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people of Sumer, among earliest denizens of Mesopotamia; By 4000 BCE, organized themselves into several indepenedent city-states spread throughout southern region; created their own language; usually always fought each other for control; religion very important; developed complex system of writing and an efficient system of record keeping and maintenance.
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started from the reign of Egypt's first king, Narmer; used hieroglyphics to communicate, record, and anything needing to be written down or sent to someone else; mummified royals as a way to preserve life;
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Built during a time when Egypt was one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in the world, the pyramids—especially the Great Pyramids of Giza—are some of the most magnificent man-made structures in history. Their massive scale reflects the unique role that the pharaoh, or king, played in ancient Egyptian society.
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Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions and was founded over 3500 years ago in the Middle East. Jews believe that God appointed the Jews to be his chosen people in order to set an example of holiness and ethical behaviour to the world.
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sixth Babylonian king; created one of the earliest and most complete ancient legal codes, also expanded the city-state of Babylon along the Euphrates River to unite all southern Mesopotamia (reigned from 1792 to 1750 B.C.)
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created by the Phoenicians; Sometime during the second millennium B.C. (estimated between 1850 and 1700 B.C.), a group of Semitic-speaking people adapted a subset of Egyptian hieroglyphics to represent the sounds of their language. This Proto-Sinaitic script is often considered the first alphabetic writing system, where unique symbols stood for single consonants (vowels were omitted).
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well-preserved Babylonian law code of ancient Mesopotamia; one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world, created by Hammurabi himself
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ancient civilization composed of independent city-states which lay along coast of Mediterranean Sea stretching through now Syria, Lebannon, and northern Israel; maritime trader and manufacturing center; skill in ship-building, glass-making, production of dyes, and manufacturing of luxury and common goods.
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first major civilization in Guatemala and Mexico following a progressive development in Soconusco and modern southwestern pacific lowlands of Guatemala; forerunner of all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures such as Mayas and Aztecs
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also referred to as Ramses the Great; third Egyptian pharaoh of 19th Dynasty... greatest, most powerful, most celebrated of Egyptian Empire (reigned 1279 BC - 1213 BC).
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Although the ancient Games were staged in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BC through 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the Olympics to return; the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896, and the man responsible for its rebirth was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who presented the idea in 1894.
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One of a handful of humans who individually affected the history of mankind - Chinese philosopher whose thoughts, expressed Confucianism, which usually were expressed in short phrases which can be interpreted many ways;
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Xerxes I (ruled 486 - 465 BCE) was the Shahanshah (king of kings) of the Persian Empire; failed invasion of Greece, assassinated by Artabanus
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founding figure of Western philosophy, at once the most exemplary and the strangest of the Greek philosophers; grew in golden age of Pericles' Athens, best-known questioner & creator of the Socratic Method - sentenced to death after accused of corrupting the youth of Athens (died from poisonous hemlock)
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Athenian philosopher - one of the most important figures of Ancient Greek world and entire history of Western thought. Through written dialogues, he conveyed and expanded on the ideas and techniques of his teacher Socrates.
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along southern coast of Red Sea, which made it perfect to be a major center of trade; became blend of many cultures due to the international trading; built tall towers instead of pyramids;
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Macedonian king; was born to parents King Philip II and Queen Olympia, aided Philip in defeating Athenian And Theban armies at Chaeronea. One of History's brilliant military leaders and most powerful rulers; died at age 32
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Legalism in ancient China was a philosophical belief that human beings are more inclined to do wrong than right because they are motivated entirely by self interest. It was developed by the philosopher Han Feizi; Even though Legalism during the Qin Dynasty resulted in huge loss of life and culture, it should be remembered that the philosophy developed during a time of constant warfare in China when each state fought every other for control.
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The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 BC to 146 BC. At the time, they were probably the largest wars that had ever taken place; the main cause of the Punic Wars was the conflicts of interest between the existing Carthaginian Empire and the expanding Roman Republic. The Romans were initially interested in expansion via Sicily (which at that time was a cultural melting pot), part of which lay under Carthaginian control.
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first unified and powerful empire in Chinese history; established by Liu Bang; one of the longest Chinese dynasties; opening and creation of the Silk Road; made Confucianism official state ideology
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originally nomadic tribe in northern Mexico, arrived in Mesoamerica; capital city: Tenochtitlan; developed intricate social, political, religious, and commercial organization, brought many of the region's city-states under their control; overthrew by Hernan Cortes
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one of the greatest civilization in history, agricultural people, built pyramids and great cities; developed an accurate 365-day calendar; headed by kings; left behind impressive architecture and symbolic artwork
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located in Western Africa, just south of the Sahara in the savanna grasslands; used the major rivers in the region as modes of transportation and trade; main source of wealth and trade was gold and iron, used to make weapons, and tools while gold was used to trade with other nations for much needed livestock, tools, and cloths
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a.k.a. Prophet Muhammad - creator/founder of Islam, merchant; accepted by Muslims throughout the world as the last of the prophets of God.
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In the 9th Century, Charlemagne rules over most of Europe and brings a renaissance of religion and culture to the continent; king of the Franks, ensured survival of Christianity in the West (sometimes referred to as the father of Europe).
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Following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John puts his royal seal on the Magna Carta, or “Great Charter.” The document, essentially a peace treaty between John and his barons, guaranteed that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church, and maintain the nation’s laws.
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Fourteenth Century Emperor of the Mali Empire, medieval African ruler most known to the world outside Africa; pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city in 1324 introduced him to rulers in the Middle East and in Europe (on which he gave gold to everyone along the way).
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The Black Death arrived in Europe by sea in October 1347 when 12 Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after a long journey through the Black Sea; Most of the sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those who were still alive were gravely ill. They were overcome with fever, unable to keep food down and delirious from pain. Strangest of all, they were covered in mysterious black boils that oozed blood and pus and gave their illness its name: the “Black Death.”
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created by Pachacuti in the Andes Mountains, self-proclaimed Sapa Inca (emperor); close-knit communtites (ayllus); farmers; capital city: Cuzco; learned to alloy metals
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The East–West Schism, also called the Great Schism and the Schism of 1054, was the break of communion between what are now the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, which has lasted since the 11th century.
