History before the 1500s What, When, Why?
River Valley Civilizations
Ancient China (Yellow River Valley), Harappan (Indus Valley), Mesopotamia (Tigris-Euphrates Valley), Egypt (Nile Valley)
The Iron Age
WHAT- An archaeological era, referring to a period of time in the prehistory and protohistory of the Old World when the dominant toolmaking material was iron. some of the advantages of iron: steel/hardness, farming and tools, iron plow, price (cheap). The inventors of Iron were the Hittites WHEN- started in 1200 BCE WHY-was the technological age until Industrialism. Ancient iron production did not become widespread until the ability to smelt iron ore, remove impurities and regulate the amount of carbon in the alloy were developed. Iron has remained an essential element for more than 3,000 years, through the Industrial Revolution - helping Britain become the foremost industrial power - and into today in its more sophisticated form, steel.
Mandate from Heaven
WHAT- Chinese religious and political ideology developed by the Zhou, the chief deity, to grant power to the ruler of China and to take away that power if the ruler failed to conduct himself justly and in the best interests of his subjects. WHEN- Served as the foundation of Chinese political thought for three thousand years. Originated during the rise of the Zhou dynasty in China. WHY- Mandate from Heaven validated the institution of monarchy by connecting the religious and political spheres
Daoism
WHAT- Chinese school of thought, originating in the Warring States Period with Laozi. WHEN- 6th century B.C.E. in China under Laozi. WHY- It was a major world religion that shaped ancient Chinese culture. It offered an alternative to the Confucian emphasis on hierarchy and duty.
The Greek Polis
WHAT- Greek term for a city-state and it was the characteristic form of political organization in southern and central Greece in the Archaic and Classical periods. WHEN- Dark Ages in the 8th century B.C.E. WHY- It was the central political unit. Had an agora, gathering place, where citizens came together to ratify decisions of their leaders or to assemble with their weapons before military ventures.
Hammurabi's Code
WHAT- Invented by Hammurabi, in Ancient Mesopotamia. It is a law Code, standardized way of how people should be punished, set crime set punishment which should be equal WHEN-late 1700s BCE, WHY-It offers remarkable insights into the history of law, social justice and even the Bible.
The Agricultural Revolution
WHAT- The change from food gathering to food production that occurred between 10,000 BCE also known as the Neolithic Revolution WHEN- The transition from foraging to food production began in the Middle East in 8000 BCE and the plants domesticated there spread to Greece in 6000 BCE and then along the Danube River after 4000 BCE. WHY-The revolution lead to families settling down permanently near fields because they chose food production over food gathering. More and more families settling lead to an increase in population and cultivation of new food crops. civilization has selectively bred a crop and made it a founder crop.
The Roman Republic
WHAT- The period during which Rome was largely governed by the aristocratic Roman Senate. WHEN- lasted from 507 to 31 B.C.E. WHY- During it power resided in an Assembly of male citizens but was not a democracy. The votes of the wealthy counted more than the votes of poor citizens.
Christianity
WHAT- The religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs and practices. WHEN- began with the ministry of Jesus Christ, in the first century A.D. WHY- important because it has a prominent role in history, and is one of the world's leading religions. Teaches about fellowship, how to have a strong relationship with God, and how to live a good life.
The Assyrian Empire
WHAT- an empire made of Assyrians WHEN-900 BCE, spanning the Early to Middle Bronze Age through to the late Iron Age. WHY-warriors culture, first modern army formed in the ancient world. First empire to unify Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Buddhism
WHAT- reverence from Buddha, life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end the suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths. WHEN- 6th century B.C.E. WHY- The Impact that Buddhist teachings on India was significant because it opened the eyes to people all around India to make them realize being attached to people will not allow them to live life happily. Buddhism helped people believe in something at a time of need where their own religion was denying them of being important.
The Peloponnesian War
WHAT- was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. WHEN- 431-404 BCE, Sparta left Athens with practically nothing after the war had ended. WHY- Athens, the strongest city-state in Greece prior to the war's beginning, was reduced to a state of near-complete subjection, while Sparta became established as the leading power of Greece. The Peloponnesian War brought about changes and developments in warfare: increase in the use of slaves, mercenaries and foreigners in Greek armies, better logistics which allowed armies to stay longer in the field, and a greater attention paid to skills and experience when selecting military leaders.
Rig Veda
WHAT-A series of tales and stories told by Nomads, it's a Saga of Poems. The text is a collection of 1,028 hymns and 10,600 verses, organized into ten books WHEN-Indian subcomet 2000 BCE, early Iron Age WHY-The tales serve as the foundation of Hinduism. Indo Europeans describe combat, lessons, we get a sense of early Indian society. Rigveda is one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language. Some of its verses continue to be recited during Hindu rites of passage celebrations such as weddings and religious prayers, making it probably the world's oldest religious text in continued use.
City-State
WHAT-A small independent state consisting of an urban center and the surrounding agriculture territory. WHEN-The first Mesopotamian civilization was established by the Sumerian people in 3000 BCE WHY-These people were able to establish independent cities in the Mesopotamian region. The Sumerians build these city-states which were considered as the first basic units of the Sumerian civilization.
Hieroglyphics
WHAT-A system of writing in which pictorial symbols represented sounds, syllables, or concepts. WHEN-The earliest evidence of an Egyptian hieroglyphic system is believed to be from about 3300 or 3200 BC. WHY- Egyptian hieroglyphs developed into a mature writing system used for monumental inscription. It was used for official and monumental inscriptions in ancient Egypt, India, and Israel.
The Great Wall of China
WHAT-A wall built along an east-to-west line across northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups WHEN-700 years ago in Huairou the wall built 220-206 BC by Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. WHY-Stops horses, Stop nomads, monumental construction, Other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods.
Domesticated Animals
WHAT-Animals domesticated for different uses within civilizations. Horses, Dogs, Sheep, Goats, Cows, WHEN-between 8000 and 2500 BC. all across the world, Ox in Western Asia, Pig in China. WHY-They helped them harvest crops, We used them for a food source, and for labor (transportation), milk (where?). When we domesticate animals we look for things like temperament, and obedience. The first reason for herding sheep and goats, or keeping cattle and pigs in the village, is to secure a regular supply of fresh meat.
Zoroastrianism
WHAT-Ascribed to the teachings of the Iranian prophet Zoroaster, heaven and hell, and free will have influenced other religious systems WHEN-1200 BCE, before the Roman Empire WHY-. Each human being has to choose between good and bad. You will be on whichever side at the end of your lifetime, either Damnation or Heaven.
Founder Crops
WHAT-Domesticated crop selected for specific traits through selective breeding. Looking for enough nutrition so that you can stay in one place for an entire year. Ex: Corn, wheat, beans, potatoes, rice. Basis of civilization. WHEN-14000-10000 BCE WHY-Helped when Hunter Gatherers first came about, it made crops readily available to pick up and take with them and were what they used when they settled and became civilizations.
Caste System
WHAT-Established by the Indo-Europeans, a class structure that is determined by birth. Loosely, it means that in some societies, if your parents are poor, you're going to be poor, too. WHEN-Aryans from central Asia invaded South Asia and introduced the caste system as a means of controlling the local populations (1500 BCE) WHY-The Aryans defined key roles in society, then assigned groups of people to them. Individuals were born into, worked, married, ate, and died within those groups.
The Persian Empire
WHAT-Govern the Phoenicians, East of Mesopotamia. WHEN-500 BCE WHY-use kindness to rule, tolerant of other religions, still expect you to be their subject. Built the first vertical axis windmills. From 539 BC to 331 BC, the Persian Empire was the most powerful state in the world. It came to an end by the Greeks.
Homo Sapiens
WHAT-Homo Sapiens is the name for the only extant human species. WHEN-They appeared 200,000 BCE, came out of Africa and spread rapidly, after the extinction of homorerectus and neadrathals and at the end of the Ice Age. WHY-Homo Sapiens not only made and used stone tools, they also specialized them and made a variety of smaller, more complex, refined and specialized tools including composite stone tools, fishhooks and harpoons, bows and arrows, spear throwers and sewing needles.
Hominids
WHAT-Human like Ape, Eastern Africa, ethiopian highlights, different from other apes because of its characteristics. WHEN-2 million years ago in Africa. HOW-Bipedal, language, cranial capacity, they make tools, went extinct right as Homo Sapiens came.
Selective Breeding
WHAT-Humans used animal breeding to develop particular traits in crops so that they can reproduce that crop over and over to make it a founder crop. Originated in Mesopotamia. WHEN-Ancient Mesopotamia, The beginning of human agriculture, 10,000 years ago. Why-Created Corn from Maize, was important because it was how they modified the crops to last through winters, and made foods more edible and better sizes to feed their tribe.
Hunter-Gatherers
WHAT-It took place across the entire world. Division of labor between males and females. Males are the hunters because they had the agility to hunt, Females are gatherers because they get pregnant, and the mortality rate for children was extremely high. WHEN-Before the Agricultural Revolution WHY-They wanted to avoid miscarriages. The ancient hunter-gatherers lived in small groups, normally of about ten or twelve adults plus children. They were regularly on the move, searching for nuts, berries and other plants. They are nomads, moving around 30 miles a day. 30-30-30 30 Years, travel 30 miles a day, and work 30 hours a week.
Invention of Writing
WHAT-Mesopotamia was the first to invent writing. Kept a record of commerce and goods. WHEN-Mayans, 900 BCE,The two places where it is most certain that the concept of writing was both conceived and developed independently are ancient Sumer (in Mesopotamia) around 3100 BC, and Mesoamerica by 300 BC.. WHY-Used writing to keep a record of history, of goods and food, religion, when to harvest and when to cover fields.
Kingdom of Israel
WHAT-Monotheists, believe in a single God, they believe in Yaweh. After they escaped from Egypt, they created their own town of Israel where they developed as a civilization WHEN-1200 BCE WHY-The birth of Christ was in the Kingdom of Israel, it's where Christianity Originated
Calendar
WHAT-Record of time, Calendars are explicit schemes used for timekeeping. WHEN-First calendar dated back to the Bronze age WHY- Used for observing the moon/sun and stars to tell time, know when the best time to plant is.
Polytheism
WHAT-The idea of multiple gods, after modern civilization, its the norm of ancient worlds, Egyptian gods etc, each god has a certain element they are associated with. WHEN-Polytheism was the typical form of religion during the Bronze Age and Iron Age WHY-Religious Synchronism, they don't have loyalty to a set of gods, they combine them.
Confucianism
WHAT-often characterized as a system of social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion. Was built on an ancient religious foundation to establish the social values, institutions, and transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society. And is described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or simply a way of life. WHEN-500 BCE in China under Confucius WHY- revolved around the pursuit of the unity of the self and Tiān and the relationship of humankind to the Heaven
Hinduism
WHAT-the dominant religion of India that emphasizes dharma with its resulting ritual and social observances and often mystical contemplation and ascetic practices WHEN- developed from the religion that the Aryans brought to India with them in about 1500 BCE. WHY-If you fulfill your duties in your dharma you gather good karma. This life may pass but you will be reincarnated and if you fulfill your duties, you'll be rewarded in the next life. you could emerge as a human, or as an animal if you didn't do well as a human.
Indo-Europeans
WHAT-were pastoralists whose economy centered around raising a few species of livestock. WHEN-4000 to 1000 BCE origin in the Bronze Age in eastern Ukraine and southwestern Russia. WHY-As they settle they change their religious beliefs, they believe in a single spirit. Herders, language is european dialects, everything they speak in europe is of decent from into europeans. Indo-Europeans had two particular military advantages over their neighbors: the domesticated horse and the wheel.
Pharaohs of Egypt
WHO- Akhenaten and Ramesses II WHEN- Akhenaten was an Egyptian pharaoh between 1353 to 1335 B.C.E. Ramesses II was a pharaoh for 66 years between 1290 to 1224 B.C.E. WHY- Akhenaten built a new capital at Amarna, fostered a new style of naturalistic art, and created a religious revolution imposing worship of the sun-disk. Ramsesses II had monumental building projects all over Egypt and is known for reaching an accommodation with the Hittites of Anatolia after a standoff in battle at Kadesh in Syria.
Alexander the Great
WHO- King of Macedonia in northern Greece. WHEN- King during the fourth century B.C.E. and between 334 and 323 B.C.E. he conquered the Persian Empire. WHY- Conquered the Persian Empire, reached the Indus Valley, founded many Greek-style cities, and spread Greek culture across the Middle East.
The Phoenicians
WHO-Became the first explorers, Mediterranean traders, and colonizers of the ancient world; people who occupied eastern Mediterranean. WHEN-1200BCE they became a civilization but the first cities first emerged as urban entities around 1500 B.C. the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600-1200 B.C.) WHY-They were important merchants and sailors, built a lot of colonies. They were the first in human history to invent an alphabet, in which one sign/letter was meant for a sound (phonetic), till then all of the alphabets were syllabic. Their alphabet included no vocals.
