AP World History Study Guide - Unit 0

Where did humans first appear in?

East Africa

What is the time before the Agricultural Revolution called?

The Old Stone Age or the Paleolithic Era

How did Paleolithic people survive regarding food?

They survived by hunting animals and forging for seeds and edible plants

Were paleolithic peoples stationary or nomadic?

nomadic

What did paleolithic peoples make to assist them?

Stone Tools

What were the Paleolithic peoples’ religious beliefs?

They believed in animism (gods that had to do with nature: animals, mountains, rivers, etc.)

What does egalitarian mean? And what peoples were mainly egalitarian?

It means equal between genders; Paleolithic people

What is Patriarchy?

domination by males

10,000 years ago, what change occurred?

The change from hunting and gathering to agriculture (Agricultural Revolution)

Where is did the Agricultural Revolution begin?

The Middle East

What were some effects of the Agricultural Revolution? (6 of them)

The population grew (as people began to settle)

people became highly skilled at one job (artisans)

people developed new technology (improve irrigation, replace stone w/ bronze and iron)

people created more extensive governments and taxation (want to keep records or trade and taxes = invention of writing)

competition of resources (group conflict from settling)

became sharply divided into classes (women status declined)

What was the world’s first civilization called?

Mesopotamia

What two rivers was Mesopotamia around?

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers

What country is Mesopotamia now?

Iraq

What are some examples of city-states in Mesopotamia?

Babylon and Sumer

What were Mesopotamian temples called?

Ziggurats

What is a city-state?

an independent state that makes up a city and its surrounding territory

True or False: All Mesopotamian city-states were patriarchal

True

True or False: The Mesopotamians did NOT engage in long distance trading

False

What is the first written language in history?

Cuneiform

What river valley did Egypt reside in?

The NIle River valley

How were women treated in Egypt?

They were allowed to own property and were recognized as legally equal to men

What is the Egyptian writing system called?

Hieroglyphics

Where did the Indus civilization reside?

Along the Indus River in South Asia

What are some Indus cities?

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

True or False: Some Indus cities traded with Mesopotamia

true

What river did early Chinese civilizations sprout near?

The Huang He River in Northern China

What are some examples of early civilizations that did not develop in river valleys?

The Olmec and Chavin

What religion is considered monotheistic sometimes and polytheistic sometimes?

Hinduism

What peoples are attributed to the spread of Hinduism to India and brought the Vedas with them?

The Aryans

What social organization system did the Vedas teach?

The Caste System

What is an early form of monotheism (besides Christianity and Judaism), and where did it originate?

Zoroastrianism; it developed in Persia

What is the time between 600 B.C.E and 600 C.E called?

The Classical Era

What empires in western Eurasia arose in the Classical Era?

Persian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine empires

What empires in southern asia arose in the Classical Era?

The Gupta and Mauryan empires

What empires in eastern asia arose in the Classical Era?

The Qin and Han dynasties

What empire in Mesoamerica arose in the Classical Era?

The Mayan empire

What religion spread the farthest on the SIlk Roads?

Buddhism (not Christianity)

From where to where did the Silk roads connect?

From the West (Rome) to China

What is Hellenism?

The systems of beliefs and culture that originated from Grecian people that many in the Hellenistic period followed (300 B.C.E to 300 C.E)

What dynasty resided near the Yellow River valley?

The Shang Dynasty (Huang He River Valley)

What is pastorialism?

A way of life based on herding livestock such as cattle (nomadic)

What was the most influential development in South Asia?

Buddhism

Who were the main types of people spreading Buddhism on the silk roads?

missionaries and merchants

True or False: Buddhism is a universalizing religion

True

Under what empire did the first period of unity occur in South Asia?

The Mauryan Empire

This ruler led the Mauryan Empire to its highest point:

Ashoka

How did Ashoka spread knowledge of the law within the empire?

By inscribing his edicts on pillars

Whose conversion to what religion helped it spread throughout India?

Ashoka’s conversion from Hinduism to Buddhism

Under what empire did the golden age of India occur?

The Gupta Empire

In what categories did the Guptas make innovations in?

medicine and numbering systems (still used today)

True or False: The Gupta civilization was highly matriarchal and strongly supported Buddhism

False (very patriarchal and supported Hinduism)

Under what dynasty was central China united?

The Zhou Dynasty

What was the warring states period?

A time of decentralization and instability in China as the Zhou Dynasty weakened

What is the Mandate of Heaven?

the idea that heaven provided justification for a ruler to rule China

What would happen if a ruler was corrupt under the Mandate of Heaven?

heaven would show its displeasure through the form of natural disasters

What did Mandate of Heaven prompt peasants to do?

It prompted them to initiate several major uprisings in China

What teaching affected Chinese beliefs and values more than any other philosophy?

Confucianism

The teachings of Confucius were written down where?

In the Analects

What does Confucianism teach?

It teaches people how to live their everyday lives and emphasized the importance of having good moral character. Taught respect for those in authority and filial piety (respect for ancestors)

What is the main focus of Daoism?

how people could live in harmony with nature

Under what dynasties did China regain control?

The Qin and Han dynasties

Under what dynasty did the Golden Age of Chinese history occur?

The Han Dynasty

What was the capital of the Han Dynasty?

Chang’ an

True or False: The Han Dynasty did not trade from the capital to the Mediterranean Sea

False

What was the civil service exam?

It made students have to analyze Confucian teachings and those who scored well received prestigious jobs in in the government bureaucracy

What dynasty replaced the Qin Dynasty?

The Han Dynasty

Strong Western Eurasian civilizations in the Classical period:

Persia, Greece, Rome, Byzantine

What is Persia now?

Iran

Who developed Persia into a large empire?

Cyrus the Great

True or False: The Persians promoted religious toleration

True

How many city-states was Greece divided into?

Approx. 1,000 city-states

What was one cultural trait shared by Greeks?

Religion

What were two of Greece’s largest city-states?

Athens and Sparta

In Sparta, what roles were women allowed to take up?

Ones that allowed free men and soldiers to fight when needed

What system of government did the Athenians come up with?

Democracy

Who was allowed the ability to participate in directly making political decisions in ancient Greece?

Free adult males

Who spread Greek culture across Persia, into Egypt and to east India?

Alexander the Great

What trade route did the Romans use to trade w/ India?

The Indian Ocean trade route

True or False: The Romans did not rely on slaves

false

Did women in Rome or Greece have more rights?

Women in Rome

What were some rights that women in Rome had?

The right to own property and initiate divorce proceedings

What types of publicly funded projects was Rome famous for?

Aqueducts and large stadiums

What were some issues that contributed to the fall of Rome?

Over-extended military, disease outbreaks, corrupt leaders, and invasions

Rome generally tolerated all faiths as long as ________________________.

subjects agreed to accept the divine nature of the emperor

Roman persecution of the Jews contributed to what event?

The diaspora of Jews to lands throughout northern Africa and Europe

Under what emperor did Christianity become legal and accepted as the religion of the empire?

Emperor Constantine

What are two examples of monastic faiths?

Buddhism and Christianity

Where did Constantine move the capital of the Roman empire?

To Byzantine (now Istanbul)

What does it mean that Constantinople was an entrepot?

It means that Constantinople was a coastal trading center

Justinian the Great created what code?

The Justinian Code

One of the most important American civilizations was based off of what city?

Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan people built temples dedicated to what gods?

The gods of the Sun and Moon

Who lived south of Teotihuacan?

The Mayans

Who was the most influential classical civilization of the Americas?

The Mayans

What thing did Mayan priests create?

A very accurate calendar

What years did post classical civilizations reign from?

From 600 to 1200 C.E.

What were the main three trade routes throughout Afro-Eurasia during the decline of classical civilizations?

Silk Roads, Trans- Saharan trade route, and the Indian Ocean trade networks

Who was the founder of Islam and what occupation did he have?

Muhammad; he was a merchant