World History Modern AP Edition - Prologue and Classical/Postclassical Overview Flashcards

The Prologue: History Before 1200 C.E.

Part 1: Human Development to c. 600 B.C.E. — The First Migrations

• Modern humans first appeared in East Africa between 200{,}000 B.C.E. and 100{,}000 B.C.E.

  • Survived by hunting animals and foraging for seeds and edible plants.

  • Lived in small groups, usually no more than a few dozen people; no permanent homes.

  • As they searched for food, they:

  • Adapted to new environments; developed genetic and cultural differences.

  • Learned to control fire and make stone tools.

  • Created artistic drawings and paintings.

  • Developed animism: a system of religious beliefs that reveres deities associated with nature (animals, mountains, rivers).

  • Societies were fairly egalitarian but showed early signs of patriarchy (male domination).

• Sometime between 100{,}000 and 60{,}000 years ago, and perhaps due to the end of the last ice age, populations moved beyond East Africa.

  • People began populating the rest of the globe; by 10{,}000 B.C.E. (approximately), humans lived on every continent except Antarctica.

  • Map references show migration routes (e.g., Bering Strait, land bridges) and the spread of Homo sapiens.

• The First Appearance of Modern Homo sapiens: 200{,}000 B.C.E.

• Migration Out of Africa: spread of humans from Africa to other continents.

• The Agricultural Revolution (ca. 10{,}000 years ago = 8000\,\text{B.C.E.})

  • A warming climate after the last ice age enabled humans to plant crops and raise animals for food.

  • Surplus food allowed a portion of the population to specialize in non-food producing activities.

  • Consequences and innovations:

  • Population growth and larger settlements that eventually became cities.

  • Specialization: artisans (tools, weapons), merchants (trade), priests (rituals).

  • Technological advances: improved irrigation, wheel in transportation, transition from stone to metals (bronze and later iron).

  • Political and administrative developments: more extensive governments and taxation; invention of writing to record trade and taxes.

  • Social changes: increased competition for resources and wealth; conflict between groups; but governments provided a more peaceful way to settle disputes.

  • Gender dynamics: sharper social stratification; women’s status generally declined.

• The First Civilizations (post- Agricultural Revolution)

  • Emerged in river valleys with fresh water and fertile land.

  • General characteristics: large cities and powerful states; monumental architecture; long-distance trade; writing; social classes; patriarchy.

  • Mesopotamia (Tigris and Euphrates, in present-day Iraq):

  • City-states; polytheistic religion; ziggurats; complex taxation and trade.

  • Sumerians invented cuneiform—the first written language; first written laws.

  • Egypt (Nile River valley):

  • Highly centralized monarchy under a pharaoh; famous for pyramids and monumental architecture.

  • Writing system (hieroglyphics); advanced mathematics; property rights for women; women recognized as legally equal in court.

  • Indus Civilization (Indus River, South Asia):

  • Cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro; extensive urban planning, indoor plumbing, and long-distance trade with Mesopotamia.

  • Decipherment of their language remains elusive, so less is known about them.

  • China (Huang He, northern China):

  • A highly patriarchal and centralized system; ancestor veneration prominent.

  • Non-River Valley Civilizations in the Americas:

  • Olmec (Mesoamerica) and Chavín (Andes) developed complex societies with extensive trade; trade routes connected them with other regions.

• Religion and Belief Systems (origins and developments during early civilizations)

  • Animism remained common: deities tied to places and natural features.

  • Transition toward more abstract, universal beliefs: deities could be portable with people as they moved.

  • Monotheism emerges in later eras with Zoroastrianism (Persia) and Judaism emerging as influential monotheistic faiths.

  • Hinduism and Judaism are highlighted as major religious traditions with long-lasting influence; Christianity and Islam are foreshadowed and will be discussed later.

Part 2: The Classical Era, c. 600 B.C.E. to c. 600 C.E. — Core Empires and Interregional Exchange

• Core empires (600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.):

  • Western Eurasia: Persian (Achaemenid), Greek, Roman, Byzantine empires.

  • Southern Asia: Mauryan and Gupta empires.

  • Eastern Asia: Qin and Han dynasties (China).

  • Mesoamerica: Mayan civilization.

• Trade routes and exchange:

  • Silk Roads (land routes) and maritime routes in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.

  • Cities that became great trading hubs: Rome (Italy), Constantinople (Turkey), Damascus (Syria), Pataliputra (India), Chang’an (China).

• The Spread of Buddhism (Core South Asia):

  • The founder: Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), born ca. 530 B.C.E. into a Hindu family.

  • Enlightenment under a bodhi tree; teachings distilled into Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

  • Key goal: Nirvana; the end of the cycle of rebirth.

  • Buddhism: a universalizing religion that rejected the caste system; developed a monastic tradition with monasteries for men and women.

  • Spread: quickly across India and into Asia via missionaries and merchants along Silk Roads and Indian Ocean networks; Buddhism offered an alternative to Vedic Hinduism.

• The Mauryan Empire (ca. 322\text{-}187 B.C.E.):

  • First period of unity in South Asia; high point under Ashoka.

  • Ashoka implemented a sophisticated tax system and road networks linking commercial centers.

  • Edicts: Ashoka inscribed legal and ethical guidelines on pillars throughout the empire.

  • Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism helped spread the faith across India.

  • Decline: political decentralization followed Ashoka’s era.

• The Gupta Empire (ca. 320\text{-}550 C.E.):

  • Reunified much of northern India; known as the Golden Age of India.

  • Centralized government based in Pataliputra; intellectual and cultural life flourished.

  • Medicine: advances in surgery and inoculations; public hospitals.

  • Mathematics: numerals 0–9 with place-value concept; foundation for a global numeric system.

  • Social structure remained patriarchal; Hinduism supported as the religious framework; caste system reinforced social order.

• Confucianism and Developments in East Asia

  • Zhou Dynasty (ca. 1076\text{-}256 B.C.E.) establishes the Mandate of Heaven: heaven's favor justifies an emperor; disasters indicate loss of mandate.

  • Warring States period (ca. 551 B.C.E.): era of chaos prompting new philosophical responses.

  • Confucius (K’ung Fu-tzu) (ca. 551 B.C.E.):

  • Analects emphasize education, benevolence, virtue, respect for authority, and filial piety.

  • Focus on social harmony and the importance of a hierarchical, patriarchal society.

  • Confucianism profoundly influences Chinese beliefs and governance.

  • Daoism: response to Warring States chaos; emphasis on living in harmony with nature and internal reflection.

  • Qin Dynasty (ca. 221\text{-}207 B.C.E.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.):

  • Qin standardized script, weights and measures; built canals and roads; connected centers of commerce.

  • Han established centralized governance with civil service exams, allowing merit-based appointments.

  • Grand canal and early infrastructure improvements fostered trade and unity.

  • Han period marked a golden age with expansion of trade to the Mediterranean via the Silk Roads.

  • Han created a civil service exam system; those scoring well gained bureaucratic positions.

• Civilizations of Western Eurasia and Christianity

  • Persia (Achaemenid empire; ca. 559\text{-}330 B.C.E.)

  • Large, centralized empire with roads and bureaucratic administration; religious toleration.

  • Greece (approx. 550\text{-}336 B.C.E.)

  • Divided into ~1,000 city-states; shared religion but political fragmentation.

  • Sparta: militarized society; women and others filled roles to support male soldiers.

  • Athens: democracy for free adult males; cultural flowering (architecture, literature, theater, philosophy).

  • Alexander the Great spread Greek culture into Egypt, Persia, and India; Hellenistic world.

  • Rome (ca. 509\text{-}476 C.E. as Republic to Empire)

  • Influence from Greek culture; slavery; innovations in governance (representative framework, legal traditions).

  • Twelve Tables: public laws to check abuses of power; foundation for future constitutions.

  • Rome’s expansion created a vast empire (Scotland to North Africa to the Middle East).

  • Women’s rights: Roman women could own and inherit property and initiate divorce; compared to Greek limitations.

  • The Byzantine Empire (ca. 330\text{-}1453 C.E.)

  • Eastern Roman Empire; capital moved to Byzantium, renamed Constantinople (Istanbul).

  • Hagia Sophia (537 C.E.)—a monumental church; Justinian Code consolidated Roman law and influenced European legal systems for centuries.

  • Byzantine empire persisted for ~900 years, acting as a bridge between classical and medieval worlds.

• The Americas in the Classical Era

  • Teotihuacan (near modern Mexico City):

  • Major multicultural urban center; grid-like streets; monumental temples to sun and moon; population around 125{,}000 by the 6th century C.E.; city abandoned by 650 C.E.; influenced later civilizations like the Aztecs.

  • Maya (Mesoamerica):

  • Emerged as a major classical civilization; diverse and highly sophisticated.

  • Developed the most complex writing system in the Americas; precise calendars; concept of zero; sophisticated astronomy.

The Classical Era: Key Features and Cross-Regional Themes

• Key commonalities across empires (600 B.C.E.–600 C.E.)

  • Trade networks and wealth: Silk Roads, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean trade contributed to the rise of large cities and cross-cultural exchange.

  • Political centralization and state-building: empires created stability and security for trade and expansion.

  • Innovations and technologies: stirrups in riding, improved ships and sails, monsoon wind knowledge, camel saddles enabling Sahara caravans, the spread of the wheel and metallurgical advances.

  • Diffusion of religion and ideas: monotheistic and polytheistic traditions shaped social structures and governance; religious legitimacy often intertwined with political authority.

• Decline of Classical Empires (by ~600 C.E.)

  • Tax collection challenges; waning trade; urban population declines due to disease.

  • Growing wealth gaps and social tensions; weakened leadership and defense needs.

  • In some regions, religion provided social cohesion as political unity waned (e.g., Christianity in Europe, Confucianism in China, Hinduism/Buddhism in South Asia).

Part 3: Postclassical Civilizations, c. 600–c. 1200 — New States, Trade Networks, and Diffusion

• The Spread of Islam and the House of Islam (Dar al-Islam)

  • Muhammad (ca. 570–632 C.E.) received revelations later recorded as the Quran; followers called Muslims.

  • Five Pillars of Islam (5 core practices): belief in Allah, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and a pilgrimage to Mecca; a legal code (sharia) governs religious and civic life.

  • Split after Muhammad’s death: Sunni vs. Shia branches; Sunni majority globally; Shia strongest in Iran and Iraq.

  • Expansion: Islam spread rapidly across the Middle East, North Africa, parts of Spain, and into India within a century.

• The Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258) and the Islamic Golden Age

  • Baghdad as an intellectual hub; advances in medicine, astronomy, algebra; improvement of the astrolabe; preservation of Greek and Roman texts.

  • Trade networks thrived under Abbasids; interregional exchanges with China, India, and Africa.

  • Social policies: jizya tax on non-Muslims; changes in women’s rights and veiling practices; practices around marriage and family.

• China: Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties

  • Sui Dynasty (581–618): reconstituted centralized government; Grand Canal construction (over 1{,}000 miles) to link the agricultural south with northern population centers; aided economic growth and unification of diverse groups.

  • Tang Dynasty (618–907): territorial expansion north and south; population growth due to improved rice varieties and agricultural output; civil service exam expanded; paper money; gunpowder; second Golden Age of the Silk Roads.

  • Song Dynasty (960–1279): meritocracy and civil service continued; urbanization and high levels of technological innovation; printing, magnetic compass, and advanced heavy industry.

  • Tributary system: China viewed itself as the Middle Kingdom and expected surrounding kingdoms to pay tribute in exchange for trading privileges.

• Japan (800–1200): A separate but culturally connected trajectory

  • A period of cultural flourishing in painting and literature; later shift toward decentralized governance.

  • Feudal hierarchy evolves: shogun (military ruler), daimyos (powerful landowners), samurai (warriors), peasants, and merchants.

  • Shinto religion coexists with Buddhism; both shape values and practices.

• Africa (600–1200): Regional trade and state formation

  • West Africa:时代 Ghana (ca. 700–c. 1240) flourishes through trans-Saharan trade; camel and horse technology facilitate long-distance commerce; Islam spreads through merchants.

  • East Africa and the Indian Ocean trade: African merchants interact with Middle East and South Asia; gold, ivory, and enslaved people flow to exchange networks; porcelain, silk, and spices arrive in Africa.

  • Great Zimbabwe (southeast Africa) rises as a major kingdom; decline linked to diminishing gold mine output.

• South Asia and Southeast Asia

  • Post-Gupta South Asia experiences political fragmentation but religious and cultural continuity persists: Hinduism and the caste system unify南亚, while Buddhism remains influential.

  • The Indian Ocean trade network thrives; exchange of silks, porcelain, spices, horses, and other luxury goods links multiple regions.

  • Islam expands in Southeast Asia through merchant networks, becoming the dominant faith in many areas of the region.

• Europe in the Postclassical Era

  • By 800 C.E., Charlemagne is crowned Emperor of the Romans; the Carolingian Empire marks a revival of centralized authority in Western Europe.

  • The Great Schism (1054) divides Christianity into Roman Catholic (West) and Orthodox (East).

  • The Crusades begin in 1095 in response to the Muslim control of Jerusalem and surrounding lands; Crusades influence European exposure to the broader world and stimulate intellectual exchange.

• The Americas in the Postclassical Era

  • Mayan decline by around 900 C.E. due to environmental factors (drought, resource pressures) and warfare, though some cities like Chichen Itza continued to be inhabited.

  • Mississippian culture: Cahokia (near present-day St. Louis) develops as a major urban center and trade hub with a population larger than London at times.

  • Toltecs emerge in the 10th century; influence Mayan and later Aztec civilizations through religious and cultural practices.

The World in 1200

• By 1200, much of the world had recovered from classical decline and was re-engaging in long-distance trade and exchange.

  • Afro-Eurasia and the Americas remained largely separate, yet major regions connected by trade networks continued to develop.

  • Eastern Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and Islamic empires provided stability and knowledge exchange over vast areas.

  • China and Dar al-Islam were leading centers of learning and innovation.

  • Western Europe and Japan featured more decentralized political systems with powerful landholding nobles.

  • Africa largely remained stateless in many regions, though parts of West and East Africa were integrated into Dar al-Islam.

• A turning point looms: the rise of nomadic groups from Central Asia would soon reshape Eurasian history, culminating in the long-term impacts of 1492 and global encounters.

Key Terms by Theme

• CULTURE: Religion

  • Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Christianity, Islam, Shinto

  • Dar al-Islam; monotheistic and polytheistic traditions

• SOCIETY: Patterns

  • patriarchy, civil service exam, diaspora, entrepôt, shogun, daimyos

• ENVIRONMENT: Food and Trade

  • Agricultural Revolution; monsoon winds; monsoon trading networks

• CULTURE: Americas

  • Teotihuacan, Maya, Mississippian, Toltecs

• ECONOMY: Trade

  • Silk Roads, Indian Ocean trade routes, trans-Saharan trade routes

• GOVERNMENT: Classical

  • Mauryan Empire, Gupta Empire, Qin and Han, Persian Empire, Greek City-States, Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Mayan governments

• GOVERNMENT: Postclassical

  • Abbasid Caliphate; Ghana; Great Zimbabwe; Sui/Tang/Song; European monarchies; feudal structures

How to Connect and Interpret Key Developments

• The Agricultural Revolution created surplus, enabling specialization and laying foundations for organized government and writing. This set the stage for the first civilizations.

• The spread of major world religions (Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam) influenced political legitimacy, social structure, and cultural exchange across continents.

• Trade networks (Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, and trans-Saharan routes) connected distant regions, facilitating cultural diffusion, technological innovation (gunpowder, algebra, paper money), and the exchange of goods (silk, spices, wines, metals).

• The growth of centralized states helped stabilize regions and support large-scale infrastructure projects (e.g., Grand Canal, pyramids, cuneiform archives) while also shaping the spread and persistence of religious and philosophical traditions.

• The rise and fall of great empires illustrate how governance, economy, and military power interact with religion, culture, and technology to shape historical trajectories.

The Spread of Islam and the Islamic World (Dar al-Islam)

• Muhammad and the Quran: revelations that formed the basis of Islam; belief in Allah; Five Pillars.

• Sunni–Shia split after Muhammad’s death; Sunni majority; Shia concentrated in Iran and Iraq.

• Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258): Golden Age of Islamic culture; Baghdad as a center of learning; diffusion of ideas to China (Tang) and Africa; protected religious diversity with jizya tax.

• The diffusion of Islamic culture into Iberia, North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of India transformed trade, science, and the arts across Afro-Eurasia.

The Classical and Postclassical World Connections

• The Silk Roads and Indian Ocean trade enabled the movement of technologies (the compass, paper money, gunpowder), ideas (philosophies, religions), and people (merchants, scholars, pilgrims).

• The writing systems (cuneiform, hieroglyphics, early alphabets) enabled complex administration, legal codes, and literature that shaped governance and culture for centuries.

• The shift from classical to postclassical political organization often involved smaller, decentralized polities interwoven with larger empires and religious networks, creating a more interconnected but diverse global landscape.

Reflect on the Prologue

1) Comparison: In what ways are Judaism, Islam, and Christianity alike?

• All are monotheistic faiths tracing spiritual lineage to Abraham.

• Each developed scriptures and covenant-based relationships with God.

• All have a history of expanding beyond their places of origin through missionary and trade networks.

2) Comparison: Describe the difference between centralized and decentralized civilizations and give an example of each.

• Centralized civilizations: strong centralized authority, bureaucratic governance, standardized laws and administration (e.g., Qin/Han China; Mauryan/Gupta India; Roman Empire).

• Decentralized civilizations: political power dispersed among many local rulers or city-states with limited overarching authority (e.g., Greek city-states; post-Tang China; feudal Europe).

3) Causation: Name at least three causes for the decline of Classical civilizations.

• Toll of war and military overreach; invasive external pressures; financial strains and tax collection difficulties; disease reducing urban populations; widening wealth gaps and social unrest.

4) Causation: Explain how trade networks caused Islam and Buddhism to spread.

• Trade routes linked culturally diverse regions; merchants and missionaries traveled across the Silk Roads and Indian Ocean networks, disseminating religious ideas and practices as they conducted commerce.

• Monastic networks (Buddhist monasteries) and the missionary zeal of Muslim traders and scholars contributed to widespread diffusion beyond homeland regions.

5) Continuity: Identify a continuity that kept southern India unified despite disruptions after the fall of the Gupta Empire.

• Hinduism and the caste system provided social and cultural continuity that helped unify broad regions of southern India even amid political fragmentation.

6) Change: Identify one new historical development after 600 C.E.

• The rise and spread of Islam across Afro-Eurasia, including the Abbasid Golden Age and the diffusion of scientific and mathematical knowledge; the expansion of transregional trade networks and the diffusion of new technologies (e.g., gunpowder, paper money, navigational instruments).

Connections to Earlier Material and Real-World Relevance

• The Agricultural Revolution demonstrates how surplus enables societal complexity, which remains a foundational concept in understanding modern economies and governments.

• The emergence of writing systems (cuneiform, hieroglyphics) illustrates how information management and law are foundational to state power—concepts relevant to contemporary governance and data systems.

• The spread of religions via trade networks shows how beliefs, ethics, and social norms travel with goods and people, shaping laws, education, and civilizational identities.

• The study of governance forms (democracy in Athens, centralized empires in Persia and Qin/Han China, Roman law) offers enduring questions about the balance between state power, individual rights, and social order.

Equations, Numbers, and Key Figures

• First appearance of modern Homo sapiens: 200{,}000 B.C.E.

• Human migrations beyond East Africa: 100{,}000\text{-}60{,}000 years ago

• Global distribution by 10{,}000 B.C.E. (all continents except Antarctica)

• The Agricultural Revolution roughly 10{,}000 years ago (≈ 8000\,\text{B.C.E.})

• Sumer’s cuneiform and first written laws (early writing in Mesopotamia)

• The Grand Canal: >1{,}000 miles

• Ashoka’s reign and the Buddhist spread (ca. 3{,}000-2{,}000 years ago depending on source dating)

• The Gupta era: ca. 320\text{-}550 C.E.

• Roman Empire peak and division: ca. 27\text{-}476 C.E.

• Charlemagne’s 800 C.E. coronation as Emperor

• Crusades begin in 1095 C.E.

• Cahokia population and prominence (6th–15th centuries; city larger than contemporary London at times)

• By 1200, interconnected civilizations through Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, and trans-Saharan networks

End of Prologue — Key Takeaways

• Human societies moved from small, egalitarian groups to large, centralized states with urban centers through the Agricultural Revolution.

• The Classical era saw the rise of major empires, sophisticated governance, and lasting cultural legacies (law, philosophy, religion).

• Postclassical civilizations expanded global connections via trade and diffusion of ideas, while also facing new conflicts and transformations that would shape the medieval and modern worlds.

The First Migrations

1. Where did modern humans first appear, and when?
A) South America, 50,000 B.C.E.
B) East Africa, 200,000–100,000 B.C.E.
C) Europe, 300,000 B.C.E.
D) North America, 20,000 B.C.E.
✅ Answer: B

2. How did early humans survive before agriculture?
A) By farming wheat and rice
B) By building cities near rivers
C) By hunting animals and foraging plants
D) By domesticating animals
✅ Answer: C

3. What role did fire play in early human societies?
A) It helped them smelt iron.
B) It provided warmth, protection, and cooking.
C) It allowed them to travel across oceans.
D) It was only used in rituals.
✅ Answer: B

4. What is animism?
A) Worship of ancestors only
B) Belief in one supreme god
C) Belief that spirits exist in nature
D) Worship of kings as gods
✅ Answer: C

5. Why were early human groups usually egalitarian?
A) They had strict monarchs.
B) Resources were shared equally in small groups.
C) They lived in huge empires.
D) Women had more rights than men.
✅ Answer: B

6. What signs of patriarchy appeared in Paleolithic societies?
A) Women hunted, men gathered.
B) Men dominated hunting and decision-making.
C) Women controlled farming.
D) Men were excluded from leadership.
✅ Answer: B

7. Around what time did humans start migrating out of Africa?
A) 1,000 years ago
B) 10,000 years ago
C) 100,000–60,000 years ago
D) 1 million years ago
✅ Answer: C

8. What major factor encouraged migration?
A) The discovery of iron
B) The end of the Ice Age (climate warming)
C) The invention of farming
D) The rise of cities
✅ Answer: B

9. By what year had humans reached every continent except Antarctica?
A) 20,000 B.C.E.
B) 5,000 B.C.E.
C) 10,000 B.C.E.
D) 50,000 B.C.E.
✅ Answer: C

10. What were the benefits of small, mobile groups of hunter-gatherers?
A) They could build large cities quickly.
B) They had flexible survival strategies.
C) They stored food in giant warehouses.
D) They built irrigation canals.
✅ Answer: B

The Agricultural Revolution

11. When did the Agricultural Revolution begin?
A) 20,000 B.C.E.
B) 5,000 B.C.E.
C) 8000 B.C.E.
D) 1000 B.C.E.
✅ Answer: C

12. Where did the Agricultural Revolution begin?
A) Nile River Valley
B) Indus Valley
C) Middle East (Fertile Crescent)
D) East Asia
✅ Answer: C

13. What climate change contributed to the start of farming?
A) Global cooling during the Ice Age
B) Warming after the Ice Age
C) Expansion of deserts
D) Rising sea levels
✅ Answer: B

14. Define surplus food.
A) Extra food beyond immediate needs
B) Food eaten immediately by the group
C) Food traded for weapons
D) Food only grown by elites
✅ Answer: A

15. How did surplus food change society?
A) It caused population decline.
B) It allowed job specialization and city growth.
C) It ended trade networks.
D) It made women equal to men.
✅ Answer: B

16. What new jobs emerged due to specialization?
A) Artisans, priests, and merchants
B) Kings, nobles, and soldiers only
C) Farmers only
D) Slaves only
✅ Answer: A

17. What new technologies were developed during the Agricultural Revolution?
A) Alphabet and astronomy
B) Irrigation, wheel, bronze/iron tools
C) Gunpowder and paper money
D) Steam engines and trains
✅ Answer: B

18. Why was writing first developed?
A) For poetry and novels
B) To record trade and taxation
C) For military training
D) To keep family diaries
✅ Answer: B

19. How did governments become more complex after farming?
A) They established bureaucracy, taxation, and laws.
B) They relied only on local chiefs.
C) They dissolved into smaller groups.
D) They stopped religion from spreading.
✅ Answer: A

20. How did agriculture affect women’s status?
A) Women gained full equality.
B) Women became warriors.
C) Women’s status declined under patriarchy.
D) Women controlled trade.
✅ Answer: C

26. What kind of religion did Mesopotamians practice?
A) Animism
B) Monotheism
C) Polytheism
D) Atheism
✅ Answer: C

27. What was Sumer’s biggest invention?
A) Alphabet
B) Paper
C) Cuneiform writing
D) Compass
✅ Answer: C

28. Why was cuneiform important?
A) It was used for novels.
B) It recorded trade, laws, and history.
C) It helped build pyramids.
D) It created money.
✅ Answer: B

29. What was the first written law code?
A) Twelve Tables
B) Code of Hammurabi
C) Justinian Code
D) Vedas
✅ Answer: B

30. How was Egypt similar to Mesopotamia?
A) Both built pyramids.
B) Both were river valley civilizations with polytheism.
C) Both had one centralized king.
D) Both used the same language.
✅ Answer: B

31. How was Egypt different from Mesopotamia?
A) Egypt was less centralized.
B) Egypt was highly centralized under a pharaoh.
C) Mesopotamia gave women more rights.
D) Egypt did not build monumental architecture.
✅ Answer: B

32. What was the role of the pharaoh?
A) Local priest
B) Village leader
C) Centralized ruler considered divine
D) Military general only
✅ Answer: C

33. What was monumental architecture in Egypt used for?
A) Trade centers
B) Storage houses
C) Tombs and power displays (pyramids)
D) Defensive walls
✅ Answer: C

34. What rights did Egyptian women have?
A) None
B) Own property and be legally equal in court
C) Vote in assemblies
D) Rule as pharaohs regularly
✅ Answer: B

35. Which civilization built Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro?
A) Egypt
B) Indus Valley
C) Mesopotamia
D) Olmec
✅ Answer: B

36. What technology in the Indus Valley showed urban sophistication?
A) Gunpowder
B) Indoor plumbing
C) Horse saddles
D) Concrete roads
✅ Answer: B

37. What was unique about Indus Valley writing?
A) It was the first alphabet.
B) It was carved on bamboo.
C) It remains undeciphered.
D) It used Greek letters.
✅ Answer: C

38. What river supported early Chinese civilization?
A) Indus
B) Nile
C) Huang He (Yellow River)
D) Amazon
✅ Answer: C

39. What cultural practice distinguished early China?
A) Belief in reincarnation
B) Ancestor veneration
C) Worship of pyramids
D) Writing in Greek
✅ Answer: B

40. What two civilizations developed outside river valleys?
A) Greece and Rome
B) Olmec and Chavín
C) Maya and Inca
D) Sumer and Indus
✅ Answer: B

Religion Before 600 B.C.E.

41. Define polytheism.
A) Belief in one god
B) Belief in many gods
C) Belief in no gods
D) Worship of ancestors only
✅ Answer: B

42. Define monotheism.
A) Belief in many gods
B) Belief in one god
C) Belief in spirits of nature
D) Belief rulers are gods
✅ Answer: B

43. What was the earliest form of religion practiced by foragers?
A) Animism
B) Buddhism
C) Hinduism
D) Judaism
✅ Answer: A

44. How did polytheism evolve from animism?
A) Gods became tied to abstract powers, not just places.
B) Polytheism rejected all deities.
C) Polytheism worshipped only ancestors.
D) Animism had no spirits.
✅ Answer: A

45. Where did Hinduism originate?
A) Egypt
B) Mesopotamia
C) India (brought by Aryans)
D) China
✅ Answer: C

46. Who were the Aryans?
A) Greek philosophers
B) Indo-European migrants into India
C) Early Chinese rulers
D) Mesopotamian priests
✅ Answer: B

47. What scriptures did Aryans bring?
A) Bible
B) Quran
C) Vedas
D) Sutras
✅ Answer: C

48. What is reincarnation?
A) Belief in no afterlife
B) Soul reborn many times
C) Worship of kings as gods
D) Life after death in paradise only
✅ Answer: B

49. What is the caste system?
A) Social hierarchy in India based on class and occupation
B) A religious temple
C) A system of trade taxes
D) A Greek government system
✅ Answer: A

50. Why did the caste system prevent social mobility?
A) Movement between classes was forbidden
B) Women ruled instead
C) It relied only on wealth
D) People could switch castes after death
✅ Answer: A

51. How did the caste system unify society?
A) It divided everyone permanently.
B) It provided order and structure across India.
C) It allowed free movement between groups.
D) It rejected Hinduism.
✅ Answer: B

52. What is Zoroastrianism?
A) Early monotheistic Persian religion
B) Indian caste belief
C) Roman philosophy
D) Chinese ancestor worship
✅ Answer: A

53. Where did Zoroastrianism develop?
A) India
B) Persia
C) Greece
D) China
✅ Answer: B

54. What was Zoroastrianism’s central belief?
A) No afterlife exists
B) Eternal struggle between good and evil
C) Worship only fire
D) Reincarnation into animals
✅ Answer: B

55. Who is considered the founder of Judaism?
A) Moses
B) Abraham
C) David
D) Jesus
✅ Answer: B

56. What is a covenant in Judaism?
A) A temple tax
B) A mutual promise with God
C) A law against kings
D) A type of priesthood
✅ Answer: B

57. Who is Yahweh?
A) The Jewish term for God
B) The founder of Buddhism
C) A Hindu deity
D) A Greek philosopher
✅ Answer: A

58. What texts form the Hebrew Scriptures?
A) Old Testament
B) Vedas
C) Quran
D) Analects
✅ Answer: A

59. How did Judaism influence Christianity and Islam?
A) Both also trace origins to Abraham
B) Both rejected Abraham
C) Both rejected monotheism
D) Both copied Greek gods
✅ Answer: A

Classical Era Empires (600 B.C.E.–600 C.E.)

60. Which empires rose in Western Eurasia during this era?
A) Maurya, Gupta, Han, Qin
B) Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine
C) Olmec, Chavín, Maya, Inca
D) Egypt, Indus, Shang, Zhou
✅ Answer: B

61. Which two empires rose in South Asia?
A) Qin and Han
B) Maurya and Gupta
C) Greek and Roman
D) Olmec and Maya
✅ Answer: B

62. Which two dynasties rose in East Asia?
A) Zhou and Tang
B) Qin and Han
C) Gupta and Maurya
D) Rome and Greece
✅ Answer: B

63. Which Mesoamerican civilization existed during this era?
A) Olmec
B) Chavín
C) Maya
D) Inca
✅ Answer: C

64. What were the two main types of trade routes?
A) Silk Roads and Mediterranean Sea routes
B) Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean routes
C) Desert caravans and jungle paths
D) Nile and Indus river routes
✅ Answer: A

65. What was the Silk Roads’ main significance?
A) They carried armies only.
B) They connected Eurasia for trade and cultural diffusion.
C) They spread only Christianity.
D) They linked Africa and Australia.
✅ Answer: B

66. Why was the Mediterranean Sea important?
A) It united South America.
B) It was a major maritime trade route in classical times.
C) It was used only for fishing.
D) It separated India and China.
✅ Answer: B

67. What empire developed in Persia around 559 B.C.E.?
A) Roman Empire
B) Byzantine Empire
C) Persian Empire (Achaemenid)
D) Greek Empire
✅ Answer: C

68. Who was Cyrus the Great?
A) Founder of the Persian Empire
B) Greek philosopher
C) Roman general
D) Egyptian pharaoh
✅ Answer: A

69. What made the Persian Empire diverse?
A) It was small and isolated.
B) It included many ethnic and religious groups.
C) It banned foreign people.
D) It used only one language.
✅ Answer: B

70. How did Persia manage its provinces?
A) Elected assemblies
B) Regional governors (satraps)
C) Village priests
D) Military only
✅ Answer: B