2016 Midterm Review Sheet
Global IH: Spiconardi
 Early Hominids
o australopithicus afarensis
Evidence suggest that humans originated/first
o homo habilis
o homo erectus
appeared in AFRICA
o homo neanderthalensis
o homo sapiens
 Neolithic Revolution
o C. 10,000 BCE, humans learn to farm and domesticate animals
o Evidence suggest that agriculture emerged in this part of the world: MIDDLE EAST
 Results of the Neolithic Revolution
 Permanent settlements development of villages  rise of governments  DEVELOPMENT
OF CIVILIZATIONS
 Development of social classes and gender roles/discrimination (Be able to explain why)
 Characteristics of a Civilization
o Complex Institutions
o Record Keeping
o Specialized Labor
o Advanced Technology
o Cities
 Early River Civilizations
o Settlements near rivers provide rich and fertile soil
 Mesopotamia
o Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
o Geography: Lack of natural barriers = Constant invasion; promotes cultural diffusion
o City-state structure
o Ziggurats  Step-like pyramids; commercial, religious, and government center
o View on the gods: UNFAVORABLE; gods meddled in their lives
o Babylonians
 Hammurabi’s Code  Know what the laws inform us about Babylonian cultural values
o Hittites
 Ushered in the iron age
 Egypt
o Nile River
o Geography: Examples of natural barriers: desert, Nile’s cataracts
o View of gods/afterlife: FAVORABLE; god’s there to help Egyptians
 Shang China
o Geography: Surrounded by natural barriers
 Ethnocentrism  belief your culture is superior and central to all others
o Divination/oracle bones
o Bronze ritual vessels
 Indus River Valley
o Monsoons  seasonal winds; depending on direction, could bring floods or drought
o Harappa & Mohenjo Daro  organized and nearly identical cities; grid patterned layout
o Aryans bring caste system
o Emergence of Hinduism
2016 Midterm Review Sheet
Global IH: Spiconardi
 Persian/ Achaemenid Empire
o Royal Road, postal service, religious tolerance, Cyrus & Darius
o Zoroastrianism (Know basic beliefs)
 China: Zhou, Qin, Han
o Zhou
 Viewed ruler as a father figure; responsible for being moral and provider
 Mandate of Heaven
 Dynastic Cycle  ruler could be overthrown, if he did not provide for the Chinese
o Confucianism
Be able to compare
the two
 Filial Piety, Five Key Relationships
philosophies views
o Daoism
on government
 Natural order is more important than societal order
o Qin
 Legalism  emphasis on law to bring societal order; use rewards and punishments
o Han
 Civil Service Exam
 Silk Road
 Paper, compass, seismograph
 Bureaucracy  highly organized and centralized government
 Maurya & Gupta
o Maurya
 Asoka
 Edicts/religious tolerance
o Gupta
 Golden Age of India (Know some of the artistic & scientific achievements)
 Invasion of the White Huns leads to eventual collapse
 Greece
o Mountains led to the development of independent poleis
o Forms of Government
 Monarchy, Oligarchy, Tyranny, Democracy
o Philosophy
 Socrates, Plato, Aristotle (Be familiar with their philosophies)
o Alexander the Great
 Hellenism
 Rome
o Twelve Tables  Know what the laws tell us about Roman cultural values
o Pax Romana  Rome’s golden age ushered in by Augustus Caesar
o Fall of Rome
 Empire had grown too big
 Lack of patriotism
 Invasions
 Inflation
 Byzantine Empire continues in the East
2016 Midterm Review Sheet
Global IH: Spiconardi
 Belief Systems and Religion
 Animism – belief everything in nature has a spirit
 Zoroastrianism
 Duality: Good vs. Evil
 Originated in Persian Empire
 Hinduism
 Brahman – the universal unifying spirit. The goal in life is to achieve union with Brahman
 Reincarnation – rebirth of the soul in a new body allows people to continue on their journey
toward union with Brahman
 Karma – the good and bad things you do affect your existence in your next life
 Dharma – the moral and religious duties that are expected of an individual. Your dharma is
dependent upon your gender, class, age, and occupation
 Caste – social groups into which people are born and out of which they cannot move during
a lifetime. (LACK OF SOCIAL MOBILITY)
 Developed by Aryans in India
 Hindu Caste System
 Moksha  a state of perfect understanding of all things; liberation from desires and
suffering
 Buddhism
 The Four Noble Truths
 All life is suffering
 Suffering is caused by desire
 The way to eliminate suffering is to eliminate desire
 Following the Eightfold Path will help people overcome desire
 Eightfold Path
 Following the Eightfold Path will enable you to reach nirvana
 Nirvana – union with the universe and release from the cycle of death and rebirth
(Buddhist believe in reincarnation like Hindus, but reject the caste system)
 Judaism
Potential Essays:
 Monotheistic religion
 Ten Commandments dictate morality & behavior  Analysis of legal codes: What do they inform
historians about the society in which they were
 Covenant  agreement with God
 Test Format
written?

Analysis of women in the ancient world: Compare
o 40 Multiple Choice
the roles and status of women in ancient
o DBQ Essay
*Be sure to bring two sharpened pencils and ink-filled
blue/black pens to the midterm

civilizations.
Government Systems of Classical Civilization:
Explain how government systems impacted the
societies they governed.