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39 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Mesopotamia Culture |
Cuneiform;Extensive trade with Egyptand the Indus ValleyEpic of GilgameshEarly use of bronze tools,chariotsAdvanced astronomy; mathbased on 60Pessimistic view of world,perhaps due to irregular,unpredictable flooding of theriversPolytheism - gods powerfuland often cruelKings powerful, but notdivine |
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Mesopotamia Political Organization |
City-states and warrior kingsHammurabi's CodeCompetition among city states aswell as frequent invasions led toless political stability than inEgypt |
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Mesopotamia Social Structure |
Job specialization - farmers, metallurgist,merchants, craftsmen, politicaladministrators, priests;Social classes;Marriage contracts, veils for women;women of upper classes less equal thanlower class counterparts |
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Egypt Culture |
Concerned with decorativearts, shipbuilding, somemedical knowledgeLess advanced in math andastronomy thanMesopotamiansLess extensive trade,especially in earlier erasPolytheism, with pharaoh asa godOptimistic view of life (regular, controllableflooding of the river)Strong belief in the afterlife;Book of the DeadHieroglyphics - complex,pictorial language |
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Egypt Political Organization |
Divine kingship - the pharaoh;highly centralized, authoritariangovernmentGenerally stable governmentthroughout the 3 kingdomsExtensive bureaucracy; pharaoh'spower channeled throughregional governors |
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Egypt Social Structure |
Smaller nobility than Mesopotamia; fewermerchantsSome social mobility through thebureaucracyPriests have high status (only ones whounderstand the complex hieroglyphicwritten language)Women - probably higher status than inMesopotamia; love poetry indicates someimportance placed on male/femalerelationships One female pharaoh - HatshepsutInfluential wife of pharaoh - Nefertiti |
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Indus Valley Culture |
Writing system only recentlydecipherableSoapstone seals that indicatetrade with bothMesopotamians and Chinapottery making with bullsand long-horned cattle afrequent motifSmall figurines of womenCruder weapons thanMesopotamians - stonearrowheads, no swordsPolytheism - naked man withhorns the primary god;fertility goddessesTwo cities: Harappa andMohenjo-Dara |
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Indus Valley Political Organization |
Assumed to be complex andthought to be centralizedLimited information, but largegranaries near the cities indicatecentralized control |
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Indus Valley Social Structure |
Priests have highest status, based onposition as intermediaries between godsand peopleDifferences in house sizes indicate strongclass distinctionsStatues reflects reverence for femalereproductive function |
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Shang China Culture |
Oracles bones used tocommunicate with ancestorsPattern on bones formedbasis for writing system;writing highly valued,complex pictorial languagewith 3000 characters by endof dynastyUniform written languagebecame bond among peoplewho spoke many differentlanguagesBronze weapons and tools,horse-drawn chariotsGeographical separationfrom other civilizations,though probably traded withthe Indus Valley |
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Shang China Political Organization |
Centralized government, powerin the hands of the emperorGovernment preoccupied withflood control of the rivers Jobspecialization - bureaucrats,farmers, slaves |
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Shang China Social Structure |
Social classes - warrior aristocrats,bureaucrats, farmers, slavesPatriarchal society; women as wives andconcubines; women were sometimesshamans |
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Meso and South America |
Olmecs in Mesoamerica:Highly developedastronomy; used to predictagricultural cycles andplease the godsPolytheism; religious ritualsimportant, shamans ashealersRitual ballgamesIrrigation and drainagecanalsGiant carved stone heads;probably with religioussignificance Jaguar symbol important Chavin in Andean region:Polytheism; statues of jaguarmenSquare stone architecture, nomortarWell-developed agriculturebased on maizeUnique geography: lived oncoast, in mountains, and injungle |
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Meso and South America Political Organization |
Olmecs: apparently not unitedpolitically; unusual for ancientcivilizationsChavin: probably politicalunification; public worksoperated by reciprocal laborobligations; had a capital city |
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Meso and South America Social Structure |
Olmec: craft specializations; priests havehighest status; most people were farmersChavin: Priests have highest status;capital city dominated the hinterlands;most people were farmers |
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Similarities among River-Valley Civilizations |
• Complex irrigation systems • legal codes • money • art and written literature • More formal scientific knowledge, numbering systems, and calendars • Intensification of social inequality |
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Greece Culture |
Most enduring influences come fromAthens:Valued education, placed emphasis onimportance of human effort, humanability to shape future eventsInterest in political theory: which formof government is best?Celebration of human individualachievement and the ideal human form Philosophy and science emphasized theuse of logicHighly developed form of sculpture,literature, math, written language, andrecord keepingPolytheism, with gods having veryhuman characteristicsCities relatively smallGreat seafaring skills, centered aroundAegean, but traveling around entireMediterranean area |
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Greece Political Organization |
No centralized government; concept ofpolis, or a fortified site that formed thecenters of many city statesGoverning styles varied (Sparta amilitary state, Athens eventually ademocracy for adult males)Athens government first dominated bytyrants, or strong rulers who gainedpower from military prowess; later came to be ruled by an assembly of freemen who made political decisions.Both Athens and Sparta developedstrong military organizations andestablished colonies around theMediterranean. Sparta theoreticallyequal; wealth accumulation not allowed |
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Greece Social Structure |
Slavery widely practicedMen separated from women inmilitary barracks until age 30;women had relative freedom;women in Sparta encouraged tobe physically fit so as to havehealthy babies; generally bettertreated and more equal to men than women in AthensAthens encouraged equality forfree males, but women andslaves had little freedom. Neithergroup allowed to participate inpolis affairs.Social status dependent on landholdings and culturalsophistication |
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Rome Culture |
Perfection of military techniques:conquer but don't oppress; division ofarmy into legions, emphasizingorganization and rewarding militarytalentArt, literature, philosophy, sciencederivative from GreeceSuperb engineering and architecturetechniques; extensive road, sanitationsystems; monumental architecture -buildings, aqueducts, bridgesPolytheism, derivative from Greeks,but religion not particularly importantto the average Roman; Christianitydeveloped during Empire period, butnot dominant until very lateGreat city of Rome - buildings, arenas,design copied in smaller cities |
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Rome Political Organization |
Two eras:Republic - rule by aristocrats, withsome power shared with assemblies;Senate most powerful, with two consulschosen to rule, generally selected fromthe militaryEmpire - non-hereditary emperor;technically chosen by Senate, butgenerally chosen by predecessorExtensive colonization and militaryconquest during both erasDevelopment of an overarching set oflaws, restrictions that all had to obey;Roman law sets in place principle ofrule of law, not rule by whim of thepolitical leader |
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Rome Social Structure |
Basic division betweenpatricians (aristocrats) andplebeians (free farmers),although a middle class ofmerchants grew during theempire; wealth based on landownership; gap between rich andpoor grew with timePaterfamilias - male dominatedfamily structurePatron-client system with richsupervising elaborate webs ofpeople that owe favors to themInequality increased during theempire, with great dependenceon slavery during the lateempire; slaves used inhouseholds, mines, large estates,all kinds of manual labor |
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China Culture |
Confucianism developed during lateZhou; by Han times, it dominated thepolitical and social structure.Legalism and Daoism develop duringsame era.Buddhism appears, but not influentialyetThreats from nomads from the southand west spark the first construction ofthe Great Wall; clay soldiers, lavishtomb for first emperor Shi HuangdiChinese identity cemented during Hanera: the "Han" ChineseHan - a "golden age" with prosperityfrom trade along the Silk Road;inventions include water mills, paper,compasses, and pottery and silkmaking;calendar with 365.5 daysCapital of Xi'an possibly the mostsophisticated, diverse city in the worldat the time; many other large cities |
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China Political Organization |
Zhou - emperor rules by mandate ofheaven, or belief that dynasties rise andfall according to the will of heaven, orthe ancestors. Emperor was the "son ofheaven."Emperor housed in the forbidden city,separate from all othersPolitical authority controlled byConfucian values, with emperor in fullcontrol but bound by dutyPolitical power centralized under ShiHuangdi - often seen as the first realemperorHan - strong centralized government,supported by the educated shi (scholarbureaucrats who obtained positionsthrough civil service exams) |
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China Social Structure |
Family basic unit of society,with loyalty and obediencestressedWealth generally based on landownership; emergence of scholargentryGrowth of a large merchantclass, but merchants generallylower status than scholarbureaucratsBig social divide between ruraland urban, with most wealthconcentrated in citiesSome slavery, but not as muchas in RomePatriarchal society reinforced byConfucian values thatemphasized obedience of wife tohusband |
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India Culture |
Aryan religious stories written downinto Vedas, and Hinduism became thedominant religion, although Buddhismbegan in India during this era; Aryan religious stories written downinto Vedas, and Hinduism became thedominant religion, although Buddhismbegan in India during this era; |
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India Political Organization |
Lack of political unity - geographicbarriers and diversity of people; tendedto fragment into small kingdoms;political authority less important than caste membership and groupallegiancesMauryan and Gupta Empires formedbased on military conquest; MauryanEmperor Ashoka seen as greatest;converted to Buddhism, kept thereligion alive "theater state" techniques used duringGupta - grand palace and court toimpress all visitors, conceal politicalweakness |
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India Social Structure |
Complex social hierarchy basedon caste membership (birthgroups called jati); occupationsstrictly dictated by caste Earlier part of time period -women had property rightsDecline in the status of womenduring Gupta, corresponding toincreased emphasis onacquisition and inheritance ofproperty; ritual of sati forwealthy women ( widowcremates herself in her husband'sfuneral pyre) |
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Similarities between empires |
Patriarchal family structures - Like the river valley civilizations that preceded them, the classical civilization valuedmale authority within families, as well as in most other areas of life.• Agricultural-based economies - Despite more sophisticated and complex job specialization, the most commonoccupation in all areas was farming.• Complex governments - Because they were so large, these three civilizations had to invent new ways to keep theirlands together politically. Their governments were large and complex, although they each had unique ways ofgoverning• Expanding trade base - Their economic systems were complex. Although they generally operated independently, traderoutes connected them by both land and sea. |
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What is the Silk Road? (Include location, who used, and diffusion) |
This overland route extended from western China, across Central Asia, and finally to the Mediterranean area.Chinese silk was the most desired commodity, but the Chinese were willing to trade it for other goods, particularly for horsesfrom Central Asia. There was no single route, but it consisted of a series of passages with common stops along the way. Majortrade towns appeared along the way where goods were exchanged. No single merchant traveled the entire length of the road,but some products (particularly silk) did make it from one end to the other. |
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Confucianism |
Five Relationships Mandate of Heaven Law above everything Confucius believed China was in chaos because it lacked, harmony, order, and obedience Patriarchal |
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Daoism |
Yin-Yang, Dualism in Nature, People part of the balance in Nature |
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Hellenism |
Greek philosophy; trade and common culture throughout the Mediterranean |
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Hinduism |
Caste system Emphasis on ritual prayer Sacred texts Rebirth/Reincarnation Karma Dharma |
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Buddhism |
Four Noble Truths Eight Fold Path Nirvana |
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Judaism |
first Monotheistic religion, emphasis on daily prayer, sacred text=Torah influenced zoroastrianism, christianity, and islam |
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Christianity |
Monotheistic Jesus Christ as savior Gospels, emphasis on saints |
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Islam |
Monotheistic Mohammed as prophet Qu'ran Sufi emphasis on saints Sunni, Sh'ia split |
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Legalism |
Emphasizes law No concern for ethics, morality, or propriety |
