Most common empires and famous dudes

Paleolithic Age=Old Stone Age

• People migrate• Nomads who move from place to place• Invent stone tools and oral language• Discover fire

Neolithic Age=New Stone Age

• Discover agriculture (farming) and domestication (taming animals)– ALLOWS PEOPLE TO SETTLE INTO VILLAGES

Sumerian Civilization

• 1st civilization• City-states in Mesopotamia• First written code of laws, first organized

religion, first organized governments, first empires

• First writing- called cuneiform

Egyptian Civilization

• Nile River• Pyramids, pharaohs (kings)• Influenced by Kush, a kingdom to the south• Hieroglyphics

Indus Civilization

• Indus River in India• Highly organized, built perfectly planned cities

with sewer and water systems

• Invaded by Indo-Aryan people

Indo-Aryans

• Invaded India • Introduced caste system, a social class system

that prevents people from increasing their class

Chinese Civilization

• First on Yellow, then Yangtze River• Created dynasties- kings whose power is

based on birth

Mauryan Empire

• Indian empire• Most famous emperor was Asoka, who

converted to Buddhism and worked to spread Buddhism

Gupta Empire

• “Golden Age” of India• Advances in math, literature, astronomy

Hebrew civilization

• Abraham father of Judaism– First Monotheistic religion

• Moses & Ten Commandments- set of moral laws

Phoenicians

• Best traders of the ancient world• Trading empire throughout Mediterranean

region• Invented the alphabet

Persian Empire

• Created by Cyrus I– Showed conquered people tolerance

• Built roads, esp the Royal Road to help communicate with empire, good for moving armies too

• Practice Zoroastrianism religion

Greek Civilization

• Small city-states develop because they are separated from each other by water and mountains

• Athens develops direct democracy (people vote directly on laws)– Athens contributions to “Western” civilization

(European) include art, architecture (Parthenon), philosophy, literature (Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey)

• Sparta has a militaristic culture

Alexander the Great’s Empire

• A group of Greek-like people called Macedonians invade Greece under king Philip II

• His son, Alexander takes over when Philip dies and builds a huge empire in Europe, Africa, and Asia

• Greek culture mixes with Egyptian, Persian, and Indian culture to form Hellenistic Culture

Roman Republic

• Rome develops a republic, or indirect democracy (people vote for people to vote on laws)

• Goes to war with Carthage over control of Western Mediterranean during Punic Wars – Rome wins, builds an empire

Roman Empire

• Toward end of republic, a general named Julius Caesar takes over Rome and tries to become king, he’s assassinated

• His adopted son Augustus avenges him and becomes Rome’s first emperor

• This beings 200 years of peace and prosperity called Pax Romana

Fall of Rome

• Eventually Roman Empire gets too big to defend and control

• Germanic people like Attila the Hun invade and eventually conquer the western half of the Roman Empire

• Eastern half of empire continues as Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire

• Capital city Constantinople– Protected on 3 sides by water and by massive

walls on the other side

• Justinian I most powerful emperor– Conquers much of Roman Empire– Creates code of laws called Justinian’s Code

(Justice)– Builds Hagia Sophia (big church)

Charlemagne’s Empire

• Western Europe began Middle Ages after fall of Roman Empire, lots of tiny kingdoms always fighting each other

• Charlemagne, a Frankish (French) king, conquers many of these and builds a new empire– He tries to revive (recreate) the Roman Empire

(fail)– Allies with the Catholic church and builds schools

Muslim Empires

• After Muhammad died, Islam expanded rapidly

• Under Umayyad Caliphate, conquers central Asia, northern Africa, and Spain. Almost conquered Europe, but stopped by Charles Martel at Battle of Tours

• Baghdad becomes capital– Important city for learning (they invent algebra,

and preserve Greek/Roman learning)

Ghana, Mali, Songhai

• West African kingdoms• Animist religions and Islam• Timbuktu an important trade and cultural city• Depend on gold-salt trade

Aksum

• Christian kingdom• Depended on trade

Maya, Aztec, Inca

• All polytheistic• All depend on agriculture• Inca build road system to help communicate

with empire

England

• After fall of Roman Empire, England conquered by Anglo-Saxons (Anglo=English)

• Then conquered by William the Conqueror and Normans

France

• After Charlemagne, ruled by Hugh Capet and Capetian Dynasty

• Fights England during the 100 Years War• French peasant girl named Joan of Arc rallies

French troops and defeat the Brits.• French become nationalistic

Spain

• Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand unite Spain by kicking out the Moors (Muslims) and Jews

Mongol Empire

• Ghengis Kahn builds biggest empire ever– Russia, China, Central Asia

Russia

• Ivan the Great kicks out Mongols – Becomes the first czar

• Russia becomes a free country

Hammurabi

• Sumerian dude• Invented first written code of laws– Very harsh punishments, but kept society in order

Abraham

• Founder of Judaism, the world’s first monotheistic religion

Moses

• Jewish dude who led Jews out of slavery in Egypt– God sent him the 10 Commandments, a set of

social and religious laws

Buddha (Prince Siddhartha Guatama)

• Founder of Buddhism• Taught that enlightenment (state of perfect

understanding) is possible– People should follow Eightfold Path and Four

Noble Truths

Confucius

• Chinese founder of Confucianism who taught that society should be more ordered

• Respect for elders, teachers, rulers

Shi Huangdi

• Brutal Chinese emperor who unified China• Built the Great Wall of China

Pericles

• Greek dude from Athens who expanded democracy in Athens

• “Golden Age of Pericles” – a highpoint of Greek cultural achievement (built the Parthenon for example)

Plato, Socrates, Aristotle

• Greek philosophers

Julius Caesar

• Roman general who overthrew the Roman Republic

• Assassinated by Roman Senate

Augustus Caesar

• 1st Roman Emperor • Began period of Pax Romana- 200 years of

peace and prosperity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazarath

• Founder of Christianity• Taught about a personal relationship with God

through prayer and good deeds

Apostles Peter and Paul

• Early Christians• Peter was the founder of the Church• Paul spread Christianity through the Roman

Empire

Constantine

• Roman Emperor toward the end of the Roman Republic

• Legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire• Converted to Christianity on his death bed

Justinian

• Byzantine Emperor during high point• Reconquered Roman Empire, built Hagia

Sophia, created Justinian’s Code of Laws

Cyril and Methodius

• Byzantine missionaries who created alphabet for Slavic people to read bible– Called Cyrillic alphabet after Cyril

Muhammad

• Arabian founder of Islam from Mecca

Charles Martel

• Frankish (French) dude who defeated Muslim invasion at the Battle of Tours – Saved Christian Europe from being conquered by

Muslims

Charlemagne

• Frankish king (grandson of Charles Martel) who conquered much of Western Europe and revived the idea of the Roman Empire– Also opened schools

William the Conqueror

• Norman (French & Viking) guy who conquered England and centralized the king’s power

Joan of Arc

• French girl who rallied the French to defeat the English during the 100 Years War

Isabella and Ferdinand

• Spanish queen and king who kicked the Muslim Moors and Jews out of Spain