UGC 111 1st Edition Final Exam Study Guide Lectures 16 21 Lecture 16 April 15 The most important dynasties from Ancient China in order of oldest to most recent are as follows Shang Zhou Chin Han Tang Song and Mongol Invasion Dynasties were important because they marked periods of strong central government whereas the gaps between them are periods of strife The Shang dynasty marked the emergence of the state which was characterized by literacy a ruler king metalworking stratified social classes and a standing army Bronze was used to make decorative objects for tombs and such The king was believed to be the intermediary between the main god and mankind because they thought that an ancestor of the king was the main god The Zhou dynasty marked in increased in population the start of coinage which allowed for a more flexible economy iron used for tools and weapons building of the Great Wall and the Warring States period period of civil war where central control slipped away The Chin dynasty had a centralized empire which emphasized making everything uniform or the same so that the ruler could express his power There were 36 provinces each with a governor a census standardized weights script coins etc The Great Wall expanded roads were built the tomb of Shi Huangdi was built and canals were built There were several assassination attempts on Shi Huangdi so he built his tomb consisting of the famous Terra Cotta army of over 6 000 life sized soldier statues The Han dynasty was the Golden Age of China Many new advances in technology were achieved trade was expanding overseas another census was taken there was great wealth the silk route trade was extended and history was of large importance for they wanted to keep track of and look for examples of good government The Tang dynasty introduced civil service exams had another census began using steel had many new inventions and was also an important time for Buddhism as it was becoming more popular Lecture 17 April 20 Video questions Q During which dynasties was Chang an capital of China A Han and Tang Q Who was Wu di What did he accomplish A He built a giant mound comparable in size to the Great Pyramids as a tomb He created military alliances with people believed to be related to the Huns He obtained famous western horses that sweat blood He brought in a new general that won battle after battle He established the road between Han China and the west Q What was the population of Chang an in the Tang dynasty A More than a million people Q Merchants to Chang an came from where A The Western Market for merchants from the west world had music and entertainment for people who endured the hardships of the Silk Road The Eastern Market was for merchants from the east world Q The most influential religion entering China was A Buddhism Q What were its documents written on A Leaves of India Q What did the Romans call China A The Country of Silk Lecture 18 April 22 Sub Saharan Africa has a rich history Over 800 languages were spoken signifying the various different cultures the civilizations couldn t grow which led to the separation of tribes and new languages being created They only received 20 inches of rain per year so farming was not much of an option and the villages eventually became Kingdoms The leader king was believed to be divine and they believed in animistic religion all things possess living spirits Eventually camels were domesticated and Arab traders came in from Morocco and Egypt The kingdom of Ghana used irrigation to support its large population and the King controlled trade and the government There were social classes King Muslim court merchants farmers and slaves Mali continued trade The capital was Timbuktu which had an Islamic superstructure and many Koranic schools Mansa Musa was a famous ruler who converted to Islam and made a trip to Mecca Jenne was a Great Mosque built like an Islamic Mosque but with traditional African architecture Benin was called the slave coast Ethiopia a k a Aksum lived on trade from the Red Sea and people here converted to Christianity Trans Saharan trade was important because it caused urban growth along the Niger River and the king gained power gold was being mined slaves were exported and Islam introduced literacy law and the ability to print books Africa before Europeans video Q What has led to European ignorance about African history A It was a dark continent they saw their many tribes as children or savages Q What were the effects of an Islamic presence in sub Saharan Africa What did the African kingdoms export to Islamic traders A It helped people to become literate gave them law codes to help govern their people and introduced the printing of books The kingdoms exported gold and slaves to the Islamic traders Q Name three characteristics of Timbuktu A It was a university town It was a trading center Books were the most important thing in trading Q What was responsible for the destruction of Benin society A The slave trade Lecture 19 April 27 Africa video Q The economic base of sub Saharan Africa was A based on government Q What was the role of the Niger River A It allowed trade in a time where gold was continuously popping up It provided an abundance of fish to feed the people around it Q In 1324 Mansa Musa traveled to A Mecca Q What benefits did Islam bring to Africa A It transformed some of Africa to places of learning focusing on teaching Islamic politics More profit due to trading of books because they were so important The teachings brought literacy that would live on until today Trade was more efficient due to establishing pricing etc Q How long did the trans Saharan trip take A 60 days Q The most powerful city on the east coast of Africa was A Cairo Q What happened to this city in 1505 A The Fatamid Dynasty moved east and established a new capital which dominated the commerce of half the world Lecture 20 April 29 The first people in the western hemisphere were indigenous and they came from Africa over the Bering Sea These people were hunter gatherers and lived off of legumes corn and potatoes they did not rely on meat They did not have alloys or hard metals so tools were made from obsidian and flint The Mound Builders of North America were one of the first groups and were named for the giant mounds they built as cemeteries Serpent mound is an especially famous one shaped like a snake and believed that it could be a response to Hailey s comet Cahokia was the largest group largest city north of