Unit One Study Guide

Period One (Beginnings to c. 600 BCE)

Chapters One through Six
AP World History

For the Unit One Exam (covering Period One, Beginnings to c. 600 BCE)…

Be Familiar with the following people, places or terms

Australopithecus

Lucy

Hominids

The Ice Ages

The Paleolithic Age

City-states

The Neolithic Age

The Neolithic Revolution

The Sumerians

The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Hammurabi

Mesopotamia

The Fertile Crescent

The Nile River

The Indus River

The Harappans

Patriarchy

Hinduism

Karma

Dharma
Samsara

Dogma

Brahman

The Cycle of Reincarnation

Brahmins

Kshatriyas

Vaisyas (or vaishyas)

Sudras (or shundras)

Vedic Society

The Upanishads

Caste System

Aryans

Nirvana

Ahimsa

Stratification

The Huang He River

Be Familiar with the following concepts, topics or ideas

The “Out of Africa” Theory

How did the geography of the Mediterranean influence the development of the alphabet?

How did the development of alphabets lead to the invention of paper?

Why did early leaders place such an emphasis on the construction of monumental architecture?

What was the most common way societies in Mesopotamia organized themselves politically?

Which society produced the first written law code?

How did laws reflect the societies that created them?

What impact did the development of agriculture have on human societies?

How did the building of the Pyramids lead to greater social cohesion in Egypt?

Describe the relationship between the sexes (gender) during the Paleolithic Age.

In Hinduism, what was/is the highest goal of the individual soul?

What caused the decline of Harappan society?

With whom did early China enjoy direct, long-lasting trade?

What were the primary goods traded between China and the Mongols?

What were some causes of the collapse of the Maya?

Why did the Mayans utilize bloodletting rituals?

What was the most common political arrangement in Mayan civilization?