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Global History Regents ReviewUnit 1
MR. DIDOMENICO
MR. FERRARO
Human Culture
Culture is…
– the knowledge a people have
– the language a people speak.
– the ways in which they eat and dress.
– their religious beliefs.
– their achievements in art and music.
Technology
 Improving their technology–the skills and knowledge
available for collecting material and making the objects
necessary for survival–early people began to create
specialized tools, such as food choppers, skin scrapers,
and spear points.
The Stone Age
 The use of stone tools by early people led
historians to name prehistory as the Stone
Age.
 Three Eras
–
Paleolithic (Old Stone Age)
2.5 million B.C. – 12,000 B.C.
–
Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age)
8000 B.C.
–
Neolithic (New Stone Age)
8000 B.C. – 5000 B.C.
12,000 B.C. –
The Neolithic
Revolution
 During the Neolithic period, society made
one of its greatest cultural changes–the shift to
agriculture. 
 Because new agricultural methods led to
tremendous changes in people’s lifestyles, this
period is called the Neolithic Revolution. 
 During the earlier Mesolithic period, people
domesticated animals, taming them for
human purposes.
River Valley Civilizations
3 of 14
 Nile River in Egypt- Cities rose from farming
settlements in the river valley
 The earliest cities uncovered so far lie in the
valley between the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers (c. 3500 B.C.) in present-day Iraq.
 Cities also arose in the Indus River valley (c.
2500 B.C.) in India.
 The first urban communities in China
appeared in the Huang He valley
1500 B.C.).
(c.
Geography and Ancient
Egypt
•Nile River was center of Egyptian life.
•Flooding of Nile brought fertile soil
•Irrigation, trade, travel
Key terms: mummification,monarchy, dynasty,
theocracy, bureaucracy, pharaoh, empire, polytheism,
hieroglyphics
Geography and Sumer (Fertile Crescent,
Mesopotamia)
 Architecture: ziggurats- stepped temples
 Cuneiform: written language
 Code of Hammurabi: law code based on
principle of “an eye for an eye”
Geography and Ancient India
 Indus River Valley
in modern day
Pakistan
 Remains of first
planned cities
Geography and China
 Dynasties ruled by emperors governed China for over
3000 years
 Mandate of Heaven- the right to rule given to the
dynasty by the Gods
 Dynastic Cycle- rise and fall of dynasties based on
the Mandate of Heaven
Ancient Hebrews
 Monotheism- belief in One God
 Religion of the Hebrews= Judaism
 The Ten Commandments
- Hebrew code of laws
Cultural Diffusion
•A side effect of trade was
cultural diffusion, the
exchange of goods and ideas
when civilizations come in
contact.
Greece and Rome
Geography
 Mountainous terrain
divided Greece into
many small city-states
called the polis.
 Main city states:
Athens and Sparta
 Athens: Democratic
 Sparta: Militaristic
Key Achievements during Golden
Age
 Democracy
 Art
 Architecture
 Philosophy
Theater
History
Math
Medicine
Art and Architecture
 Loved beauty and simplicity
 Sculpture focused on human body
 Architecture stressed simplicity and
order
*Parthenon
Democracy in Athens
 Government by
the people
 Pericles- greatest
Athenian leader
Alexander the Great & the
Hellenistic Age
 Alexander
built largest
empire in
the world
 Culture
blended
Greek,
Egyptian,
Persian and
Indian
Geography
•Situated in the center of
the Mediterranean Sea
•Mountains and foothills
cover ¾ of the Italian
peninsula
•Plains provide fertile
soil for crops
•Alps mountains isolate
peninsula to the North
Early Roman
Government
Republic- indirect democracy
•government officials are elected to
represent the people
2 branches
Executive
Legislative
Called the Consul
Called the Senate
Enacted and enforced laws
Made laws
Roman Law
The Twelve Tables
•First Roman code of
laws
•Principles of equality
before the law and
innocence until
proven guilty
Or “Roman Peace”
A period of stability,
achievement, prosperity and
peace
Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire
•Cause
•Political Instability
•Military Decline
•Economic Problems
•Outside Invaders:
Huns, Visigoths,
Ostrogoths, Vandals
•Effects
•Rise of Eastern Roman
or Byzantine Empire
•Instability in Western
Europe
•Emergence of
Christian Church as the
binding force in Europe
The Rise of Christianity
•St. Paul and St. Peter spread Christianity
from Middle East through Greece to Rome
•Both die as martyrs for their Christian
beliefs
•Christian church establishes a hierarchy, or
system of ranks
•Eastern (Greek) churches disagree with the
supremacy of the Pope (the Bishop of Rome)