REVIEW FOR THE SEMESTER ONE MIDTERM EXAM

1. REVIEW FOR THE SEMESTER ONE MIDTERM EXAM UNIT 1: RIVER VALLEY & CLASSIC CIVILIZATIONS UNIT 2: GREECE & ROME UNIT 3: ISLAM & AFRICA UNIT 4: BYZANTINE EMPIRE & MIDDLE AGES

2. REVIEW FOR THE SEMESTER ONE MIDTERM EXAM INSTRUCTIONS: Go through the slides and answer each question in the packet; the slide numbers are listed for each question

3. The Neolithic Revolution is when humans learned how to farm; farming changed the way humans lived: Neolithic Revolution People no longer had to be roaming nomads Food surpluses led to population increases Farming villages became established along river valleys; the rivers offered good soil, irrigation, and sources of drinking water

4. They were all located near rivers that left behind fertile soil ideal for farming; this made those four areas perfect places to start a civilization The geography of Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, the Indus River Valley, and Ancient China affected their development

5. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS Writing: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics were both pictograms and a phonetic alphabet

6. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS Technology: Ancient Egyptian ideas included a 365-day calendar, geometry, astronomy, and the pyramids

7. The followers of Siddharta Gautama (the Buddha) are called Buddhists; they believe they can achieve enlightenment and overcome their desires by following the Eight-Fold Path

8. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS China’s Government: Like Egypt, China was ruled by families called dynasties Rulers justified their power by claimingMandate ofHeaven (approval of the gods)

9. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS China’sGovernment: Kings could lose the Mandate of Heaven and be overthrown by a new king; new rulers could justify overthrowing a declining dynasty

10. INDIA’S LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS India’s Technology: Most houses in the well-planned cities of the Indus River Valley had advanced plumbing: toilets and private bathrooms connected to underground sewer systems

11. LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS OF MESOPOTAMIA MESOPOTAMIAN WRITING: Sumerians (who lived in Mesopotamia) made the world’s first writing system, which was called cuneiform

12. MESOPOTAMIA’S LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS HAMMURABI’S CODE: Babylonian King Hammurabi created the first written law code Hammurabi’s Code recorded the laws and displayed them for all to see Hammurabi’s Code had 282 laws based on justice and retaliation (for example: “an eye for an eye”) The code had different punishments for the various levels of society

13. CHINA’S LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS China’s Government: China was also ruled by the ethical system, Confucianism, which is based on the philosophy of the teacher, Confucius (born 551 BCE) Confucianism focused on filial piety (respect for elders)

14. In order to gain one of the 130,000 government jobs, citizens had to pass a civil service exam Exams were based on Confucian teachings

15. Like the Hindus, the Buddhists believe in moksha (nirvana or enlightenment) and reincarnation However, the Buddhists rejected the idea of the caste system and the idea that only Brahmins can achieve moksha

16. PERSIA’S SYSTEM OF CONTROL Persia controlled their lands in a variety of ways Persian kings were tolerant; they allowed conquered people to keep their languages and religions This kept the conquered people content and less likely to rebel

17. PERSIA’S ORGANIZED EMPIRE The Persians used metal coins with standardized values to help promote trade

18. The Ten Commandments were the rules and guidelines for those who followed Judaism

19. WRITING: • Phoenicians simplified cuneiform to a 22 letter alphabet • Phoenicianmerchantsspread the alphabet throughout the Mediterranean world • The alphabet influenced the alphabet used by Greek and Romans

20. Gupta Empire: Classical India India experienced a “golden age” of art, learning, and science during the Gupta Empire, which was known as a “classical empire” Indian astronomers were the first to discover that the Earth is round Mathematicians invented modern numerals, the number zero, pi, and the decimal system

21. Mountains covered about 75% of Greece; these barriers divided the Greek people into separate mountain valleys and made unifying Greece nearly impossible

22. Differences Among Greek City-States Some polis like Athens had a direct democracy, a government ruled by citizens who vote on decisions This system of voting would influence future civilizations, such as Rome

23. ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION Rome’s location on the Mediterranean Sea allowed for trade and cultural diffusion (blending of cultures) with other people and nations

24. The society of Sparta focused on military strength, not on freedom, art, and learning (like Athens did) Unlike Athens, the people of Sparta had little voice in the government

25. Alexander’s greatest legacy: Alexander the Great brought Greek colonists and culture to Persia and parts of Asia, blending the cultures together; this created a new culture called Hellenism The term “Hellenism” comes from the sun goddess Helen, which the Greeks thought themselves the children of; they called Greek culture “Hellenism”

26. The Influence of the Greeks and Romans The influence that the Greeks and later on the Romans had on Western civilization cannot be overstated Many facets of modern American life can be traced back to the innovations of the Greeks and Romans: things like government, language, religion, law, education, entertainment, literature, art, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, science, buildings, customs, traditions, sports, philosophy and medicine all can trace their roots back to Greece and Rome

27. CHRISTIANITY BECOMES RECOGNIZED Despite Roman efforts to suppress it, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and gained popularity In the year 312 CE, Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal after recognizing that the Christian religion was becoming the dominant one in his empire Rome changed to monotheistic Christianity from their old polytheistic religion

28. Greece developed democracy, theater, geometry, and philosophy Philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle questioned assumptions, quested for knowledge, and used logic to find answers to questions

29. THE PAX ROMANA Augustus’ 41 year reign marked the beginning of a 207-year era of peace, wealth, and expansion called “PaxRomana” (the “Roman Peace”) from 27 BCE to 180 CE Pax Romana

30. Muhammad and Islam Muhammad began preaching a new monotheistic religion called Islam that worshipped the same God as the God of the Jews and Christians, but in a different way

31. The Decline of the Roman Empire The decline and fall of the Roman Empire happened gradually, in three stages FIRST STAGE: internal problems such as economic inflation and excessive spending, disruption of trade, weak leadership, and a disorganized military SECOND STAGE: there was a brief period of revival as Emperors Diocletian and Constantine enacted reforms; however, some of these reforms would help bring about the Empire’s end THIRD STAGE: repeated invasions by Germanic “barbarian” tribes would lead to the conquest of Rome, bringing the Roman Empire to an end

32. FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO ROMAN EMPIRE Julius Caesar’s death changed Rome; the people no longer trusted the Senate to rule the Roman Republic and this would lead to the rise of the Roman Empire

33. FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SHAHADAH “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God”

34. FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SIYAM • The Fourth Pillar is Siyam, or fasting (going without food) during the month of Ramadan

35. FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: HAJJ • All adult Muslims who are able to are expected to make the hajj (a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca) at least once in their lifetime

36. The Sunni-Shi’a Split The disagreement over who should lead Islam after Muhammad lead to a split between Muslims Sunni Muslims accepted the rule of those NOT related to Muhammad Shi’a Muslims rejected the rule of those not related to Muhammad The Shi’a believe that caliphs must come directly from Muhammad’s bloodline The Sunni believe that caliphs should follow Muhammad’s example, but do not have to be relatives

37. SHARI’A LAW • Islamic law is shari’a, or “path to be followed” • Shari’a law encourages some behaviors, while forbidding others, such as eating pork, drinking alcohol, or gambling • Shari’a also commands women to “not show their beauty”, so many Muslim women cover themselves to one degree or another

38. EAST AFRICA Arab merchants brought their religion with them to East Africa Islam was introduced to the East African trade cities through the Indian Ocean trade network

39. BELIEFS OF ISLAM • Because the Muslims respect parts of the Bible and Torah, they consider Christians and Jews “People of the Book”

40. Geography and Navigation • Travelers, like Ibn Battuta, recorded information (and in Ibn’s case, wrote a book) about their journeys to the Muslim lands and beyond

41. Mecca is Islam’s holiest city The Ka’aba (“The Cube”) is a 43 foot high cube structure that contains altars and works of art glorifying Islam; it is the destination of Muslim pilgrims

42. Medicine • Muslims established the world’s first hospitals and based their medical knowledge on that of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece • Doctors treated ailments through drugs, diet, and exercise; they also used stitches after performing surgeries

43. Mathematics • Muslims based their work in math in part on the ideas from India and Classical Greece • One scholar, Al-Khwarizmi, is called the “father of algebra”, which is used to solve problems with unknown numbers

44. University in Timbuktu Timbuktu became a trade city that attracted scholars, religious leaders, and doctors As a result of Mansa Musa’s hajj to Mecca, Islamic learning and culture expanded in West Africa

45. WEST AFRICA AND ISLAM SYNCRETISM: the blending of religious beliefs Islam was introduced to West Africa and slowly gained converts (people who switch their beliefs to a new religion) Many West Africans either blended Islam with Animism or never converted

46. Arabia, the Birthplace of Islam The Arabian Peninsula is a desert region with little fertile soil or farming The harsh climate and lack of resources forced Arabs to become traders

47. BELIEFS OF ISLAM • The rules and guidelines Muslims go by in regards to their religious practices are called the Five Pillars of Islam

48. The Ten Commandments serve as rules and guidelines for Jews and Christians, much like how the Five Pillars are rules for Muslims

49. TRANS-SAHARAN GOLD-SALT TRADE The societies of West Africa and North Africa were shaped by the Trans-Saharan gold-salt trade West Africa had large deposits of gold, but no salt North Africa had large deposits of salt, but no gold

50. When the Roman Empire split in two, the Western side was taken over by the Germanic tribes, while the Eastern side stayed strong The Eastern Roman Empire, now known as the Byzantine Empire, not only remained together but survived for nearly a thousand more years