Most common empires and
famous dudes
Paleolithic Age=Old Stone Age
•
•
•
•
People migrate
Nomads who move from place to place
Invent stone tools and oral language
Discover fire
Neolithic Age=New Stone Age
• Discover agriculture (farming) and
domestication (taming animals)
– ALLOWS PEOPLE TO SETTLE INTO VILLAGES
Sumerian Civilization
• 1st civilization
• City-states in Mesopotamia
• First written code of laws, first organized
religion, first organized governments, first
empires
• First writing- called cuneiform
Egyptian Civilization
•
•
•
•
Nile River
Pyramids, pharaohs (kings)
Influenced by Kush, a kingdom to the south
Hieroglyphics
Indus Civilization
• Indus River in India
• Highly organized, built perfectly planned cities
with sewer and water systems
• Invaded by Indo-Aryan people
Indo-Aryans
• Invaded India
• Introduced caste system, a social class system
that prevents people from increasing their
class
Chinese Civilization
• First on Yellow, then Yangtze River
• Created dynasties- kings whose power is
based on birth
Mauryan Empire
• Indian empire
• Most famous emperor was Asoka, who
converted to Buddhism and worked to spread
Buddhism
Gupta Empire
• “Golden Age” of India
• Advances in math, literature, astronomy
Hebrew civilization
• Abraham father of Judaism
– First Monotheistic religion
• Moses & Ten Commandments- set of moral
laws
Phoenicians
• Best traders of the ancient world
• Trading empire throughout Mediterranean
region
• Invented the alphabet
Persian Empire
• Created by Cyrus I
– Showed conquered people tolerance
• Built roads, esp the Royal Road to help
communicate with empire, good for moving
armies too
• Practice Zoroastrianism religion
Greek Civilization
• Small city-states develop because they are
separated from each other by water and
mountains
• Athens develops direct democracy (people
vote directly on laws)
– Athens contributions to “Western” civilization
(European) include art, architecture (Parthenon),
philosophy, literature (Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey)
• Sparta has a militaristic culture
Alexander the Great’s Empire
• A group of Greek-like people called
Macedonians invade Greece under king Philip
II
• His son, Alexander takes over when Philip dies
and builds a huge empire in Europe, Africa,
and Asia
• Greek culture mixes with Egyptian, Persian,
and Indian culture to form Hellenistic Culture
Roman Republic
• Rome develops a republic, or indirect
democracy (people vote for people to vote on
laws)
• Goes to war with Carthage over control of
Western Mediterranean during Punic Wars
– Rome wins, builds an empire
Roman Empire
• Toward end of republic, a general named
Julius Caesar takes over Rome and tries to
become king, he’s assassinated
• His adopted son Augustus avenges him and
becomes Rome’s first emperor
• This beings 200 years of peace and prosperity
called Pax Romana
Fall of Rome
• Eventually Roman Empire gets too big to
defend and control
• Germanic people like Attila the Hun invade
and eventually conquer the western half of
the Roman Empire
• Eastern half of empire continues as Byzantine
Empire
Byzantine Empire
• Capital city Constantinople
– Protected on 3 sides by water and by massive
walls on the other side
• Justinian I most powerful emperor
– Conquers much of Roman Empire
– Creates code of laws called Justinian’s Code
(Justice)
– Builds Hagia Sophia (big church)
Charlemagne’s Empire
• Western Europe began Middle Ages after fall
of Roman Empire, lots of tiny kingdoms always
fighting each other
• Charlemagne, a Frankish (French) king,
conquers many of these and builds a new
empire
– He tries to revive (recreate) the Roman Empire
(fail)
– Allies with the Catholic church and builds schools
Muslim Empires
• After Muhammad died, Islam expanded
rapidly
• Under Umayyad Caliphate, conquers central
Asia, northern Africa, and Spain. Almost
conquered Europe, but stopped by Charles
Martel at Battle of Tours
• Baghdad becomes capital
– Important city for learning (they invent algebra,
and preserve Greek/Roman learning)
Ghana, Mali, Songhai
•
•
•
•
West African kingdoms
Animist religions and Islam
Timbuktu an important trade and cultural city
Depend on gold-salt trade
Aksum
• Christian kingdom
• Depended on trade
Maya, Aztec, Inca
• All polytheistic
• All depend on agriculture
• Inca build road system to help communicate
with empire
England
• After fall of Roman Empire, England
conquered by Anglo-Saxons (Anglo=English)
• Then conquered by William the Conqueror
and Normans
France
• After Charlemagne, ruled by Hugh Capet and
Capetian Dynasty
• Fights England during the 100 Years War
• French peasant girl named Joan of Arc rallies
French troops and defeat the Brits.
• French become nationalistic
Spain
• Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand unite Spain
by kicking out the Moors (Muslims) and Jews
Mongol Empire
• Ghengis Kahn builds biggest empire ever
– Russia, China, Central Asia
Russia
• Ivan the Great kicks out Mongols
– Becomes the first czar
• Russia becomes a free country
Hammurabi
• Sumerian dude
• Invented first written code of laws
– Very harsh punishments, but kept society in order
Abraham
• Founder of Judaism, the world’s first
monotheistic religion
Moses
• Jewish dude who led Jews out of slavery in
Egypt
– God sent him the 10 Commandments, a set of
social and religious laws
Buddha (Prince Siddhartha Guatama)
• Founder of Buddhism
• Taught that enlightenment (state of perfect
understanding) is possible
– People should follow Eightfold Path and Four
Noble Truths
Confucius
• Chinese founder of Confucianism who taught
that society should be more ordered
• Respect for elders, teachers, rulers
Shi Huangdi
• Brutal Chinese emperor who unified China
• Built the Great Wall of China
Pericles
• Greek dude from Athens who expanded
democracy in Athens
• “Golden Age of Pericles” – a highpoint of
Greek cultural achievement (built the
Parthenon for example)
Plato, Socrates, Aristotle
• Greek philosophers
Julius Caesar
• Roman general who overthrew the Roman
Republic
• Assassinated by Roman Senate
Augustus Caesar
• 1st Roman Emperor
• Began period of Pax Romana- 200 years of
peace and prosperity in the Roman Empire
Jesus of Nazarath
• Founder of Christianity
• Taught about a personal relationship with God
through prayer and good deeds
Apostles Peter and Paul
• Early Christians
• Peter was the founder of the Church
• Paul spread Christianity through the Roman
Empire
Constantine
• Roman Emperor toward the end of the Roman
Republic
• Legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire
• Converted to Christianity on his death bed
Justinian
• Byzantine Emperor during high point
• Reconquered Roman Empire, built Hagia
Sophia, created Justinian’s Code of Laws
Cyril and Methodius
• Byzantine missionaries who created alphabet
for Slavic people to read bible
– Called Cyrillic alphabet after Cyril
Muhammad
• Arabian founder of Islam from Mecca
Charles Martel
• Frankish (French) dude who defeated Muslim
invasion at the Battle of Tours
– Saved Christian Europe from being conquered by
Muslims
Charlemagne
• Frankish king (grandson of Charles Martel)
who conquered much of Western Europe and
revived the idea of the Roman Empire
– Also opened schools
William the Conqueror
• Norman (French & Viking) guy who conquered
England and centralized the king’s power
Joan of Arc
• French girl who rallied the French to defeat
the English during the 100 Years War
Isabella and Ferdinand
• Spanish queen and king who kicked the
Muslim Moors and Jews out of Spain