AP World History Curriculum Framework
Period 1:
Technological and Environmental
Transformations, to c. 600 B.C.E.
Key Concept 1.1. Big Geography and the Peopling of
the Earth
The term Big Geography draws attention to the global nature of world
history. Throughout the Paleolithic period, humans migrated from Africa
to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas. Early humans were mobile and
creative in adapting to different geographical settings from savanna to
desert to Ice Age tundra. By making an analogy with modern hunterforager societies, anthropologists infer that these bands were relatively
egalitarian. Humans also developed varied and sophisticated technologies.
I. Archeological evidence indicates that during the Paleolithic era,
hunting-foraging bands of humans gradually migrated from their
origin in East Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas, adapting
their technology and cultures to new climate regions.
A. Humans used fire in new ways: to aid hunting and foraging, to protect
against predators, and to adapt to cold environments.
B. Humans developed a wider range of tools specially adapted to
different environments from tropics to tundra.
C. Economic structures focused on small kinship groups of huntingforaging bands that could make what they needed to survive. However, not
all groups were self-sufficient; they exchanged people, ideas, and goods.
Key Concept 1.2. The Neolithic Revolution and Early
Agricultural Societies
In response to warming climates at the end of the last Ice Age, from
about 10,000 years ago, some groups adapted to the environment in
new ways, while others remained hunter-foragers. Settled agriculture
appeared in several different parts of the world. The switch to agriculture
created a more reliable, but not necessarily more diversified, food supply.
Agriculturalists also had a massive impact on the environment through
intensive cultivation of selected plants to the exclusion of others, through
the construction of irrigation systems, and through the use of domesticated
animals for food and for labor. Populations increased; family groups gave
way to village life and, later, to urban life with all its complexity. Patriarchy
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Key Concept 1.1.I.-1.2.I.
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AP World History Curriculum Framework
and forced labor systems developed, giving elite men concentrated power
over most of the other people in their societies. Pastoralism emerged in
parts of Africa and Eurasia. Pastoral peoples domesticated animals and
led their herds around grazing ranges. Like agriculturalists, pastoralists
tended to be more socially stratified than hunter-foragers. Because
pastoralists were mobile, they rarely accumulated large amounts of material
possessions, which would have been a hindrance when they changed
grazing areas. The pastoralists’ mobility allowed them to become an
important conduit for technological change as they interacted with settled
populations.
I. Beginning about 10,000 years ago, the Neolithic Revolution led
to the development of new and more complex economic and social
systems.
A. Possibly as a response to climatic change, permanent agricultural
villages emerged first in the lands of the eastern Mediterranean.
Agriculture emerged at different times in Mesopotamia, the Nile River
Valley and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indus River Valley, the Yellow River or
Huang He Valley, Papua New Guinea, Mesoamerica, and the Andes.
B. Pastoralism developed at various sites in the grasslands of AfroEurasia.
C. Different crops or animals were domesticated in the various core
regions, depending on available local flora and fauna.
D. Agricultural communities had to work cooperatively to clear land and
create the water control systems needed for crop production.
E. These agricultural practices drastically impacted environmental
diversity. Pastoralists also affected the environment by grazing large
numbers of animals on fragile grasslands, leading to erosion when
overgrazed.
II. Agriculture and pastoralism began to transform human societies.
A. Pastoralism and agriculture led to more reliable and abundant food
supplies, which increased the population.
B. Surpluses of food and other goods led to specialization of labor,
including new classes of artisans and warriors, and the development of
elites.
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Key Concept 1.2.I.-II.
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AP World History Curriculum Framework
C. Technological innovations led to improvements in agricultural
production, trade, and transportation.
Required examples of improvements in agricultural production, trade,
and transportation:
• Pottery
• Plows
• Woven textiles
• Metallurgy
• Wheels and wheeled vehicles
D. In both pastoralist and agrarian societies, elite groups accumulated
wealth, creating more hierarchical social structures and promoting
patriarchal forms of social organization.
Key Concept 1.3. The Development and Interactions of
Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies
From about 5,000 years ago, urban societies developed, laying the
foundations for the first civilizations. The term civilization is normally used
to designate large societies with cities and powerful states. While there
were many differences between civilizations, they also shared important
features. They all produced agricultural surpluses that permitted significant
specialization of labor. All civilizations contained cities and generated
complex institutions, such as political bureaucracies, armies, and religious
hierarchies. They also featured clearly stratified social hierarchies and
organized long-distance trading relationships. Economic exchanges
intensified within and between civilizations, as well as with nomadic
pastoralists.
As populations grew, competition for surplus resources, especially food,
led to greater social stratification, specialization of labor, increased trade,
more complex systems of government and religion, and the development
of record keeping. As civilizations expanded, they had to balance their
need for more resources with environmental constraints such as the
danger of undermining soil fertility. Finally, the accumulation of wealth in
settled communities spurred warfare between communities and/or with
pastoralists; this violence drove the development of new technologies of
war and urban defense.
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Key Concept 1.3.
27
AP World History Curriculum Framework
I. Core and foundational civilizations developed in a variety of
geographical and environmental settings where agriculture flourished.
Students should be able to identify the location of all of the following
required examples of core and foundational civilizations:
• Mesopotamia in the Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys
• Egypt in the Nile River Valley
• Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in the Indus River Valley
• Shang in the Yellow River or Huang He Valley
• Olmecs in Mesoamerica
• Chavín in Andean South America
II. The first states emerged within core civilizations.
A. States were powerful new systems of rule that mobilized surplus labor
and resources over large areas. Early states were often led by a ruler whose
source of power was believed to be divine or had divine support and/or
who was supported by the military.
B. As states grew and competed for land and resources, the more
favorably situated — including the Hittites, who had access to iron — had
greater access to resources, produced more surplus food, and experienced
growing populations. These states were able to undertake territorial
expansion and conquer surrounding states.
C. Early regions of state expansion or empire building were
Mesopotamia, Babylonia, and the Nile Valley.
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Key Concept 1.3.I-II.
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AP World History Curriculum Framework
Teach one illustrative
example of new weapons,
either from the list below or
an example of your choice:
D. Pastoralists were often the developers and disseminators of new
weapons and modes of transportation that transformed warfare in agrarian
civilizations.
• Compound bows
• Iron weapons
Teach one illustrative
example of new modes of
transportation, either from
the list below or an example
of your choice:
• Chariots
• Horseback riding
III. Culture played a significant role in unifying states through laws,
language, literature, religion, myths, and monumental art.
Teach one illustrative
example of monumental
architecture and urban
planning, either from the
list below or an example of
your choice:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ziggurats
Pyramids
Temples
Defensive walls
Streets and roads
Sewage and water
systems
Teach one illustrative
example of arts and
artisanship, either from the
list below or an example of
your choice:
•
•
•
•
A. Early civilizations developed monumental architecture and urban
planning.
B.
Elites, both political and religious, promoted arts and artisanship.
Sculpture
Painting
Wall decorations
Elaborate weaving
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Key Concept 1.3.III.
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AP World History Curriculum Framework
C. Systems of record keeping arose independently in all early civilizations
and subsequently were diffused.
Teach one illustrative
example of systems of
record keeping, either from
the list below or an example
of your choice:
•
•
•
•
•
Cuneiform
Hieroglyphs
Pictographs
Alphabets
Quipu
D. States developed legal codes, including the Code of Hammurabi, that
reflected existing hierarchies and facilitated the rule of governments over
people.
E. New religious beliefs developed in this period continued to have strong
influences in later periods.
Required examples of new religious beliefs:
• The Vedic religion
• Hebrew monotheism
• Zoroastrianism
F. Trade expanded throughout this period from local to regional and
transregional, with civilizations exchanging goods, cultural ideas, and
technology.
Required examples of trade expansion from local to regional and
transregional:
• Between Egypt and Nubia
• Between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley
G. Social and gender hierarchies intensified as states expanded and cities
multiplied.
H.
Literature was also a reflection of culture.
Teach one illustrative
example of literature, either
from the list below or an
example of your choice:
• The “Epic of Gilgamesh”
• Rig Veda
• Book of the Dead
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Key Concept 1.3.III.
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AP World History
Focus Questions for Key Concepts
1
September 24, 2012
Period 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations, c. 8000 BCE to c. 600 BCE
Key Concept 1.1 Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth
1.1
What is the evidence that explains the earliest history of humans and the planet? How is this
evidence interpreted?
1.1.I
Where did humans first appear on Earth, and what were their society, technology, and
culture?
1.1.I.A
Describe earliest humans’ technology & tools.
1.1.I.C
How did the earliest humans’ society help them procure enough supplies to survive?
Key Concept 1.2 The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies
1.2
What were the long-term demographic, social, political, and economic effects of the Neolithic
Revolution? How did pastoral societies resemble or differ from early agricultural societies?
1.2.I
How did the Neolithic Revolution affect human societies economically & socially?
1.2.I..A Why did the Neolithic Revolution start (at all)? Where did the Neolithic Revolution first
transform human populations? (Plural answer)
1.2.I.B
Where did pastoralism persist even after the Neolithic Revolution?
1.2.I.C
What various crops & animals were developed or domesticated during the Neolithic
Revolution?
1.2.I.D What labor adjustments did humans make in order to facilitate the Neolithic Revolution?
1.2.I.E
What were the environmental effects of the Neolithic Revolution?
1.2.II What were the effects of pastoralism & agriculture on humans?
1.2.II.A What effects did pastoralism & agriculture have on the food supply?
1.2.II.B What were the social effects of the increased food supply caused by increase of agriculture?
1.2.II.C What technological innovations are associated with the growth of agriculture?
2
AP World History
Focus Questions for Key Concepts
September 24, 2012
Key Concept 1.3 The Development and Interactions of Early Agricultural,
Pastoral, and Urban Societies
1.3 What is a ‘civilization,’ and what are the defining characteristics of a civilization? How did
civilizations develop and grow more complex before 600 BCE? What were the effects of this
increasing complexity?
1.3.I
Where did the earliest civilizations develop, and why did they develop in those locations?
1.3.II What is a “state?” Who ruled the early states, and which segments of society usually
supported the ruler?
1.3.II.B Why were some early states able to expand and conquering neighboring states?
1.3.II.C Give four examples of early empires in the Nile & Tigris/Euphrates River Valleys.
1.3.II.D What role did pastoral civilizations play vis a vis empires?
1.3.III How did culture play a role in unifying populations?
1.3.III.A What architectural forms did early civilizations produce?
1.3.III.B Which social strata encouraged the development of art in ancient civilizations?
1.3.III.C What forms of writing developed in ancient civilizations?
1.3.III.D What was the relationship between literature and culture?
1.3.III.E What pre-600 BCE religions strongly influenced later eras?
1.3.III.F How “big” were the pre-600 BCE trading regions?
1.3.III.G How did social and gender identities develop pre-600 BCE?
Change Analysis Chart (8,000 BCE-600 BCE)
Score
Technological & Environmental Transformations
Theme
Characteristics at
Beginning of period
/ 20
Key Continuities
Key Changes
Name _____________________________
Hour ____
May 6, 2010
Characteristics at
End of period
Analysis of
Changes/Continuities
1. HumanEnviron
Interaction
(Demography,
disease,
migration
technology)
1.
2. Culture
(Religions,
philosophies,
Science,
technology, art,
architecture)
3. Politics (Statebuilding,
conflict,
Political
structures,
Empires,
Revolts and
revolution
Inspired by Ellen Bell & Linda Black, compiled by Bill Strickland bstrickl@egrps.org
AP World History
“Must Know” Vocabulary Terms by Period/ Era September 5, 2011
8,000 B.C.E. – 600 B.C.E.
Agricultural Rev./transition or Neolithic Rev.
aristocracy
barbarian
brahmins
bureaucracy
cities (vs. villages)
civilizations/advanced societies
complex institutions
currency
deity
democracy
dharma
diffusion
diversified food supply
domesticated animals (horses, pigs, cattle)
dynastic cycle
egalitarian
ethical/ legal codes
frontier
hunters and gatherers/foraging/nomadic
Ice Age
intensive cultivation
irrigation systems
karma
Mandate of Heaven
monogamy
pagan
pastoral/ pastoralism
patriarchy/patriarchal systems
polygamy
record keeping
secular
sericulture
settled populations
slavery
specialization of labor
surplus
syncretism
textiles
theocracy
600 B.C.E. – 600 CE
Ancestor veneration
Animism
Bodhisattva
caste system
City-state
Classical
Codification
Dao/tao
Diaspora/diasporic communities
Enlightenment
Filial piety
Hellenistic
Manifestations
Merchants
Missionaries
Monarchy
Monastery/monastic life/monasticism
Monsoon winds
Rajas
Reincarnation
Rents
Republic
Rituals
Sanskrit scriptures
Scriptures
Shamanism
Sinicization
Social harmony
Universal truths (dealing with belief systems)
Monica Bond-Lamberty, Northwood High School
E Asia
SE Asia
S Asia
Mid-East
Prehistory
N & C Asia
Europe
Africa
Americas
Oceania
Global/
Interregional
2,000 BCE
1,000
600 BCE
0
CE
AP World History Timeline - Foundations
1,500
400
600
CE
Name _____________________ Hour ____
200
Major Questions Period 1&2
1. What are the basic characteristics of the three types of societies: hunter-gatherers (foragers),
pastoralists, and civilization?
2. What role did the environment play in the development of human society? How did the development
of human society affect the environment and technological change?
3. What are the basic features (culture, state, and social structure) of the following early civilizations:
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, Shang China, Mesoamerica, Andean South America?
4. What are the basic characteristics of the major classical empires (China, India, and the
Mediterranean)? Focus on political developments, social and gender structures, major trading
patterns, major trading patterns within and among societies, and cultural developments.
5. Basic features and locations of the following major world belief systems: polytheisms, Hinduism,
Judaism, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Christianity
6. What were the causes for the decline of Han China, the western Roman Empire, and Gupta India?
7. What was the impact of the movement of the following peoples: Huns and Germans?
8. Explain the exchange of goods and ideas on the Silk Roads. How did the Silk Roads facilitate the
spread of religions?
Major Comparisons and Analysis
1. Compare major religions and philosophical systems including similarities in cementing a social
hierarchy, e.g., Hinduism contrasted with Confucianism.
2. Compare the role of women in the following belief systems: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism,
and Christianity.
3. Understand how the collapse of empire was more severe in western Europe than it was in the eastern
Mediterranean or in China.
4. Compare the caste system to other systems of social inequality devised by early and classical
civilizations, including slavery.
5. Compare the societies that include cities with pastoral and nomadic societies.
6. Compare the development of traditions and institutions in major civilizations, e.g., Indian, Chinese,
and Greek/Roman.
7. Describe interregional trading systems, e.g., the Silk Roads.
8. Compare the political and social structures of two early civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus
Valley, Shang China, Mesoamerica, and Andean South America.
9. Analyze the role of technologies in the growth of large state structures.