Global History and Geography
Unit 1: Introduction to Our World
Island - isolates one culture from another
River Valley – great location to begin a civilization
Cultural Diffusion – the mixing together of different
customs (often creating a new culture)
Cultural Diversity – different culture living together but
not mixed well
Society – types of people in a culture (race, religion,
nationality)
Geography – land, location, and natural resources of a
culture (physical features, climate, and raw materials)
Economy – the way you get the things you need (trade,
agriculture, industry, money, hunting)
Politics – government and laws of a culture (leadership,
services, rules)
BC/BCE – Before Christ/Before Common Era
AD/CE – Ano Domini/Common Era
Unit 2: Early Man
Hunting & Gathering – the way that early man got his
food (their economic system)
Neolithic Revolution – the change from hunting and
gathering to herding and farming
Civilization – highly organized community with
advanced elements of culture; politics, economy,
art, etc.
Nile River – Egyptian
- Pyramids
- Leader called Pharaoh
- Hieroglyphics
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers – Sumerian/Babylonian
- Fertile Crescent
- Mesopotamia
- Cuneiform
- Wheel
- Hammurabi’s Code
Indus River – Indian
- Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
- Weave cotton into cloth
Huang He River – Chinese
- Middle Kingdom
Polytheism – belief in many gods
Hammurabi’s Code – first written laws of Babylon
The Middle Kingdom – Chinese belief that they were
the center of the world
Unit 3: Classical Civilizations
“Classical” Civilization – very highly organized
civilization that contributed many things to our lives
today
Dynasty – a line of ruling families in China
- Each ruling family claims the Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven – the belief that families are given
the right to rule by the gods
Contributions of Maurya – bureaucracy
- Centralized government
Contributions of Han Dynasty – paper
- Wheelbarrow
- Rudder
- Acupuncture
- Great wall of China
- Silk
- Civil service system
Contributions of Rome – literature
- Arch, dome
- Roads
- Aqueducts
- Latin
- Twelve Tables
Contributions of Greece – columns
- Philosophy
- Democracy
Hellenistic Culture – blend of Greek, Egyptian, Persian,
and Indian culture
- Created by Alexander the Great (cultural diffusion)
Twelve Tables – written laws of Rome
How Empires Fall Apart – 1. People became corrupt
and lazy
2. Empire becomes too big to manage
3. Foreign invasion
4. Taxes get too high
Unit 4: Belief Systems
Reincarnation – Hinduism/Buddhism – belief that the
soul comes back in another form after the body’s
death
Missionaries – people who spread religion by teaching
others about their beliefs
5 Relationships – Confucianism
- Father à Son
- Older Brother à Younger Brother
- Husband à Wife
- Ruler à Subject
- Friend = Friend
Four Noble Truths – Buddhism
- Everyone suffers
- Suffering is caused by having desires
- To end your suffering - end you desires
- To end your desires - follow the Eightfold Path
Five Pillars of Faith – Islam
- Recite
- Pray
- Charity
- Fast
- Pilgrimage
Monotheism – belief in one god
Jerusalem – holy city for Judaism, Islam, and
Christianity
Religion – organized beliefs and rituals of culture –
usually associated with “God” (deity) or “spiritual
force” (worship)
Social Philosophy – a set of guiding principles that a
community follows
- Great influence on how the community behaves
Shintoism – Japan – spirits of “Kami” exist in all things
à similar to animism
Unit 5: Important Empires I
Golden Age – a time in a culture’s history where there
is peace and prosperity which causes many great
cultural contributions (art and literature)