Study Guide for World History Final Exam

Paleolithic Era/Neolithic Era

a. Identify whether each of the following is true of the Neolithic Era (N) and societies during that era or the Paleolithic Era (P) and societies during that era.

1. were nomadic - P2. lived in small clans - P 3. invented simple tools - P4. used advanced tools - N5. made and learned how to use fire - P 6. developed agriculture - N7. domesticated animals - N8. more likely to settle in one location - N 9. developed weaving skills - N10. developed pottery skills - N11. invented simple weapons - P12. developed oral language - P13. created cave art - P 14. began with the Agricultural Revolution - N15. were primarily hunter/gatherers - P16. migrated in search of food, water and shelter - P17. also known as the Old Stone Age - P18. also known as the New Stone Age - N

b. What is an artifact? a man-made object

c. What is an archaeologist? a person who studies past cultures by locating and analyzing human remains, settlements, fossils and artifacts (man-made objects)

d. Where (be specific) AND during which historical time period was the cave art in the following images created?

Lascaux, France Paleolithic

e. What is the difference between BCE/BC and CE/AD? Also, know how to calculate the number of years between dates, and know how to list a series of dates in the correct chronological order.

BCE/BC (Before Common Era and Before Christ) reflect years prior to 0, whereas CE/AD (Common Era and Anno Domini) reflect years that have occurred after 0.

f. Where did humans first emerge? What path did they follow as they spread to other continents?

first emerged in Africa Africa to Eurasia to Australia to the Americas

Early Civilizations

a. Identify the rivers along which each of the following civilizations developed:

1. Mesopotamia: Tigris and Euphrates

2. Egypt: Nile

3. Indus River Valley: Indus

4. Huang He River Valley: Huang He

b. The Huang He River is also known as the Yellow River.

c. Where was the civilization of Nubia (including the name of the nearby river) AND which other civilization did it interact with extensively?

located south of Egypt in east Africa, near the Nile River interacted extensively with ancient Egypt

d. Which religion began in the Persian Empire?

Zoroastrianism

e. Identify the accomplishments of the Phoenicians that we learned about in class.

great shipbuilders and skilled in navigation created a purple dye created an alphabet

India and China

a. The symbol to the right is associated with the philosophies of:

Confucianism and Taoism (Daoism)

b. Identify the beliefs/characteristics of each of the following philosophies:

1. Legalism:a. people are naturally selfish and, if left alone, they will always pursue their own self-interestsb. because people are selfish by nature, rulers must establish strict laws and enforce them by rewarding good behavior and harshly punishing bad behavior c. a ruler must have absolute power with a military to back him up rulers should trust no one, not even their family members

2. Taoism (Daoism):a. nature is full of opposites and true harmony only comes from balancing the opposite forces of nature

b. people gain happiness and peace by living in harmony with nature through quiet meditationc. just like in nature, where nothing strives for fame, power or knowledge, people should avoid feeling self-important or striving for possessions and honorsd. people should accept whatever comes their waye. too many rules interfere with living naturally

3. Confucianism:a. society and government have to change if there is to be peace and order b. rulers need to govern wisely c. society works well when all people act properly based upon their roles and their relationships with othersd. obey and respect those above you, especially your elderse. if you have authority, set a good example: be kind, honest, wise and faithfulf. do not do to others what you would not want done to youg. there are five basic relationships in life: (1) ruler and subject, (2) father and son, (3) husband and wife, (4) older sibling and younger sibling and (5) friend and friend

c. Describe the caste system that developed in India, including identification of the group that introduced it into India.

The Aryans introduced the caste system into India. Within the caste systems, people fall into different groups, or castes. At first the, caste system was largely based on skin color, but today it also is tied to a person's occupation. The caste system is very rigid. In other words, most people stay within the caste into which they were born for their entire lives.

d. Shi Huangdi is known for:

being a strict leader, using Legalism to govern, uniting his empire, starting construction of a Great Wall to protect his empire from invasions from the north, being buried with terra cotta soldiers

e. What were the Mandate of Heaven and the Dynastic Cycle?

The Mandate of Heaven was the belief in ancient China that the ruler needed to have divine approval in order to hold power. If negative events (floods, famine, etc.) happened, this was viewed by the people in this civilization as an indication that the leader no longer had divine approval, which justified overthrowing that leader and replacing him with another. This repeating process of removing one leader and replacing him with another based on the Mandate of Heaven is known as the Dynastic Cycle.

f. Who was Asoka? What were his accomplishments?

He was a leader of the Mauryan Empire in India who united almost all of present-day India as a part of the Mauryan Empire. He also contributed to the spread of Buddhism by 1) having messages (edicts) which encouraged people to practice Buddhist values carved into rocks and on pillars throughout the empire and 2) sending Buddhist missionaries to lands outside of India (such as China).

g. What was the civil service system that developed in China (how did it work), AND during which dynasty was it used extensively – Qin or Han?

Under the civil service system, a civilian could obtain a government job by taking an exam. Prior to the Han Dynasty, many civil service jobs went to members of the nobles’ families, regardless of their qualifications. During the Han Dynasty (during which this system was used extensively) under the emperor Wudi, knowledge of Confucianism and its teachings became essential to obtaining civil service

jobs. In order to obtain a civil service job, an applicant had to pass a test about Confucianism. Wudi established schools for people who hoped to obtain civil service jobs where they could study Confucianism.

Greece

a. Describe the geography of ancient Greece. How did this geography affect Greek society?

The geography of Greece was very mountainous. This led to city-states forming, as it was difficult to unite Greece under one government since the mountains made travel and communication difficult. Also, the mountains resulted in a lack of arable land, which also contributed to Greeks colonizing other nearby lands.

b. Greece was eventually conquered by Macedonia.

c. Identify each of the following types of columns:

Doric Ionic Corinthian

d. Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey?

Homer

e. Who fought in the Persian Wars? In the end, who won?

Greek city-states VS. Persian Empire Greece won

f. Who fought in the Peloponnesian Wars (be thorough in your answer)? What were the consequences of the Peloponnesian Wars?

Athens and its allies (the Delian League) VS. Sparta and its allies (the Peloponnesian League) The consequences were that the Golden Age of Athens came to an end and Greece was weakened, which left it vulnerable to outside attack.

g. Who were Socrates, Plato and Aristotle?

Greek philosophers

h. What was the Golden Age of Pericles? What was accomplished during this time?

The Golden Age of Pericles was a time of great cultural accomplishments in Athens as well as a time of the expansion of democracy in Athens under the leadership of Pericles.

i. Hellenistic culture was a blending of which other cultures?

Greek, Persian, Egyptian and Indian

Rome

a. Which emperor divided the Roman Empire in half?

Diocletian

b. After the division of the Roman Empire into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire, the eastern half eventually became known as the Byzantine Empire.

c. As the power of the government declined toward the end of the Roman Empire, what grew in power and served as a unifying force among people?

the Roman Catholic Church

d. Which events are associated with Julius Caesar?

As the Roman Republic declined, civil war broke out. Three military/political leaders rose in power and formed the First Triumvirate: Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar, who was the most popular of the three decided to overthrow the corrupt Roman government after it demanded that he turn over his army. In the fighting that followed, both Pompey and Crassus were killed and Caesar became dictator for life. Shortly after this, members of the Senate murdered Caesar. Caesar's accomplishments included: 1) increasing the size of the Senate, 2) giving land to the poor, 3) granting citizenship to men in Roman provinces, 4) increasing soldiers’ pay and 5) increasing employment.

e. Identify each of the following. Is each one Greek or Roman?

Pantheon (Roman) Parthenon (Greek) Colosseum (Roman)

f. Why was the capital of the Roman Empire moved from Rome to Constantinople? (multiple reasons)

1. Moving the capital to the east helped to protect the eastern frontier of the Empire.2. Moving the capital to the east also helped to protect the capital of the Empire from the Germanic invasions that were occurring in the western half of the Empire.3. The spot where Constantinople was located – on the Bosporus Strait – was a crossroads of trade, making Constantinople a center of trade.4. The spot where Constantinople was located – on the Bosporus Strait – was a site that could be easily fortified on a peninsula that was bordered by natural harbors.

g. What language was the primary language spoken in the Western Roman Empire?

Latin

h. What was the primary religion of the Western Roman Empire?

Roman Catholicism

i. In the Roman Republic, what were patricians? What were plebeians?

Patricians – members of the upper social class, small in number, often wealthy landowners, held most political rights and government positions Plebeians – members of lower social class; most of the population was in this social class; held little political power; were mostly peasants, craftspeople, laborers and shopkeepers

j. Which civilization is known for its roads, arches and aqueducts? What was the purpose of an aqueduct?

Roman Aqueducts were used to transport water over great distances.

k. What were the Punic Wars? Who won? Who led the army of Carthage during this war?

The Punic Wars were a series of three wars between Rome and Carthage. The initial cause was competition for control over trade in the Mediterranean. Rome won all three wars. The leader of the army of Carthage was Hannibal.

l. What was the Pax Romana?

a 200 year period of peace and economic prosperity that began with the reign of Augustus Caesar

m. What conditions led to a weakening of the Roman Republic?

1. a widening gap between rich and poor, which was caused in part by:a. wealthy farmers seizing land while small landowners were away fighting in Punic Warsb. wealthy landowners could afford to use slave labor, whereas small landowners could not and therefore had to hire laborc. many small landowners had to borrow money and then lost their land when they could not repay the loans

2. the value of money decreased and inflation increased

n. Constantine is known for (more than one answer):

1. making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire2. moving the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium (which was re-named Constantinople)

o. What was the name of the split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Christian Church?

the Great Schism

Byzantine Empire

a. What is shown in the image to the right? With which civilization is it associated?

Hagia Sofia Byzantine

b. Who eventually conquered Constantinople (which effectively ended the Byzantine Empire) AND what did they re-name Constantinople?

Ottoman Turks re-named it Istanbul

c. What language was the primary language spoken in the Byzantine Empire?

Greek

d. What was the primary religion of the Byzantine Empire?

Orthodox Christianity

e. What was the capital of the Byzantine Empire?

Constantinople

f. What influences did the Byzantine Empire have upon Russia and Eastern Europe?

1. spread Orthodox Christianity into Russia and Eastern Europe through missionaries 2. contributed the Cyrillic alphabet, which was created by Orthodox Christian missionaries to help spread this religion to the people living in Russia and Eastern Europe3. the Byzantine Empire influenced the art and architecture of Russia and Eastern Europe

Middle Ages

a. What were the effects/consequences/results of the Black Death?

1. there was a decline in population2. there was a scarcity of labor3. towns were freed from feudal obligations4. the influence of the Church declined5. trade was disrupted

b. What were the Crusades? What were the causes of the Crusades?

The Crusades were a series of religious wars launched by European Christians against Muslims. The causes were:1. the Christians wanted to take control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims who controlled these lands2. Pope Urban II called on Christians to launch a crusade after the leader of the Byzantine Empire appealed to him for help as the Seljuk Turks (who were Muslim) expanded the boundaries of the land they controlled closer to the border of the Byzantine Empire

c. What events contributed to the formation of the nation-state of England?

1. William the Conqueror, leader of the Norman Conquest, united most of England2. common law had its beginnings during the reign of Henry II

3. King John signed the Magna Carta, which limited the King's power4. the Hundred Years' War between England and France helped define England as a nation5. Parliament (a legislature) evolved

d. What events contributed to the formation of the nation-state of France?

1. Hugh Capet established the French throne in Paris, and his dynasty (the Capetian Dynasty) gradually expanded its control over most of France2. the Hundred Years' War between England and France helped define France as a nation3. Joan of Arc helped to unify the French during the Hundred Years' War

e. Who did King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expel from Spain starting in 1492?

Muslims (known as Moors) and Jews

f. Describe feudalism in Europe during the Middles Ages. Be sure you know the meanings of the following terms: fief, vassal, manor, serf and peasant.

In exchange for loyalty and a promise to supply knights during times of war, a monarch would grant land to his most important lords (also known as nobles). The grant of land was known as a fief. The lord, who owed loyalty to the king in exchange for the land, became known as a vassal (person granted land in exchange for loyalty and military service). The lord, in turn, would grant land to lesser lords and knights in exchange for their loyalty and military service. Those lesser lords and knights would then become vassals.

The lords ruled over their land (manors), which were self-sufficient communities on which peasants and serfs lived. The peasants and serfs provided food and labor for the manor in exchange for protection from the lord. Peasants lived on manors and farmed the land in exchange for its use. They were free to leave the manor, although most did not. A serf was a type of peasant who was "tied" to the land (could not leave the land).

g. When/why did feudalism develop in Europe?

The death of Charlemagne marked the end of a strong central government in Western Europe. This, and ongoing invasions into Western Europe, led to a new system of living in Western Europe which offered protection. This system is known as feudalism. After the death of Charlemagne, people no longer felt that the government could protect them. So, they turned to local leaders who had land and who could offer protection.

h. Which Pope crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor? Pope Leo III

Renaissance

a. Identify the creations we learned about in class of each of the following artists/writers:

1. Michelangelo: 1) painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and 2) created statue of David

2. Leonardo da Vinci: 1) painted the Mona Lisa and 2) painted The Last Supper

3. Erasmus: wrote The Praise of Folly

4. Sir Thomas More: wrote Utopia

Africa and the Americas

a. What were the two primary resources traded in the West African kingdoms of Mali, Ghana and Songhai?

salt and gold

b. Machu Picchu was a part of the Incan civilization.

c. Tenochtitlan was a part of the Aztec civilization

d. Chichen Itza was a part of the Mayan civilization.

e. Which civilization was located in the Andes Mountains?

Incan

Trade

a. Which goods were traded along land and sea trade routes that originated in India?

1) spices, 2) textiles, 3) the lateen sail and 4) new crops for making sugar

b. Be able to identify the location of all of the following trade routes during the Medieval Period on the map: 1. Silk Routes across Asia to the Mediterranean Basin2. Maritime routes across the Indian Ocean3. Trans-Saharan routes across North Africa4. Northern European links with the Black Sea5. Western European sea and river trade6. South China Sea and lands of Southeast Asia

6

5 4

3

2

1

Religion

a. Identify whether each of the following religions is monotheistic or polytheistic:

1. Judaism: monotheistic

2. Christianity: monotheistic

3. Islam: monotheistic

b. Which religion developed first – Judaism, Christianity or Islam?

Judaism

c. The two main sects of Islam are Sunni and Shi'a. Why did Islam split into these two sects?

Following the death of the Fourth Caliph after the death of Muhammad, Muslims split into two groups. Shi'a Muslims refused to accept anyone who was not directly related to Muhammad through his son-in-law Ali as a leader, whereas Sunni Muslims were willing to accept someone as leader who did not meet this requirement.

d. Within Hinduism, what are the meanings of the following terms:

1. moksha: the concept of achieving enlightenment and being released from samsara

2. dharma: represents the idea of law, duty and obligation (there is a right way to live one's life)

3. samsara: the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth (samsara is considered to be something that people wish to be released from)

4. karma: the idea that a person’s actions have consequences (in this life and the next)

e. Before he became known as the Buddha, this Indian prince was known by the name:

Siddharta Gautama