Exam Review: Part I (KEY)
Where did the world's first cities appear? – along fertile river valleys (Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China)
What are the 8 Features of Civilization? – cities, government, religion, job specialization, social classes, writing, arts & architecture, public works
How and why did the ancient Egyptians practice mummification? –mummification was a complex, scientific process for preserving dead bodies;
Egyptians believed that your body went with you into the afterlife
What is the Code of Hammurabi? – the first set of written, standardized laws
Describe the origins of Judaism, including the Covenant and Ten Commandments. – Judaism began as a covenant (contract) between Yahweh
(God) and Abraham – Abraham agreed to worship only God and to follow his laws (the Ten Commandments) in exchange for God’s protection and
favor
Compare and contrast Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. – All three are monotheistic (worship only one god), worship the same God, and share the
same basic holy texts; the largest difference comes in their attitudes about Jesus: Jews see him as simply a teacher, Christians view Jesus as the
divine Son of God, and Muslims view him as an important, but mortal, prophet
What are the Five Pillars of Islam? – the practices all Muslims must live by: profession of faith, daily prayer, charity to the poor, fasting during
Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca once in one’s life
Compare and contrast Hinduism and Buddhism. – Both religions emphasize the sacredness of life, believe in reincarnation (rebirth of the soul into
a new body after death, and believe that if you live a perfect life then you will escape the cycle of reincarnation. Hindus practice a more rigid social
structure than Buddhists and are polytheistic (worship many gods) while Buddhists do not worship any central gods.
What was the purpose of the caste system practiced by early Hindu culture? – to keep the spiritually “impure” separate from other peoples
How did geography impact the development of early Greek culture? – Greece’s mountains and rugged coastline made travel and communication
between city-states difficult
Compare and contrast the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta. – Athens: democratic, celebrated the arts, wealthy traders. Sparta: ruled by
kings, no arts, focused on military. Both states spoke the same language, worshipped the same gods.
Describe monarchy, aristocracy, & oligarchy. Monarchy = rule by a king or queen. Aristocracy = rule by land-owners. Oligarchy = rule by the rich.
Explain the difference between direct democracy and representative democracy. Direct democracy = every citizen votes directly on every law.
Representative democracy = voters elect representatives to make the laws for them.
Explain the origins and accomplishments of Hellenistic culture. – Alexander the Great united western (Greek) culture with eastern (India/China)
culture to create major advances in science, math, and engineering.
How did the Classical Greeks and Romans affect modern law and government? – created the concept of democracy, the structure of the senate,
and the basis off of which all modern western law is founded
Explain why Christianity grew so rapidly during the Roman Empire? – Christianity was open to anyone and had a positive message about life after
death
Explain the causes for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire and its consequences for Europe. – Causes: weak military, overspending on social
welfare programs to support the poor, barbarian invasions. Impacts: fall of Rome led to a period of disorder in Europe called the “Dark Ages”
Describe the Silk Road. – trade route connecting Europe to China, by which Chinese silk, jade, spices, and porcelain was traded for European gold
What were the major accomplishments of Medieval Islamic culture? – advances in science, math, and economics
Describe why trade was important for the development of early African cultures. – led to the development of major cities which became centers
of culture and learning, led to the creation of powerful kingdoms based on control of trade goods and routes
Describe Mansa Musa's hajj to Mecca and its long-term consequences for Africa. – Mansa Musa, a devout Muslim and King of Mali, carried large
numbers of slaves and huge quantities of gold out of Africa on his hajj, exposing both commodities to the outside world.
Why did the medieval Chinese practice foot binding? – to force women to take on more domestic duties and a subservient role to men
Describe medieval Japanese feudal structure. Feudal pyramid (see diagram)all overseen by a single, divine emperor.