Iron Age
What were the ingredients needed to make Bronze? __tin____ & _copper______
Why did Bronze become so scarce? Hard to find, lost trading routes, fall of
empires, people fled cities…______________
Where does Iron come from? Earth’s crust (4th most abundant mineral)_______
What innovation was discovered to turn rocks into iron ore? _Charcoal – super
heated fires melt the iron particles out of the rock and they melt together to form
ingots that are heated and hammered, heated and hammered, (repeat) to make
weapons that are sharper and hold an edge longer. Better than bronze.________
What was the impact on the ecology of Ancient Europe and Asia once they
discovered how to make iron? _They chopped down A LOT of trees (70 million
acres in Europe alone)______
Ancient Greece – Greco-Persian War and the origin of Democracy
Describe a ‘Spartan lifestyle’ _Hardship, toughness, bravery – living without any
luxuries__________________________________________
Who attacked the Greek city-states in 479 BCE (Battle of Plataea)? _Persia_____
Pausanius lead the Spartans. Spartans were ultimate warriors, born for battle.
Sophenes lead the Athenians. Athenians were more refined – merchants,
playwrights, scholars and farmers.
Mardonius lead the Persians. Persia was an empire stretching 2 million square
miles from India to Greece.
Who decided if the Athenians would submit to King Xerxes of Persia or join with
Sparta as a unified Greek army? _the citizens of Athens (men born in Athens who
owned land) _________________
How did they cast their vote? _with coloured stones – black was surrender to
Persia, white was fight beside the Spartans____________
What is a Phalanx and why was it so effective? Soldiers lock shields together to
form a ‘human tank’, thrust spears forward and move forward –unstoppable
force and excellent defense against arrows. Protect your buddy and yourself.____
What epic structure was built to commemorate the victory in the Battle of Plataea
and to honour the goddess, Athena? _____The Parthenon_________________
Ancient China
Qin Shi Huangdi (Qin Dynasty), leader of the Qin state since the age of 13, was
‘First Emperor’ and unified the warring states of China in 221 BCE.
What weapon did the Chinese perfect using mass produced, cast iron bolts?
_____crossbow_________________________
How did Qin Shi Huangdi die in 210 BCE at age 49? _mercury poisoning_____
What epic structure did he begin building to hold back nomadic invaders from
the north? _the Great Wall of China________________________
How long did it take to build? __1800_____ years and cost a million lives.
What was he obsessed with at the end of his life? _immortality___________
What epic structure did he build for the event of his death? _a huge underground
tomb (20 square miles) that was hidden for centuries. _________
Who was buried with him? _his wives that had not had any children, hundreds
of craftsmen that had built the tomb (buried alive to keep it a secret) __________
An Ancient Age of Enlightenment
Lao Tse (604-531 BCE) and Confucius (551-479 BCE) were founding
philosophers who searched for the foundations of social order during the
Warring States period (prior to First Emperor). Qin Shi Huangdi was ruthless
with his critics (Taoists and Confucians) who questioned his right to rule over a
unified China.
Buddha (ca 500 BCE) preached enlightenment in Ancient India and believed that
suffering was part of life that could be avoided by following a noble, righteous
path.
Zarathustra (Zaroaster) ca 600 BCE, in Eastern Persia, believed that the world is a
struggle between good and evil/light and dark.
Plato (429-347 BCE) Ancient Greece
Aristotle (384-321 BCE) Ancient Greece
Socrates (469-399 BCE) Ancient Greece
Carthage
What were 2 innovations developed by the Phoenicians?
1. Alphabet – 22 letters that combine into different words____________
2. Keel on the bottom of ships – far more maneuverable in rough water _____
What else did they discover? _Gorillas (thought they were wild, hairy men and
women) off the west coast of Africa ___________________________
How did writing emerge as a gamechanger?
 Recorded history – epic battles, heroic leaders, spiritual beliefs
 Letters, stories, laws tell the story of what life was like back then
 Communication – messages could be spread across known
world______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Ancient Rome