Review Sheet for History 101, Examination #1

Dr. Michael Lewis

Test Format: I will give you a selection of terms from Part I.  I will ask you to identify what, when, and where. You will have some choice (say, seven out of ten, or five out of seven, or so on).  Part II:  I will give you two essay questions. You will choose one of them.  I expect that your essay will be several paragraphs long, have a thesis statement, and draw upon specific evidence from the textbook, the internet readings, and the class notes.  The sample essay questions below should guide your preparation, but the essays given on the exam may be slightly different.

Part I: 

Neanderthals                Australopithecines                   Homo Erectus

Mongongo Nuts            Cro-Magnon                         "Out of Africa"

Catal Huyuk                Neolithic Revolution                Animism

shifting cultivation         Bantu                                      Saba

Jericho                         Sumerians                               Hammurabi

Sargon I                       lugals                                      Hammurabi's Code

Utnapishtim                  Epic of Gilgamesh                    King Menes

Assyrian Empire           Wheat and Barley                    Rosetta Stone

Pharoah Ra-Hotep        Hatshepsut                            Thutmose III

Imhotep                        Hyksos                                     Osiris

Akhenaton                    Tutankhamon                          Maat

Kingdom of Kush          Nubia                                  Pyramids   

Noah                          Phoenicians                              Torah

Mohenjo Dara                  Rig Veda                            Caste system           

Sarasvati River            Aryan Civilization            Class structure of Indus Civilization

Purusha                        Indus Bricks                    "Dancing Girl" statue of the Indus Civilization

Pan Gu                       Xia Dynasty                           Ban Po

Fu Xi                            Oracle Bones                        Lady Hao

Shang Bronzes            Eritlou                                      Western Zhou dynasty

Axum (Aksum)            Jenne-Jeno                            Olmec Civilization

Mesoamerica               Mt. Alban                             Olmec "big head" monuments

Rapa Nui                    Moai                                       Tikal (Mayan City)

noble savages            declensionist narratives              terra preta do indio

 

Part II:

In this unit we have emphasized how religious beliefs can provide insights into cultures. Discuss the religious beliefs and practices of the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Aryan (Hindu) civilizations.  Based on these religious beliefs and practices, what assumptions might we make about these different societies?  Remember to use as many concrete examples as possible. I expect that the creation stories will be of use to you here.

Discuss the impact of geography and environmental factors on the emergence, development,  and decline of ancient civilizations.  You should consider the role of geography in agriculture,  both at the end of empires, as well as the beginnings, and how geography influences the development of religious and cultural beliefs, among other things.  The more solid connections you can draw, the better. Obviously you can't talk about everything - so focus upon three good examples.

Why do civilizations emerge in some areas, and not others?  What are the differences between people living in a civilization, and people living in tribes?  Are civilizations suited for all areas of the world? Why or why not?  What areas in the world are not well suited for "civilizations?" 

If you had to be a non-royal woman placed in the heart of one of the ancient civilizations we have discussed in this unit, which civilization would you choose, and why? Be sure to explain both the reasons you chose one civilization, as well as reasons you didn't choose others. Please consider - would your answer have been different if I had said "man?"

Based on our first weeks of study of ancient civilizations and cultures from around the world, what generalizations can you make about "what it means to be human?" Can you see some common features in early civilizations that are otherwise widely divergent? Some common patterns that all of the human groups seem to follow? Or is the lesson that human culture is so adaptable, that it is everywhere different, and you cannot generalize about the human experience?