2022 W Civ Final Review

Western Civilization

Mr. LeFors

Final, Semester One, Review

2021

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Semester One Final Review

** The Semester One Final will cover all materials from Chapter One through Chapter 5a It will account for 20% of your final semester grade. The format will be multiple choice. It is helpful to study ALL previous tests.

Chapter One: Ancient Near East: The First Civilizations

Characteristics of Civilization - Urban focus (city driven), clear political structure, defined military system, social classes that are to some degree based on economic power

Relationship of Geography to the development of Egypt, Mesopotamia (separately) - Mesopotamians were dependent upon flooding to allow for agriculture. Flooding was both unpredictable and dangerous. The Mesopotamians had a pessimistic view on the world and the gods due to the harsh environment in which they lived. Although Egyptian society was also dependent on flooding, the relatively consistent pattern of the Nile River fostered a peaceful life in which the gods were viewed as benevolent.

Paleolithic Era characteristics - Paleolithic refers to “Old Stone Age”, hunter gatherer society, “cavemen”, relative general equality due to the necessity for everyone to participate

Neolithic Revolution - Agricultural Revolution (domestication of plants and animals) ends the Paleolithic Era. The consistency of agriculture allows humans to settle down and create a defined societal structure. This new period was called the Neolithic Revolution.

Chauvet Cave - A series of caves in France that had a considerable amount of preserved cave paintings and provided insight into the lives of people at this time.

Mesopotamian Religious beliefs (generally) - Non-mobile gods (every location had a particular deity) that were worshipped in temples called ziggurats. Mesopotamians believed that gods were cruel beings that created humans to become their slaves.

Cuneiform - The writing system of Mesopotamia was called cuneiform.

Epic of Gilgamesh - Moral: You can never be immortal so you must accept your fate

Osiris - God of the Underworld and Agriculture, weighed hearts against the feather of truth to determine who could be admitted into the afterlife

Ra - Sun God, every night he fought the snake demon Apophis

Ma’at - Ma’at was the predetermined order of the universe ordained by the gods. Egyptians believed the pharaoh was the only person that could interpret the will of Ma’at.

Code of Hammurabi - The Mesopotamian law code (made up of 282 laws), harsh punishments, created the idea of “eye for an eye”.

Egyptian Pyramids - Tombs which allowed the Egyptian pharaoh to be entered into the afterlife, popular in the Old Kingdo., Khufu was the largest of all the pyramids, pyramids were located in the city of Giza

How many periods is Ancient Egyptian history divided into and what are their “names”? - Three periods in Egyptian history including the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom

Akhenaton’s religious reforms - Akhenaton created a monotheistic cult that worshipped the god Aton

Hatshepsut - The female ruler of Egypt

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Chapter Two: The Ancient Near East: Peoples and Empires

Abraham - Father of Judaism, was ordered by God to leave Mesopotamia with a group of people and settle in the Promised Land (Israel)

Events of Exodus - The mass evacuation of the Jewish people from Egypt led by Moses

Moses - Moses was responsible for leading the Jewish people throughout the events of Exodus. Moses was raised as an Egyptian Prince despite being Jewish. He was given the 10 Commandments by God on top of Mount Sinai.

Mosaic Law - Jewish law, begins with the 10 Commandments, found in many books of the Bible mainly Leviticus, holistic law code

Solomon’s contribution to the covenant - Under Solomon’s rule, the first temple in Jerusalem was built

United Kingdom Of Israel, the “division” and the fate of each - After the death of Solomon, Israel was fractured into two separate kingdoms including Israel ( North) and Judah ( South). Israel was captured by the Assyrians and the 10 tribes living there were “lost”. Judah was captured by the Caldeans and the tribes living there were bought and held in the Babylonian captivity.

Hebrew Covenant - God promised Jews that he would give them favor and the Promised Land

Chaldean Leader who conquered Jerusalem - Nebuchadnezzar

Babylonian Captivity - The Jewish people of Judah were held in Babylon after being captured by Nebuchadnezzar. The Jews retained the culture and began writing the Torah during this period.

Zoroastrianism - The religion of ancient Persia, sustained monotheism that worshipped Ahura Mazda, introduced the concept of ethical dualism (mankind is torn between good and evil) and our free will to choose

Phoenicians - Civilization that bordered north of Israel. Known for creating trade empire, sea trade empires all through the Mediterranean. Best ships, set up trade posts all around the Mediterranean. Ideas would spread, exchange of ideas.

Byblos - One of the most important trade posts. Distribution center for Egyptian papyrus. Byblos means book.

Chapter 3: Ancient Greece

Homeric Values - A set of common values that were adopted by the Greeks. These ideals were drawn from the works of the poet Homer (author of the Iliad and the Odyssey). The two most important Homeric values were arete (the continual pursuit of excellence) and agon (life is a struggle).

Pericles - The leader of Athens when the polis was at its most powerful. Under Pericles’s rule, Athens had its fullest expression of democracy including the institution of direct democracy, a process for removing public officials, pay for public officials, and jury duty.

Sappho - From the island of Lesbos, Sappho was a female love poet that wrote about both hetrosexual and homosexual relationships during this period.

Benefits of Greek Tyranny - Was viewed as improving on monarchy, tyrants instituted policies that would gain the favor of the citizenry, Corinth was the best example of Greek tyranny

Herodotus - The Father of History and the Father of Lies, was known to exaggerate his narratives, often relied on a single source that was often religious in nature

Thermopylae - A Battle in the Greco Persian War that was the last stand of the infamous 300 Spartans.

Marathon - First battle of the Greco Persian War. The Athenians had an overwhelming victory against the Persian army that resulted in their retreat back home.

Sparta - A military society after the reforms of King Lycurgos. All men in Sparta were forced to participate in the military. No luxuries were allowed (austere lifestyle).

Agoge - The school/barracks that all young Spartan males would live in and train at from the age of 7 to 30 years old.

Salamis -A battle in the Greco-Persian War that was seen as the beginning of the end for this conflict. Persia had an inferior navy compared to Athens and was thoroughly defeated.

Socrates - A Greek philosopher that believed that wisdom was defined as knowing and accepting that you do not know anything.

Plato - A Greek philosopher that believed that society must be run by philosopher-kings and there was a set of perfect ideals that everyone should follow.

Aristotle - Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who believed that middle class citizens should rule society as they are not tempted by either the rich or the poor.

The Allegory of the Cave - A story written by Plato that defended his idea that philosopher-kings should hold power in society.

Trireme - Athenian ship that had three rows of oars that was constructed after their leader Themistocles lied to society

Thucydides - A Greek historian who reported on the Peloponnesian war. Thucydides was committed to preserve the actual happenings of events rather than exaggerating for entertainment's sake.

Pnyx - The hill in which the Athenians practiced direct democracy upon.

Ostracism - The Athenians had a process by which they could force people out of society. Citizens would assemble on the Pnyx and write the name of the exile on a piece of pottery called an ostrakon that would be used to cast a vote.

Council of 500 - First example of Athenian democracy, divided Athens up into ten different districts and every year they would choose 50 members randomly. They would serve under the government for one year. Eventually, the Council of 500 evolved into a body that determined the agenda in which the common people would vote on.

Parthenon - An example of classical Greek architecture that optimizes the elements of beauty that Greeks held dear including symmetry, balance, columns, and the golden ratio.

Sophocles - A Greek tragedy playwright who is most widely known for Oedipus Rex and Antigone.

Doryphoros - A sculpture in the classical Greek period that represented the ideal male form

The Greek Olympics - The overall purpose of the Greek Olympics was to worship Zeus and establish dominance over the other Greek poleis.

The Golden Ratio - An example of when the Greeks attempted to quantify beauty mathematically

General Characteristics of Greek Architecture - Extensive use of columns, ornate pediments, focus on symmetry, and the incorporation of the Golden Ratio were the general characteristics of Greek architecture.

Peloponnesian War - The Greek civil war that happened between Athens and its allies and Sparta and its allies. Although Athens was victorious, Greek civilization as a whole was weakened by this conflict. Eventually, Philip of Macedonia was able to conquer this weakened state.

Draconian Law - Named for the Athenian leader Draco who ruled during its early development when they were dealing with the issue of debt slavery, He instituted a harsh legal system where the punishment for almost every crime was the death penalty.

Chapter Four: The Hellenistic Age

Philippics - Series of speeches given by Demosthenes (a leader in Athens) that warned against Philip of Macedonia and suggested a preemptive attack.

“Hellenistic” Era Characteristics - In general, Hellenistic refers to “Greek like” (imitation of greek culture, spreading of greek culture). Examples of the spread of Greek culture during the Helenisitic Era was the development of Greek poleis throughout the Persian empire, the spread of Koine Greek Language, the creation of Greek schools, the spreading of Greek Art & Architecture, and the time period of great advancements in science and mathematics.

Hellenistic Education System - Greek schools (gymnasia) were built all throughout the former Persian Empire by Philip. Gymnasia were a major agent of Hellenization or the spread of Greek culture throughout the world.

Alexander the Great - Most known for conquering the Persian Empire as a very young man. Alexander created a hybrid society that melded Persian and Greek beliefs together. His path to conquest ends when he receives very heavy resistance in India. Alexander left his empire to “the best” as he was responsible for its creation and believed that only those who deserve to rule should have power. Alexander famously slept with a copy of the Illiad and a dagger under his bed.

Philip of Macedon - The Macedonian king before Alexander (Alexander’s father). Philip was most remembered for conquering Greece. He intended himself to conquer Persia but he was assassinated by one of his bodyguards. Philip developed an affinity for Greek Culture after being a hostage in Thebes. Philip incorporated the phalanx (16x8 version), used 18ft long sarissas, and instituted cavalry.

Art in the Hellenistic Age - Classical Greek art focused on idealism while Hellenistic Art was more concerned with realism.

Stoicism - A Greek philosophy that was developed during the Hellenistic period. Stoics believed that happiness could be derived from accepting the unchangeable events of your life and simply moving on.

Epicureanism - Belief that happiness is obtained through pleasure, specifically from obtaining a mind at ease.

Diogenes – Cynics - Diogenes urged his followers to not only reject religion but society itself as he believed these institutions rejected individual freedoms. Diogenes would mock society by engaging in crude behaviors such as urinating on people.

Euclid - Responsible for the formalizing of geometry in his book called “Elements”.

Archimedes - The most famous inventor of the Hellenisitc period. Archimedes was a geometrist that specialized in the area of cylinders. He created the Archimedean screw, heat ray, water displacement method, and compound pulleys.

Alexandria, Egypt - The center of scientific and mathematical advancement/learning during the Hellenstic period. The first museums, a gigantic lighthouse, and one of the most extensive libraries in the world were present in this city.

Hippocrates - The Father of Rational Medicine that utilized both dissection and vivisection to learn more about the human body.

Scientific/Mathematical Discoveries of the Hellenistic Age - The constant of pi, the heliocentric version of the universe, the Earth being round, the circumference of the Earth, and the fact that Earth rotated on its own axis were discovered in the Hellenistic age.

Mystery Religions - Members were almost entirely men except in the Cult of Isis. People had to pay to join a mystery religion.. One god that was a savior figure was individually worshipped. Members joined to seek individual salvation.

Part V: Early Roman Republic -

Plebians - Generic Roman citizens

Patricians - Elite families who claimed they could trace their lineage to the original settlers of Rome. Most of the wealth and power in Rome was held by the Patricians. Over time, they were forced to share more power with the plebians.

Paterfamilias - The most senior male member of the Roman family and head of household. The paterfamilias had complete authority within the family (ex. could kill his kids, sell his children into slavery, initiate a divorce, vote for the family, initiate a marriage, etc)

Twelve Tables - Roman written law that were posted in the Roman Forum

Consuls - The top executives of the Roman Government. Romans were skeptical about one individual holding all the power and thus split the position in two. Consuls had the power to veto the decisions of their counterpart.

 \n Senate - 300 men, all patricians, served for life, the most powerful government institution in the republic, did not have the power to make laws, could only give “advice” to other government officials that was essentially always taken.

Censors - Two main jobs, to supervise public morality and grant/record citizenship every 10 years in the census.

Praetors - Highest judicial officers in Rome, highest authority to interpret Roman law.

Etruscans - The first major civilization in Italy that mixed with the Latin people as their influence grew. The Etruscans were the founders of the city of Rome and they created an urban driven city-society.

Magna Graecia - The southern part of Italy that was previously conquered and colonized by the Greeks. Magna Graecia was the Greek name for this region.

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Romulus & Remus - Raised by wolves, brothers have a dispute about where to find their first city, one brother kills the other. City is built and it’s named after the brother who survived Romulus (Rome).

Horatius Cocles - Part of the Roman mythology surrounding the founding of Rome, single-handedly held off the Etruscan army on a bridge across the Tiber River and thus preserved the independence of Rome. Horatius Cocles is viewed as one of the ideal Romans.

Numina - Tiny spirits that had control over daily life. Romans adopted strict prayers and rituals in order to appease the different numina.

Augury - The practice of determining the will of the gods by observing the behavior of the birds. A famous example of this practice was found in the fact that Romulus and Remus used augury to decide where to build their city.

Haruspicy - The practice of determining the will of the gods by observing the organs of sacrificed animals.

Pontiffs/Pontifex Maximus - Pontiffs were the priests of the Roman Empire. Pontifex Maximus was the leader of all the priests. The role of these priests was to preserve the good fortune of the Roman Empire by ensuring that prayers/rituals were completed in the exact right way.

Vestal Virgins - Female priestesses that managed the hearth of Rome, which represented the goddesses Vesta. Vestal Virgins were required to remain celibate however they had the greatest rights of all women in Roman society. On the other hand, Vestal Virgins were used as scapegoats if something bad happened.