Study Guide for Ancient Civilizations Unit Test
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| 93860772 | Babylonians | -they extended their own empire and therefore helped bring civilization to the Middle East; Hammurabi introduced his code of law; it established rules of procedure for courts of law and regulated property rights and the duties of family members, setting harsh punishments for crimes -an ancient empire of Mesopotamia in the Euphrates River valley. It flourished under Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar II but declined after 562 B.C. and fell to the Persians in 539. | |
| 93860773 | Persians | -an empire based on tolerence and diplomacy; relied on a strong military to back up their policies; had massive amounts of copper, lead, gold, silver, and blue lapis lazuli -Ethnic group that settled in what is now Iran. They were rivals for control of Mesopotamia with the Greeks, and later the Arabs. -This group tried several times to invade Greece, but were defeated by Athens. | |
| 93860774 | Hittites | -People who were among the first to master ironworking, meaning they could make the strongest weapons of the time. They also used the chariot, a wheeled, horse-drawn cart used in battle which allowed soldiers to move quickly around a battlefield and fire arrows at their enemy. -a group of Indo-European speakers who occupied Anatolia; banded together all of their city-states to create a Hittite empire; lasted for 450 years, occupied Babylon; borrowed ideas and traits from the Mesopotamian people that they encountered; their chariots brought them victory over other civilizations | |
| 93860775 | Medes | -a Southwest Asian people who helped to destroy the Assyrian empire -1st to achieve complex political organization | |
| 93860776 | Phoenicians | -Important trading people who lived on the coast of the eastern Mediterranean, started the greek alphabet -Sailing and trading people who had many colonies on the Mediterranean coast -"carriers of civilization"; located on eastern Mediterranean coast; invented the alphabet which used sounds rather than symbols like cuneiform | |
| 93860777 | Assyrians | -known as a warrior people who ruthlessly conquered neighboring countries; their empire stretched from east to north of the Tigris River all the way to centeral Egypt; used ladders, weapons like iron-tipped spears, daggers and swords, tunnels, and fearful military tactics to gain strength in their empire -blood thirsty city state that conquered all of Mesopotamia by using chariots, battering rams, siege reamps, and armored horses | |
| 93860778 | Hebrews | -translated to meaning "wanderers"- a nomadic people, later known as Jews. They practiced the first monotheistic religion -peoples enslaved in Egypt who eventually became the community known as Israel | |
| 93860779 | Ionians | -ancient Greek civilization, lived in Ionia (Asia Minor) and Balkan Peninsula, 750 BC - 336 BC -ended up on the west coast of Turkey; spoke the language we now know as Greek; they started making the polis (city) | |
| 93860780 | Spartans | -the group of soldiers that took kids at the age of 6 to make them into fighters -Greeks,skilled in warfare,unbelievable strength and endurance,love combat -These people empasized duty, strength, and discipline. -Participated in the Battle of Thermopylae and Peloponnesian War | |
| 93860781 | Athenians | -A group of people living in a Greek city-state that beleived those should only serve in the army when needed, and thought that all should be able to apart of the governement, which lead this city-state to a democracy. -a highly cultured people whose city-statecontrolled all of attica and other greek colonies through their naval dominance of the Aegean Sea | |
| 93860782 | Peloponnesian War | -a war in which Athens and its allies were defeated by the league centered on Sparta -Conflict between Athenian And Spartan Alliances. The war was largely a consequence of Athenian imperialism. Possession of a naval empire allowed Athens to fight a war of attrition. Ultimately, Sparta prevailed because of Athenian errors/Persian $$$ | |
| 93860783 | Battle at Thermopylae | -The 300 spartans led by Lionidas held off Xerxes army (Persians) of 150,000 for 2 days this battle was motivational boost for all of free Greeks. -in 480 B.C. Xerxes was trying to crush the Greeks (300 of them Spartans) fought there. Spartans die but the succeeded in their efforts to slow down the Persians, Persian Victory | |
| 93860784 | Mongols | -a large collection of nomadic tribes that lived north of china in the "steppes" who were later united by Genghis Khan -Ruled Yuan Dynasty in China; lived as nomads in northern Eurasia. After 1206 they established an enormous empire under Genghis Khan, linking western and eastern Eurasia | |
| 93860785 | Monarchy | -state ruled over by a single person, as a king or queen | |
| 93860786 | Oligarchy | -form of government in which a few people have the power | |
| 93860787 | Tyranny | -a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.) | |
| 93860788 | Democracy | -a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them -power lies with the people | |
| 93860789 | Sumerians | -The people who dominated southern Mesopotamia through the end of the third millennium B.C.E. They were responsible for the creation of many fundamental elements of Mesopotamian culture-such as irrigation technology, cuneiform, and religious conceptions. -the earliest known civlization; were the first to have a language | |
| 93860790 | cunieform | -a system of writing with wedge-shaped symbols invented by the sumerians around 3000 B.C. -oldest in the world. Influenced later Mesopotamian writing systems. | |
| 93860791 | Hammurabi's Code | -a set of laws put together by babylons most powerful king -established high standars of behavior and stern punishments for violators; civil laws regulated mostly everything such as wages dealings and relationships | |
| 93860792 | Centralized Government | -a government in which a central authority controls the running of a state. | |
| 93860793 | Organized Religion | -a complex institution that features rites and rituals agreed upon by a larger community. It designates people like priests as the most powerful in the community. | |
| 93860794 | Job Specialization | -The responsibilities of each job position are explicitly defined, and there is a precise division of labor within the organization -Resulted from the availability of food (food surplus) | |
| 93860795 | Social Classes | -a ranking of people into higher or lower positions of respect based on occupation -job specialization led to this | |
| 93860796 | Writing | -ancient people invented to record grain harvests and keep accurate records of the seasons | |
| 93860797 | Arts and Architecture | -different types of art and buildings that symbolize the societies' beliefs and talents -signs of strength of government and religion. Temples and palaces dominated. | |
| 93860798 | Food surplus | -extra food creation that allows people to engage in activities besides farming | |
| 93860799 | Irrigation systems | -methods to supply water to farmland in areas with insufficient rainfall -the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China developed | |
| 93860800 | Ziggurat | -a huge mud-brick temple built by the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations -chief god/goddness was on top -place of worship (ancient Mesopotamian temple) | |
| 93860801 | polytheistic | -Belief in many gods | |
| 93860802 | monotheistic | -Belief in one god | |
| 93860803 | public works projects | -Irrigation systems, roads, bridges, dams, warehouses, ziggurats, and city walls were examples of these in ancient cities | |
| 93860804 | artisan | -a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft -a person who is skillful with his/her hands | |
| 93860805 | priest | -someone who offers sacrifice -a religious leader | |
| 93860806 | ruler | -a person who rules or commands -ranked highest in social classes | |
| 93860807 | scribe | -someone employed to make written copies of records, -One of the professional record keepers in early civilizations | |
| 93860808 | general | -leader of the military -responsible for battles and military strategy | |
| 93860809 | iron | -metal used for weapons and tools | |
| 93860810 | Geographic Luck | -Jared Diamond's idea that people groups succeed or fail largely upon the climate, resources, and terrain they live in and on and off of; he rejects the idea that human determination (or self-determination) lies at the root of the gap between the world's "HAVES" and "HAVE NOTS." | |
| 93860811 | Minoans | -earliest Greek civilization that had developed on the island of Crete by 2000 B.C. -They were excellent sailors & traded w/ Egypt & the Fertile Crescent. Were conquered by mainland Greece. -Thought to be generally peaceful | |
| 93860812 | Mycenaeans | -civilization on the greek mainland that conquered the Minoans in Crete in about 1400 B.C. -warlike and measured wealth by the number of weapons they owned. -sea traders; lived in separate city-states; invovled in Trojan War against Troy | |
| 93860813 | The Odyssey | -an epic poem, written by Homer -A Greek warrior undertakes an arduous journey back to his homeland and his loyal wife and son, experiencing many fantastical adventures along the way -used to teach Greek youth about their civilization's values |
