Final Exam Study Guide
Name _________________________________________
Key Vocabulary- Definition
1.
The part of a map that shows the meaning of the symbols
2.
A map that shows the landscape features of a place such as
mountains, rivers, and lakes
3.
A map that shows information about the past
4.
People who study the remains of past cultures
5.
The time before humans invented writing
6.
Objects made and used by people long ago
7.
Tools and skills that people use to meet their needs and
wants
8.
People who move from place to place in search of food
9.
A system of worship and beliefs, including the belief in a
Vocabulary Word
map key
physical map
historical map
archaeologists
prehistory
artifacts
god or gods
10. The belief in many gods
technology
nomads
religion
polytheism
11. A person believed to be chosen by god as his messenger
prophet
12.
government
An organization formed to manage resources and protect
people in a society
politics
13. The art and practice of government
The study of how human beings behave, how they act
14.
together, where they came from, and what makes one group
anthropology
of people different from another
The buying and selling of goods and services in an economy
15.
commerce
Main Ideas
Early people
1. Early civilizations developed near rivers like the Tigris and
Euphrates, Nile, and the Indus because these rivers provided them
with fresh water, food, and transportation.
2. During the Old Stone Age, also known as the Paleolithic Era, huntergatherers spent many hours each day looking for food.
3. Hunter-gatherers expressed themselves artistically through cave
paintings, often featuring the animals they hunted.
4. At the beginning of the New Stone Age, also known as the Neolithic
Era, people began to farm the land. This changed the way people
lived because it allowed them to settle in one place as they had a
water and food source always available.
5. As they got better at farming, a surplus was produced which allowed
some people to develop other skills needed in the community. This is
called specialization.
6. In addition to farming, Neolithic people began to domesticate
animals, taming and training them to serve their needs.
7. Early people also began to barter with other communities for things
that they needed like trading cattle for bronze tools.
8. The economy of early cities and villages was still mainly based on
farming.
9. Social classes, based on wealth and power, began to form. Slaves
made up the lowest level in most societies.
The Fertile Crescent
10.Mesopotamia, which developed in the Fertile Crescent, was the
world’s earliest civilization. The Fertile Crescent gets its name
because it is shaped like a crescent moon and has very rich soil. In
the Greek language, “Mesopotamia” means the land between the two
rivers.
11.Farmers in Mesopotamia used irrigation to bring water to their crops,
thus increasing the amount of productive farmland.
12.Mesopotamians also tamed the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers by
building levees to control the floods.
13. Mesopotamia’s earliest civilization was Sumer. The Sumerians were
very advanced and developed the world’s first writing system called
cuneiform.
14. Sumerians were also very religious and built stepped temples to their
gods called ziggurats.
15. Hammurabi, a Babylonian king, created one of the earliest sets of
written laws called the Code of Hammurabi. This code contributed to
the development of civilization because it listed 282 laws for all to see
and follow.
Egypt
16. The Nile River flows from the south to the north of Egypt. It begins
in the mountains and flows northward and empties into to the
Mediterraean Sea. Egypt developed along the banks of the Nile
River which provided much needed water and fertile silt for farming.
17. Egyptians were polytheistic, with one of the most important gods
being the Sun god, Amon-Re.
18. To help a person reach the afterlife, Egyptians believed the body had
to be preserved through mummification. They threw out or
discarded the brain because they did not believe it was useful.
19. The pharaoh was the head of the Egyptian government. At the top
of the social pyramid (based on wealth and power), he was thought to
be a god on Earth.
20. Egyptians of the Old Kingdom constructed pyramids to serve as
tombs for departed pharaohs.
21. Hatshepsut was the first female pharaoh and built Egypt’s economy
through trade.
22. Ancient Egyptians created a system of writing called hieroglyphics.
Officials called scribes were knew how to read and write. These
officials enabled the Egyptians to share and preserve knowledge.
23. Scholars learned the meaning of hieroglyphics by decoding the
Rosetta Stone.
24.Ancient Egyptians used papyrus to record messages.
25. Egyptians obtained needed goods and services from neighboring
kingdoms through commerce.
Judaism
26.Judaism, founded by Abraham, is the world’s oldest monotheistic
(belief in only one god) religion.
27.Jewish people read the Torah and follow the Ten Commandments.
The Israelites fled slavery in Egypt in an event called the Exodus.
This event is remembered with the holy day of Passover.
28. A Jewish teacher and religious leader is called a rabbi.
29.The Sabbath is the Jewish weekly day of rest and prayer.
30. Jewish people have been persecuted throughout history and often
exiled. The communities living outside their ancient homeland are
called the Diaspora.
India
31. India is a subcontinent of Asia, separated by the Himalaya
Mountains. Monsoons were storms that provided water needed for
farming.
32.Hinduism and Buddhism began in India. Both religions believe in
dharma, karma, and reincarnation.
33.Today most people in India practice Hinduism, while most Buddhists
live in China and southeast Asia.
34. Hindus believe in the caste system which divides society into
separate groups called castes.
35. In the caste system, people must remain in their caste for their entire
life and can only associate with people of that caste. Dalits performed
the dirtiest and hardest jobs. Brahmins were priests at the top of the
caste system.
36. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, an India prince,
who gave up everything to search for the best way to live life.
37. Gautama became known as the “Buddha” or enlightened one. In his
Four Noble Truths, he said that you could only find peace by ending
suffering, which was caused by wanting things.
China
38. Ancient China developed along the Huang or Yellow River. It was
also known as “China’s Sorrow” because its frequent flooding
brought disaster to the people.
39. The physical geography of China is mountainous and has several
major deserts. These landforms isolated China by creating barriers to
the outside world. Emperor Shihuangdi of the Qin Dynasty had the
Great Wall of China build to keep out invaders from the north.
40. The Shang Dynasty created great bronze works and used oracle
bones to predict the future.
41.The Zhou Dynasty used the Mandate of Heaven to rule. This concept
states that the emperor receives the right to rule from the gods.
42. Shihuangdi, the ruler of the Qin Dynasty, unified China by
reorganizing the government and standardizing written language,
currency, and transportation.
43. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting China to
Europe. It got its name because silk was China’s most valuable
export.
44. Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who emphasized a return to a
culture of respect and responsibility.
Greece
45. Greece’s physical geography was very mountainous which led to the
rise of isolated city-states.
46. The two main city-states were Athens and Sparta.
47. Athens formed the world’s first democracy (political power held by
all citizens) and stressed the arts and education.
48. Sparta was ruled by an oligarchy (political power held by a small
group of people) and stressed military power. From early childhood,
boys were trained to be soldiers.
49.The Greeks believed their gods lived on Mt. Olympus and often got
involved in the lives of humans.
50. The Olympic games originated as a festival to honor the main Greek
god, Zeus.
51. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were famous Greek philosophers.
Rome
52. Ancient Rome was built on the Seven Hills along the Tiber River.
Romulus and Remus were two brothers whose myth tells the
founding of the city of Rome.
53. Early Romans were polytheistic and their beliefs were very similar to
the religious beliefs of the Greeks.
54. The patricians were the wealthy class of Roman landowners.
55. The plebeians were the working class artisans, merchants, and
farmers.
56. Julius Caesar was assassinated by senators but the republic was still
destroyed.
57. Octavian, also known as Augustus, became the first emperor of Rome
and began a 200 year period of peace called the Pax Romana.
58. The Twelve Tables were a code of written laws that, like the Ten
Commandments, and Hammurabi’s Code, established rules of
behavior.
59.
Romans were expert builders who invented the arch and the dome.
They were able to build new architecture because of their discovery of
the building material called concrete. In addition, they built the
aqueducts to deliver fresh water to cities.
Islam
60. Islam (like Judaism and Christianity) is a monotheistic religion.
61. Muhammad was a prophet and the founder of Islam.
62. Followers of Islam are called Muslims and they worship in mosques.
63. The Quran is Islam’s holy book and the main source of Islamic
teaching.
64. Muslims follow the Five Pillars of Islam, which outline the correct
way to live their lives.