Download First Semester Exam Review (Please study the

First Semester Exam Review (Please study the following information from the first
semester carefully in order to be prepared for your final exam.)
1. As compared with Paleolithic and Neolithic societies, the agriculture of
civilizations changed man’s physical environment.
2. The period of the Neolithic Revolutions and river valley civilizations ended
when various civilizations first established contacts between the regions.
3. The first truly revolutionary transformation of human society was the
Agricultural Revolution.
4. In most ancient and classical civilizations and societies, priests developed
considerable social power and influence because they interpreted the gods’
wishes and placated the deities.
5. Periodic nomadic invasions in the early history of Eurasia caused
disruptions, but facilitated innovations and prompted synthesis.
6. Unlike Sumer and Egypt, the Indus Valley or Harappan civilization had a
system of writing that has never been translated.
7. Compared with river valley cultures in Egypt and Mesopotamia, civilization
in China probably developed after civilizations in the Nile Valley and
Southwest Asia.
8. Historically, pastoral nomads lived on the grassy plains of the continents,
where sedentary agriculture was extremely difficult.
9. Contacts between sedentary and nomad peoples resulted in trade, tribute
payments by weak sedentary societies to stronger nomadic groups, raids and
warfare between both groups, and nomads serving as mercenaries to some
sedentary societies. Pastoral nomads from the Central Asian steppe who had
threatened sedentary civilizations throughout world history include the IndoEuropeans, Hsiung-nu (Huns), Scythians, and Turks.
10. In comparison to women in sedentary societies, women in nomadic, pastoral
societies belonged to paternalistic societies as strong as any sedentary
societies.
11. The requirements for a new period in world history to begin are:
a. The world map must change significantly.
b. New types of contacts between civilized regions must develop.
c. New patterns and parallel institutional developments will occur.
d. New technologies may arise.
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12. The major impact of Alexander the Great’s conquests was the spread of
Greek culture throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, Southwest Asia, and
into India.
13. In comparison to the Hindus, Persians, and Jews, religiously, the Greeks
never developed a major religion.
14. Much of what is called classical Greek and Chinese philosophy traced its
origins to the cultural crisis and intellectual uncertainty that followed
prolonged periods of war.
15. Classical China and the post-classical Muslim world are similar in that unity
and cultural identity were provided by commonalities of the spoken or
written language.
16. Rural population pressures in classical societies such as China, India, and
Rome were avoided by infanticide, high death rates, and selling children into
slavery.
17. Despite their material success and increased wealth, in China and Rome
merchants often ranked below peasants and had little societal influence.
Classical civilizations in Rome, Greece, China, and India were ambivalent
towards merchants despite their vital roles in commerce.
18. Unlike Qin legalist philosophy, Roman Imperial law rested heavily on
toleration and local autonomy.
19. When looking at Roman and Chinese gender relations it is clear that while
subordinate to men, Roman women were considerably freer and less
oppressed than were their Chinese counterparts. Women in most Classical
Age societies at all class levels were legally subordinated to fathers and
husbands.
20. Far more than classical Greece, India, or China, slavery in Rome dominated
the labor markets – Rome became dependant on slavery. Although they
varied greatly in wealth and social status in the classical world the
commoners, especially the peasants, remained the largest group.
21. Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism, as well as Buddhism originated as
responses to societal problems during times of disruption.
22. The major difference between Buddhism and Hinduism was that Buddhism
denied the need for castes, rites, and sacrifice to achieve nirvana.
23. In contrast to Mahayana Buddhism, as Christianity evolved and spread, it
was intolerant of other faiths.
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24. As had Hammurabi’s Code (Mesopotamia), Justinian’s Code (Byzantine)
became the basic unified law code for states, which existed after its original
creator. Within the Byzantine state, as had been the case with government in
most of the dynasties of China, the chief power and influence was emperors
and their trained bureaucrats. Unlike monarchs in western Europe, but like
the caliphs, the Byzantine emperor headed both church and state; there was
no separation of power.
25. At the end of the Classical Age there was a religious upsurge as a result of
social and economic problems. In comparison with the end of classical
civilizations in china and India, the collapse of the Roman Empire was more
severe and extensive.
26. The Post-classical age is characterized by these developments:
a. Expanding influence of the Arabs and Islam.
b. Spread of civilization to new regions such as West Africa and Southeast
Asia.
c. Widespread shift in basic belief systems such as Christianity and Islam.
d. Development of a world network for trade, ideas, and diseases.
Besides the Italian city-states, the geographic region or state in West Europe
most supportive of change at the end of the post-classical era was the Iberian
Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). The major barrier to West European
expansion prior to the 15th century C.E. was the low level of European
technology.
27. The leading civilization during the Post-classical Era (450 – 1450 C.E.) was
Islam. One of the strengths of Islam that made it a successful universalizing
faith similar to Christianity and Buddhism was its egalitarianism that
transcended previous loyalties, ethnicities, or allegiances. The Pillar of Islam
that helped create the first trans-regional civilization was the pilgrimage by
the faithful to Mecca. Initially, Islam, with regard to women and gender roles
greatly strengthened the position of women. Unlike merchants in classical
civilizations, Muslim traders acquired great wealth and were protected and
encouraged by Muslim states.
28. Mameluks were Turkish-speaking slave armies used by Muslims. The
Seljuks settled in the lands of modern Turkey and became the Abbasids’
protector.
29. The impact of the Crusades was minimal to the Islamic civilization. It was
greater on the Europeans because it brought Europe into contact with
Muslim civilizations and their accomplishments. Contacts between Hindus
and Muslims led to the absorption by the Muslims of many Hindu social
practices. Prior to the 15th century C.E., Islam was spread through West and
East Africa as well as Southeast Asia by merchants who established Muslim
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families and traditions. The slave trade from West Africa to the Muslim
world preferred male slaves for administration and military occupations.
30. Neo-Confucianism emphasized tradition, authority, and harmony at the
expense of innovation. Both foot binding in China and the harem and veil in
Islam symbolized the increasing subordination of women to men.
31. Tang military expansion into central Asia promoted renewed commercial
contacts between China and west Asia. The group that most directly
challenged Chinese influences in Japan and Vietnam during the PostClassical era was aristocrats and local provincial administrators. The typical
pattern for relations between China and its neighbors during the postClassical period was for states to acknowledge Chinese superiority, pay
tribute, but remain independent. The Ming Chinese naval expeditions of the
early 15th century C.E. ended because they challenged Confucian values and
typical expenditures.
32. When scholars began to study Greek classics, most early West European
intellectuals and scholastics, like their Muslim counterparts found the Greek
notion of reason troubling because it questions faith.
33. In order to counterbalance feudalism and its tendency to decentralize ruling
power, and in order to maintain their influence, leaders in Japan, China, and
Western Europe created strong national armies capable of suppressing
aristocratic independence. Peasants in Zhou China, serfs in Medieval
Europe, and slaves in Aryan India were burdened by obligations to the rulers
and local nobles.
34. Manorialism in Medieval Europe was characterized by all of these
conditions:
A. Most peasants were serfs
B. Peasants were obligated to give their lord a portion of their produce
C. The lords protected the peasants
D. Levels of production and technology were low and limited
European serfs differed from slaves in that they could not be bought or sold,
and owned some of the land they farmed. The events that led to the
weakening or end of Medieval West European institutions were:
a. The Bubonic Plague
b. Political and theological attacks on the Roman Catholic Church
c. The rise of national monarchies.
d. The rise of non-aristocratic armies loyal to national monarchs
35. Although the Mongols were often brutal, they were tolerant of religious
differences and supportive of trade. the greatest long-term demographic
impact of the Mongol unification of much of Central Eurasia was the spread
of the Black Death from China to Europe and the Muslim world. The
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transformation that most immediately weakened the power and influence of
pastoral nomads over sedentary civilization was due to newer technologies,
especially weapons, used by sedentary civilizations.
36. As happened in the Fertile Crescent, India, and China, the fall of civilizations
in the Americas was often due to migrating nomadic invaders. Although the
Maya developed similarly to other civilizations, they never developed
complex religions.
37. When the Bantu migrated across Africa, they spread agriculture, crops, and
iron technologies. Unlike the Americans, sub-Saharan Africa was never
totally isolated from other civilizations. Sub-Saharan African societies are
similar to Latin American Indian societies in that both are so numerous that
it is impossible to generalize about them.
38. List the ways in which classical civilizations differed from river valley
civilizations:
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39. Define patriarchy and patriarchal society:
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40. What did Chinese contact with Japan introduce to the Japanese islands:
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The only indigenous aspect of Japanese culture during the Heian era was
Shinto.
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