Western Civilization Midterm Review
1. What is writing important for historians?
Writing helps historians learn about past societies and their culture.
2. 5 factors that define a civilization
Urbanization, specialized jobs, complex economies, institutions, and record-keeping.
3. Urbanization
Cities and tech advancements create surplus goods.
4. Specialized Labor
People having different jobs and skills.
5. Complex Economies
A system with agreed value (currency).
6. Complex Institutions
Organized structures like government or religion.
7. Record Keeping
Writing systems for records, stories, and symbols.
8. Why is geography important for ancient civilizations?
Geography affects farming, water, and food supply.
9. Why were rivers important?
Rivers provided water for farming and daily life.
10. Where is Mesopotamia found?
Modern Iraq, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
11. What would happen on the two rivers?
Unpredictable floods, believed to be a curse from gods.
12. What was Sumerian writing?
The oldest written language.
13. What is cuneiform?
Akkadian script using wedge-shaped symbols.
14. Why was cuneiform spread throughout the region?
Communication was key to governing cities.
15. What is Epic of Gilgamesh?
Oldest piece of literature, not religious, just a story.
16. What was Hammurabi’s Code of Law?
Laws covering religion, marriage, crime, economy.
17. What was the preamble and epilogue of the code of law?
Gods rule over people, punish lawbreakers eternally.
18. True/False: Each city worshiped different gods.
True.
19. What were the three common gods in Mesopotamia?
An, Ki, Enlil.
20. An
Creator of the universe.
21. Ki
Goddess of the earth, sky god.
22. Enlil
God of wind and storms.
23. What are a few gods worshipped in individual cities?
Marduk, Ishtar, Ashur.
24. Marduk
God of creation in Babylon.
25. Ishtar
God of love, fertility, war in Akkad.
26. Ashur
God of war, supported Assyrian armies.
27. Did the Mesopotamians believe in an afterlife?
No, everyone faced the same punishment.
28. Were there independent city-states in Mesopotamia?
Yes, often in conflict.
29. What were 3 powerful city-states?
Akkad, Babylon, Assur.
30. What was Badarian Culture?
Pottery-based culture in Upper Egypt.
31. What was Naqada Culture?
Pre-Egyptian civilization in Upper Egypt.
32. What is the Nile River?
World’s longest river, predictable floods seen as divine.
33. What was the Early Dynastic Period?
Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under Narmer.
34. Who was Narmer?
Egypt’s first king, united the nation.
35. What was the Old Kingdom?
Long rule of kings, focus on record-keeping and scribes.
36. What happened after the collapse of the Old Kingdom?
First period of instability.
37. What happened during the Middle Kingdom?
Local power, military focus, fortifications.
38. What happened during the Second Intermediate?
Settlers from Canaan joined Egypt.
39. What happened during the New Kingdom?
Conquest of Nubia, war with Hittites.
40. What happened in the Third Intermediate?
Invasion by Berbers, Sea Peoples, and Kush.
41. What time period did the Persians invade Egypt?
Late Period.
42. What time period did Alexander the Great invade Egypt?
Ptolemaic Dynasty.
43. What were the Hittites?
Indo-European civilization often in conflict with Egypt.
44. What were Canaanites?
Their culture and religion were influenced by Egypt and Mesopotamia.
45. What first did the Phoenicians have?
The first alphabet.
46. What story did the Hebrews have?
The story of Exodus.
47. What was the story of the Exodus?
Loss of faith, conversion to monotheism.
48. Who was Moses?
Led the Hebrews out of Egypt and wandered for 40 years.
49. True/False: Judea and Israel were empty when the Hebrews arrived.
False.
50. What was happening during the destruction of the first temple?
Babylonian captivity.
51. What was the Babylonian Captivity?
Jews held captive for 70–80 years.
52. What was the Cyrus Cylinder?
Release of Jewish captives, second temple built.
53. Who was Ahura Mazda?
Good deity.
54. Who was Angra Mainyu?
Evil deity.
55. Which two religions were influenced by Zoroastrianism?
Judaism and Christianity.
56. What is Linear A writing?
Unreadable, pre-Greek script.
57. What is Linear B writing?
Precursor to Greek alphabet.
58. What happened during the Greek dark ages?
Collapse of Bronze Age civilization.
59. What time period was the emergence of Greek mythology?
Archaic Greece.
60. What were stories from Archaic Greece?
Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, Theogony by Hesiod.
61. What was the Ionian Revolt?
Ionians revolted against Persia, sparked help from Athens.
62. Who won the Battle of Marathon?
Athenians.
63. Who was Darius the Great?
Persian king during the first Persian War.
64. Who was Xerxes?
Darius’s son, led Persian revenge.
65. What was the Battle of Salamis?
Naval battle; Athenians defeated the Persians.
66. Who was Alexander the Great?
Conquered Persia, expanded empire, soldiers later mutinied.
67. What did Thales of Miletus do?
Formed a school, taught about nature and the universe.
68. What did some argue that Arche was?
Water, which leads to the idea of atoms.
69. What did Pythagoras believe in?
Logic, the pursuit of happiness, and math.
70. What did Pythagoras argue?
Arche is math.
71. Who was Socrates?
Father of philosophy, known for the Socratic method.
72. Who was Plato?
Socrates’ student, transcribed Socrates' work.
73. True/False: Aristotle was a student of Plato.
True.
74. What was Cynicism?
Critique of society; valued living in nature, rejecting materialism.
75. Norte Chico/Harappan
Civilizations with ruins but no written records, making them hard for historians to study.
76. Sargon of Akkad
Spread cuneiform and built the first empire with a standing army.
77. Pharaoh
Egyptian ruler, seen as a god on earth, maintaining harmony in the universe.
78. First Pyramid
Built by King Djoser during the Old Kingdom to house kings' remains.
79. Intermediate Kingdoms
Periods of instability between the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.
80. Bronze Age Collapse
The fall of civilizations like the Mycenaeans, leading to a dark age.
81. Sea Peoples
Invaders who contributed to the collapse of Bronze Age civilizations.
82. Satrap System
Persian administrative system with satraps governing regions.
83. Governmental Administration
Enforced laws, taxes for construction or military efforts.
84. Polytheistic Religion
The belief in many gods, with Mesopotamian cities worshiping different deities.
85. Hittites
Indo-European civilization known for conflict with Egypt and the first embargo on goods.