This website's purpose is solely to give you a chance of passing your test. I'll try to sum up all of the important events, religions, and civilizations that weve talked about since the beginning of the year. If I miss anything, e-mail me before the test and let me know and I'll work on putting it on the site. Otherwise, what I put on the site is what I know. I hope it helps! E-mail: jennabird8@yahoo.com
- Jenna Hay
P.s. Sorry about any typos. Its all handtyped so there might be a few errors. Haha.
Ancient Civilizations
- China
- Mayans
- Paleolithic Peoples
- Mesopotamia
- Egypt
- Indus River Valley
- Greece
- Rome
- Classical China
- Classical India
Trade Routes
Religions
Ancient Civilizations
CHINA:
- Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties; weak and decentralized, eventually led to Age of the Warring States
- Based on farming: caused military and artisan class to grow and a complex gov't structure; traded with Asia and Mesopotamia
- little organized religion; worshiped ancestors; used oracle bones for fortune telling
- had a patriarchal society (males rule); family was most important
- practiced metallurgy; had pictographic language
- earliest thoughts recorded on thier oracle bones
- Isolated by mountains and deserts, not much cross cultural interaction; instead of irrigation systems they relied on the rainy season that flooded the yellow river
MAYANS:
- Theocratic monarchy; farming economy
- polytheistic (multiple gods); believed in ritualistic sacrifices
- developed a calender, a writing system, and the concept of zero
- around Mesoamerica
PALEOLITHIC PEOPLES:
- small nomadic groups; had tribal leadership
- hunting and gathering people; domesticated plants and animals which eventually caused them to stay in one place (Neolithic Revolution)
- afterlife; polytheistic, believed that gods and goddesses were tied to nature
- used fire, stone tools, animal bones, and developed speech to communicate; cave art
- began in Africa, spread to Asia and Middle East
MESOPOTAMIA:
- Sumer - first complex society; Hammurabi's Code - first set of writting laws: reflected class inequalities and gender differences (preferred higher classes and males); based on retribution; maonarchy
- trade w/ Egypt and India; farming society
- polytheistic, fearfulc of gods b/c of unstable physical geography; negative views of afterlife, built temples
- lowers class < upper class; lived in more densely populated cities
- invented wheel for transporting goods; cuneiform - the sumerian writing system; Epic of Gilgamesh - first recorded story
- "Mesopotamia" - land between two rivers: Tigris and Euphrates; unstable flooding
EGYPT:
- Pharaoh ruled - viewed as a God; theocracy; complex bureaucracy: divided power between offices; gov't controlled economy
- stable flooding = praise gods; good view on afterlife: pyramids, tombs, mummification (took care of dead bodies)
- patriarchal society but women had oppurtunities; men must love and honor their wives and wives must support husband; lived spread out
- made hieroglyphics; 365-day calender; geometry for building
- N. Africa to Nile River Valley
INDUS RIVER VALLEY:
- Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro - first cities in Indus Valley River; Aryan invasions formed over 100 chiefdoms in farming villages: turned into small republics w/ independent regional rule and decentralized
- trade in Arabian Sea and routes to Egypt and Sumer; farming economy
- Aryans beliefs formed basis of Hinduism; "Upanishads" - described how beings fit into cosmic order; reincarnation and karma; enforced caste system (could move up position in next life); goal = to reach Brahma
- caste system: unchangeable status; Priests > warriors > merchants > peasants/ farmers > untouchables; patriarchal society; women not educated
- Aryans brought language, Sanskrit, which turned into a writing system; Vedas - collectio
n of Aryan songs, hyms, poems that tell of early civilization in Indus - monsoons were good for farming; central location for trade w/ Europe, Africa, East Asian; had ocean access
GREECE:
- developed direct democracy in Athens; polis (city-state) like Sparta and Athens; Alexander the Great spread Greek influence through conquests (Hellenization)
- farming and trade on Mediterranean
- polytheistic; saw gods as imperfect and humanlike
- all free landowning males were part of polis (decision making body); used slavery; In Sparta women were seen as crucial b/b they prepared their sons for military, in Athens they were inferior
- philosophies explored forms of gov't and how humans fit into natural world (Aristotle, Socra
tes, Plato) - drama: tragedies and comedies that explained gods and made fun of public; art focused on balance, realism, and monuments
- Mediterranean access; Greece divided by mountains caused little political unity
ROME:
- started as republic, then became empire; used propaganda to convince conquered people to support Roman Empire and join military; rights of citizenship = rewards for conquered peoples; when empire grew to big, split into West (Dioc.) and East (Constantine)
- West fell because of plagues, inflation, and Hun invasions; East was strong b/c of trade w/ East: became known as Byzantine Empire
- trade w/ Mediterranean; relied on outskirts of farming to support cities
- polytheistic religion was propaganda for empire (made emperors into gods); christianity threatened authority of emperors, so christians were persecuted; Constantine legalized Christianity and it grew in East
- slavery; "paterfamilias" - male is head of household ; gov't used gladiator shows and festivals to distract poor and keep from not rebelling; when empire declined, morals were lost
- developed engineering; aqueducts - supplied water to all of empire; sophisticated road system
- had advanced architecture; art = propaganda (statues to honor emperor); Hellenism - greek influence
- eventually controlled all of Mediterranean; East survived b/c of proximity to Si;k Road
CLASSICAL CHINA:
- Mandate of Heaven stabalized; complex bureaucracy; Qin dynasty built Great Wall to keep invaders out; Han dynasty: expanded empire and cultural influence to East Asia but fell to internal peasant rebellions
- farming; Silk Road
- 3 major beliefs (nor religions b/c they dont worship a diety): Confucianism - education and ones role in gov't / Legalism - harsh, impersonal laws, considered people evil / Daoism - focused on harmony w/ nature
- Mandarins (educated members of bureaucracy, instead of priests) > warriors > farmers/artisans > merchants > peasants; merchants seen as bad people b/c they werent being productive for others, just looking for profit themselves
- invented paper, cross bow, and steel
- focused on balance and representations of nature (Daoism effects)
- Still somewhat isolated, but interacted w/ Silk Road
CLASSICAL INDIA:
- Theocratic state-government and religion connected; Mauryan Empire: decentralized; Gupta Empire: centralized, but fell to outside invaders
- Trade was HUUUGE (b/c of location); had ocean trade AND Silk Road
- Hinduism stabalized the gov't and society; Buddhism came and appealed to lower classes because it disregarded the caste system: everyone could reach enligtenment
- Caste system kept stability; Unlike in China, merchants were valued b/c of the popular trade
- Used algebra, Arabic numerals (we use it today); invented the concept of zero
- Indian art peaked during Gupts empire
- b/c of location, there was cultural diffusion
Other helpful websites about classical civilizations >>
Trade Routes
TRANS-SAHARAN:
- Camels came to north Africa from Arabia and quickened the pace of trade throughout the Sahara and Africa
- The Islamic faith was introduced to Africa and mixed with African traditional faiths; many converted to Islam
- Ghana gained considerable wealth and power from the good merchants brought to them from the north
COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE:
- From Americas to Europe, Africa, and Asia = tobacco, squash, sweet potatoes, turkeys, pumpkins, avocadoes, quinine, peppers, pineapples, cassava, cacao beans, peanuts, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, vanilla, and corn.
- From Europe, Africa, and Asia to Americas = disease (smallpox, influenza typhus, measles, malaria, diphtheria, whooping cough), livestock (cattle, sheep, pig, horse), grains (wheat, rice, barley, oats), honeybee, sugar cane, peach, pear, banana, coffee bean, grape, turnip, citrus fruits, olive, and onion
- Many ideas, cultures, diseases, etc. were spread throughout both of the peoples, new colonies came to formation in the Americas, etc.
TRIANGULAR TRADE:
- Trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas
- Slaves, crops, cash crops, alcohol, etc. were exchanged
- Slaves mostly worked on plantations in the Americas (slaves traveled through the rough middle passage and went through tremendous hardships)
SILK ROADS:
- Many merchants from all over the globe interested in the Chinese silk, so the Silk roads were built and maintained; rulers invested much time and money into building the silk roads and they were the very first safe ways of long distance trade; linked much of Eurasia and North Africa
- High-quality silks and spices from the east were traded for goods such as jewelry, art, textiles, iron tools, raw materials, metals, etc. from the west
INDIAN OCEAN BASIN:
- Monsoons severely affected trade patterns, so knew how to trade in stages to go with the winds
- Dhows and junks = ships that were used
- Joint-stock companies were utilized, such as the East India Trading Company
- Populations in South India surged and India exported more, was mostly self-sufficient within its own borders
- Main exports = cotton textiles, sugar, leather, stone carving, weaving, iron/steel production, etc.
- Indian artisans became well-known and merchants rose to riches, sub castes were formed, Muslim and Turkish immigrants were integrated into society
Other helpful websites about trade routes >>
Religions
BUDDHISM:
- Started by Buddha
- Sacred book called the Tipitaka, written in an ancient Indian language
- Began in northern India
- Buddha was an Indian prince who saw the suffering of the world and blamed it on material things and human’s nature for traits like greed and selfishness; he became a monk, lost all his belongings, meditated, and that is the only way suffering can end.
CHRISTIANITY:
- Jesus lead and spread the religion, with help of His disciples; began by Abraham
- Major teachings are located in the Bible (New and Old Testaments)
- Started around Jerusalem, spread to all of Europe, some of Africa and Asia
- Believes that Jesus is the son of God, He saved us on the cross, He is coming back one day, if you believe in Him and live by the Word you will be saved.
CONFUCIANISM:
- Confucius, the scholar
- Originated in China at the end of the Zhou dynasty when the country was in the midst of chaos
- Takes a simple approach to life, does not answer abstruse questions, simply respect your elders, work hard to get ahead, be a good person, etc.
DAOISM:
- A religion in ancient China
- Think about a hippie from the 70’s. wanted to be one with nature in China, led radical lifestyles, etc.
HINDUISM:
- Originated in classical India and spread by many different peoples; the caste system of the religion was a huge part of Indian society
- Believed in karma (good things = good rewards and move up in castes, bad things = move down in castes in next life)
- Reincarnation is the constant cycle of birth and rebirth for a soul. A soul’s new life depends on the karma it reached in the past life
- Worshipped many deities and spirits
ISLAM: 
- Lead by the prophet Muhammad, begun by Abraham
- Sacred book called the Qur’an
- Began in the Arabian city of Mecca
- Muhammad is the final prophet sent by God and the one most crucial to Islam. Follows basic principals of Christianity (having a relationship with Allah); pray five times a day facing Mecca (holy city), take a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life if you are able, donate to the poor
JUDAISM:
- Began by Abraham
- Still waiting for their Messiah; monotheistic religion, believes in the existence of God
- The Torah is the word of God (consists of the first five book of the Christian Bible)
SHINTOISM:
- Ancient Japanese religion
- Based around the worship of ancestors, spirits, and deities; polytheistic
ZOROASTRIAMISM:
- Started by Zarathustra
- Most religious/sacred texts translated orally, some copies remain today but no official holy book
- Originated in classical Persia
- Supreme deity (Ahura Mazda) is main god, but other smaller, less significant deities were believed in and worshipped; all about the forces of good and evil in constant conflict with each other; Zarathustra’s moral teachings told followers to enjoy the material world and all its pleasures as a gift from Ahura Mazda
Other helpful websites about ancient religions >>
Also, some info about ancient economy >>
Extra Definitions For Your Benefit
CLASSICISM:
- when ancient societies developed stable agriculture and found themselves with spare time for leisurely activities such as learning, creating art, figuring out science, advancing their technologies, and more
AFRICANITY:
- refers to the central, unique culture of African people, used when African and American cultures were blending together in the African diaspora (dispersal of African peoples and their descendants)
And if this helps, here is Mr.Wolfs school website >>
