question

What society was shaped by actions of the state?

answer

China

question

Who represented the cultural and social elite of Chinese civilization?

answer

Male Chinese state officials; these officials acted in the name of the emperor both in the capital and in the provinces

question

What philosopher advocated selecting officials on the basis of merit and personal morality?

answer

Confucius

question

Who established an imperial academy where potential officials were trained as scholars and immersed in texts dealing with various subjects, with an emphasis on Confucian teachings?

answer

Emperor Wu Di

question

What did the selection system of officials generally favor?

answer

Families who were wealthy enough to provide their child with education, proximity to the capital, and family connections to the imperial court

question

What meant wealth in China?

answer

Land

question

When the Qin Dynasty unified China, who held most of the land at the time?

answer

small-scale peasant farmers

question

What was a persistent theme in Chinese history?

answer

Accumulation of land in sizeable estates

question

Who was the high court official of the Han dynasty that launched a series of reforms in order to counteract the growing power of large landowners?

answer

Wang Mang; firm believer in Confucian good government

question

Who does the vast majority of China's population consist of?

answer

Peasants; many could barely survive, lives of peasants were extremely vulnerable

question

What unifying ideology was the Yellow Turban Rebellion based on?

answer

Daoism; movement looked forward to the "Great Peace"

question

What effects did the Yellow Turban Rebellion have on the Han dynasty?

answer

Devastated the economy, weakened the state, and contributed to the overthrow of the dynasty decades later

question

How were the merchants of China viewed?

answer

They were widely viewed as unproductive, making a shameful profit from selling the work of others. Seen as greedy and materialistic.

question

What were some similarities of China and India's social organization?

answer

Little social mobility available, sharp distinctions between social classes, religious traditions defined these inequalities as ordained by the gods

question

What is the order of the caste system , starting from the top?

answer

Brahmins-priests, Kshatriya- warriors, Vaisya- commoners, Sudras- servants

question

What are the occupationally based groups in India known as?

answer

Jatis; blended with the varna system to create India's unique caste-based society

question

How did India's social system differ from that of China's?

answer

Gave priority to religious status whereas China elevated political officials to the highest of elite positions, China had broader categories of division, India's caste society was far more rigid

question

What is a reason for India not experiencing an empire?

answer

Caste (jati) was a local phenomenon, rooted in particular regions, it focused the loyalties of most people on a quite restricted territory and weakened the appeal or authority of larger all-Indian states

question

What were some factors that contributed to the growth of slavery?

answer

War, patriarchy, and the notion of private property

question

How long has slavery been around?

answer

Has been a long-established tradition in all of the First Civilizations; likewise, all subsequent civilizations practiced some form of slavery

question

In which civilizations did slaves have the chance to be emancipated in their own lifetimes through the generosity of their owners or to avoid caring for them in old age?

answer

Greece and Rome

question

What was slavery like in China?

answer

It was a minor element, amounting to perhaps 1% of the population; was never widespread and did not become a major source of labor for agriculture or manufacturing

question

In what civilization did religious writings and secular law offer some protection for slaves?

answer

India; slaves could inherit and own property and earn money in their spare time

question

Who developed the notion that some people were "slaves by nature"?

answer

Greek philosopher, Aristotle

question

What was ancient Greek's attitude towards slavery?

answer

"It was a terrible thing to become a slave, but a good thing to own a slave"; although many Greek slaves were granted freedom, they usually did not become only citizens gain political rights; status remained halfway between slavery and freedom

question

Where did the many Roman slaves come from?

answer

Had been prisoners captured in the many wars that accompanied the creation of the empire

question

What effect did Christianity have on slavery in Rome?

answer

Did little to undermine slavery, for Christian teaching held that slaves should be "submissive to their masters"; thus slavery was embedded in the religious thinking of elite Romans

question

How did the slaves in Rome react to their unequal treatment?

answer

Most did what was necessary to survive, some committed suicide and others resorted to small-scale theft, sabotage, illness, working poorly, etc.

question

Who was Spartacus and what did he do?

answer

Was a slave gladiator that led 70 other slaves in a desperate bid for freedom. Surprising initial success of their revolt attracted a growing number of followers

question

Why did slaves have a more secure life than the impoverished people?

answer

Slave owners in the Roman Empire were supposed to provide the necessities of life to their slaves. Impoverished free people had to fend for themselves

question

Where was restriction on women far sharper?

answer

In urban-based civilizations than in pastoral or agricultural societies

question

What ideology in China established gender inequality?

answer

Emerging Confucian ideology described gender in unequal terms; female inferiority was permanent and embedded in the workings of the universe

question

How did females in China react to their inferiority?

answer

A few women were able on occasion to exercise political authority; several others led peasant rebellions, provoking much anti-female hostility

question

In which civilization were women accorded considerable honor for her role in producing the next generation of male heirs?

answer

China

question

What changed after the collapse of the Han Dynasty?

answer

Centralized government vanished and political fragmentation and conflict arose; Confucianism was discredited and Daosim and Buddhism attracted a growing following; loosining of the strict patriarchy of Han Dynasty

question

In what dynasty were women depicted of capable of handling legal and business affairs on their own and wearing men's clothing?

answer

During the Tang Dynasty

question

Who was Empress Wu?

answer

A former high-ranking concubine in the imperial court who was the only woman to ever rule China with the title of emperor

question

Who was Aspasia?

answer

A young woman who found her way to Athens where her foreign birth gave her somewhat more freedom than was normally available to women of that city. She married Pericles, Athen's leading political figure

question

What are helots?

answer

The immediate neighbors of Greek city-states that were conquered and reduced to a status of permanent servitude, not far removed from slavery; helots far outnumbered citizens of Sparta

question

Almost everywhere, what remained the sole basis for sustaining life and society?

answer

gathering and hunting

question

What are features of all civilizations?

answer

Features cities, states, monumental architecture and great social inequality; gives a certain unity and similarity across quite distinct continental regions

question

Why was there no domestication of animals in the Americas?

answer

There was an absence of most animals capable of domestication; apart from llamas and alpacas in the Andes, no draft animals were available to pull plows or carts to carry heavy loads for long distances

question

How did the African people get access to domesticated animals when they lacked horses, wild sheep, goats, chickens, etc.?

answer

Its proximity to Eurasia meant that these animals became widely available to African people

question

Where was writing limited to in the Americas and African region?

answer

To the Mesoamerican region and was most highly developed among the Maya; writing was confined to the northern and northeastern parts of Africa

question

How was Ancient Egypt civilization associated with Eurasia?

answer

Was in contact with Crete, Syria, and Mesopotamia and provided inspiration for the Greeks; entire North African coastal region was incorporated into the Roman Empire

question

What religion was spread widely across North Africa?

answer

Christianity; found even more permanent foothold in modern day Ethiopia

question

What did camels make possible?

answer

Arrival of the domesticated camel generated a nomadic pastoral way of life among the Berber people of the western Sahara and made possible the trans-Saharan commerce, linking interior West Africa to the world of Mediterranean civilization

question

How did African people identify themselves in pre-modern times?

answer

Generally spoke of a geographic concept, a continental landmass, not a cultural identity; Africa hosted numberous separate societies, cultures and civilizations with vast differences among them with some interaction

question

Why did Africa have so many differences among its people?

answer

The continent's environmental variations (Mediterranean climate in the north, large deserts, highlands in eastern Africa, tropical rainforests) combined with its enormous size

question

What was Africa's one distinctive environmental feature?

answer

Bisected by the equator, it was the most tropical of the world's three supercontinents

question

Why was there a less productive agriculture in Africa?

answer

Persistent warm temperatures caused the rapid decomposition of vegetable matter called humus, resulting in poorer and less fertile soils

question

What was the relationship between Egypt and the Nubian civilization?

answer

Over many centuries, Nubians traded and fought with Egypt and on one occasion the Nubian Kingdom of Kush conquered Egypt and ruled it for a century; Nubia borrowed heavily from Egypt but remained a separate civilization

question

How was the Kingdom of Meroe governed?

answer

By an all-powerful and sacred monarch, a position held on at least ten occasions by women

question

Where did queens appear in sculptures as women with a prominence and power equivalent to their male counterparts?

answer

Meroe

question

What were two prominent industries in the Kingdom of Meroe?

answer

smelting iron and the manufacture of iron tools and weapons

question

Where was rainfall-based agriculture possible, leading to farmers being less dependent on irrigation?

answer

Meroe; this meant that the rural population did not need to concentrate so heavily near the Nile and was less directly controlled from the capital than was the case in Egypt

question

From where did the wealth and military power of Meroe derive?

answer

From extensive long-distance trading connections, to the north via the Nile and to the east and west by means of camel caravans

question

Who had a reputation for great riches in the world due to its iron weapons, cotton cloth, access to gold, ivory, tortoiseshells and ostrich feathers?

answer

Meroe

question

How did Meroe react to Egyptian influence?

answer

Culturally, Meroe moved away from the heavy Egyptian influence. Use of Egyptian-style writing decled as a new Meroitic script took its place

question

What led to the decline of the Kingdom of Meroe?

answer

Deforestation caused by the need for wood to make charcoal for smelting iron; Egyptian trade with the African interior switched from the Nile Valley route to the Red Sea, the resources available to Meroe's rulers diminished and the state weakened; kingdom's conquest by Axum

question

Where is Axum located?

answer

Lay in the Horn of Africa, in what is now Eritrea and northern Ethiopia

question

What type of economic foundation did Axum have?

answer

Highly productive agriculture that used a plow-based farming system, unlike most of the rest of Africa which relied on the hoe

question

Why did an Axum substantial state emerge?

answer

Participation in the rapidly increasing Red Sea and Indian Ocean commerce which grew out of Roman demand for Indian pearls, textiles and especially pepper

question

What was the name of the largest port on the East African coast?

answer

Adulis; wide range of merchants sought the products of the African interior; taxes on this trade provided a major source of revenue for the Axumite state

question

What was the decline of Meroe and the rise of Axum both connected to?

answer

Changing patterns of long-distance commerce

question

Who was famous for monumental buildings (obelisks) and royal patronage for the arts?

answer

Axum

question

Who exercised a measure of control over the mostly Agaw-speaking people of the country through a loose administrative structure focusing on the collection of tribute payments?

answer

Axumite State

question

How was Christianity introduced to Axum?

answer

Through its connections to Red Sea trade and the Roman world, particularly Egypt; Monarch, King Ezana, adopted the new religion at about the same time as Constantine did in the Roman Empire

question

Where does Christianity still represent the faith of 60% of the country's population?

answer

Mountainous terrain of Ethiopia

question

Where did Axum expand?

answer

Took its forces into the Kingdom of Meroe and across the Red Sea into Yemen in South Arabia

question

What were factors that led to Axum's decline?

answer

Environmental changes, such as soil exhaustion, erosion and deforestation brought down by intensive farming; rise of Islam altered trade routes, diminishing the revenue to the Axumite state

question

Which two societies paralleled with their long-distance trading connections, urban centers, centralized state, complex societies and monumental architecture, etc.?

answer

Meroe and Axum

question

Over many centuries, where was a distinctive city-based civilization formed?

answer

Middle stretches of the Niger River in West Africa; prolonged dry period brought growing numbers of people from the southern Sahara into the fertile floodplain of the middle Niger in search of access to water

question

What were was the most distinctive feature of the Niger Valley civilization?

answer

Absence of a corresponding state structure, were not encompassed within some larger imperial system, "cities without citadels"

question

Who worked with fire and earth (ore) to produce a highly useful metal and smiths were both feared and revered?

answer

Jenne-jeno; "knowledge of the transforming arts- earth to metal, insubstantial fire to the mass of iron- was a key to a secret"

question

Who represented an African alternative to an oppressive state, which accompanied an increasingly complex urban economy and society?

answer

Niger cities; a series of distinct and specialized economic groups shared authority and voluntarily used the services of one another, while maintaining their own identities through physical separation

question

What religion in the Niger Valley marked a gradual but major cultural transformation?

answer

Islam

question

What region was described as one of "extraordinary diversity compressed into a relatively small space"?

answer

Mesoamerica; environment ranged from lowland rain forests to cold and windy highland plateaus, cut by mountains and valleys and generating many microclimates; contributed to substantial linguistic and ethnic diversity

question

What was the element of common culture that bounded Mesoamerica as a distinct region?

answer

Its many people shared an intensive agricultural technology devoted to raising maize, beans, chili peppers and squash; religions featured a similar pantheon, practiced human sacrifice, constructed monumental ceremonial centers, employed common ritual calendar and hieroglyphic writing, and they interacted frequently among themselves

question

What culture was widely spread throughout Mesoamerica and influenced many of the civilizations that followed?

answer

Olmec; exchanged a number of luxury goods used to display social status and for ritual purposes

question

Where is the Maya located?

answer

present-day Guatemala and the Yucatan region of Mexico

question

What were some Mayan cultural achievements?

answer

Developed concept of zero and was capable of complex calculations; creation of the most elaborate writing system in the Americas which recorded historical events, religious texts

question

Who was described to have an "almost totally engineered landscape"?

answer

Maya; drained swamps, terraced hillsides, flattened ridgetops and constructed an elaborate water management system; as a result, flourishing agriculture supported a rapidly growing population

question

What type of political system was in the Maya civilization?

answer

Highly fragmented political system of city-states, local lords and regional kingdoms with no central authority; larger political units were densely populated and ruled by powerful kings and on few occasions, queens

question

Where were city-states imperialistic, but failed to create a unified empire?

answer

Maya

question

What civilization closely resembled the competing city-states of ancient Mesopotamia or classical Greece?

answer

Mayan civilization

question

How did the Mayans collapse?

answer

A long-term drought caused the population to drop by 85% as famine, epidemic and warfare reaped a horrific toll

question

Where was political disunity and endemic rivalries a long prominent feature, preventing and effective response to the emerging catastrophe?

answer

Maya

question

Like the Romans, what did the Maya's collapse illustrate?

answer

The fragility of civilizations, whether they are embodied in large empires or organized in a more decentralized fashion

question

What civilization flourished further north in the Valley of Mexico?

answer

Teotihuacan

question

What was the largest urban complex in the Americas at the time and the 6th largest in the world?

answer

Teotihuacan

question

What civilization was replete with broad avenues, spacious plazas, huge marketplaces, temples, palaces, apartment complexes, waterways, etc.?

answer

Teotihuacan

question

What was art like in the city of Teotihuacan?

answer

Buildings were decorated with mural paintings, sculptures and carvings; works of art displayed abstract geometric and stylized images; has revealed few images of self-glorifying rulers or individuals

question

Did Teotihuacan have a tradition of written public inscriptions?

answer

No, although a number of glyphs indicate at least a limited form of writing

question

What provided evidence of long-distance trade in Teotihuacan?

answer

Presence of foreigners, perhaps merchants, as well as pottery from other regions

question

Due to its sheer size, who's architectural and artistic styles influenced other cultures?

answer

Teotihuacan

question

How did civilizations in the dramatic landscape of the Andes survive?

answer

Bleak deserts along the coast were cut by dozens of rivers flowing down from the mountains, offering the possibility of irrigation and cultivation; Pacific Ocean also provided a rich marine environment

question

What was the most well known civilization to take shape in the Andes?

answer

Inca

question

What village became the focus of a religious movement that soon swept through both coastal and highland Peru?

answer

Chavin de Huantar

question

How did Chavin affect Peru?

answer

Blended religious movement proved attraction across much of Peru and beyond; Chavin-style architecture, sculpture, pottery, religious images and textiles were widely imitated within the region

question

Did a Chavin "empire" ever emerge?

answer

No; instead a widespread religious cult, erected on the back of a trading network, provided a measure of economic and cultural integration to much of the Peruvian Andes

question

What was Moche's economy based on?

answer

Rooted in a complex irrigation system, requiring constant maintenance; fishermen also harvested many anchovies from the bountiful Pacific

question

Who was governed by warrior-priests?

answer

Moche; shaman-rulers were often under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs

question

What was the most accessible aspect of Moche life?

answer

Superb skill of their craftspeople, such as metal workers, potters, weavers and painters; displayed technical abilities and striking artistic sensibility

question

Who rested on fragile environmental foundations, for the region was subject to drought, earthquakes, and occasional torrential rains?

answer

Moche

question

What interior empires provided a measure of political integration and cultural commonality for the Andean region?

answer

Wari (in the northern highlands) and Tiwanaku to the south

question

What were some similarities between Wari and Tiwanaku?

answer

Both states did not control a continuous band of territory; both empires established colonies at lower elevations on the slopes of the Andes as well as throughout the highlands, seeking access to resources; cultural influences from the center spread well beyond the regions of direct political control

question

How did Wari and Tiwanaku contrast?

answer

Wari's agriculture employed an elaborate system of hillside terracing and irrigation, Tiwanaku's farming economy utilized a "raised field" system; cities in the Wari region suggests a political system more tightly controlled from the center than in Tiwanaku

question

What was the relationship between Wari and Tiwanaku?

answer

Lived near one another but did not mingle much; each spoke their own language and were distinctive in many ways

question

Where did the Bantu movement begin?

answer

Region in what are now southeastern Nigeria and the Cameroons

question

How did the Bantu people establish themselves?

answer

Established themselves quite rapidly, introducing immense economic and cultural changes to a huge region of the continent

question

What was defined as a massive and self-conscious migration, like that of the Europeans to the Americas?

answer

Bantu expansion

question

What did the Bantu bring to Africa?

answer

A measure of cultural and linguistic commonality, marking it as a distinct region of the continent

question

What was the most significant encounter with the Bantu-speaking people?

answer

Agricultural Bantu and the gathering and hunting people who earlier occupied this region of Africa; interaction was part of a long-term global phenomenon in which farmers largely replaced foragers as the dominant people

question

Who was known as "forest specialists" located in the forest region of Central Africa?

answer

Batwa (Pygmy) people; produced products that entered regional trading networks in exchange for the agricultural products of their Bantu neighbors

question

How did the Batwa people react to the Bantu culture?

answer

Adopted Bantu languages, while maintaining a nonagricultural lifestyle and separate identity

question

How did Bantu farmers regard their Batwa neighbors?

answer

As first-comers to the region and therefore closest to the ancestral spirits that determined the fertility of the land and people

question

What type of patriarchal society did the Bantu-speaking world develop?

answer

established a markedly less patriarchal society than those of established urban-based civilizations

question

What was religion like in the Bantu?

answer

Placed less emphasis on a High or Creator God, who was viewed as remote and largely uninvolved in ordinary life and instead focused instead on ancestral or natures spirits; belief in witches was widespread; believed in "continuous revelation", possibility of constantly receiving new messages from the world beyond

question

How did larger settlements and adjacent aboveground structures known as pueblos come about?

answer

Processes of change- growing dependence on agriculture, increasing population, more intensive patterns of exchagne

question

Where did five major pueblos emerge and was known as the most spectacular larger settlements?

answer

Chaco canyon

question

What were some drawbacks that were found in Chaco?

answer

Warfare, internal conflict and occasional cannibalism apparently increased as an extended period of drought brought this culture to an abrupt end

question

What region hosted an independent Agricultural Revolution?

answer

The eastern woodlands of North America, especially the Mississippi River valley; plants however, were not sufficient to support a fully settled agricultural village life

question

In what culture was striking burial mounds and geometric earthworks found?

answer

Hopewell culture

question

What were the use of the mounds?

answer

Focus of elaborate burial rituals but some were aligned with the moon with such precision to allow the prediction of lunar eclipses

question

What evidence suggested a linked Hopewell region in a loose network of exchange as well as a measure of cultural borrowing of religious ideas and practices?

answer

Volcanic glass from Yellowstone, conch shells from the Gulf of Mexico and copper from the Great Lakes

question

Who emerged as the climax of a long history of mound-building cultures in the eastern woodlands?

answer

Cahokia; Chaco was more of a "start-up" culture

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