Studied by 2 people
Quiz Tuesday after Labor Day
Paleolithic Age
Out of Africa Theory, began 100,000 years ago
Paleolithic Characteristics
Nomadic, hunger-gatherers, simple stone tools, no cities or towns, no specialized occupations or leaders, oral language only, fire
Neolithic Age
Agriculture emerged around 10,000 years ago, domestication of plants and animals, people settled into permanent farming villages
Neolithic 6 Characteristics
Less egalitarian (less equality more hierarchical), epidemic diseases spread, villages became cities became civilization, specialized labor developed, writing developed, population boomed
Civilizations
First began with river valley civilizations, then classical empires
Empire Characteristics Listed
Urban Focus, Social Hierarchy, Patriarchy, Centralization, Emphasis on Trade, and Infrastructure/Monumental Architecture
Urban Focus
Urbanization was the movement into cities; Mesopotamian and Greek city-states, Persia; possible with agriculture
Social Hierarchy
Stratification, divisions and inequalities within society; specializations led to inequalities and law codes reflected them; wealth was hoarded instead of shared, slavery
Patriarchy
Physical strength was needed for farming, so men rose up in importance; women stayed home; few societies (egypt) were not patriarchal; cultural practices reflected these patterns
Centralization
Kings had bureaucracies that managed the government through appointed officials; Persia and China were merit-based; politics grew
Emphasis on Trade
Trade was taxed to give an empire wealth, protecting these routes was crucial to the empire’s thriving
Infrastructure/ Monumental Architecture
keeping the people happy by providing roads and aqueducts, walls and fortifications
Why do Empires Collapse?
Over-extension with border maintenance and protection, political corruption, failing economy, peasant revolts, alienation of elite with high taxes, disease epidemics, and invasion
Zoroastrianism
Beliefs include free will, right v. wrong, and final judgement; focus on cultural contribution of Persia, influenced monotheistic religions in the region
Judaism
Founded by Abraham; first monotheistic, 10 Commandments, the Torah; history of living in diasporic communities (outside homeland)
Hinduism
Unknown founder, believe in many forms of one god, karma, and reincarnation, the Vedas (sacred text), created caste system and cultural unity in India (both monotheistic and polytheistic)
Buddhism
Founded by Siddhartha Guatama (buddha); believe in Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, and Enlightenment; rejected the caste system; monastic communities, welcomed women and lower classes, spread on trade routes
Christianity
Jesus founded, Jesus was the messiah, monotheistic; rejected caste system, monastic communities, welcomed women and lower classes, spread on trade routes
Islam
Founded by Muhammad; monotheistic, 5 pillars, holy cities Mecca and Medina; Qur’an (sacred text); displaced zoroastrianism, islam/arabic provided unity in Middle East
Animism
Part of polytheism, religious belief that focused on the roles of various gods and spirits in the natural world and human life
Shamanism
Part of polytheism, practice of identifying special individuals who interact with spirits for the benefit of the community (Korea, Asia)
Polytheism
the belief in more than one god, shamanism and animism
Silk Road
a trade route that was mostly relays between horse and camel caravans; cities became social and economic hotspots that facilitated trade; often dangerous routes and luxury products; horses, silk, porcelain, paper were all traded; Buddhism and Christianity and disease traveled, banking houses and paper money too
Indian Ocean
Cities were coastal and connected East Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia; depended on Monsoon Winds to thrive; brought Buddhism into Southeast Asia and sailing technologies; pigments, pearls, spices, and fruit
Trans-Saharan
Salt from Sahara, gold from West Africa; Islam and camel saddle and caravan were all differences; connected Europe with West Africa
Note
Flashcard