WOH1012 Study Guide
The man chosen to be the first caliph after the Prophet Mohammad died was
Abu Bakr.
ESSAY QUESTION: Why did African kingdoms decline? What were the factors that led to such?
African kingdoms were very diverse, but unfortunately, they were ill-equipped for larger territories and faced a lack of power. The majority of African kingdoms practiced kinship ties which in turn, led to a major reliance on family and was bad news for the monarchs who ran the kingdoms. These allegiances proved to act more so like clans than an actual kingdom, creating a major lack of unity within the larger communities. The majority of the issues came from the monarchy itself. It proved to be unorganized and showed a major lack of continuity, showing how underwhelming their ruling was. There was no concept of hereditary succession, so whenever a ruler died, no one knew who was to be in charge next. Over time, there was even a major loss of their indigenous culture due to the invading Islamic and Western influence.
The core of the Shi'ite movement in Islam centers on the conviction that
Ali was the true successor to Mohammad.
All of the following were civilizations found in the "Fertile Crescent" EXCEPT:
Arkon.
The significant battle of 1525 which helped Babur establish the Mughal Dynasty was the
Battle of Panipat.
The Emperor who called the Council of Nicea was
Constantine.
The Hebrew king who organized the 12 tribes, and created a monarchy over them was
David.
The emperor who divided the Roman Empire into two halves and stabilized the economy was
Diocletian.
The creators of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) were the
Dravidians.
The time of the "Great Leap Forward" in the High Middle Ages was characterized by
Europeans being able to develop an economy without interruption.
ESSAY QUESTION: Compare and contrast the different poli of Sparta and Athens. What forms of government and society did each of them have?
Even though each were both Greek poli, Athens and Sparta were extremely different in how they operated. Athens was a democracy with a trade-based economy and placed value on arts, learning, and philosophy. Athens arguably had a much more stable and peaceful community. Sparta was an Oligarchy with a raid and conquer mentality that placed a tremendous value over their military. While Spartan men gave the majority of their time either training for battle or in battle, women were running the household, given an education, and far more rights than Athenian women.
The earliest known African kingdom was the kingdom of
Ghana.
What made the Judaic tradition so different from other religions was that
God's law was accessible to everyone, not just priests.
The part of the "Corpus Juris Civilis" that held a collection of legal opinions to instruct law students was the
Institutes
The Chinese emperor responsible for opening up China to the Europeans, or "Colored-Eye People," was the Emperor
Khublai Khan
All of the following are true of the Indian text Bhagavad-Gita, EXCEPT
Krishna was an avatar of the god Shiva.
The Iconoclastic Controversy arose when
Leo III decreed that religious icons would be banned from the church.
The man who introduced the jizya to India was
NOT Aurangzeb.
The man responsible for the 17 Article Constitution was
Prince Shotoku.
ESSAY QUESTION: What led to each of the Punic Wars, and what were the ultimate outcomes?
Rome was caught by surprise when they discovered that Carthage, a powerful country from northern Africa had invaded Sicily. Although not on Rome's land, it was felt that Carthage was a threat and needed to be taken care of before they became a problem for Rome themself. Carthage gave up Sicily and paid Rome a fine. 23 years later, when Carthage begins spreading into Spain, this again becomes a problem for Rome. During this second Punic war, Rome came very close to losing and being invaded directly. Eventually, Carthage abandons all possessions except for their North African territory and is fined 3 times more than the last. When the 2nd Punic war had come to an end, there was a peace treaty signed. When it was broken by Carthage 52 years later, war is declared. Rome was absolutely brutal in this war, they left only 55,000 people who were all immediately sold into slavery. The entirety of Carthage was burned to the ground and plowed with salt so that is could never again be fertile. There was a major increase in slavery, with 1 million slaves in Italy alone. The Punic wars also caused the decline of small farms which were replaced with the first plantations to ever be seen. Overall, the Punic wars can be attributed to Rome's conversion from a republic to an empire through changing so many aspects of the country.
The first dynasty of ancient China was the
Shang.
ESSAY QUESTION: Define and explain the 5 Pillars of Islam and how they relate to the shari'a.
Shari'a is the sacred law of Islam, one of its sources coming from the Quran, an Islamic religious text. The Sharia'a was created to answer questions the Quran didn't have the answer to, or at least didn't outrightly say or point to. This helps to guide followers of Islam in their behaviors and relationships. The 5 pillars do a lot of the same thing, guiding people on how to live their life on how their God would see fit. Salat means prayer. Muslims must pray 5 times a day facing Mecca, the unifying point of their religion. Shahada means to accept that there is no God but their God and that Mohammad is the prophet. Zakah means charity. Charity is a big deal in the Islamic religion, it is seen the same as worshiping God. Sawm, or Ramadan means to fast, a disciplinary action of faith. Lastly, Hadj is a pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim is expected to take at least once in their life.
ESSAY QUESTION: How did Buddhism change in the time following Buddha's death?
Siddhartha Gautama was a real-life Hindu prince who discovered Buddhism. The practice started out as a way to explain the reasoning to the question "why is there pain and suffering?". The 8 fold path and the 4 noble truths were developed, and many people throughout India became so enthralled with the ideology. Hinayana was one of the first ways to practice Buddhism. There was no imagery of Buddha, more so the idea of "I am not divine, just a man who has become enlightened". However, this was a monastic way of life, a drastic change that average citizens weren't often willing to hand over their life for. This eventually develops into Mahayana, a non-monastic way to practice Buddhism. Now Buddha is perceived as a divine figure with images to represent him and you don't have to give up so many parts of your normal life.
The Messenian wars, which forced Sparta to become a militant state, were brought on because
Sparta suffered from a famine.
The man responsible for defeating Sumuguru Kante and establishing the Mali Empire in 1235 was
Sundiata.
The Sumerian epic which centered on a king's struggle with his own mortality was
The Epic of Gilgamesh.
ESSAY QUESTION: What are the 5 Basic Human Relationships, and what do they illustrate about Chinese culture?
The Five Basic Human Relationships are a part of the Confucian philosophy and demonstrate the importance of harmony and balance throughout a community and China's society as a whole. First, we have the Emperor and advisor relationship, this demonstrates a balance of power and obligation. Then we have the Father and Son relationship. This relationship is not based on love, but entirely on respect. No matter what kind of father you may have, if he is a drunk or a thief, you still have to give him the utmost respect and value for that relationship. Another is the Husband and wife dynamic, a relationship that is based on mutual respect for each other. There is also older brother and younger brother, but this translates to any sort of ranking of siblings. In Chinese society, ranking and order is an extremely important thing, especially when it comes to a family dynamic. That last and most seemly different from the rest of the relationships is that of a friend and a friend. This relationship is entirely based upon trust. Whereas with a spouse, in this culture you often marry to survive so you have no choice and same with things like your siblings or job positions. But when it comes to choosing a friend, this is the only relationship with this sort of dynamic. The Confucian philosophy is rooted in the idea of law and order, and the Five Basic Human Relationships emphasizes the inner workings of the ideology as a whole.
ESSAY QUESTION: Explain the Iconoclastic Controversy. How did it lead to a break between the East and West?
The Iconoclastic Controversy was initially various clergy and church members not seeing eye to eye on the new banning of saints. This is because many people in the church either held a very religious connection towards their saints and practices that were being banned, or they were upset due to all of the money that could no longer be made without their images. This spread even farther than beyond the church, the people were upset about their saints being taken away too. After the Pope's vision and decisive conclusion, there was a major uproar, causing a power struggle between the Pope and the emperor. This led to the ultimate break between Rome in the east and Constantinople in the west and eventually further than that.
ESSAY QUESTION: What were the four main castes of Vedic India? What limitations does the system have?
The four main caste systems of Vedic India were comprised of Brahmans, which acted as priests and teachers. While they did not always earn the most out of all the various levels of the caste, they were the only ones that would have access to the Vedas. Next, we have the Kashatruyas*, who essentially acted as the political and military power, the region's rulers and warriors. Vyasas* made up the majority of the population, filled with important jobs like merchants, farmers, and artisans. Sudras* was the lowest on the caste system. Blamed on the karma earned in their past life, they were tasked with the most displeasing and often dirty jobs. The main issue with the caste system was that it had no flexibility. You are not able to work your way through castes., you would have to stay with that caste placement for the entirety of that life.
The basic foundations for Hinduism can be found in the ancient text of the
Vedas
The official in Egyptian government who was Pharaoh's "right hand," carried out his policies and was often a member of the royal family was the
Vizier.
ESSAY QUESTION: According to Shingon Buddhism, what are the 3 Mysteries and how do we attain them?
Within the practice of Shingon Buddhism, there are three "mysteries" that are believed to help enlighten and achieve wisdom. This philosophy was founded by straying away from the secluded life of a monastery and exploring what other ways there were to attain nirvana other than following the eight-fold path. It is believed that we all possess and contain the secrets of the universe. The first mystery is the body which can be unlocked through meditation and centering oneself. The second is the mind. This is a way of perceiving one's truth, a type of internal visualization. The last is speech, meaning often true words, This mystery is practiced often through mantras.
The period in Japan where Chinese culture and language were first introduced and accepted was the period of
Yamato.
The formation of uji, or clans, in Japan was first developed during the
Yayoi Period.
The first non-Chinese dynasty of China was the
Yuan.
The concept of the Mandate of Heaven was begun during what Dynasty?
Zhou.
All of the following were aspects of Gregory I's pontificate EXCEPT:
a call for holy crusading.
During the Crusades, the use of an "indulgence" meant
a cancellation of a Crusader's penance in exchange for military service.
In Africa, the use of "kinship ties" led to
all of the above. a decline of unemployment, a decline of homelessness, stronger connections between extended family members despite geographical distance.
The Fujiwara clan succeeded in
all of the above. creating the office of samurai, providing continuity for the imperial dynasty by furnishing consorts to the emperor, introducing the concept of dyarchy to the government.
Taken as a whole, Hellenistic civilization succeeded in
all of the above. preserving Greek thought for the future,serving as an intermediary between Greece and Rome, idealizing cosmopolitanism.
The Council of Nicea resolved
all of the above. the Arian Debate, the date of the Christian "Passover" or Easter, sectional differences and beliefs in Christianity.
During his reign, the emperor Qin Shi Huang-ti was able to accomplish
all of the above. the promotion of silk manufacturing, the construction of the Great Wall, a national census.
One of the effects of the Crusades was that
all of the above. they helped broaden the views of Europeans, they accelerated the decline of the Byzantine Empire, the Eastern Mediterranean was now opened for commerce.
One of the reasons why philosophy grew in Greece was due to the fact that
all of the above: literacy was widespread, free thinking was encouraged, more people had time for reflection.
To date, the primary religion experts have been able to determine the people of the Jomon period of Japan practiced was
an Earth mother/goddess cult.
The Chinese philosophy of Legalism stressed
an army-controlled police state.
The system of manorialism was characterized by
an economic system dependent on serf labor.
The creation of bronze and iron metallurgy in Japan was
brought over from China.
The reason why priests in Sumeria became so powerful was due to the fact that they
controlled the food surplus.
The earliest form of Sumerian writing was
cuneiform.
In the Code of Hammurabi, by and large the punishment most used for sentencing of crimes was
death.
The Ming emperor Yung-lo
designed the Forbidden City.
The Pax Romana was characterized by
emperors ruling in harmony with the Senate.
All of the following were found in Mithraism EXCEPT:
emphasis on earthly pleasures.
The Hindu doctrine of moksha is
final salvation in a reunion with Brahma
Paul of Tarsus added all of the following to Christianity EXCEPT:
involving women in church government.
All of the following are true of the 17 Article Constitution EXCEPT: A) B) C) D)
it divided the country into different provinces.
One of the reasons why Christianity triumphed over other religions was that
it offered the poor and women an equal chance at salvation.
Feudalism was defined as
its NOT D an economic system dependent on vassals.
In Egyptian government, the "nomarch" was responsible for
keeping the peace in his district or province.
All of the following were among the three most important values stressed in Japan's court culture EXCEPT:
keiyodoshi.
The religion/philosophy of Confucianism basically depended on
law and order.
All of the following were aspects of Assyrian military control EXCEPT:
once the Assyrians conquered a territory, they were tolerant and generous.
The Mandate of Heaven in Japan differs from the Mandate of Heaven in China in that
only nobles can be emperor.
The greatest issue African rulers ran into in dealing with "kinship ties" was that
people had greater loyalty to their family than their king.
The place where Urban II first called for Crusade was
the Council of Clermont.
All of the following were effects of the "barrack emperors" period from 235-284 EXCEPT:
the Roman military was strengthened and increased in numbers.
The "Corpus Juris Civilis" included all of the following EXCEPT:
the Synod.
As a result of Gregory the Great's Pontificate
the Western church was now religiously and culturally independent.
The Hindu tradition of sati was a practice which included
the burning of Hindu widows.
All of the following were true of the Han period in China EXCEPT:
the concept of the Mandate of Heaven was created.
All of the following occurred during the Zhou Dynasty EXCEPT:
the creation of the civil service exam.
Byzantine "caesaropapism" centered on the belief that
the emperor was both a secular, or worldly, leader as well as a spiritual leader of the empire.
Babylonian achievements included all of the following EXCEPT:
the mathematical value of "zero."
The caste system originally developed out of
the need for different families to perform different duties.
Among the reasons for Egypt's decline was that
the priests became more powerful and controlled everything.
The largest commercial trade to come out of the Crusades was
the textile industry.
One of the important aspects of the Homeric works like the Iliad and Odyssey was that
the texts became a code of values for Greeks to copy.
Shintoism, Japan's national religion, is a faith inherently based upon
the worship of nature and ancestor spirits.
Justinian's greatest and most lasting achievement was the
thorough reform of the legal system.
The main reason Siddhartha Gautama began a quest to seek enlightenment was to
to end pain and suffering.
Civilization as we know it really began when
tribes of people began to live in one area and become settled.
The reason why the Roman Senate denounced Tiberius Gracchus as Consul and murdered him, was due to the fact that Tiberius
wanted to limit the power of the aristocrats by controlling land.