth → More food = more people.
  
  

• Technology → Tools, weapons, metal use.
  
  

• Social Structure → Property ownership, rising inequality.
  
  

Trade & Warfare → Surpluses required exchange, created conflicts.

 Mesopotamia (“Land Between Rivers”)

• Geography: Tigris + Euphrates Rivers. Provided food, water, and building materials; floods were unpredictable → insecurity.
  
  

• City-States: Independent, no unification, vulnerable to invasions.
  
  

Religion Mesopotamia:

• Polytheistic, gods tied to nature.
  
  

• Rituals, sacrifices to appease angry gods.
  
  

Ziggurat = temple, “stairway to heaven.”

Government & Society:

• Military leaders + priests → kings.
  
  

• Kings represent gods, not worshiped.
  
  

• Social classes emerge: nobles, commoners, slaves.
  
  

Contributions:

• Writing (Cuneiform): First system, recorded laws, myths. Epic of Gilgamesh.
  
  

• Calendar: Based on lunar cycles.
  
  

Technology: Wheel, astronomy, math.

Akkadians (Sargon the Great): Early empire-building.
Babylon (Hammurabi):

• Hammurabi’s Code → First written laws. Harsh punishments.
  
  

Social hierarchy encoded into law.

 Egypt

• Geography: Nile River (predictable flooding → security).
  
  

• Natural barriers (deserts, seas) = protection.
  
  

• Pharaoh: King + god, absolute power. Pharaoh worshiped as divine.
  
  

• Religion: Polytheistic, but gods = friendly, nature = benevolent. Later experiments with monotheism (Akhenaton).
  
  

• Society: Stable, wealthy (gold, agriculture).
  
  

• Contributions: Architecture (pyramids, temples), morality/ethics in religion, empire-building in the New Kingdom.
  
  

 Hittites

• Location: Anatolia (Turkey).
  
  

• Innovation: Iron-working → stronger weapons and tools.
  
  

• Military: Horse-drawn chariots, spoked wheels.
  
  

Impact: Spread iron tech to others.

 Power Vacuum (1200s BC onward)

Collapse of large empires → rise of smaller states.

 Phoenicians:

• Alphabet (22 symbols → Greeks add vowels).
  
  

• Sea-based trade + colonies (Carthage).
  
  

Hebrews:

• Moved through Egypt and Canaan.
  
  

• Judaism: Monotheism, history = God’s plan.
  
  

• Old Testament preserves history and identity.
  
  

Assyrians

• Military Empire: Ruthless, terror-based control.
  
  

• Tactics: Destroy cities, deport populations, brutalize enemies.
  
  

• Administration: Libraries, roads, aqueducts, messenger system.
  
  

• Downfall: Empire too large, hated by all → collapse.
  
  

Chaldeans (Neo-Babylon)

• Rebuilt Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar).
  
  

• Babylonian Captivity → Hebrews solidify monotheism.
  
  

• Hanging Gardens (legend).
  
  

 Persian Empire

• Cyrus the Great: Unified Iranian tribes, conquered Mesopotamia.
  
  

• Darius: Expanded empire (largest of its time).
  
  

• Administration: Centralized power, divided into provinces (satrapies).
  
  

• Infrastructure: Roads → armies, trade, communication.
  
  

• Tolerance: Allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem if loyal/taxed.
  
  

• Religion: Zoroastrianism → good vs evil, morality-based.
  
  

 Greece: Foundations

• Geography: Mountains = political disunity; shared culture + language = unity.
  
  

• Values:
  
  

  • Humanism, reason, originality, competitiveness.
    
    

  • Natural causes (not gods) for natural phenomena.
    
    

• Bronze Age:
  
  

  • Minoans: Peaceful, trade, female equality, engineering.
    
    

  • Mycenaeans: Warlike, Trojan War, strong kings.
    
    

• Dark Ages: Decline of writing, trade, population. Oral tradition, religion develops (Olympian gods).
  
  

• Virtues: Arete (excellence through struggle).
  
  

• Olympics: Religious + athletic festivals.
  
  

Society: Aristocrats (landowners) replace kings. Property = wealth = power.

Chronology:

Studying history in order of time.

Thematic Analysis:

•  Studying history by themes (politics, religion, society, economy).
  
  

Civilization:

• When humans create cities, control/adapt environment, develop government, religion, trade, and culture.
  
  

City-State:

•  Independent political unit with its own government and gods.
  
  

Empire:

State controlling territories and peoples beyond its center.

Centralization:

Power concentrated at the political center.

Autonomy:

•  Self-rule, independence.
  
  

Polytheism:

• Belief in many gods.
  
  

Cuneiform:

 Early Mesopotamian writing system.