Global History & Geography Review – Unit 1

Ancient Civilizations, Religions & Early Empires

• Early peoples & river civilizations

• Classical civilizations

• Rise & fall of Great Empires

• Emergence and spread of belief systems

Early Peoples & River Civilizations

• Early people were hunters and gatherers, which meant they lived nomadic lives

• With the Neolithic Revolution (10,000 BC), people made permanent settlements, which grew into civilizations

• Most early civilizations settled along river valleys

Early Peoples & River Civilizations

Characteristics of civilizations– Cities– Central governments– Traditional economy– Organized religion– Social classes– Specialized jobs– Roads, bridges, public works– Art & architecture– System of writing

Big names of early civilizations

• Egyptians– Located along the fertile Nile River– Polytheistic– Pharaoh considered a god/king– Distinct social classes– Lots of contributions, including:

• Hieroglyphics

• Architecture

• Calendar

Big names of early civilizations

• Mesopotamia– Located between the Tigris & Euphrates

Rivers on the Fertile Crescent

Big names of early civilizations

• Mesopotamia– Rivers provided excellent farm land & easy transportation

• Cultural diffusion• Many civilizations developed in this region• Sumerians

– Polytheistic – built ziggurats– Cuneiform – wedge shaped writing in clay

• Assyrians• Persians• Babylonians -Hammurabi’s Code of Law• Hittites – mined iron ore, made plows, weapons• Lydians – coined money

Mesopotamia

Other River Valley Civilizations

• Indus Valley• China – river valleys of the Huang He (Yellow

River), and the Yangzi.– Considered themselves the Middle Kingdom

– Established dynasties

– Written language – 2000 BC – pictographs & ideographs

Classical Civilizations

• China– Mandate of Heaven & the dynastic cycle

– Shang, Zhou, Shi, Qin, Han, etc.

– Many accomplishments & contributions• Irrigation systems

• Astronomy & calendar

• Silk & porcelain

• Great Wall

• Civil Service system

• Paper, wheelbarrow, rudder for ships, herbal remedies,

Greece (1750 BC – 133 BC)

• Location in mountainous region prevented large empire and led to many city-states

• Lots of cultural diffusion due to sea trade

• City-states (polis) – two most powerful ones were Athens & Sparta– Athens – birthplace of direct democracy– Sparta - militaristic

Ancient Greece

Alexander the Great

• His father conquered Greece in the 300s BC

• Alexander build a huge empire that included the Nile Valley, Persia, and parts of India– Spread Greek culture– Hellenistic Culture – blended Greek &

Persian, Indian life

Cultural contributions of Greek & Hellenistic civiliations

• Philosophy – Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

• Literature – Comedies & tragedies, poems (Homer), history (Herodotus)

• Art & Architecture – Humans portrayed in perfect form, fantastic architecture

• Science & Math – Archimedes, Hippocrates, Pythagoras, Euclid

Rome (509 BC – 476 AD)• Located on Italian peninsula• Republic – officials chosen by the people• Patricians (rich) & plebeians (farmers, etc)• Created a huge empire• Contributions:

– Twelve Tables of Law– Romanesque architecture – Extensive roads & trade – Well-disciplined army, civil service system– Pax Romana – long period of peace & prosperity– Eventually overrun by foreign invasions

Major Belief Systems

System When & Where/Who Major concepts

Animism One of the earliest anywhere

Africa, China

Every living & non living thing in nature has a spirit.

Reverence for ancestors

Hinduism 1500 BC

India

Reincarnation

Karma & Dharma

Castes

Brahman

Major Belief Systems

System When & Where/Who

Major concepts

Buddhism 500 BC

India

Four Noble Truths

Eightfold Path

Judaism 2000 BC – Hebrews

(Abraham)

Monotheistic

Torah

10 Commandments

Major Belief Systems

System When & Where/Who Major concepts

Christianity 30 AD – Jesus Jesus is God the Son, the Messiah

Monotheistic

Bible

Islam 622 AD – Mohammed in Arabia

Monotheistic

Five Pillars

Koran

Major Belief Systems

System When & Where/Who Major concepts

Confucianism Confucius (551 BC)

China

The Analects

5 key relationships

Everyone has duties

Education is key to success

Taoism Laozi Peace & well being depend on harmony between yin and yang

Early Empires:The Gupta of India (320-550 AD)

• United much of the Indian subcontinent

• Period of peace and prosperity

• Protected by geography• Promoted Hinduism

– Caste system

• Patriarchal families, arranged marriages

• Declined due to weak rulers and foreign invaders

Early Empires:The Gupta of India (320-550 AD)

• Contributions:– Zero & decimal

system

– Arabic numerals

– Herbal remedies, surgery, vaccines against small pox

– Beautiful temples

– Fables, folk tales

Early Empires: 618-1279 ADTang & Song Dynasties in China• Both had efficient

governments where trade flourished and great advances in art, literature, and architecture developed

Early Empires: 618-1279 ADTang & Song Dynasties in China• Government

corruption led to the decline of the Tang dynasty in 907 AD

• Both used the civil service system for govt. officials

• Strict social structure of gentry, peasantry, merchants

Early Empires: 618-1279 ADTang & Song Dynasties in China• Foreign trade

expanded to India, Persia, Middle East

• Influenced Japan• Contributions

included calligraphy, pagoda temple design, porcelain

Early Empires: The Byzantine Empire

• After the Roman empire was divided in the late 200s by Emperor Diocletian, the Emperor Constantine moved the capital to the site of the Greek city of Byzantium

Early Empires: 527 - 1453The Byzantine Empire

Early Empires: The Byzantine Empire

• It was a blend of Greek, Roman, and Christian influences

• Weakened by Crusaders, sacked by Ottomans in 1453

• Contributions:– PRESERVED GRECO-

ROMAN CULTURE– Justinian’s Code of Law– Influenced Russia – written

language, religion, autocratic government, art & architecture

Early Empires: The Byzantine Empire

• Architecture: Church of Hagia Sophia

• Art – Mosaics• Religion:

Orthodox Christian Church – Great Schism in 1054

Early Empires: Islamic Civilization

• After Mohammed’s death, Islam spread to areas in Europe, Africa, and Asia

• Experienced a golden age during the 700s and 800s based on trade, and achievements in the arts & sciences

The spread of Islam

Early Empires: Islamic Civilization

• Islam arose in the Arabian peninsula

• Reasons for Muslim success: Arabs were strong fighters, enemies were weak (Byzantine & Persian empires), they were united in the faith, and rulers treated the conquered peoples fairly.

Early Empires: Islamic Civilization

• Golden Age contributions:– Preserved Greco-Roman

culture– Calligraphy– Mosques and palaces– Literature – poetry, tales

(The Thousand and One Nights)

– Mathematics – algebra– Astronomy– Medicine

Early Empires:Islamic Civilization

• Crusaders from Western Europe came into contact with Muslims in the Holy Lands, which encouraged cultural diffusion & lasting feelings of distrust between the two

500-1400s

• The collapse of Rome in 476 left Western Europe with no central government and basically in chaos– Feudalism and manorialism developed– The Christian Church was the one institution

that remained intact & it played a humongous role in people’s lives

Medieval Europe

• Charlemagne (742-814), king of the Franks, built an empire that included France, Germany, and part of Italy

• Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne King of the Romans – a popular fellow

• Charlemagne encouraged education & helped spread Christianity

Feudalism

The Crusades

• Seljuk Turks (Muslims) invaded the Byzantine Empire and conquered Palestine in the 1050s

• 1096 – Pope Urban II called on Christians to recover the Holy Lands and expel the Muslims

The Crusades

• Pope Urban II also hoped to win favor with Eastern Orthodox Christians so they would rejoin the Roman Church

• Crusaders were looking for adventure

• The poor were looking to escape the hardships of feudalism and constant fighting

The Crusades

• Only the first of four Crusades in 1099 was successful in regaining control of Jerusalem. Christians slaughtered Muslims and Jews there.

The Crusades

• Subsequent Crusades became more aimed at personal enrichment, not religious zeal

• Saladin united Muslims and regained Jerusalem in late 1100s

• The Fourth Crusade – looted Byzantine

A little known crusade

Impact of the Crusades

• Increased trade between east and west

• Reawakened Europeans to lost knowledge preserved by Muslims and Byzantine Empire

• Increased power of monarchs & weakened feudalism

• Lasting distrust between Muslims and Christians

• Sparked the Age of Exploration & Renaissance