WH9 Semester Review Organizer

Note down the most significant features of each aspect for each civilization.
Make sure to provide specific examples for each.

Civilization Government/ Social Hierarchy Status of Women Religion/ Scientific and Economic
Bureaucracy Philosophy Artistic Development
Achievements

Mesopotamia Hammurabi’s [King - Government Lower Status of [Polytheism] - Cuneiform: Earliest [Agrarian Society]
Code: The first legal Officials - Soldiers - Women (ex. Textile Believed that there form of writing (more
code created by the Scribes - Merchants - Manufacturing) were gods related to like drawings) Trade was also a
Babylonian King, - Number system
Artisans - Farmers - nature (ex. Sea, earth, significant part of
Hammurabi Women’s status based on 60
Slaves] began to get worse sky, etc.) - Basic understanding economy
[City-States] after Summer of astronomy
- Akkad later grew Taxes were collected - Gave god names - Wheel
stronger than other for public works - Prayed to the gods - Plough
city-states (unity in times of
- Sargon of Akkad crisis)
united all the city- - Made sacrifices
states under his - Buried the dead in
empire, the ceremonies
Akkadian Empire - Built ziggurats to
[Empire] make sacrifices to the
- Akkadian Empire gods
- Babylonian Empire
- Assyrian Empire

Egypt Pharaohs (Absolute Pharaoh - Woman enjoyed Chief gods and Hieroglyphics Agriculture around the
power) Aristocrats/Nobles - higher status than goddesses: Papyrus Nile
Bureaucracy of Merchants and Scribes other civilizations Amon-Re Nile flooded annually,
advisors that advised (Middle Class) - Women could: Osiris (Afterlife + Medicine giving a stable water
the pharaoh (Led by Peasants/Poor farmers - Inherit property Nile) - Surgical Operations source for the most
 Vizier) - Have business deal Isis - Plant parts as type
Various departments - Buy and sell goods medicine
(Tax collection, - Go to court Akhenaten: Tried to
farming, and - Obtain a divorce change the gods to Astronomy
irrigation system) only Aton. - Map constellations
Worked not only at - Charting the
home (Perfume & Afterlife: Book of the movements of the
Textile Dead planets
manufacturing, Heart is weight - Calendar
Manage farming, against the feather of
Doctors, Priesthood) truth Mathematics
- Happy Field of Food - Geometry to survey
Few learned to read - Or Crocodile the land
and write (Mostly - Engineers: Pyramid
excluded from Preparation: Construction
becoming scribes and Mummification
holding government Tutankhamen:
positions) Evidence

Persia Monarchy Women → textile Worship of Zoroastrianism Establishing an Manufacturing and

➢ Cyrus the Great manufacturing goddesses were (monotheistic) Alphabet Trade
○ Founded the widespread. -alphabet is a writing - because of their
Slaves, but respected Belief: system in which each location near the sea,
Persian Empire cultures
Zoroastrianism held -Strong belief in the symbol represents a the resourceful
○ Wise and tolerant view of equal access two principles of good single basic sound, Phoenicians became
view of the empire to knowledge and and bad (evil and such as a consonant or best known for
○ Believe in local opportunity for good) vowel. manufacturing and
customs and women -Ahura Mazda (god) trade.
religions vs. Ahriman (bad)
A few women rulers ➢ Under Darius’
here and then. rule, people wanted
➢ Darius I
○ Peace and and answer to why
stability to there were sufferings
the empire (war,
→ Attention conquest, famine)
 to conquest
○ Built the R ➢ Dual universe:
oyal Road good and bad forces
○ Unable to
conquer ➢ Belief in Ahura
Greece Mazda → connect to
➢ Low taxes moral decisions
➢ Improved
government ➢ Religious
infrastructure toleration to Jews,
polytheistic religions
Satraps

Divided the large

empire into satrapies
where government
officials, satraps,
would govern the
specific
province/district

-Allowed more
security and control
from the government
-
Easier supervision,
in case of riots

- Each district could

strategically focus on
its own independent
well-being

China (Shang, Civil Service Shang- Clans

Zhou, Qin, and Examination (Royal Family Noble
Han dynasties) - Rule by scholars warriors - Artisans,
through civil service Merchants - Peasants)
examination

India (Maurya, Maurya: Mostly based on caste Aryan society Buddhism Hinduism Hindu, Buddhism, Agriculture was great
Gupta empires) Chandragupta: Well system. Had emperors women enjoyed a Buddhism was the religion, philosophy. and people made
organized higher status. Women biggest. Taught mathematics, pottery cloth and
bureaucracy. Had Joint family fathers even had vedic medicine, physics, metalware. Also trade
officials that were the leaders. hymns. By late gupta languages, literature, was popular.
collected taxes, built Families had the times, upper class and other subjects.
roads for trade, and responsibility to train women were Made the decimal
managed state children and educate increasingly systems. Surgeons
owned factories and them about the duty of restricted to were skilled.
shipyards. There the caste system. home.When they Sculptures, painting,
were royal courts Rituals to honor the went outside the dance, music
and were secret dead. Dowry home, they were Sanskirts and poets,
police forces that supposed to cover
reported on Governments also themselves from
corruption, crime, made people cooperate ehad to foot. Lower
and dissent. for regional projects. class weaved.
Asoka: Rejected Women were thought
violence after war by to have a creative
embracing energy. Their rights
 Buddhism. Gave in the family was
moral advice and limited. Devotion to
and promising a just men.
government by stone
pillars. Brought
peace and unity,
built infrastructure.

The Gupta empire

had organized a
strong central
government that
promoted peace.
India enjoyed a
golden age

Greece (Athens, ➢ Greece had many

Sparta, tribes and city-states
(similar to
Alexander the Mesopotamia)
Great’s empire)
➢ Greek City-State

○ Polis = city-state
○ Metropolis = city of
polis
○ Acropolis = fortified
center of city
○ Boundaries shaped
by geography
➢ Persian Wars - The
Delian League
(Alliance among Greek
poleis against Persian
threat)

○ Relatively united
against Persia, but
grew jealous of each
other after the defeat of
Persia

○ As the Persian threat

subsided, city-states no
longer wanted to
participate

○ Military force from

Athens, finance from
other poleis

○ Athens used navy to

turn Delian League
into Athenian empire

➢ Sparta

○Discouraged
social
distinction →
severe lifestyle

○ Prowess, discipline,
and military talent

○ Military
aristocracy
 (state ruled by
two kings) →
Commitment to
military

➢ Athens

○ Democracy

○ Citizenship for free

adult males

○ Open polis councils

for any male citizen

○ Maritime trade

○ Class tension
intensified

○ Pericles - The most

popular democratic
leader of Athens; ruled
Athens during its 7
Golden Age

Rome (Republic * Governors Republic: Empire: [Polytheism] (Rise of The Julian Calendar Agriculture (farming)
and Empire - Senate appointed - Consuls (2 executives - Absence of men at Christianity) - Ianuarius (ex. Olives, grapes,
censors, governors elected to one yr. war Universal religion - Februarius etc.)
- Women gained Tolerated different - Mercedonius
- Balanced power terms)
economic power religions (except for Trade (dominated by
within the - Senate (legislature - Martius
- Ability to divorce Christianity - were the production and
constitution made up of 300 and retain property oppressed and killed) - Aprilis transportation of
patricians) - Maius foods)
Republic: - Patricians (wealthy - Jesus believed in - Iunius
- Senate and the aristocrats) one God - Julius
people (SPQR) * Tribunes - Accepted the Ten - Augustus
 - Plebeians (citizens, Commandments - September
Empire: workers, small (rooted in Jewish - October
- Emperor had farmers) tradition) - November
absolute power with Jesus is killed by the - December
Senates as Empire: romans
subordinates - Emperor (one man
rule) Spread by Paul, a Jew
- Senate (legislature from Asia Minor, who
made up of 300 set Christianity on the
patricians) road to becoming a
- Patricians (wealthy world religion
aristocrats) through journeys and
- Plebeians (citizens, lectures
workers, small
farmers) Jesus welcomed all
people (especially the
poor and the
oppressed). These
people found comfort
in his message of
love.
- Persecutions of
Christians ended due
to the Edict of Milan
issued by emperor
Constantine
- Emperor
Theodosius made
Christianity the
official religion of the
Roman empire
 Mesopotamia Egypt Persia China (Shang, India (Maurya, Greece Rome
Zhou, Qin, Han) Gupta)

Decline: Sumerian City- Power slowly Class Division: Gupta empire Political:
states: Akkadian’s declined ➢ People (especially declined from weak - Poor leaders
power grew and Last Egyptian of the lower rulers civil war and - Weakened
united the city-states dynasty ended as the classes)conspiracies, foregin invadors.
government
Greeks took control assassinations, and Nomadic people
Akkadian Empire: Roman armies also white huns. - Corrupted
revolts
Invasions conquered Egypt, officials
➢ Heavier, oppressive
taxes → economic - Talented ones
Babylon Empire: depression and revolts refusing duty due
Conquered by ➢ No strong leader → to fear
Assyria Social structure began
to break down Social
Assyrian Empire:
○ Upper class - High taxes +
Revival of Babylon
organized riots and natural disasters
revolts against the - Large number of
rule
slaves
○ Kings became
- Starvation
greedy and evil

Empire
- Empire-wide
plague/earthquakes

Economic
- Inflation
- Coin lost value
- No taxes = no
money

Military
- Disloyal/weak
military (only in
for money)
- Foreign
mercenaries