Abigail Millman - Ancient Asia Study Guide
Ancient Asia Study Guide
The Ancient Asia Test will be taken on Friday, March 24th. The test will be worth 38 points and will consist of 20 multiple choice questions, two matching sections, and a short answer section. The following terms/topics will appear in some form on the test. Define these terms in your own words. We will have a review day the day before the test to go over the study guide. This study guide will be turned in for a five point grade on Thursday, March 23rd.
Monsoons - a strong storm that brings in dry wind from the mountains in the winter and wet winds from the ocean in the summer
Mauryan Dynasty - Chandragupta Mauryan conquered all of Northern India once Alexander the Great left. When he ruled he developed the largest and most powerful army in India, a postal system to better relay information, a spy system to stop rebellions, and a central government dedicated to his family. Height of its power during the rule of Asoka. He built numerous hospitals for his people, developed roads for trade, spread Buddhism significantly throughout India, built stupas, or sacred Buddhist monuments, and created a huge trade network that reached the Mediterranean Sea. It began to decline once he died and then ended. It lasted from 321 BCE to 185 BCE which was 136 years.
Hinduism - an Indian religion which emphasizes dharma with its resulting ritual and social observances and often mystical contemplation and ascetic practices
Buddhism (who is the founder, what are the teachings, where was it founded?) - founded by Siddhartha Gautama; teaches the human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana; it was founded in
Chandragupta Maurya - Indian prince who controlled the territory around the ganges river; after Alexander the Great left, he conquered the territory that he left weakened; later on he would conquer all of Northern India creating the Mauryan Dynasty in 321 BCE
The Caste System - a form of social stratification or ranking that divides and classifies that has been used for thousands of years in order to separate the people of India by class.
Varna (what are the varna and which jobs are associated with them?) - varnas are the categories of the Caste System; the highest varna is the brahmins which are the priests; second highest is the Kshatriyas which are the kings/rulers and warriors; in the middle is the Vaisyas which are the merchants, craftsman, landowners, and skilled workers; towards the bottom are the Sudra which are the farm workers, unskilled workers, and servants; on the very bottom are the untouchables or dalits who are the lowest people who pretty much work for other, higher people
Indus River - the valley of it where india’s early civilizations around 3000 BCE; located in western India; empties into the Arabian Sea
Gupta Empire - during this empire India made several advancements in mathematics: concept of zero and infinity, numbers, and plastic surgery;
Asoka - ruled during the Mauryan dynasty and the dynasty reached the height of its power under his rule; first Buddhist king and hated violence; built numerous hospitals for his people, developed roads for trade, spread Buddhism significantly throughout India, built stupas, or sacred Buddhist monuments, and created a huge trade network that reached the Mediterranean Sea; dynasty began to decline once he died
Sanskrit - written language of the Aryans; used to write down Aryan poems, songs, and prayers
Karma - consequences of how a person lives; can be good or bad
India Geography (What is India surrounded by?) - the himalayas separate it from the rest of Asia to the northeast; major river valleys are the Ganges River and the Indus RIver which get water from the himalayas by snow melting; Arabian Sea on the southwestern side and bay of bengal on the southeastern side;
Ganges River - empties into the Bay of Bengal;
China Geography (What kind of geography is in China? How much of the land is farmable?) - The Himalayas are in the southwest, two mountain ranges (The Kunlun Shan and Tian Shan) are in the west, and over a fourth of China is covered by the Gobi Desert. Only 1/10th of the land in China is farmable.
Yellow River - The Huang He (Yellow River), which flows for 3,395 miles.
Yangtze River: Chang Jiang (Yangtze River), which flows for 3,915 miles.
(Both Rivers): They both flow into the Pacific Ocean.
Positives: Two rivers means a lot of good soil for farming. Could grow a lot of food on such small land.
Negatives: Unlike Mesopotamia, the rivers flooded too much and people drowned and homes were flooded.
Silk - The Chinese developed irrigation, worked with iron for farming, and began to trade a valuable item that was only found in China: silk.
Shang Dynasty - The Shang Dynasty is confirmed by many scholars to be the first major dynasty to rule China. The Shang were a very spiritual people, believing that spirits existed in nature and needed to be treated well or else the people would be punished. Rulers of the Shang Dynasty would ask the gods for guidance and saw themselves as divine beings. Religion and the government were very closely linked.
Period of Warring States - local rulers’ states fought for 200 years over control of China, forcing peasants in their region to fight for them.
Zhou Dynasty - Longest ruling Chinese dynasty. The Zhou King ruled all of China and divided up their land for the aristocrats to rule. When an aristocrat died, their children would then take over as the ruler, making their rule hereditary.
Mandate of Heaven - The Mandate of Heaven was the idea that the kings were chosen by the gods to lead the people of China because of their talent, wisdom, and virtue. The king was expected to rule according to the dao, or the way. If the king was corrupt, cruel, or ruled during bad harvests or natural disasters, the people would believe the gods wanted the king removed because the gods are not happy with them.
Qin Dynasty - The Qin Dynasty (were a group of people led by Qin Shihuangdi. He divided China into 36 districts and put people in charge of each district that were loyal to him that reported directly to him. He was able to unite China and centralize its government’s power, stopping any smaller kingdoms from existing and threatening his rule. He created a universal currency to be used throughout his kingdom, and created roads and canals that connected various parts of China and allowed merchants to use the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) to supply his far away troops with resources.
Legalism (What is it and why did Qin Shihuangdi like it so much?) - Legalism is a belief system that forms a strict and strong government. It favored force and power, so he did not need to show kindness to the peasants. It allowed him to easily control the population with his new laws. Any opposition to his laws or ideas questioning them would allow him to kill dissenters.
Daoism - an ancient Chinese belief system which emphasizes harmony with the natural, balanced order of the universe.
Qin Shihuangdi - emperor of the Qin dynasty (221–210 BCE) and the creator of the first unified Chinese empire.
Confucianism - an ancient Chinese belief system, which focuses on the importance of personal ethics and morality.
The Great Wall of China - The Great Wall of China was constructed to prevent nomadic bandits who lived in the Gobi Desert from attacking farms and villages.
For the short answer section, you will be given THREE short answer questions, but you only need to answer TWO questions for credit. Choose to answer the questions that you feel more prepared for. The short answer questions will each be based on the following topics:
- The Mandate of Heaven
- The Caste System
- Hinduism
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