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Semester 1 Final Study Guide

Early Peoples
What was the Agricultural Revolution?
The transition from nomadic hunting and gathering to sedentary farming

What did it allow early humans do to?

Could give up nomadic ways of life and begin to live in settled communities

*What caused the Neolithic Revolution?

Change in the method of obtaining food

Ancient Civilizations
Mesopotamia Egypt China India

Viewed their Y Y N Y
leaders as divine
(Y/N)

Civ.s Great Tigris- Nile Yellow/Huang Ganges

River Euphrates He

Main Religion Polytheism Polytheism Confucianism/ Hinduism/

Daoism Buddhism/
Sihkism

Greatest Cradle of Civ. Civ. lasted Numerous Plumbing

Achievements thousands of inventions
year

Greece
Name the three major philosophers of Ancient Greece and what their main philosophies were.
Plato believed that in an ideal society the government should be controlled by a class
of philosopher kings

Rome
Explain how the Roman Republican government operated.
Consuls act as presidents
Senators and Tribunes act as Congress
The Citizen Assemblies act as voters
What was the social structure like in Ancient Rome and what class were the majority of people?

Patricians controlled most of the land, held key military and government positions
Plebeians made up the majority of people

Who was Julius Caesar and how did he begin and end his career?
rose to power through his military accomplishments and was later assassinated in
44 B.C. by a group of Senators

What were the Twelve Tables and why were they created?
all citizens could know the laws and understand them
regardless of a persons status in society, they were held accountable to the same
laws
to help avoid corruption

Briefly describe the evolution of Romes governments.

Monarchy -> Republic ->Empire

How were Christians treated in Rome before Constantine and why were they seen as
dangerous?
The spread of Christianity was seen as a threat to the Roman Empire because
Christians recognized their God as more important and powerful than the emperor.

List the reasons for the decline of the Roman Empire.

Invasions from the east and south (and from every other direction too.)
Civil wars from leaders vying for power
Plagues the left a weakened army and labor force
Religions
What are the five major world religions?
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism
Judaism is to Christianity and Islam as Hinduism it to Buddhism and Sikhism.

Name the Holy Books for each of the five major world religions.
Tenakh, Bible, Quran, Vedas, none

What are the three major branches of Christianity?

Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant

*Which religious group follows the Four Noble Truths and 8-Fold Path?
Buddhists

Middle Ages
Who was Charlemagne and what were his major achievements?
A Frankish king and the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire who championed
education.

*What was the Battle of Tours and why was it important?

It prevented future invasions of France by the Moors and preserved Christianity in
Europe

*How were Vikings assimilated into medieval society?

The Frankish policy of settling them and converting them to Christianity.

*What was the Great Schism and why did it happen?

A division in the Roman Catholic church between those in allegiance with the Pope in
Rome and those in allegiance with the Pope in Avignon. One of the greatest reasons
for the split of the Great Schism was because of the use of Icons.

What is feudalism? (Draw the pyramid.)

A social system that required sworn loyalty of vassals to their king.
What did growing towns and villages cause in medieval Europe?
Led to the emergence of a growing middle class.

What was the Magna Carta and why was it important?

Documented the mutual rights and obligations between kings and vassals

What was the Byzantine Empire and where was its capital?
Constantinople: capital of the Byzantine Empire that later was renamed and became
the capital of the Ottoman Empire
The best example of Byzantine art is the Hagia Sophia in modern day Istanbul,
Turkey

*Why did Byzantine Emperor Justinian create his Code?

Justinian created a new legal code because the current laws were confusing and
contradictory.

What was the Hundred Years War and what was its result?
France was able to free herself of English invaders and became the dominant state in
Western Europe.

What were the Crusades?

Holy wars between Christian Europeans and Muslims. During the Crusades, both
Muslims and Christians wished to control Jerusalem.

*What was the Peace of Augsburg?

Individual kings and lords could decide the faith of the people in their lands

*What was the Silk Road?

Trade route over which Chinese goods traveled to markets in the West.

What was the Black Plague and what were its pros and cons?
A disease spread by fleas and rats that killed half of Europe. It helped social mobility.

*What part did boats play in the Black Plague?

They helped spread the disease by transporting rats and disease carrying fleas to
various ports.

Renaissance
What was the Renaissance?
A rebirth of learning, culture and technological achievement modeled after Greece
and Rome
Name at least five major Renaissance artists.
Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Raphael Sanzio

What was the Gutenberg Press and why was it important?

The Gutenberg Press was a printing press that made printing books and newspapers
easier and faster. It improved the dissemination of religious texts, literature and
differing viewpoint.

*What new scientific ideas emerged during the Renaissance?

Scientific Method: A method of determining truth through experimentation and
evidence

*Who was Isaac Newton and what was he famous for?

invented calculus and proved the law of gravity

*Who is Johannes Kepler and who was his partner?

German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer; Maria Kunitz

*What is Nicolaus Copernicus known for?

Heliocentrism: observed that the sun was the center of the universe

Reformation
Who was Martin Luther and why is he important?
Martin Luther; 95 Theses was a document describing 95 abusive practices by the
Roman Catholic Church; he began the religious reformation that created
Protestantism

What are those who follow Luthers branch of Christianity called?

Protestants: Christians that broke free of the authority of the Catholic Church in the
1500s

What was significant about books written in the vernacular?

Literate people would be informed and entertained by works written using common
everyday language.

What was the Concordat of Worms (Diet of Worms) and what did it result in?
The king was recognized as having the right to invest bishops with secular authority,
but not with sacred authority.
What was an Indulgence and why were they important?
A mechanism for individual Catholics to pay to have sins forgiven and ensure their
salvation

Age of Exploration
What indigenous groups were present in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans and
where did they live?
Aztec and Maya--Mexico
Inca--Peru
Aztecs caused themselves to be hated by neighboring tribes because they used
captured enemies for human sacrifice

Who were Conquistadors?

Spanish soldiers sent to the New World
Explain the greatest achievements of each of these explorers.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
He led the first Europeans to modern day Arizona and the Grand Canyon
Christopher Columbus
Discovered the Americas for Spain
Hernan Cortes
Overthrew the Aztec empire

What is mercantilism?
economic theory was supported in France under Louis XIV-- a nation must export
more than they import to increase supplies of gold and silver
In a Mercantile economy, colonies can only sell goods to the mother country

Which European countries participated in colonization? Which two took the lead?
Portugal, France, Spain, Great Britain and The Netherlands
Spain and Portugal took the lead.

What were the major effects of the Age of Exploration?

Europeans gained material wealth, Africa weakened, Native American societies
destroyed

What was the Columbian Exchange?

The transfer of people, plants, animals and diseases between the old and new world

What was the Middle Passage?

the horrible journey African slaves endured across the Atlantic to the Americas
What was the result of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Seven Years War?
The significant land changes agreed to in the 1763 Treaty of Paris that ended the
Seven Years War: Prussia gained Silesia from Austria and Great Britain gained
Frances colonies in North America

EXTRAS
Islam was the religion of the Ottoman and Safavid Empires
The Safavid Empire would become the Persian Empire which would then become
primarily modern day Iran

Evaluating primary and secondary sources:

a. Authors main points and purpose
b. Determine facts from opinions and different points of view for the same event
c. Credibility and validity