The Middle Ages, and some midterm exam study tips

Good evening, class:

Here are a few terms and questions to help you prepare for the midterm exam, regarding the Middle Ages chapter:

1. Gothic Architechture
2. Charles the Great (Charlemagne)
3. Holy Roman Empire
4. St. Francis of Assisi
5. Frederick I (Barbarosa)
6. Henry VI
7. Pope
   
8. Innocent III
9. Golden Horde
10. King Louis VII (France)
11. King Phillip II (France)
12. Feudalism
13. King Henry II (England)
14. Saint Thomas Beckett
15. Reconquista
16. Vassal
17. Manor
18. The Champagne Fairs
19. The Crusades (One through Six)
20. Abisengians (Cathars)
21. Waldensians
22. Guild
23. Scholasticism
24. Thomas Aquinas
25. Vikings
26. Podesta
27. Cortes
    
28. Constantinople
29. Troubador
30. Romance and Lay
31. Dante Alighieri
32. Canonical Courts
33. Magna Charta
34. Parliament
    

1. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, what institution was the strongest force in Europe? What effects did this institution have on learning, government, and everyday life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages?

2. How did the power of the Pope change from the early Middle Ages to the late Middle Ages?

3. How did Thomas Aquinas help the church and early universities co-exist?

4. Sometimes, historians call the Middle Ages, "The Dark Ages," claiming that there was very little learning, writing, and music being produced at this time, and people believed only in what the church told them and superstition. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

5. What lasting effects have the Crusades had on Europe and its relations with the Islamic world?

6. How did the coming of "Vernacular" literature (literature written in languages that common people could read) change the church's influence over Europe?


Finally, as you are preparing for the exam, try to look for patterns through the events described in class and in the book. Compare and contrast these civilizations. Think about how government, the role of religion, economics, and geography all changed how these civilizations behaved and thought of themselves. History is not about memorizing names and dates, but about understanding patterns and changes.

Good luck, and have fun! See you January 15!

Islam - the empire of faith

Here are some terms and concepts you should know from this chapter for the midterm exam:

1. Qu'ran
2. Mecca
3. Hajj
4. Muhammed
5. Caliphate
6. Jihad
7. Abu Ali Sina (Avicenna)
8. The Five Pillars
9. Ummayad Dynasty
10. Abbasid Dynasty
11. Ramadan
12. Ka'aba
13. Mosque

Some questions you should think about:

1. Why did Islam spread faster than any religion in history?
2. How did the people of Mecca react to Muhammed's message at first? What did Muhammed do?
3. Why were Jews and Christians treated well under the Islamic empire?

Ancient Rome

A few terms, names, concepts, and questions you should be aware of for the midterm exam from the Ancient Rome Chapter:

1. Plebians
2. Patricians
3. Etruscan
4. Carthage
5. Punic Wars
6. Hannibal
7. Phillip V of Macedonia
8. Tiberius and Marcus Graccus
9. Romulus and Remus
10. Senate
11. Republic
12. Lucius Cornelius Sulla
13. Gaius Julius Caesar
14. First, Second, and Third Roman Civil Wars
15. Pompeii and Herculaneum
16. Pax Romana
17. Marc Antony
18. Octavian, or Augustus
19. Marcus Aurelius
20. Hadrian
21. Tribune
22. Veto
23. Vespasian
24. Ovid
25. Cicero
26. Pantheon
27. coliseum
28. Gladiator
29. Law of the Twelve Tables
30. Aqueduct
31. Mosaic
32. Virgil
33. Tacitus
34. Livy
35. Plutarch
36. Mystery cults
37. Stoicism
38. epicurean
39. Seneca
40. Galen

Here are some questions for you to think about:

1. How were Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome similar? How were they different?
2. Why was Rome able to spread so successfully? How did they treat their conquered people?
3. What was the Roman government's general attitude toward religions other than the state religion?
4. Rome is not known for its accomplishments in Science or Philosophy. What is it known for?
5. How did Romans entertain themselves?
6. What brought the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire?
7. What were Augustus' accomplishments?

Ancient Greece

Hello, Class:

Here are a few words and names you should study regarding Ancient Greece for the midterm exam.

1. Alexander the Great
2. Democracy
3. Oligarchy
4. Hoplite
5. Phalanx
6. Socrates
7. Plato
8. Aristotle
9. Peloponnesian War
10. Persian Wars
11. Trojan War
12. Trojan Horse
13. Homer
14. The Iliad and the Odyssey
15. Zeus
16. The Three Great Tragedians
17. The Oracle at Delphi
18. City-state
19. Minoans

Also, here are a few questions:

1. Give at least two major differences between Ancient Athens and Sparta.
2. After the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Persian Wars, Athens became the most powerful city-state, and became rather arrogant. What effect did this have on Ancient Greek Society?
3. Alexander’s Empire lasted only a short time (less than ten years,) but had a very long-lasting impact. What was one of those impacts?
4. Ancient Greece was a very divided civilizaiton, with city states often at war with each other. How does this compare or contrast with Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Rome, and India in ancient times?

Ancient India and one announcement

Hello, Class,

These are a few terms you may want to know from the chapter on Ancient India for the mid-term exam:

1. Mohenjo-Dharo and Harappa
2. Caste System
3. Aryans
4. Ashoka the Great
5. Hinduism
6. Buddhism
7. The Four Noble Truths
8. Shiva and Vishnu
9. Therevada and Mahayana
10. Veda

Also, a few questions you may want to think about:

1. How were the governments of Ancient India, Mesopotamia, and Egypt different from that of Ancient China in terms of the role of religion?

2. How do Buddhism and Hinduism differ in their approach to the Caste System?

3. What lasting impact did Ashoka the Great have on India and the rest of Asia?

4. In what ways did the Aryan invasion change the society and culture in the Ancient Indus River Valley?

Also, one announcement:

This week, we will begin sign-up for the topics for group projects we will do after the midterm exam. I will announce this in class tomorrow (Monday,) and will bring in a sign-up sheet on Wednesday. So start thinking about this, and perhaps begin doing some research. Good luck!

Ancient China

Some people and terms you should probably know about Ancient China:

1. Kung Fu-tsu (Confucius)

2. Legalism

3. Taoism (Daoism)

4. Confucianism

5. Mandate of Heaven

6. Shang Dynasty

7. Zhou Dynasty

8. The first Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang)

9. Mandarin (not just the language)

10. Ideograph

Some questions to think about:

1. In what ways did Confucian ideals influence China?

2. How does the importance of religion in Ancient China compare with the other two civilizations we have studied thus far?

3. How was the approach of the Han Dynasty Emperors different from Qin Dynasty emperors?

Ancient Egypt

Here are some words you should study from Ancient Egypt for the midterm:

1. Pharaoh
2. Pyramids
3. Hieroglyphs
4. Old, Middle and New Kingdoms
5. King Tutankhamen
6. Osiris
7. Akhnaton
8. Menes, the first Pharaoh
9. Sphinx
10. Isis

Some questions to think about:

1. In what was was Ancient Egypt different from Mesopotamia?
2. What effects did Ancient Egypt's isolation have on its people?
3. What are the characteristics of the Nile River?
4. Why was the Pharaoh different from other kings?

Mesopotamia

These are some words from the chapter and lecture on Mesopotamia that you should probably know for the mid-term exam:

1. Ziggurat
2. Samarian
3. Hammurabi
4. The Code of Hammurabi
5. Saragon the Great
6. Akkadians
7. Cuneiform
8. Polytheistic
9. Gilgamesh
10. Assyrians

Some questions to think about:

1. Was the Sumerian Civilization united or divided? What effect did this have?

2. Why did Mesopotamia's civilization decline?

3. How was the relationship between the people of Mesopotamia and their gods?

4. What does theocracy mean?

5. Mesopotamia was not an isolated civilization, and traded and fought with many others and amongst themselves. What advantages and disadvantages did this have for the Mesopotamians?

Pre-History

Here are a few terms you should probably know for the midterm exam:

Lucy

Agricultural Revolution

Paleolithic

Neolithic

Hominid

Homo Sapiens

Anthropology

Archaeology

Bronze Age

Iron Age

Also, a few questions to think about:

1. How was the Paleolithic Era different from the Neolithic Era?

2. What are some problems with Bronze that Iron solved?

3. The first settlements of the Neolithic Era started near what kind of natural feature?

Good luck!

The purpose of this site

The purpose of this site is to help you remember the key points for each lesson and to help you prepare for the upcoming exams. Consider it a sort of study guide. Also, I will use it to repeat announcements regarding the class, and to get any important information to you.

I will remind you of a few classroom policies. First of all, I will take attendance in every class at the beginning. Class begins at 14:00 for section 8, and 15:30 for section 9. After 14:20 and 15:50, I will not mark attendance. If you miss more than six classes, you cannot pass the class.

Also, I will be giving pop quizzes from time to time that will be reflected in your attendance score, so I suggest you listen carefully and take notes in class.

Good luck this semester! Please tell me if you have any problems or questions.