G8 T1 SS TE — “26-27” Short Review

Geography —> Social Structures

Geogrohy

Social science discipline, studies human and natural components of Earth

Geographers

examine how human culture interacts with the natural environment, and how locations and places impact people

Physical Geography

Focuses on Earth’s natural features and processes in geography

Cultural Geography

Studies the human aspects of geography

Physical Geography Example 1

Landforms, Water Bodies

Physical Geography Example 2

Climate, Natural resources

Cultural Geography Example 1

Language, religion, population patterns

Cultural Geography Example 2

Economic activities, built environments

Movement

Theme of Geography; how people, goods, and ideas move, transport, transfer, and transmit

Region

Theme of Geography; defining an area by unifying characteristics of said area (large area grouped by shared characteristics)

Human-Environment Interaction

Theme of Geography; Analyzes the relationship between these two, how people depend on, adapt to, and modify the environment

Place

Theme of Geography; Describes unique human and physical characteristics that makes a location different from others (“whats it like/what makes it unique”)

Location

Theme of Geography; where a place is positioned

Absolute Location

Uses specific coordinated of longitudes and latitudes to show location

Relative Location

Describes a position using distance and relationship to other nearby places (ex. North of ____, Beside the ___)

Geographical Realms

large-scale regions of the Earth where ecosystems have similar evolutionary history and distinctive plant and animal life

Wallace’s Lime

Critical geological, climatic, and biological line that separates the Asian continental shelf from the Australian tectonic plate shelf (explains why some unique species evolved in isolation and are not found on the Asian side of the line)

Civilization

Geographical — Environmental features influence ___ way of life

Political and Legal — ___ has important laws, leaders, or systems of government

Economic and Technological — Formed ___ have trade activities, resources, inventions, and tools

Social — In ___, there are customs, beliefs, or ways people were organized.

Trigger of Civilization

Development of agriculture; humans stop wandering, settle in permanent communities, grow food, and form larger populations

Political and Legal (Civilization)

Key Part of Civilization; Ancient societies developed highly diverse political systems to centralize authority and manage resources

Code of Hammurabi

Evolution of Justice & Law; Retributive “eye for an eye” mentality

• Justice enforced by state

• Penalties were uneven depending in social status

• Did not guarantee equal human rights for lower classes

Legal Codices

Evolution of Justice & Law; Aztecs possessed formal, written legal system recorded in codices

• Structures, multi-legal courts used noble judges to hand our swift, severe penalties

Twelve Tables

Formal trials and protective rights

• Citizens were “innocent until proven guiltu”

• First framework with protective rights for citizens in court

Rome (Justice & Law)

Who used the Twelve Tables for justice and law?

Kapu System

Complex, deeply ingrained set of sacred customary laws and oral codes passed down by priests and elders

• Governed every facet of daily life (diet, social behavior, gender roles)

• Violations were treated as dangerous “spiritual pollution” and punished severely with ritual purification, banishment, or death to preserve social hierarchies

Legalism

Abandoned customary traditions in favor of strict, standardized state laws

• Relied on physical punishments, state surveillance, and strict discipline to enforce social order

China (Justice & Law)

Who used the Legalism for justice and law?

Ancient Athens (Models of Government & Power)

Models of Government & Power; direct decision-making, but exclusive to citizens and excluded many

Modern Democracies (Models of Government & Power)

Models of Government & Power; Representative governance with more equal opportunity for everyone

Theocratic Rule (Models of Government & Power)

Kings were chosen by gods, centralizing into vast empires under dominant military and administrative rulers

Ancient Chine (Models of Government & Power)

Who practiced Theocratic Rule, where dynastic kings consolidated power using Mandate of Heaven to establish divine legitimacy, for Models of Government & Power?

Ancient Monarchy (Models of Government & Power)

Political power centralized under one ruler

• absolute administrative, military, and religious authority

• often claiming divine legitimacy to justify their rule and maintain social order

Economic & Technological (Civilization)

A key part of civilization; organized system where people produce, distribute, and consume goods and services

Resource Acquisition

Trigger of Economic Development 1; Access to scarce resources

Specialization

Trigger of Economic Development 2; Focus on specific goods or services, improving efficiency

Cultural Exchange

Trigger of Economic Development 3; Spread knowledge, technology, and innovations

Diplomacy (trigger)

Trigger of Economic Development 4; Encouraged trade, peace, and political alliances

Silk Road

Major pathway for spreading technological innovations (ex. paper-making)m cultural ideas, and new religions across diverse empires

The Wheel

Crucial for increased trade, improved transportation networks, and the efficient movement of goods

Standardized Currecny

Metal coins with the King’s seal replaced the unpredictable barter system

• Gave central governments greater control over taxation and economic order

Barter System

Economic Practice where goods and services are exchanged without coins or physical currency

Egypt’s Ration/Corvée

Labor as Taxation; People worked on public projects (temples, canals) to pay tax without money

Inca’s Mit’a System

Labor as Taxation; Civilization function without monetary tax, citizens worked together as a community

Irrigation System

Innovative water management systems to support agriculture, control floods, prevent erosion, and provide fresh water

• Allowed societies to produce more food, establish permanent settlements, and support growing populations and cities

Great Wall of China & Mycenaean Citadels

Massive architectural projects built to defend strategic lands and display the immense power and labor of the state

Social Structures

Organized pattern of relationships and roles that shape a society

• invisible framework that tells people how to interact, what roles to play, and who holds power/status

River Valley Civilizations — Social Hierarchy

Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China had rigid social classes, but valued elites

Social Structures — Mesopotamia & Egypt

Priests and military nobles held high positions

Social Structures — Ancient China

Educated scholar-bureaucrats managed the government

Social Mobility — River Valley Civilizations

People could rise through education, wealth, military service, or freedom from slavery

Civil Service Examination

Han Dynasty’s early merit-based system for government positions

• Difficult Confucian-based exams to qualify for government jobs

• Educated men from lower-class families could gain prestigious government positions

Marriage & Social Mobility — China

Rare and Discouraged; Confucian ideals stress class-matching, cross-class marriage is unusual

• children of such unions inherit the lower status, bringing multi-generational social stigma to the family lineage

Citizen

Restricted to land-owning, free-born Athenian males

• only they held full political rights to vote & gold public office

Role of Women in Greece & China

Limited rights; strongly patriarchal

Role of Women in Rome

No political rights; some elite women had influence

Role of Women in Egypt

Greater rights, property ownership, leadership

Role of Women in Mesoamerica

Worked in trade, farming, religion, and politics

Role of Women in Pacific Islands

Women could lead, hold religious roles, and preserve cultural knowledge

Indian Varna & Caste System

Unique structure evolved from a philosophical ideal into a highly rigid social network

• Bhramin (Priests, Academics) — Head

• Kshatryia (Warriors, Kings) — Arms

• Vaisha (Merchants, Landowners) — Thighs

• Sudra (Commoners, Peasants, Servants) — Feet

• Untouchables (Outcast)

Early Vedic: Varna

Originally flexible and based on guna (personal qualities) and work (karma) rather than birth

• ex. Shudra mastered sacred texts could be a Bhramin

Shift to Caste (Jati)

Local traditions merged with this system to create Caste (birth groups)

• Jati as thousands of smaller groups strictly determined by the family you were born into, making individual social roles rigid and impossible to change

Reincarnation (In Varna and Caste Systems)

Karma & Dharma: Social Status in the next life determined on actions and fulfillments of duties

Social Impact: belief offered hope of a better rebirth, reinforced social inequality and caste system