World History Unit 1 Study Guide

the study fo past societies through analysis of what people left behind

objects made by humans

study of human life and culture

method used to determine age of objects no more than 50,000 years old in which the amount of radioactive carbon is measured

method used to determine age of objects back to 200,000 years ago in which the light given off by electrons trapped in the soil is measured

"wise humans" that showed rapid brain growh and mastered fire- evolved into Neanderthals and homo sapiens sapiens

Replacement theory that proposes homo sapien sapiens sperad out of Africa and replaced populations of earlier hominids in Europe and Asia about 100,000 years ago

early period of human history in which humans used stone tools

characteristics of the Paleolithic Age

people who move from place to place to survive

first used by homo erectus to adjust to climate change

shift form hunting and gathering to systematic agriculture that occured between 8,000 and 4.000 BC - aka the new stone age

a large Neolithic farming village

uses of metals

characteristics of civilization

governments evolved

religion evolved

benefits of trade

uses of writing

an arc of land from the Mediteranean sea to the persian Gulf

valley between the Tigris and euphrates Rivers at the eastern end of the Fertile Cresent

an independent city in southern mesopotamia that formed a city-state

basic units of sumerian civilization

a massive stepped tower on which was built a temple dedicated to the chief god

government by divine authority

wedge-shaped system of writing developed by the sumerians using a reed stylus to create impressions on a clay tablet

purpose for writing

epic poem that records the exploits of a legendary king

invention of the wheel

leader of the akkadians, people north of the sumerian cities that spoke a semetic language

system of laws based on strict justice

Nile River importance

Egyptians religion

king that united upper and lower egypt into a single kingdom+ created the 1st dynasty

administrative organization with officials and regular procedures

process of slowly drying a dead body to keep it form rotting

2700BC-2200BC: age of prosperity and splendor in Egypt

2022BC-1650BC: golden age of stability after 150 year period of disorder in Egypt

1550BC-1070BC: period of runification after the HYksos were overthrown during which Egypt became the most powerful state in Southwest Asia

pone of the 1st women to become pharaoh

boy-pharaoh who restored the old gods and reversed the previous ruler's changes

pharaoh of 1279BC-1213BC: regained control of palestine

hightly simplified version of hieroglyphics used in ancien egypt for business transactions, record keeping, and daily life

Egypt's inventions

people who created an empire in western asia+ threatened the power of Egyptians

22 characters

after the Assyrians overan the kingdom of Israel, the scattered Israelites that merged with neighboring peoples and lost thier identities

monothiestic religion that was unique form among the religions of westen asia and egypt

semetic-speaking people who exploited the use of iron weapons to establish an empire by 700BC

powerful army, iron weapons, many military techniques, used terror

chaldean king that made babylonia the leading state in western asia

member of the family that unified the persians who created a powerful persian state

added a new persian province in western India

well-maintained road that stretched form Lydia to Susa, the empire's capital

the persian's monothiestic religion that focused on the god Ahuramazda

the supreme god of Zoroastrianism

provided a base for Siddhartha's teacheings to followers in the Deer Park: meant to leat to nirvana

(Middle Path) commandments to lead to nirvana

320ad-5th century classical civilization that traded and became the gretest state since Mauryana in China

dynasty form 1750bc-1045bc that was ruled by an aristocracy whose major concern was war

longest lasting dynasty form 1045bc-256bc that had a bureaucracy: began the concept of Mandate of Heaven

dynasty that used force to unite the chinese world

government officials were chosen based on merit rather than birth- China established school to train anyone (peasants too) to take a civil service examination

dynasty that emerged in 202bc that refined political structures, divided China into provinces, and cont. civil service system

group of people that moved south across the hindu kush into the plains of northern india

Aryan's written indo-european language

system based on the belief that people are born into social groups defined by occupation and heritage

polytheistic religion that believes in brahman and follows dharma

monotheistic religion that belives inthe great world soul and follows the teachings of Buddha/siddartha

belief that the individual soul is reborn in a different form after death

force generated by a person's actions that determines how the person will be reborn in the next life

divine law that rules karma

founder of buddhism

ultimate reality

the grandson of Candragupta Maurya who is generally considered to be the greatest Indian ruler

route along which the Roman Empire and China traded valuable materials like silk

earliest known literature which contain religious chants and stories

most famous mathematician of the Gupta era that was one of the 1st known to have used Algebra

Claim by chinese kings of the Zhou dynasty that they had direct authority form heaven to rule and keep order in the universe

pattern of dynasties gaining power, ruling successfully for several years, and then declining. a new cycle then began when a new dynasty took control

characters that combine two or more pictographs to represent an idea

the system of political and ethical ideas formulated by the Chinese philospher Confucious towards the end of the Zhou dynasty that was intended to help restore order to a confused society

system of ideas based on the teachings of Laozi: teaches that the way to get to heaven is through inaction and that the best way to act in harmony is to not interfere with the natural order

popular philosophy that proposed human beings are evil by nature and can only be brought to the correct path through harsh laws

ruler of the Qin dynasty who came to the throne at age 13, defeated his enemies, and founded the dynasty

part of the Chinese bureaucracy that made sure the government officials were doing their jobs

rulesr that came to power in Babylon and gained control of sumer and Addad, thus creating a new Mesopotamian kingdom