Week 1 8/29 - 9/2

Friday - 

  • What is World History? BC and AD?
    • Before Christ and Anno Domini (Latin for "in the year of our lord")
  • How old is the Earth?
    • 4.6 billion years
  • Where were the oldest human fossils found?
    • Africa - Specifically Tanzania and Ethiopia 
  • Who found the oldest human fossils?
    • Louis and Mary Leakey, Donald Johanson, Recent scientists 
  • What are some of the biggest achievements in world history?
    • Invention of tools, mastery of fire, development of language, invention of wheels, invention of boats ( the sail ), art.

Louis and Mary Leakey 

  • Searched for hominid remains in Tanzania from the 1930's - 1970's 
    • Hominids - the group consisting of all modern and extinct Great apes. 
  • Found human-like fossils in 1959 in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. 

Donald Johanson

  • Discovered a 3.2 million years old fossil of a female skeleton in Ethiopia named "Lucy" 

Agricultural revolution 

  • Prior to more organized agriculture, people were nomadic and hunted animals and gathered plants - Hunter-gatherer.
  • They lived in groups of about 25-70 people.
  • No one knows exactly how things changed, but about 10,000 years ago, people started more organized farming. 
  • Along with planting crops, people also domesticated animals such is horsed, dogs, goats and pigs. 

Monday - 

  • As time went on, people started setting up villages, witch then, over time, turned into towns and then some into cities. 
  • As cities emerges, more complex ways of thinking and living emerged leading to civilization.
  • As cities grew, social classes emerged.

Civilization 

  • A highly advanced society 

Five traits of civilization 

  • Advances cities.
  • Writing/recording things down. 
  • Specialized workers.
  • Complex institution. 
  • Advances technology.

What are natural boundaries?

  • Rivers, borders 

Why are defensible borders important for a civilization to thrive?

  • Don't have to worry about outside innovators. 

What are some natural boundaries that would be helpful to an early civilization?  

  • Water source/ big body of water
  • Mountains
  • Deserts 

Tuesday - 

Chapter 2 

  • Fertile Crescent - 
  • Mesopotamia - Greek for “land between 2 rivers."
  • City-state -  A state that has its own government and the surrounding territory it controls. Functioned like an independent country.
  • Dynasty - A series of rulers from a single family-father to son.
  • Cultural diffusion - The spreading out of culture, culture traits, or a cultural pattern from a central point.
  • Polytheism - Belief in many gods. 
  • Monotheism - Belief in only on god.
  • Empire - Group of territories or nations ruled by a single ruler.
  • Delta - A broad, marshy area for land formed by deposits of silt here a river runs into a bigger body of water.
  • King Narmer - King of Egypt that many believe untutored upper and lower Egypt.
  • Pharaoh - The god-kings of Egypt-seen as almost as powerful as the gods of the heavens.
  • Theocracy - Government headed by religious leader or a leader regarded as a god. 
  • Pyramid - Huge structure where the Egyptian pharaohs are placed after they die
  • Mummification - Process for drying and embalming a corpse to prevent decay. Usually reserved for royalty and the rich. 
  • Hieroglyphics - Egyptian form of writing.
  • Papyrus - what Egyptians wrote on. Came from papyrus reeds found in marshy areas. 
  • Indian Subcontinent - Landmass that includes Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. 
  • Monsoon - Seasonal winds that can bring dry air or heavy rain-Huge impact on India.
  • Mandate from Heaven - A just ruler that has approval from the gods. An unjust ruler can lose their mandate to rule. 
  • Dynastic cycle - The rise, fall and replacement of dynasties
  • Feudalism - A political system in which the king gives lad to nobles/lord and in returns, they vow loyalty and military service to the king. (used in China, Japan and Europe) 

Egyptians

  • Political - Who controls what? What type of government is there? anything to do with laws or war? how/when did they come into power? how/when did they lose power?
  • Economic - what type of economy? how did people make a living?
  • Geography - Where is it? dies it have natural barriers? is the land mountainous? desert?
  • Social - Religion, education, art, entertainment , gender roles. 
  • Include any advances they made technologically, politically, etc. 

Wednesday - Working on our projects 

Thursday - work on our projects 

Friday - presenting our projects 

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