MR. DIDOMENICOMR. FERRARO

Global History Regents Review- Unit 1

– the knowledge a people have

– the language a people speak.

– the ways in which they eat and dress.

– their religious beliefs.

– their achievements in art and music.

Human Culture

Culture is…

Technology

Improving their technology–the skills and knowledge available for collecting material and making the objects necessary for survival–early people began to create specialized tools, such as food choppers, skin scrapers, and spear points.

The use of stone tools by early people led historians to name prehistory as the Stone Age.

The Stone Age

– Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) 2.5 million B.C. – 12,000 B.C.

– Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) 12,000 B.C. – 8000 B.C.

– Neolithic (New Stone Age) 8000 B.C. – 5000 B.C.

Three Eras

Because new agricultural methods led to tremendous changes in people’s lifestyles, this period is called the Neolithic Revolution.

During the earlier Mesolithic period, people domesticated animals, taming them for human purposes.

The Neolithic Revolution

During the Neolithic period, society made one of its greatest cultural changes–the shift to agriculture.

River Valley Civilizations3 of 14

The earliest cities uncovered so far lie in the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (c. 3500 B.C.) in present-day Iraq.

Cities also arose in the Indus River valley (c. 2500 B.C.) in India.

The first urban communities in China appeared in the Huang He valley (c. 1500 B.C.).

Nile River in Egypt- Cities rose from farming settlements in the river valley

Key terms: mummification,monarchy, dynasty, theocracy, bureaucracy, pharaoh, empire,

polytheism, hieroglyphics

Geography and Ancient Egypt

•Nile River was center of Egyptian life.

•Flooding of Nile brought fertile soil

•Irrigation, trade, travel

Geography and Sumer (Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamia)

Architecture: ziggurats- stepped temples Cuneiform: written languageCode of Hammurabi: law code based on

principle of “an eye for an eye”

Geography and Ancient India

Indus River Valley in modern day Pakistan

Remains of first planned cities

Geography and China

Dynasties ruled by emperors governed China for over 3000 years

Mandate of Heaven- the right to rule given to the dynasty by the Gods

Dynastic Cycle- rise and fall of dynasties based on the Mandate of Heaven

Ancient Hebrews

Monotheism- belief in One God

Religion of the Hebrews= Judaism

The Ten Commandments- Hebrew code of laws

•A side effect of trade was cultural diffusion, the exchange of goods and ideas when civilizations come in contact.

Cultural Diffusion

Greece and Rome

Geography

Mountainous terrain divided Greece into many small city-states called the polis.

Main city states: Athens and Sparta

Athens: Democratic

Sparta: Militaristic

Key Achievements during Golden Age

DemocracyArtArchitecturePhilosophy

TheaterHistoryMathMedicine

Art and Architecture

Loved beauty and simplicitySculpture focused on human

bodyArchitecture stressed simplicity

and order*Parthenon

Democracy in Athens

Government by the people

Pericles- greatest Athenian leader

Alexander the Great & the Hellenistic Age

Alexander built largest empire in the world

Culture blended Greek, Egyptian, Persian and Indian

Geography•Situated in the center of the Mediterranean Sea

•Mountains and foothills cover ¾ of the Italian peninsula

•Plains provide fertile soil for crops

•Alps mountains isolate peninsula to the North

Early Roman Government

Republic- indirect democracy

•government officials are elected to represent the people

2 branches

Executive

Called the Consul

Enacted and enforced laws

Legislative

Called the Senate

Made laws

The Twelve Tables

•First Roman code of laws

•Principles of equality before the law and innocence until proven guilty

Roman Law

Or “Roman Peace”

A period of stability, achievement, prosperity and peace

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

•Cause 

•Political Instability 

•Military Decline 

•Economic Problems

•Outside Invaders: Huns, Visigoths,

Ostrogoths, Vandals

•Effects

•Rise of Eastern Roman or Byzantine

Empire

•Instability in Western Europe

•Emergence of Christian Church as the binding force in

Europe

•St. Paul and St. Peter spread Christianity from Middle East through Greece to Rome

•Both die as martyrs for their Christian beliefs

•Christian church establishes a hierarchy, or system of ranks

•Eastern (Greek) churches disagree with the supremacy of the Pope (the Bishop of Rome)

The Rise of Christianity