HIS 122
World History I
Dr. Hutton
Spring 2014
Weekly Assignment #2
Due: Thursday, Feb. 13
Read Tignor, Chap. 4, pp.141-152 & answer these questions:
1. What were the effects of the new Indo-European migrations in 1200 BCE on Greece
and the Mediterranean?
2. Why did the Persian King Darius attack the Greek city-states? Why were Athens and
Sparta able to defeat the Persians?
3. Who were the Phoenicians and how did they extend trade in the Mediterranean?
4. What are the different theories about the origins of Israel?
5. What problems did the kingdom of Israel have?
6. What were the early beliefs of the Israelites? Who were the prophets?
7. What religious rituals did the early Vedic people practice? What were the Vedas?
8. How did the Vedic society change as they settled in northern India?
9. How did the clan structure and lineages create a political and social order for the
Vedic people?
10. What is caste and what were the four original castes? Who was in each caste?
11. What gave the Vedic people a collective sense of destiny (or identity)?
12. What were the Upanishads? What did they teach?
Read Narayan, The Ramayana, pp. 3-6 and 22-44 and answer these questions:
13. Why did Vishnu incarnate as Dasaratha’s son?
14. Who are Dasaratha’s sons? What education did they receive?
15. What happened to Rama and Sita after they saw each other? What are the symptoms
they suffer?
16. What test must any suitor pass if he wants to marry Sita? How does Rama pass the
test?
17. Who travels to Mithila for the wedding?
18. When Dasaratha recognizes that he is getting old, what does he decide to do? What is
the reaction of the people?
19. Who is Kooni and what does she do to stop Rama?
20. Why does Kaikeyi change her mind and turn against Rama?
21. How does Kaikeyi get Dasaratha to give the kingdom to Bharatha and banish Rama?