APWorld Unit 1: "Places" Flashcards

49123850	Mesopotamia	the land between the Tigris and Euphrates; world's earliest civilization; used bronze and copper around 4000 BCE; invented wheel, developed irrigation; vulnerable to invasion	0
49123851	Sumer	an area in the southern region of Babylonia in present-day Iraq	1
49123852	Babylon	The largest and most important city in Mesopotamia. It achieved particular eminence as the capital of the Amorite king Hammurabi in the eighteenth century B.C.E. and the Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in the sixth century B.C.E. (p. 29)	2
49123853	Persia	a theocratic islamic republic in the Middle East in western Asia; established by Cyrus the Great; noted for tolerance toward customs of conquered peoples; introduced zoroastrianism; spread knowledge of iron metallurgy throughout empire and engaged in an active long-distance trade that linked India, SW Asia, and Egypt; Persian Royal Road linked remote portions of empire; trade contacts w/Greece encouraged artistic and philosophical exchange	3
49123854	Tigris River	a river running through Sumer, Mespotamia, provided resources for the Mespotamians., the river to the north east of mesopotamia	4
49123855	Euphrates River	A river in southwestern Asia that flows through the southern part of the Fertile Crescent	5
49123856	Akkad	Around 2375 BC, King Sargon of this country conquered the Sumerians and formed the world's first empire (although it was a very small one); this place is located centrally in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers	6
49123857	Nineveh	an ancient Assyrian city (capital of Assyria) on the Tigris across from the modern city of Mosul in the northern part of what is now known as Iraq	7
49123858	Great Royal Road	the longest road built by the Persian Empire; 1600 miles from the Persian Gulf to the Aegean Sea	8
49123859	Egypt	Formed along the banks of the Nile river. It was a united single kingdom that was unified, stable, and had cultural continuity over 3,000 years; irrigation projects led to organization of community and dev't of political structures; led by a pharoah; tombs of pharoas colorfully decorated; composed of defined social classes; commoners could enter gov't service and rise in status; patriarchal families; didn't ahve bronze for a while; engaged in some trade with Mesopotamia and Kush; bc surrounded by deserts, harder for others to conquer	9
49123860	Nile River	the world's longest river (4180 miles)	10
49123861	Indus Valley	Harappan civilization, no social classes, written language not yet deciphered, remarkable planned cities, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa; streets were laid out in a grid, houses had running water and sewage systems; overtaken around 1500 BCE by Aryans	11
49123862	Khyber Pass	a mountain pass of great strategic and commercial value in the Hindu Kush on the border between northern Pakistan and western Afghanistan	12
49123863	Harappa	Site of one of the great cities of the Indus Valley civilization of the third millennium B.C.E. It was located on the northwest frontier of the zone of cultivation , and may have been a center for the acquisition of raw materials. (p. 48)	13
49123864	Mohenjo-Daro	Indus Valley city laid out in a grid pattern. Had a complex irrigation and sewer system., One of the first settlements in India	14
49123865	Shang	The dominant people in the earliest Chinese dynasty for which we have written records (ca. 1750-1027 B.C.E.). Ancestor worship, divination by means of oracle bones, and the use of bronze vessels for ritual purposes were major elements of this culture; walled cities arose--became cultural, military, and economic centers; elaborate palaces and tombs built for rulers; stratified society w/classes of ruling elites, artisans, peasants, and slaves; patriarchal families; succumbed to Zhou dynasty about 1122 BCE; central authority continued	15
49123866	Zhou Dynasty	the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BCE; notable for rise of Confucianism and Taoism; mandate of heaven originated; after Shang dynasty; centralized Chinese government more; expanded territory to include Yangtze river valley (good for rice growing); produced emperors; standardized the spoken language	16
49123867	Bantu migrations	The Bantu expansion was a millenia long series of physical migrations, a diffusion of language and knowledge out into and in from neighboring populations, and a creation of new societal groups involving inter-marriage among communities and small groups moving tocommunities and small groups moving to new areas. Bantu-speakers developed novel methods of agriculture and metalworking which allowed people to colonize new areas with widely varying ecologies in greater densities than hunting and foraging permitted.	17
49123868	Jenne Jeno	Ancient West African city that existed for more than 1600 years where the Niger and Bani Rivers meet.; in Mali; one of oldest urbanized centers	18
49123869	Tikal	the largest ancient Mayan city in the northern part of Guatemala	19
49123870	Chichen Itza	Renowned Mayan city, huge buildings, on the Yucatan Peninsula (many tourists today); famous for temples	20
49123871	Mauryan Empire	The first state to unify most of the Indian subcontinent. It was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 324 B.C.E. and survived until 184 B.C.E. From its capital at Pataliputra in the Ganges Valley it grew wealthy from taxes. (184); Chandragupta was autocratic ruler who dev'd large bureaucracy and large army in addition to promoting trade and communication; rulers were first to unify most of subcontinent; most prominent ruler= Ashoka (269-232 BCE)--all of Indian subcontinent under this control; brutal conquests; later moderated behavior and went to nonviolence; encourage trade; constructed roads; spread Buddhism; Kushans and then Guptas broke apart this empire	21
49123872	Gupta Empire	Powerful Indian state based, like its Mauryan predecessor, on a capital at Pataliputra in the Ganges Valley. It controlled most of the Indian subcontinent through a combination of military force and its prestige as a center of sophisticated culture; high towered temples; intricate wall paintings; growth of Sanskrit as language of the educated; discovered zero as a place holder, developed "arabic" numerals; dev'd decimal system; strengthened trade between E. and SE. Asia; deterioration in status of women; inoculation against smallpox and sterilization; knowledge of plastic surgery and setting bones; advances in astronomy; classic hindu temples	22
49123873	Qin Dynasty	3rd century BC (221-202 BCE); came out of the period of Warring States; legalism; started connecting Great Wall; took power from feudal lords and placed it in the state bureaucracy; anti-Confucian; expanded to Vietnam; Great Wall was constructed; weights, measures, and coinage were standardized; a common written language was standardized; the manufacture of silk cloth was encouraged; new roads constructed.	23
49123874	Great Wall of China	A system of fortified walls with a roadway along the top, constructed as a defense for China against the nomads of the regions that are now Mongolia and Manchuria: completed in the 3rd century b.c., but later repeatedly modified and rebuilt. 2000 mi. (3220 km) long.	24
49123875	Han Dynasty	imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time) from 206 BC to 221 and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; adopted Confucian values; had to pass civil service exam to be in bureaucracy; trade along Silk Roads increased; peaceful time; strengthening of patriarchal society; gov't oversaw iron production; gov't sponsored and maintained canals and irrigation systems; further stratified society (elite, peasants/artisans, unskilled laborers); agriculture improved by invention of ox-drawn plows; paper manufactured; water-powered mills invented	25
49123876	Greece	birthplace of democracy, democracy was founded in; home of Indo-European people who migrated to the southern portion of the peninsula about 1700 BCE; geography is important	26
49123877	Athens	the capital and largest city of Greece; named after Athena (its patron goddess); "in the 5th century BC ancient Athens was the world's most powerful and civilized city"; initially an aristocracy, but gradually allowed inhaitants to self rule; height of democracy occured during rule of Pericles (443-429 BCE--Golden age of Athens); relied on sea for livelihood and engaged in active trade across Agean; education and artistic expression were important; depended heavily on slaves; joined with Sparta to defeat Persian invasions in 500 to 449 BCE.	27
49123878	Sparta	Greek city-state that was ruled by an oligarchy, focused on military, used slaves for agriculture, discouraged the arts; the dominant city of the Peloponnesus prior to the 4th century BC; aristocratic government; relied on agriculture; joined forces with Athens to defeat Persian invasions from 500 to 449 BCE	28
49123879	Persian Wars	Conflicts between Greek city-states and the Persian Empire, ranging from the Ionian Revolt (499-494 B.C.E.) through Darius's punitive expedition that failed at Marathon. Chronicled by Herodotus. (131)	29
49123880	Peloponnesian War	431 to 404 B.C., was an ancient Greek war, fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta.	30
49123881	Antigonid	One of three regions of Alexander's Empire, composed of Greece and Macedon; continuous tension between the Antigonid rulers and Greek cities; Economy of Athens and Corinth flourished again through trade	31
49123882	Ptolemaic	the pre-Copernican explanation of the universe, which placed the Earth at the center of the universe	32
49123883	Seleucid	empire created out of eastern portions of Alexander's empire	33
49123884	Rome	capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire	34
49123885	Carthage	City located in present-day Tunisia, founded by Phoenicians ca. 800 B.C.E. It became a major commercial center and naval power in the western Mediterranean until defeated by Rome in the third century B.C.E. (p. 107)	35
49123886	Punic Wars	A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (264-146 B.C.); resulted in the destruction of Carthage and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean.	36
49123887	Edict of Milan	313 CE Constantine makes Christianity the primary religion of the Roman Empire	37
49123888	Constantinople	the largest city and Capital of Ottoman Empire,now known as Istanbul; rebuilt on the site of ancient Byzantium by Constantine I in the fourth century; renamed Constantinople by Constantine who made it the capital of the Byzantine Empire; now the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church	38
49123889	Silk Road	An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea extending some 6,440 km (4,000 mi) and linking China with the Roman Empire. Marco Polo followed the route on his journey to Cathay.	39