MAJOR SOCIETIES, KINGDOMS, AND EMPIRES to 1000 C.E. AP NOTES

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       River Valley              From 3500 to 2000 BCE, river systems in the Middle East, India, and China

        Civilizations              gave birth to the world’s first four civilizations.

 

            Mesopotamia               A Sumerian-Babylonian civilization on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Starting

                                                8000 BCE. Large scale agriculture started 5000 BCE. Mesopotamia was begun

                                                Sumerians. Many cities, written language (cuneiform), Hammurabi’s law code,

                                                skilled builders, temples- pyramids called ziggurats, pottery, metal working

                                                (Bronze Age 3000 BCE), mathematics, traders.

 

               Egypt                       On the Nile River. Agriculture began 5500 BCE. History begins 3100 BCE

                                                when King Menes united upper and lower Egypt. By 900 BCE Egypt lost

                                                independence. Pharaohs, many cities, women-$ (not too inferior)-children,

                                                Queens, Priestesses. Gods and Goddesses, religion, life after death, Ra=Sun god,

                                                book of the dead, tombs (pyramids), mummification, hieroglyphics, bronze tools

                                                and weapons, 365 day calendar.

 

              Indus Valley               Current day Pakistan, India. Arose in 2600 BCE. Language cannot be translated!

                                                Size of France, very large, urbanized, several hundred cities (Harappa and

                                                Mohenjo-Daro), centralized government. Metal tools, precious stones, trade.

                                                Downfall due to environment.

 

               Early China               Along the Yellow River. 8000 BCE- Neolithic cultures formed on Yellow R.

                                                Agriculture- wheat, millet, rice. 2000 BCE-Bronze working, Xia Dynasty.

                                                1750 BCE- Shang Dynasty, trade, silk, jade, writing- pictograms. Religion-

                                                fortune telling, ancestor worship, Confucianism, Daoism. Warring states period                                      (480-221 BCE). 600 BCE- tools and weapons made of iron.

 

                Early China: Dynasties-    Xia-(2000 BCE)

                                                       Shang-(1750-1027)

                                                       Chou-(1027-221)

                                                       Qin-(221-206 BCE)

                                                       Han-(206 BCE-220 CE)

                                                       Sui-(589-618 CE)

                                                       Tang-(618-906 CE)

 

                 Egypt: Kingdoms-  Old Kingdom-(2575-2134)

                                               Middle Kingdom-(2134-1640)

                                               New Kingdom-(1640-1070)

 

                  The Celts          First ethnic group to establish a widespread presence in Europe. Society based

                                           on close-knit tribal groups. Lived north of Danube River. They remain in Fr                                       Britain and Spain. 500 BCE began to migrate. No written language,

                                           oral tradition- myths, songs, folktales.

 

                 The Hittites       Ancient Middle East. Appeared in Mesopotamia around 1700 BCE First to use

                                           iron weapons.

 

         Assyrians/ Neo-Babylonians: First true empire. 911 to 612 BCE. 500,000 troops, iron weapons, cavalry

                                          (horseback). Took over most of Middle East including Mesopotamia and Egypt.

                                          Neo- Babylonians took over from 626 to 539 BCE. Hanging Gardens-

                                          Nebuchadnezzar Ruler.

 

                  The Persians      550-331 BCE one of the largest empires in world history. Conquered Iran,

                                            Turkey, Libya, and India. Empire was 2 million sq. miles. Postal system,

                                            roads, currency, gov’t.

 

                 The Hebrews      After 2000 BCE were first to believe in one god. Politically weak, enslaved by

                                            Egyptians. Conquered by Assyrians, taken over by Neo- Babylonians.

 

           Phoenicians/ Lydians   Current day Syria/ Lebanon. Economy (lumber, dyes), traders, sailors, 1st true

                                              alphabet (22 letters) Greek and Romans used alphabet. 

 

                       Greece       Aegean civilizations 2000- 1150 BCE Crete (Minoans) and mainland Greece

                                           (Mycenaean) Trading Hellenes (Greeks) Greek Dark Ages 1150-300 BCE

 

               Greek City States   Islands and Mts. caused dozens of city states (Corinth, Thebes, Sparta, Athens)

                                             Sparta was rigid (had slaves), Athens- culture, politics. City States- powerful

                                             families ruled, slavery common, women treated as inferior, democracy in Athens

 

     Classical Period/ Alexander  500-338 BCE- 2 wars with Persia. Persians invaded (lost). Peloponnesian war

      the Great                            (431-404 BCE) was a civil war. Sparta beat Athens in civil war. Alexander took

                                                over Persian to India 30,000 to 50,000 troops.

 

                Hellenic Culture      Science was important. From 600 to 300 BCE Greek thinkers outlined many

                                              basic laws of geometry , physics, mathematics, and astronomy. Fear Gods,

                                              afterlife. First literary works. Philosophy- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

                                              Sculptures, architecture.

 

              Classical India       Began 1500 BCE. Invaded by Aryans (Nomadic, 1st Indo-Europeans, light skin)

                                              Language: Sanskrit. Religion: Vedic, Hindu (castles system).

 

              Mauryan Empire      1st group to bring India together politically. 324-232 BCE. Emperor Ashoka-

                                              became Buddhist (peace, tolerance)

 

             The Gupta Empire     320-550 CE controlled most of northern and central India. Gupta rulers were

                                              Hindu. Northwest caused collapse.

 


 

               Byzantium             Former Roman Empire, capital: Constantinople- crossroads of Europe/Asia,

                                            center of art and culture, church of Hagia Sophia(Islam) Christian Saint paintings

                                            peaked 500s CE- Justinian was ruler, Islam caused collapse

 

         Early Roman History   753 BCE Created one of the largest and long-lasting empires. Governed by a

                                               monarchy and then Etruscans. In 509 Romans rebelled. Roman Republic

 

         The Roman Republic      509-31 BCE. Tensions between lower (Plebian) and upper (Patrician) classes

                                               270 BCE Italian Peninsula. 264-146 BCE- Punic Wars against Carthage

                                               (former Phoenician colony on African coast) 214-169 BCE- took Greece,

                                               The Balkans, and Turkey. Collapse: Republican gov’t failed. Julius Caesar-

                                               49-45 BCE. Republic ended in 31 BCE.

 

          The Roman Empire       31 BCE-476 CE. Octavian was first ruler (Caesar’s grandson) Eastern half

                                               broke off 1st. By 400s empire was open to barbarian invasion. 410- Rome

                                               attacked by Gothic tribes. 476 fall.

 

              Roman Society         Citizens/ non- citizens, Upper and lower class. Slavery, patriarchal, male had

                                               absolute power over wife/children. Women gained more freedom to divorce

                                               economic rights and family later.

 

              Rome Culture           Used Hellenic philosophy, literature and science. Builders and engineers. Built

                                               roads, forts, cities, buildings. Laws, Christianity was official faith 313 CE

 

                    China

 

               Qin Dynasty            221-206 BCE. Ruler Shi Huangdi. Dictatorship, centralized gov’t. Iron weapons

                                              crossbows, cavalry. Thousands of miles of roads, great wall.

 

               Han Dynasty           206 BCE-220 CE. Longest lasting Emperor Wu (104-87 BCE) Inner and Outer

                                              China, SE Asia. Korea, Manchuria, Mongolia. Postal service, taxes, roads, forts,

                                              canals to link Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Silk, invaders, bandits, downfall.

 

                Sui Dynasty            589-618 CE Re-unified China and expanded its borders by military conquest.

 

               Tang Dynasty          Expanded to Pacific Coast. Tibet, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Made monetary

                                              payments, roads, waterways, trade in Indian ocean and Silk road. After the fall,

                                              China broke into independent states and empires.

 

               Central Asia            Nomadic groups, herding societies, horses, sheep, goats, livestock. Cavalry

                                              warfare. Aryans, Persians, Turks, Scythians, Tartars, Seljurs, Ottomans, Huns,

                                              Magyars, Mongols.