Coach Taylor H Midterm Study Guide DONE

Australopithecines/what were they? How long ago? Where?

2-4 million years ago (Lucy); the earliest human like creatures & lived in Africa - "southern ape-men"

Homo sapiens sapiens/ When? Where?

"wise humans" - developed around 250,000 years ago, first anatomically modern humans

Neolithic Revolution/ What was it? When?

the development of agriculture, including the planting of food crops and the domestication of farm animals, around 10,000 BC, however more likely to spread diseases.

Who/where were the 4 earliest river valley civilizations?

- Mesopotamia

- Egypt

- Indus River & India

- Yellow River & China

Sumerians/ when? Where? Main accomplishments? Cuneiform/ziggurats/math etc.

the creators of the 1st Mesopotamian civilization - Perhaps the oldest of all civilizations. At least 3,000 B.C.

Not an empire or kingdom, but a group of city-states (Such as Ur, Uruk, Lagash and others).

Never united

Governed by a theocracy; frequently by priest-kings

Builders of Ziggurats, the arch, the dome, the wheel, base 60 math and others

Origin of Gilgamesh

Inventors of Cuneiform

Hammurabi/Babylonians/importance of code and main ideas in it

Around 1700's BC conquer Mesopotamia

Babylonian/ Amorites came after the Sumerians in Mesopotamia & ruled by Hammurabi

Give us our first known WRITTEN code of law in Hammurabi's Code (collection of 282 strict laws - known for "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth")

Used copper and bronze, built temples, walls, and irrigation canals; encouraged trade; brought an economic revival

Gilgamesh

Sumerian epic, around 2000 B. C.

Oldest known form of literature

Written in cuneiform

About a legendary Sumerian king of mythic stories

Egypt/ when? Importance and accomplishments

- Based on dynasties

- 365 day calendar

- Base 10

- Good engineering

- Hieroglyphics

- Lots of poetry, book of healing & dead

Egypt Old/middle/new kingdoms

Old:

The "Pyramid" age Writing, math, religious customs, etc. developed Strong Pharaohs- considered gods

Middle:

Nobles and priests make positions hereditary and grow in power Pharaoh more like a shepherd than a god Ends with invasion and conquest by Eastern group called the Hyksos

New:

Marked by military conquest and a time of empire Three Pharaohs to remember Hatshepsut Amenhotep/Akhenaten- wanted to be prayed to because he is a follower of aten, does not go over well; religious revolution Ramses the Great; military; wins countless battles and highly praised After the New Kingdom Egypt goes into a slow, but gradual time of decline until conquered by Alexander the Great in the 330's BC

Importance of Nile, Osiris, and pharaoh (Ma'at)

Nile: fed, isolated them, mostly rural, and a positive environment

Osiris: the Egyptian god of the underworld - symbol of Resurrection / rebirth

Ma'at: the chief principle which Egyptian pharaohs were supposed to rule by: a spiritual precept that conveyed the ideas of truth & justice and especially right order & harmony

Nile/Tigris-Euphrates contrast

Nile is predictable and pleasant, happy afterlife unlike Mesopotamia's Tigris river which is chaotic and floods often (they had an unhappy afterlife)

Amenhotep/ Hatshepsut

Hatsheput: the 1st female Egyptian queen

Amenhotep: Pharaoh who tried monotheistic religion by introducing the worship of Aten (god of the sun disk) & closed the temples of other gods - (big failure); Egypt goes back to polytheism and shows how strong priests are

Main contributions of Israel, Phoenicia, Assyria, Persia

Israel: Monotheistic w/ ethical behavior

Phonecia: First phonetic alphabet & good at trading

Assyria: Good at conquering, made many military innovations, most hated in ancient world

Persia: Largest empire up to that point, ethical religion, centralized system, and good at engineering

Zoroastrianism

Persian religion, like Christianity in dualism (good, evil), (peace, war), (love, hate) etc and being judged for who you serve

Cyrus the Great

The Persian king

- Conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem.

- Respected other cultures

- Centralized system from top -> bottom

- Cyrus cylinder (1st basic statement to human rights)

Megaliths/where? When?

In Europe, like Stonehenge (Europe behind Mesopotamia at this point), used to observe the stars (we think)

What was the Harappan Civilization? When?

First civilization in the Indus Valley, existed same time as the Sumerians (3000 B.C.)

- running water, sewage systems, perfect grid layout, a writing system, and traded with the Sumerians

What was the impact of the Aryan invasions? Changes?

Started the Vedic age (introduced Vedas), brought Sanskrit, and split into smaller kingdoms

Basic ideas of Hinduism

Reincarnation, born into caste system, asceticism, karma/dharma, enlightenment separating from the world

Who were the Mauryans?

Chandragupta Maurya created it, one of the largest empires on the Indian peninsula, had lots of conquest

Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism (Main ideas)

Founder of Buddhism, denounces caste system, follow middle way (no extremes, like asceticism or materialism) less of a religion than a philosophy, let go of all desire

Ashoka

Leader of the Mauryan dynasty of India who conquered most of India but eventually gave up violence and converted to Buddhism. One he died the Mauryans split and Buddhism faded

Bodhi/ nirvana/ 8-fold path and Middle Way

Bodi (knowledge) Nirvana like enlightenment, can be achieved in one lifetime unlike Hinduism, 8 fold path to success, 4 noble truths (all life is pain & suffering, desire causes suffering, renounce desire, follow path and way to end suffering)

Mahabharata and Ramayana

Indian epics, legends about Indian gods, contained in the Vedas

Mahabharata about a war, Ramayana about a guy's adventure to find his wife

Stupa

structure where Buddhists go to meditate & holds holy objects - early Buddhist architecture (domes)

Raja

Aryan chieftain - the gods' representatives (great rajas are maharajas), dharma also applies to them

Vedas

ancient Hindu scriptures containing myths, oral tradition, gods, stories etc,

Aryans brought the Vedas

Upanishads written by Brahmans explain them

Sanskrit

Brought to India by Aryans

Language of the Vedas

Dharma/Karma/Brahmans

Dharma was a code of ethics; expected, good behavior - expectations are different for each social class

Karma is that your actions directly affect your path to enlightenment and your

Brahmans are a high social class of Indian society consisting of priest - "one possessed of Brahman", highest caste

Brahma/Vishnu/Siva

Three Hindu gods

Brahma represents the creator god

Vishnu represents the preserver god

Siva represents the destroyer god

Caste/Pariah

Castes are each of the hereditary classes of Hindu society, distinguished by relative degrees of ritual purity or pollution and of social status, still exists today in a degree

Pariahs are Indian slaves consisting of prisoners or war, criminals, ethnic minorities - untouchables who weren't considered humans

Sati (suttee)

The ceremonial suicide burning of a widow

Jainism

a rejection of the material world and the idea that everything is sacred, cannot injure living beings (including plants)

Indian contributions to math

<>, the number "0," pi, and base 10

Shang Dynasty/Oracle bones/great at bronze casting

First recorded dynasty

Know of them through their oracle bones (turtle shells used for predicting the future)

Known for war, human sacrifices, writing, and bronze casting

Confucianism

Confucius founded it, is not a religion but a philosophy, his teachings kept in the analects

Challenged birthright dynasties by promoting merit

Teaching:

- people are good

- they will behave good, if they have good examples

- dao

- 5 relationships (father-son most important)

- be the "superior" man

- looking to the ancestors

Legalism/Daoism

Legalism: Qin dynasty, people are bad, selfish, aggressive, etc. Keep people in line through tough laws & punishments, creating fear

Daoism: Lao Tzu, opposites in nature (yin & yang), nature, old gods, spirits, meditation, understanding nature. Chinese watercolor landscape paintings represented this

Well Field system

Started under the Zhou dynasty, way to farm, dividing land where the lord had a middle plot of land with the perimeter of land farmed by the peasants - the peasants also farmed the lord's land (who were heavily taxed)

Shi Huangdi/Qin Dynasty/Terra-cotta soldiers

Qin gives China its 1st standardized law & government- *connect & complete Great Wall- construct canals- expand territory

Shi Huangdi's tomb is filled with statues known as the terracotta army

Great Wall/Civil Service/Iron/ Silk/Bronze/paper making

Qin: finished Great wall that protected Northern China,

Han: civil service exam- silk road developing- invention of paper, cast iron, & ship rudder

Bronze casting peaked during Shang dynasty, bronze replaced by iron then replaced by ceramics

How is Chinese writing different/ what about music?

Not phonetic, symbols mean certain ideas rather than sounds

Chinese music used to soothe, harmonize, purify, and rectify behavior, mainly cerimonial

Mandate of Heaven

Emperors should rule morally & ethically - must have the merit to rule, not just birthright

natural disasters & chaos could be taken as a sign of losing the mandate

eunuchs

the Qin brought these - the emperor was scared of other powerful men posing a challenge to the throne, so they castrated them

How are women treated?

no property or education & had to move in with husband's family

humble, obedient, successful, submissive

NOTE:

We cover the four river valley civilizations in chapters 1-3. The basic idea is to look at just what they set up and accomplish in the way of art, architecture, government, literature, religion, writing and any other measure of a civilization. A lot of your questions will be just who did what. (ex. Who built the Great Wall, or the Pyramids of Giza?) In terms of lasting beliefs, we have looked at Egyptian religion, Judaism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Daoism and a couple of other lesser ones---know the basic ideas of each and where they originated and where they have made an impact. Christianity and Islam will come later, but are also very important

Why are the Greek our fathers?

They introduced concepts such as democracy, philosophy, and the idea of human capability and control.

Minoans/Mycenaeans

Minoan priestesses held power and were depicted in art and the Mycenaeans were known for their warrior culture, strong kings, burial practices, and early writing systems

Dorian invasion sparks this age into the Greek dark ages (no written records)

Homer/ Iliad and Odyssey—basic story and values

Epic that promotes Homeric values like bravery, strength, loyalty, intelligence, and the importance of family honor.

Polis

A polis is a city-state that served as the central political unit in ancient Greece, characterized by its own government and way of life.

Hoplites/Phalanx

The hoplite phalanx, a new way of fighting where foot soldiers, often farmers, fought together., led to conquest and colonies in Italy

Tyrants

in ancient Greece, rulers who seized power by force but who ruled with the people's support; later came to refer to rulers who exercise brutal and oppressive power, leads to eventual democracy

Sparta/Athens contrast

Sparta:

- Militaristic

- Isolated

- Uneducated

Athens:

- Aristocratic

- Educated

- Traders

The Classical ideal in art/arch

A focus on idealized beauty and harmony, no imperfections

Cleisthenes

Reformer who established a council of 500 in Athens, enhancing democratic governance.

Persian Wars (cause/outcome)

The Greeks successfully defended against three Persian attempts to conquer them, solidifying their independence.

United the Greek city-states and established a sense of shared identity and culture.

Thermopylae/Plataea

Thermopylae: 300 Spartans fought against a much larger Persian force, slowing their advance.

The Persians were defeated for good, Spartan alliance defeated the remaining Persian forces.

Pericles—When is the "Age of Pericles?"

The Golden Age of Greece, particularly under Pericles, age of Democracy especially in Athens

Delian League

An alliance of Greek city-states agreeing to contribute money and weapons to defend against Persia. led by Athens, which became an Athenian empire.

Peloponnesian Wars (who fought? Who won? Importance?)

The division of Greece into two armed camps: Athens and Sparta. Sparta emerged victorious, leading to significant damage to Greece. Decline of Athenian power which weakened them & eventually taken over by Alexander the Great

Herodotus

Father of History, wrote about the Persian Wars, takes religion out of history (tells the facts instead of myths to explain why)

Sophocles

Greek writer of tragedies; author of Oedipus Rex and Antigone

Parthenon

Temple of Athena, perfect in function and symmetric

Want human perfection and showcase the idealized version of life

Big Three in Philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)—main ideas and beliefs

Socrates

- Criticizes government

- Teaches that there is eternal truth

- Eternal truth is innate and just needs to be pulled out

Plato

- Idealist

- There is a perfect world out there, but our body is a prison to ourselves

- This world is a reflection of the other, cannot see but reason tells us it's there

Aristotle

- Pupil of Plato

- Disagrees w/ Plato saying this world does matter & is worth studying

- 1st scientific thinker, studies everything

- For politics, not after ideal hypothetical but what works in practice

Main Greek Gods and nature of Greek religion (Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Hera)

Religion involved numerous gods, myths, and rituals aimed at explaining the unexplained and controlling fate, with no formalized moral codes like commandments.

Zeus: main god

Apollo: god of the sun

Athena: god of wisdom

Hera: god of women and marriage

What happened to Greece? Decline?

Conquered by Alexander the Great (weak from Peloponnesian wars), enter into the Hellenistic age

Alexander the Great—dream/conquests/importance

United Macedonia through conquest, Phillip (his father) was killed so he wanted to live out his dream (taking the whole world) in his honor

Conquers Greece, Egypt, defeats Persia and attempts to enter India but forced to turn back

Stoicism/ Epicureanism

Stoicism: believed that emotions cloud reason and that true happiness comes from aligning with divine reason and maintaining emotional balance.

Epicureanism: believed in seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, emphasizing friendship and intellectual pursuits as the highest pleasures.

What happened to Alexander's empire?

After Alexander's death, 4 of his generals take the empire and split it among themselves, so they get 4 different kingdoms - no longer united

Hellenistic Age—just what was it?

Art more realistic to life rather than idealized, Greece enters this after being conquered by Alexander the Great

Euclid/Archimedes

Euclid: gives us Euclidean Geometry

Archimedes: Romans feared him, invents military defense items, estimated the value of pi, cones and cylinders, formula on water displacement

Etruscans

influenced early Rome through engineering, roads, and urban planning.

The Roman Republic—when did it start? How did it work? When and how did it end?

An abusive Etruscan king was overthrown and led to the establishment of the Republic

Why was early Rome so successful?

Even little guys get some say so, everyone somewhat equal

Dominated by Military and rich guys

Pretty good job at stability and protecting Rome from its enemies

Lots of patriotism

Latifundias

Massive estates worked by slaves, contributing to economic inequality and urban poverty.

Gracchus Rebellion

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus led the reform that tried to limit land ownership by the elite and give land to the poor, both were murdered.

Consuls/Proconsuls/Tribunes

Praetors were judges

Consuls were two top elected leaders overseeing military and civil matters

Tribunes protected the rights of Plebeians.

Punic Wars (causes/outcome/importance)

Three wars (264-146 BC) between Rome and Carthage, ending with Rome's victory and destruction of Carthage.

Hannibal

Most infamous Carthaginian general who led troops over the Alps into Italy. Defeated during the Second Punic War.

Julius Caesar

Made dictator for life in 45 BC, after conquering Gaul, assassinated in 44 BC by the Senate because they were afraid of his power. Part of the 1st triumvirate

Reforms included:

Julian calendar, expanded Senate, citizenship grants, public works, debt relief, and land for the poor.

Gaius Marius -vs- Sulla

Marius: changed army into a volunteer force, causing soldiers to be loyal to generals

Sulla: Seized power, became dictator, later returned power to the Senate, but set the precedent for future takeovers.

Octavian (Augustus)

Caesar's adopted son; Rome's 1st emperor

Defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium, becoming Augustus.

Augustine Age -what did it stand for?

Literary golden age

Ovid/Vergil

Ovid: Poet famous for Metamorphoses and writing about love and mythology

Vergil: Wrote the Aeneid, Roman epic connecting Rome to Troy

Nero

Roman emperor that persecuted Christians heavily, said to have started the fire that destroyed much of Rome but that's just a theory... A-

Constantine

Moved capital to Constantinople, made Christianity legal (Edict of Milan), increased central control and bureaucracy

Importance of Paul of Tarsus

Known for spreading Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and promoting its universal appeal.

Why did Christianity succeed in Rome?

Christianity appealed to all people regardless of social class and promised eternal life. It succeeded because of its broad appeal, hope and salvation to the masses, and a strong sense of community and charity.

Edict of Milan

Constantine makes Christianity the primary religion of the Roman Empire, legalizes it and ends the official persecution

Rome's Decline—when? Why?

Republic: Military loyalty shifted to generals, not Rome. Political violence, economic inequality, and ambition (e.g., Julius Caesar) undermined the Republic.

Empire: Army no longer out of patriotism, Germanic invaders, too big and problems with the economy

Rome's legacy—what impact did they leave on the world today?

Given us plumbing, republics, law, Christianity widespread (after Constantine), power and peace (with pax romana)

Pax Romana

A period of peace and prosperity throughout the Roman Empire because of its widespread power

Native Americans---dominant theories on where they came from and when

Developed in isolation

Migrated through a land bridge from Asia - The Bering Strait, land bridge bc of the ice age

13,000 years ago (probably longer ago)

Olmecs—when? Where? Traits

The Mother culture

Earliest Mesoamerican civilization, created smaller pyramids, a writing system

Created big heads marking territory trails (rose questions if they made it themselves or if they adopted)

Collapsed in the 300s BC

Maya—traits, accomplishments, what happened to them?

Lived on the Yucatan Peninsula, had cities like Palenque, Copan, and Tikal, urbanized

Monarchs, Aristocrats, social classes, very polytheistic, priests, gloomy underworld, human sacrifice, ball courts, calendars, murals

Created a writing system

Created a number system w/ 0

Advanced astrology that could predict solstices 100s of years in the past and future

Considered the most advanced for lasting 1000s of years

Declined in 800s A.D., overuse of land and violence

Inca--same

344 A.D., Cuzco, huge empire and war-like, 2000 troop army, temple to the sun, Machu Picchu

Made 24,000 miles of highways thru mountains, pony express, terraced mountainsides, suspension bridges, theater, preserved foods

Francisco Pizzaro found them and beat the Incas up and found lots of treasure

Aztecs---same

In Lake Texcoco, myth that they saw an eagle on a cactus eating a snake (sign of where to go, still on Mexico's flag today)

Very militaristic comparable with Sparta and Qin dynasty, ruled by a monarch (descendant of the gods), elected by nobles and had police

Polytheistic and used human sacrifice to prolong the end of the world

Collapsed when Spanish came, nobody liked the Aztecs anyway but the Spanish destroyed most work, very little survived (including calendar)

Cahokia/Anasazi

Cahokia: Mississippian settlement near present-day East St. Louis, home to as many as 25,000 Native Americans

Anasazi: Means "ancient ones", in the southwest- 4 corner region, descended into tribes- building mesa Verde and Chaco canyon- may have practiced cannibalism

Major products (agricultural and animal)

Cocoa, rubber, feathers, papaya, beans, squash, tomatoes, etc

Muhammad—early life and beliefs

Born in Mecca

Orphan, came in contact with Buddhism and Christianity, Gets a visit from Gabriel who tells him that he is the last of the prophets

Tired of degeneracy (Bedouins and bad habits)

Goes back to Mecca to spread the word

Five pillars

- the creed

- fasting

- almsgiving

- the Haj

- praying 5 times a day (facing east to Mecca)