Name ________________________Date ___________ Teacher ____________________ Social Studies 6

6th Grade Social Studies Final Review Guide

Geography and the Eastern Hemisphere

2019 Edition

Final Exam is on Friday, June 17, 2019

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Primary Source Documents

• Documents from someone who lived through an actual time period (example- a quote from

Pericles or Julius Caesar)

1. Name one other primary source document that you learned about this year.

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Mesopotamia, Babylon, and Hebrews

• The Fertile Crescent got its name because of its rich soil and curved shape.

• This area is home to the world’s first major civilization.

• Before civilization began, people were nomads (moved from place to place in search of

food).

• Consisted of many city-states like Sumer.

• Most city-states practiced polytheism (the belief in many gods).

• King Hammurabi emerged from the city-state of Babylon.

• Hammurabi’s Code listed punishments to fit the crime, “An eye for an eye”.

• Judaism was the world’s first monotheistic religion (the belief in one god).

• Abraham was believed to be the founder of Judaism.

• Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt.

• The laws of Judaism are called the 10 Commandments.

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• The Hebrew bible is called the Torah.

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Questions- Mesopotamia

1. What does the term “Mesopotamia” mean? (35) _____________________________________________

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2. Why did farmers begin to develop irrigation systems along the Fertile Crescent in

Mesopotamia? (36)

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3. What is the name of the structure pictured above, built by Sumerians? (41)_____________________

4. What was the purpose of this structure? (41) _______________________________________________

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5. What is the name of the form of writing developed by the Sumerians? (43) ___________________________

6. Why was the Code of Hammurabi an important achievement in human history? (50)

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7. What contributions from the Sumerians helped future civilizations advance? (46)

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Ancient Egypt

• The Ancient Egyptian civilization was located along the Nile River in Northeast Africa.

• The Nile River valley was an ideal place for civilizations to thrive in Northeast Africa

because of the fertile soil and irrigation.

• The Nile flowed through a delta, a triangular area of soil at the mouth if a river that looks

like fingers spread out.

• The Nile River flows north into the Mediterranean Sea

• Egyptians build large tombs called pyramids because of their belief in the afterlife.

• Pharaohs were buried after a process called mummification.

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Questions- Ancient Egypt

1. What major body of water did the Nile River flow into? (79) ______________________________

2. Define silt (79) ______________________________________________________________________

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3. Why was papyrus a valuable crop for the Ancient Egyptians? (80) __________________________

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4. What was the form of writing created by Ancient Egyptians? (86) __________________________

5. What was the importance of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone? (86) ____________________________

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6. Why did Egyptians build pyramids? (87) _______________________________________________

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Ancient Greece

The Geography of Ancient Greece

Geography and Greek civilization

• Greece is located on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula.

• Greece has no great rivers to form fertile valleys. - It is mountainous with deep valleys and rugged highlands. It does not have much land

that can be used for farming.

• Greece is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Ionian Sea, and Aegean Sea.

• Being so close to the seas helped Greeks become great sailors and traders.

• Greeks traded crops (grapes, olives, and grains) this allowed ideas to spread.

• Because Greece has warm, dry summers, people spent their time in outdoor marketplaces

(agoras).

The Greek City-States

• City-state- a self governing city and the lands surrounding it.

• In daily life, Greeks tried to keep Gods and Goddesses happy.

• Greek poet Homer wrote poems about the Trojan War called the Iliad and the Odyssey.

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• Greeks believed that most gods lived on Mount Olympus. - Every four years the Greeks held athletic contests to honor Zeus (the king of the

gods). Because these contests were held in the city of Olympia, they became

known as the Olympic Games.

• Greece began to develop a democracy (government by the people) in 500 BC. - Pericles stated that the people of Ancient Greece had great responsibility to take

part in government by serving on juries and participating in political debate. He

helped to strengthen Athenian democracy.

• The two main city-states of Ancient Greece were:

Athens

Sparta

-Was the best example of Greek

Democracy

-All male citizens over 18 would

gather in an assembly. (slaves,

women, and foreigners were not

citizens)

-Military state that invaded other

City-states forcing people to

Become helots (slaves)

-When Spartan boys turned 7 they

Were sent to military camps to

train for the army.

The Golden Age of Athens

• People of Athens built magnificent temples and statues.

- The Parthenon was built to honor Athena

• Many temples contained columns for support and decoration.

• Philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle explained their actions in the world through

reason (logical thinking)

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• Alexander the Great- King of Macedonia who conquered the Persian Empire and parts of

Asia.

• Hellenistic Age- A new civilization developed that blended Greek and Asian cultures.

• Discovery and Invention:

- Ancient Greeks developed many advancements in medicine, mathematics, art,

architecture, literature, and philosophy.

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Questions-Ancient Greece

1. Why did the Greeks turn to the sea to meet their needs?(247-248)__________________________

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2. Which seas surround the Balkan peninsula? (247)

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3. How is democracy under Pericles different from democracy in the United States today? (255)

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4. Explain two differences of the city-states of Athens and Sparta. (255-262) __________________

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5. Choose any three achievements from any of these fields (medicine, mathematics, art, architecture,

literature, or philosophy) and explain their contribution to Ancient Greek culture. (262, 270)

Achievement Explanation of contribution

Ancient Rome

• The geography of Ancient Rome stretched outward into the Mediterranean Sea.

• Remus and Romulus are Rome’s twin founders in Rome’s foundations myth. They were

both cared for by a female wolf before deciding to found a city on a hill.

• The Ancient Romans studied and learned from other cultures, especially the Ancient

Greeks.

• Roman citizens were divided into two groups:

-patricians- the wealthiest and most powerful citizens

-plebeians- all other citizens (farmers, soldiers, merchants)

• The Roman Republic:

- Republic- citizens have the right to vote (choose their leader).

- Representatives- those who are elected to represent the people.

- Senate- the Roman governing body of representatives.

- Tribunes- Men appointed to protect the rights of plebeians.

- Consuls- two patricians who managed the government and army every year.

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• Wars with Carthage (Punic Wars)

- Carthage- a city-state located in North Africa

- Hannibal- a Carthaginian general who attacked Rome.

• The Republic Ends

- Julius Caesar- a famous general from Ancient Rome, he conquered most of

Western Europe and became a dictator in Rome.

- Dictator- someone who has total control over the people.

• Roman Roads- were built out of concrete to be strong and sturdy. The roads allowed

communication between the different parts of the large empire.

• Aqueducts- allowed water to be transported to different parts of the empire

• The Pax Romana

- Augustus became emperor after Julius Caesar was killed and brought order and

stability to Rome.

- Augustus improved the economy and expanded the empire.

- Augustus began a 200 year period known as “Pax Romana” (Roman Peace)

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• The Colosseum- could seat 50,000 people. Many witnessed gladiators fight each other or

violent animals.

• Christianity

- Religion started by Jesus, a Jewish man born, in the southern part of the Roman

Empire.

- Jesus taught that there was only one God. Romans and Greeks believed that there

were many gods.

- Jesus encouraged people to obey the Ten Commandments.

- Christianity today:

-Today there are about 1.5 billion Christians in the world. All Christians

consider Jesus the main figure in their religious beliefs.

• The Fall of the Roman Empire

- Mercenaries (soldiers who fight for pay) did not defend the Roman Empire against

invaders.

- In 455 AD the Vandals captured Rome.

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Questions- Ancient Rome

1. Who were the plebeians and patricians? How were their lives different? (283)

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2. How did early Romans govern themselves? (283) ______________________________________________

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3. Why was Julius Caesar a controversial dictator? (286) _________________________________________

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4. How did Constantine change the way Christians were treated? (296) ______________________________

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5. How does Christianity have its roots in Judaism? (295)_________________________________________

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6. Why did the Roman Empire fall? (303-304) __________________________________________________

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Islam

• Religion that was revealed to Muhammad, a prophet who was born in Mecca.

• Pilgrimages (journeys of religious importance) to Mecca are an important part of Islam.

• The Quran is the holy book of Islam.

• Muslims are people who believe in Islam and that Muhammad’s words were a message

from God.

• Caliphs- are people who carried out the message of Muhammad after his death.

• Mosque- a Muslim place of worship

• All Muslims acknowledge 5 basic duties as the “Pillars of Islam”

• Jihad- means struggle. It is the religious duty of Muslims to work hard and struggle for

their religion.

Questions- Islam:

1. How are the religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity similar?

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2. What are each of the five pillars of Islam? (332) ___________________________________________

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3. Why have Islam and Christianity spread so fast and extensively throughout the world? (335)

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Life in the Middle Ages in Europe

• The time period after the fall of the Roman Empire was called the “Middle Ages”.

• Feudalism- since there was no strong central government in Europe during the Middle

Ages, feudalism provided protection for the people.

• Feudalism resembled a social structure:

- Monarch (king or queen)-at the top and was a ruler.

- Lords (Nobles)- pledged loyalty to the monarch and was given land in return.

- Knights- were warriors trained to fight on horseback . Knights lived by a code of

chivalry.

- Serfs - servants and slaves who lived on the land to farm it.

• The Manor System

- The Manor system was a way of organizing agricultural labor.

- The three-field rotation method- each manor had three fields, but only two would

be used to plant crops each season. The third field remained unplanted so the soil

remained fertile.

- The surplus of food allowed towns and cities to grow.

- The manor was self-sufficient.

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Questions- The Middle Ages 1. What was the purpose of the feudal system during the Middle Ages? (401-402)__________________________________________

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2. Explain the manor system (402) ______________________________________________________________________________

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