World History Midterm

What was the first civilization?

Sumer

What was Sumer made up of?

city-states in Mesopotamia near the Persian Gulf

What was Sumer’s government structure?

hereditary rulers leading to monarchies, one ruler

What does polytheistic mean?

many gods

What were Sumer’s acheivements?

cuneiform, “Epic of Gilgamesh,” number system based on 6 (60 minutes in an hour, 360 for a circle)

Who created the first empire in Mesopotamia?

Sargon of Akkad

Who took over most of Sumer?

King Hammurabi

What was King Hammurabi known for?

His code of 282 laws on a 7 ft stele that contained both civil and criminal laws

What was the Babylonian empire’s religion?

polytheism but promoted Marduk as a chief god

What was Assyria known for?

terrorism and harsh treatment of defeated people and practicing deportation of people

What was Assyria’s religion?

Worshipping Ashur, their chief war god

Who founded one of the world’s first libraries at Nineveh?

King Arshurbanipal

What did Jonah preach a message of?

a message of repentance in Nineveh

What did Joel preach a message of?

a message of judgement for Nineveh

What kingdom did Neo-Babylon defeat and what did they do with the people?

defeated the southern kingdom of Judah and deported the people to Babylon

Who created the Hanging gardens of Babylon?

Nebuchadnezzar

What were Assyria’s achievements?

conquering 2 river valley civilizations, Mesopotamia and the Nile

What were the achievements of Neo-Babylon?

astronomy and the reconstruction of Babylon

What did the Persians speak and where were they from?

spoke Indu-European and were from outside Mesopotamia

What was Darius I known for?

his good bureaucracy and management

What was Zoroastrianism?

a semi-monotheistic religion worshipping Ahura Mazda, calling for ethical living and final judgement of people

Who founded Zoroastrianism?

the Persian Zoroaster

Where would Phoenicia be found in modern day?

Lebanon

What did Phoenicia create?

the first real alphabet

When were the Hebrews called?

When Abraham left Ur in Mesopotamia to follow God to the promised land In Canaan

What did God make with Abraham?

a covenant in which he promised him land and many descendants

Was Israel monotheistic or polytheistic?

monotheistic

What happened after Israel split into 2 kingdoms?

The Northern Kingdom, Israel, was deported by Assyria and the Southern Kingdom was deported to Babylon, but the Southern Kingdom would eventually return back to Jerusalem

What did historians say was the gift of the Nile??

Egypt

Egypt has two parts: which part is in the north and which part is in the south?

north- Lower Egypt

south- Upper Egypt

What is the Nile Delta?

a very fertile part of Egypt in lower Egypt

Egypt is divided into how many kingdoms?

3 main kingdoms

What is Egypt’s government system like?

monarchy with a pharaoh at the top but a vizier running the government

What is the Old Kingdom in Egypt also known as?

Pyramid Period (Pyramid of Khufu)

What is the Middle Kingdom in Egypt also known as?

Turbulent Period (Hyskos invade)

What is the New Kingdom in Egypt also known as?

the Height of Power (Egypt attacks Syria)

Who was the female who ruled as Pharaoh on her own?

Hatshepsut

Who was the great military leader who expanded the Egyptian borders to their greatest extent?

Thutmose II

Who tried to remove other gods so that only the “Aton” sun disk would be worshipped?

Akhenaton

What was the name of the god associated with the Pharaoh?

Amon-Re

What were Egypt’s achievements?

Pyramids, hieroglyphs, papyrus for writing, mummification, 12-month calendar

Where is the Indus River located modern day?

Pakistan

India is a _________ of Asia.

Subcontinent

What are the names of the 2 examples of early civilization that were known for their brick houses and indoor plumbing?

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

What did the Aryans (Indu-European speaking people) form when they married the local people of North India?

the Vedic civilization

What do the aryans appear in the vedas as?

warriors

What was the government system for the Aryan civilization and the vedas?

tribal groups lead by rajahs

What were the 4 social classes for the Aryan civilization and the vedas?

Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Sudras

What was the Aryan’s civilization and the vedas’ religion?

polytheistic with Indra as their chief god, but later some people saw Brahman as a single spiritual power between all gods

What were the 2 epics that the Aryan civilization and the veda’s were known for?

The Mahabharata and the Ramayana

Did hinduism have a founder or a sacred book?

no

What is Dharma to? (hindusim)

Dharma is to the caste system and one’s place in it

What is the goal of hinduism?

Moksha from Samsara and union with Brahman with one’s atman (self)

What do good actions equal within Hinduism?

Good karma and rebirth in a higher caste

What does karma mean?

action and result

What is Samsara?

the cycle of pain, suffering, and rebirth

What does dharma mean?

duty, however it is used differently by the Hindus and the buddhists

What is ahimsa?

nonviolence

Who united much of India in the Maurya empire?

Chandragupta

Who was the founder of Buddhism?

Siddhartha Gautama

What is dharma in Buddhism?

the teachings of Buddha, to follow the 4 noble truths and the eightfold path

What is the goal of Buddhism?

escaping samsara through enlightenment to the state of Nirvana

What does Nirvana mean?

blown out

What does Buddha mean?

enlightened one

What is Theravada buddhism?

the “school of elders”

What is Mahayana buddhism?

the “greater vehicle”

What do Bodhisattvas do?

delay Nirvana to save others

What was Chandragupta known for?

his female body guards and his spies to check on people

Who was Chandragupta’s grandson and what did he do?

Ashoka, he converted to buddhism and sent out buddhist missionaries and erected stone pillars with his laws

What happened after Ashoka’s death?

the Mauryan empire declined

What university attracted students from Asia in the Gupta empire?

the buddhist-monastery university at Nalanda

In the Gupta empire, what did the Indians develop?

the decimal system and the concept of 0

What was the social structure like in the Gupta empire?

joint families with several generations living together

In the 1100s, where did muslims invade and conquer, and what did they establish?

conquered much of north India and established the Delhi Sultanate

T or F: Islam is polytheistic.

False

Who is Muhhamed?

the greatest prophet of Islam

Who is Guru Nanak?

founder of Sikhism

What is the name of the book that Sikhs’ follow the teachings of?

Guru Granth Sahib

Who was Babur?

the leader of the Turkish and mongol armies that invaded north India

Who was Akbar?

Babur’s grandson who created a strong centralized government in Mughal India

Under whose reign was it that the high point of Mughal India occured?

Shah Jahan

What did Shah Jahan build to honor his wife?

the Taj Mahal

Who was Shah Jahan’s son and what did he do?

Aurangzeb, he rejected many of his father’s policies and that caused him to lose support from many Hindus.

Out of the four river valley civilizations, which one was the most isolated?

China

Which kingdom did China come to see themselves as?

the middle kingdom

What was another name for the Yellow river?

the river of sorrows because of the flooding

What was the Shang dynasty’s government like?

small kingdoms

What religion was followed in the Shang dynasty?

believed in Shang Di as the chief god

What were the Shang dynasty’s achievments?

bronze casting, writing on oracle bones

How did the Zhou dynasty justify their conquering of the Shang dynasty?

the Mandate of Heaven

What was the Zhou dynasty’s government system?

Feudalism

What was the Zhou dynasty’s economy like?

coins used for trade

What was the Zhou dynasty’s achievments?

iron tools, new roads, and canals

What did Kong Zi teach?

a philosophy of the 5 relationships that would lead to a harmonious society, how to make a successful government, and that man is basically good

What did Lao Zi teach?

he taught the Dao and the right relationship of Yin and Yang, also that a government that governed the least was the best

Who is Qin Shi Wangdi?

the leader of the Qin dynasty

What were the achievements of the Qin dynasty?

connecting walls to form the Great wall, terracotta army in his tomb

Who was the famous leader of the Han dynasty?

Emperor Wu Di

Was was Emperor Wu Di also called?

the warrior emperor

what did the Han dynasty put a monopoly on?

salt