World History HN Final Study Guide

World History HN

absolute location

position on a globe measured by latitude and longitude (specific coordinates)

relative location

where a place is located in relation to another (near this or where this and this meet)

physical characteristics of place

landforms, vegetation, climate

human characteristics of place

human populations, economics, culture

human-environment interaction

adaptions or changes to surrounding environments (how people impact the environment and how the environment impacts people)

region

a group of places with at least one common characteristic

movement

the way people, goods, and ideas move between places

longitude

the vertical lines that go from north to south; 0 degrees is known as the prime meridian

latitude

the horizontal lines that go from east to west (latitude is before longitude); 0 degrees is known as the equator

circa (c)

approximately or a date that is unsure

BC/BCE

before christ; before common era (years counted down to year 1 BC, the smaller the number the more recent date)

AD/CE

anno domini; common era (the larger the number the more recent the date)

century

100 years; we name the century by ignoring the last two digits and rounding up one

prehistory

before recorded history

age or era

a broad time period characterized by a shared pattern of life; ages and eras don’t usually have definite starting and stopping points

primary and secondary sources

primary were created by someone directly from that time & secondary were written by a researcher and summarizes information

what does SPEARS stand for?

social, political, economic, arts/architecture, religion, science/technology

anthropology/archeology

study of man/study of the past

artifact

a historical object made by a person

polytheism/monotheism

worships many gods/worships one god

animism

belief that objects, places, and creatures possess spiritual essence

australopithecus (“lucy”)

walked upright, had opposable thumbs, vegetarian, rocks and sticks as tools, (found in East Africa by Dennis Johnson in 1974)

homo habilis (“handy man”)

larger brain capacity and dexterity, stone tools, campfires, 2.4 - 1.5 million years ago, found in East Africa, nomadic bands

homo erectus (“upright man”)

bipedalism, larger and more varied tools (primitive technology), first to use fire as a tool (cooked food), advanced speech, first to migrate out of Africa (to Asia and Europe), 2,000,000 - 300,000 BCE

neanderthal (homo sapiens “wise human being”)

early religious rituals, limited speech, advanced tools and weapons (stone, bone, wood), buried the dead, made clothes from animal skins, 5’5” and stocky, lived in caves and tents, 200,000 - 30,000 BCE, Neander Valley, Germany (1856)

cro-magnon (homo sapiens “wise human being”

lived from circa 100,000 years ago - the Neolithic Revolution, modern humans, migrated around the globe, more advanced technology (stone, bone, ivory, bow and arrows, fish hooks), fitted clothes, artistic cave paintings/carved statues, permanent shelters, skilled toolmakers, jewelry and potter, religious rituals (including burials), replaced Neanderthals

what is the Paleolithic Age also called?

the “Old Stone Age”

what was the Stone Age?

* australopithecus, homo habilis, homo erectus and some homo sapiens
* nomadic lifestyle (moving from place to place)
* lived in clans (large family groups)
* hunting (mainly men) and gathering (mainly women)
* used fire and language
* cave art to express themselves
* migrations (spread from Africa to Asia and Europe and Australia then to North America)

what was the Neolithic Revolution?

beginning of farming, led to CIVILIZATIONS

what was the Fertile Crescent

where agriculture was born

what was the Neolithic Age (New Stone Age)

* only homo sapiens
* farming and animal domestication meant better food supply and new gender roles
* population increased with increased food supply
* people settled near their crops and began to specialize in work (potters, weavers, etc.)
* people went from nomadic lifestyle to settling down
* Stonehenge
* settlements like Catal Huyuk
* early cities like Jericho (in Israel) and Aleppo (in Syria)

what features did the Catal Huyuk have?

* burials (belief in an afterlife)
* art (wall paintings, jewelry)
* specialized work (potters, weavers)
* crops (wheat, barley and peas)
* domesticated animals

cities in river valley civilizations

farmers could grow enough food to support larger population

villages → towns → cities

political system based on territory rather than kinship in river valley civilizations

central government: organized defense, oversaw public works, made laws, collected taxes

supported: military, roads and bridges, temples, irrigation systems

religion in river valley civilizations

monotheism or polytheism

job specialization in river valley civilizations

workers divdied by skills; artisans or skilled craftsmen emerged

social classes in river valley civilizations

hierachy emerges and jobs are ranked in importance

priests, nobles/royalty, merchants, artisans, farmers, slaves

writing in river valley civilizations

pictograms, cuneiform, hieroglyphics

scribe: person trained for record keepingg

geography of egypt

* Nile river flows south to north
* upper Egypt is south and lower Egypt is north
* Nile delta - where the Nile river spreads out and drains
* natural barriers (north: mediterranean sea; south: cataracts on the Nile river; east: eastern desert; west: western desert/sahara)

what was the Old Kingdom (“pyramid age”)

* all used as tombs for burying people
* step pyramids looked like they had layers (steps), second tomb
* pyramids at Giza: normal pyramids, pharaohs started building them when they took the throne, tombs for eternity
* Mastaba was more rectangular, first tomb

what was the Middle Kingdom?

* shortest time frame of all kingoms in Egypt
* pharaoh is seen as a shepherd
* they took care of people, and felt responsible for their well-being
* Hyksos Invasion: “foreign people”

what is the importance of the Hyksos Invasion?

* semitic group from Palestine invaded with bronze weapons and chariots
* end of the Middle Kingdom
* ruled Egypt for 110 years, adopted the customs
* egyptains gained their skills and turned against them (with leader Ahmose)

who were the pharaohs of the New Kingdom?

* Hatshepsut
* Akhenaten
* Tutankhamun
* Ramses II

social classes in the New Kingdom

hierarchy and role of women

pharaoh, high priests, royal overseers, district governors, scribes, artisans, farmers and laborers, patriarchal, women could own property

contributions and advances in the New Kingdom

hieroglyphics, papyrus, calendars, “Book of the Dead”, medicine, astronomy, math

view of the afterlife in the New Kingdom

obsession with death, very important, belief in eternal life (tombs and mummies)

who was Menes?

* first pharaoh, first dynasty in Egypt, before division of kingdoms
* king of upper Egypt, went to conquer lower Egypt
* capital city: Memphis
* concept of divine kinship and concept of taking royal servants to the grave

who was Hatshepsut?

* New Kingdom
* female pharaoh who encouraged trade
* people tried to erase evidence of her existence after she died

who was Akhenaten?

* New Kingdom
* founded new monotheism religion based on Aton (sun disk god)
* changed name to Akhenaten (spirit of Aton) from Amenhotep
* moves capital of Thebes

who was Nerfertiti?

wife of Akhenaten (Amenhotep)wh

who was Tutankhamun?

* Akhenaten’s son
* priests forced him to reinstate polytheistic religion
* new dynasty after his death

who was Ramses II?

* most powerful pharaoh
* belived to be biblical pharaoh
* Egypt begins decline after his death

who was Cleopatra (connection to Roman history)?

* Egyptian queen
* dated Caesar and Marc Antony (Romans)
* meddled in Rome after Caesar’s death

art and architecture in Egypt

* obselisks
* usually built in pairs
* over 70 feet tall
* decordated with writings and tellings of great achievements
* pyramids
* step pyramids
* pyramids at Giza
* Mastaba
* temples
* monuments for gods
* hieroglyphics
* Egyptian writing
* named by the Greeks: “holy inscriptions”
* bust of Queen Nefertiti
* funeral mask of Tutankhamun
* Rosetta Stone

geography in the Middle East

Fertile Crescent, outside invasions due to few natural barriers, semitic empires (language)

what did the Tigris river (east) and Euphrates river (west) do frequently?

flood unpredictably

cities and city-states in the Middle East

independent city (sometimes surrounding land) that has its own government

social classes in the Middle East

some of Hammurabi’s code depended on people’s social class

ziggurats in the Middle East

temple or “mountain of the gods”

looked like it had different layers, smaller than pyramids

cuneiform in the Middle East

“wedge-shaped” writing developed from pictograms

role of scribes: to document events and important information with a stylus

mathematical accomplishments in the Middle East

number system with base 60: 60 seconds and 60 minutes

Akkadians in the Middle East

semitic language, 1st empire ruler: Sargon

Sumerian religion in the Middle East

polytheistic, anthropomorphic, pessimistic view of the afterlife (this view of afterlife is different from Egypt)

*Epic of Gilgamesh*

poem by old Bablyonians/Amorites; showed gods were anthropomorphic (human form)

who were the Babylon (Amorites)

Hammurabi’s code, idea of an eye-for-an-eye (fair punishments to keep order

what did Hammurabi do?

united the cities of Sumer and had a very large, powerful empire that leaders after him could not keep together

who were the Hittites?

iron working, trade, chariots (3 man), in Anatolia/Asia Minor, spread Mesopotamian ideas, not semitic

who were the Assyrians?

warlike and cruel, dominated Mesopotamia for 500 years, small kingdom that was constantly attacked, became skilled warriors

who was Sargon II?

a ruthless and successful ruler, good building skills, invented battering ram, used: catapults, armor, ironworking from Hittites

what was the library at Ninevah?

royal library with all literature from Mesopotamia

who were the Babylon II (Chaldeans?

the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Babylonian captivity (Jews were captives in Babylon), overthrew the Assyrians with Medes

who was King Nebuchadnezzar?

greatest king, rebuilt Babylon and built walls to protect it, built the temple Ishtar Gate for the goddess Ishtar (common symbol lion)

city of Babylon

became center for learning and ideas/discoveries, was spared from Persians led by Cyrus due to reputation, Mesopotamia is ruled by outsiders from now on

who were the Persians (Achaemenid Empire)?

large and tolerant empire, satraps (governor), first empire to use coins, freed Jews from Babylon, compare to Rome

what was Zoroastrianism?

battle of good vs evil

who were the Phoenicians?

Mediterranean sea traders, purple dye and glass (luxuries), modern alphabet, water trade was important

who were the Hebrews (nomadic people)?

Hebrews in Egypt: Moses and the parting of the Red Sea; at first, all Hebrews were welcomed, then were forced into slavery, all male babies were killed so Moses’ mother hid him

The Exodus: Hebrews fled Egypt with Moses

what were the Ten Commandments?

Moses climbed Mt. Sinai to pray for guidance, resulted in the 10 commandments; 40 years in the desert: Hebrews returned to Canaan after Moses died, went from nomadic to settled society

what was the establishment of Kingdom of Israel?

started as 12 tribes in Canaan

who was Saul?

chosen due to his success in driving Philistines out of the Central Hills of ancient Palestine

who was David?

king Saul’s son in law, was a powerful leader, united the 12 tribes, established captial Jerusalem, founded a dynasty

who was Solomon?

son of David, the most powerful of the 3 kings, built trading emprie (with help of king of phoenician city Tyre, Hiram); after his death, the northern part of the kingdom revolted, became Israel in north, Judah in south

Assyrian capture and the Babylonian captivity

Assyrians captured the northern kingdom, southern kingdom lasted longer; eventually defeated by King Nebuchadnezzar (Neo-Babylonians) and people were sent to Babylon; Perisans conquered Babylon and let Jews leave

what is a talmud?

religious text

what is a torah?

first 5 books of the Hebrew bible

who was Cyrus?

Persian ruler who defeated the Neo-Babylonians, founded the Persian empire

who was Darius?

Persian ruler, organzied the emprie by dividing it into provinces and placing satraps to govern it, organized a new uniform money system, worked on construction projects throughout the empire, failed to defeat the Greeks

who was Xerxes?

Persian ruler, son of Darius, vowed revenge on the Athenians and invaded Greece, winning the battle of Thermopylae

who was Abraham?

shepherd of Ur in Mesopotamia, father of the Hebrews

who was Moses?

important Jewish prophet (and for other religions too), wrote the Torah, led the Israelites out of Egypt, received the 10 commandments from God

geography in ancient and classical India

Indian subcontinent, Himalayan mountains to the North & Northwest, Hindu Kush, Deccan Plateau, Tibetan Plateau, Thar Desert, Indus river system, Brahmaputra river system, Ganges river, seasonal monsoons (important for crops)

Mohenjo-daro and Harappa in Indus Valley river civilizations

grid planned cities, plumbing/sewer system, the Great Bath, undeciphered language, polytheistic

what was the Aryan migration?

Indo-European nomads that migrated to India

Vedas: earliest religous text divided into 4 books

what was Hinduism?

no known founder, inspired by the Vedas and Upanishads, goal was to seek truth

what was the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism?

all life involving suffering, desire is the cause of suffering, elimination of desire brings end to suffering, living by the Noble Eightfold eliminates desire

what was the Eightfold Path in Buddhism?

taking the Middle Path will eliminate desire and bring nirvana

what was the Middle Path in Buddhism?

avoidance of the 2 extremes (indulgence and asceticism)

what was the Gupta empire in Buddhism?

classical empire, contributions included Arabic numerals, zero, Ayurvedic medicine, pi, literature, astronomy, re-emergence of Hinduism

what was the Maurya empire in Buddhism?

large, well-organized government, spread Buddhism, tolerance, expansion, Edicts of Asoka

geography in ancient and classical China?

the earliest civilization in China was centered around the Huang He river (has bad floods). Deserts, the himalayas, and bodies of water culturally isolated China from other river valley civilizations. East & south had fertile land, north and west had deserts and mountains. Mountains, valleys, plains, hills, dunes, plateaus