World Civilization

1.The textbook stated that the Qin ruler was the first Emperor in China, how did his new power manifest itself?

2. What was the last dynasty of this period?

3. This dynasty compares to what empire in the West during the same time period?

4. What does the Emperor Wu construct to encourage Confucian teachings? Why would a ruler want to encourage such teachings?

5. What was the main extra-territorial threat to the Han dynasty? How did the Han handle this threat?

The Americas and the Islands of the Pacific to 1200CE

1. What was the main difference between the development of agriculture in Mesoamerica and the other Eurasian cultures?

2. What was the main cereal crop for Mesoamerica?

3. What people created the first complex society in Mesoamerica?

4. What are the main remnants of the Adena and Hopewell cultures?

5. What were the first northern Amerindians to develop a complex urban culture? When did this occur?

6. What kind of living structures did the Anasazi build?

7. What were the first Andean societies?

8. When was Australia first colonized by humans?

9. What is the Polynesian Triangle?

6. How have archeologists recreated the migration of Polynesian settlers?

7. What tool did ancients use to colonize Polynesia?

8. What two pieces of evidence do historians use to claim there was some sort of contact between Polynesia and Pre-Columbia America?

9. What happened to first inhabitants of Easter Island and New Zealand?

New Empires in Iran and Greece (2000BCE-661 CE)

1. Who was Herodotus? Why is he important to our class?

2. What dynasty ruled the ancient Persian Empire from 550BCE-330BCE?

3. Who were the main rulers of that dynasty?

4. What administration innovation did the Persians develop to help rule their large empire?

5. What was the religion of the Persians? What was different about it from other Indo-European religions? What was similar with the Vedic religions of India?

6. What innovation is Lydia known for?

7. What did Darius use to justify his accession to the Achaemenid Throne? How was his justification different from other rulers in other cultures we have read about? How is it similar?

8. People from what language group settled Greece?

9. What two texts do we have that helps give us insight into Mycenaean culture?

10. What innovation did the Phoenicians introduce into the Eastern Mediterranean? Why was in an advancement?

11. What is the term Greeks used for their city-states? What modern words in English are derived from this term? (hint: the answer is not in the textbook but you have to use you own wits to figure this one.)

12. What was the first city-state to grant extensive rights to its citizens? Does this surprise you?

13. What city-state first developed democracy? Who was allowed to vote under Solon’s reforms?

10. Why would holding property be a requirement for voting? (hint: this is not in the book, but a question to make you think)

11. What was the main kind of Greek soldier? What were these Greek soldiers able to do at the plains of Marathon? What were the casualties of the two sides of the battle?

12. What is the famous battle that pitted 300 Spartans against the entire Persian army of approximately 100,000? Can you think of a battle in American history that is similar to this Greek battle?

13. What was the main naval victory for the Greeks during the second Persian invasion?

14. Who were the three great Athenian tragedy playwrights during the fifth century BCE?

15. What was the Peloponnesian War? Who were its main antagonists? What were the causes and results of the war?

16. Who were the three most recognized philosophers that came out of Athens following the Peloponnesian War? What were the main achievements of each philosopher?

17. Who was Alexander of Macedon? What were his accomplishments during his lifetime? What was his legacy? What is Hellenization?

18. Who followed the Seleucids as rulers of Persia? Who followed them? What was the religion of these new empires based in Persia? Who eventually replaced them in 661CE?

The Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity (509BCE-476CE)

1. What is the traditional date for the founding of Rome?

2. What language group did the early inhabitants of the Italian peninsula belong to?

3. The date of 509BCE is in the title of this chapter, what is its significance?

4. What were some of the elements of early roman society and politics?

5. After the conquest of the Italian peninsula, who was Rome’s greatest rival in the western Mediterranean? What was the name of the series of wars these two powers fought?

6. What was the main difference in the types of armies Rome and Carthage fielded?

7. Who was the famous Carthaginian general? Who finally defeated him?

8. What is a Paterfamilias?

9. What led to the decline of the Roman Republic? (hint: this is not an one sentence answer)

10. What were latifundia?

11. Who was Rome’s first emperor?

12. What is the pax Romana?

13. What is polytheism?

14. What is monotheism?

15. How did Christianity differ in message from the other cult religions, i.e. Cult of Isis, that were popular during the early Roman Empire?

16. What event changed the center of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome?

17. What Roman feat of engineering helped spread Christianity?

18. What political innovation did Diocletian initiate?

19. What was the Edict of Milan?

20. Who Was Constantine the Great?

21. What was the main topic of debate at the Council of Nicaea?

22. Who was St. Augustine?

23. What were some of the Germanic tribes that invaded the Western Roman Empire? Why were they successful there and not in the east?

24. What happened to Roman North Africa during the Germanic Invasions?

Hindu and Buddhist States and Societies

In Asia 100-1000CE

1. Who was Xuanxang? What was his goal? Who have we studied that was similar? What were his accomplishments?

2. What is a Chakravartin?

3. Why are the silk routes important, especially for historians?

4. What is Hinduism?

5. What are the Greater and Lesser Vehicles?

6. How was Buddhism transmitted from India, where it began, to China?

7. What dynasty ushered in a new era for Hinduism in northern India? In southern India?

8. What were some of the major deities in Hinduism? (hint: you will have to look at outside sources for this.)

9. Geographically, what does southeast Asia consist of? What are the major sources of food production? (what is grown and under what conditions is it grown?)

10. What ethical system did these peoples follow? How did they come by this?

11. How did merchants use the natural warming and cooling of the earth to their advantage?

12. What are the descendant lines followed in Southeast Asia? How would that be difficult in state-building?

13. What was the Angkor Dynasty?

14. How did Buddhism come to China? Who were its earliest converts and what prompted them to convert?

15. Who is Fotudeng? What is his significance?

16. Why were the family oriented Confucians reluctant to accept Buddhism?

17. What are some of the practices the Tang Dynasty adopted that helped it be so successful?

18. What is the significance of Emperor Wu?

19. What led to the decline of the Tang Dynasty?

20. What was woodblock printing? What was its significance?

21. What does the Tibetan, Korean, and Japanese have in common during this period? What was different?