Ancient Civilizations: Trade, Culture, and Empires
Classical Era Civilizations
Trade and Culture
Classical civilizations created monumental sculptures, such as obelisks and stelae, to honor wealth and powerful individuals.
The dry climate made it difficult for people to grow crops in parts of Africa during the classical era. Which of the following did people not do in response to the environmental limitations on farming?
- Develop drought-resistant crops
Pastoralism arose in Africa during the classical era primarily in response to:
- the dryness of the climate.
People of the classical era found the flat, open geography of the African plains particularly well suited to:
- herding livestock.
The Axum Empire was one of the first places to produce illuminated manuscripts. These books helped spread Christianity throughout the empire because they:
- allowed illiterate citizens to understand the key points of the stories.
The spread of Islam across North Africa and the Middle East affected the future of the Axum civilization by
- blocking its primary trade routes.
Christianity shaped the culture and legacy of the Axum civilization in all of the following ways except:
- leading to war with Nubia.
At its height in the third century CE, the Axum civilization dominated trade in northeastern Africa and accumulated tremendous wealth. How did depletion of natural resources lead to the civilization’s decline?
- They were unable to sustain any more growth.
When a nation depletes its natural resources, it often experiences rapid decline because it:
- cannot support its population or promote any more growth
Environments can change slowly over time. However, environmental change in some civilized areas can be more rapid because the civilizations:
- deplete the area’s natural resources.
The trade routes of the classical era most resemble the Internet because they both:
- facilitate communication and cultural exchange over great distances.
Unlike the trade routes of the classical era, the Internet does not:
- originate from a central capital of a specific civilization
How do travel routes of today differ from the trade routes of classical era civilizations?
- Travelers usually have multiple options for reaching a destination
Maya Civilization
We can conclude that the Maya were polytheistic because:
- the Popol Vuh mentions several deities who worked together to create Earth.
Which of these statements best describes the Popol Vuh?
- It is a sacred text that documents the Maya creation myth.
Which of the following describes the Maya’s opinion of animals, based on the Popol Vuh?
- Animals cannot worship the gods and are destined to be food for humans.
Which statement correctly describes Mayan architecture?
- It was created without the use of metal tools
How were the Maya able to construct elaborate sculptures without the use of metal tools?
- They used hard stone tools to work softer stone into sculptures.
Which statement correctly describes the Maya calendar?
- It was based on the movements of the sun, moon, and stars
Early Mesoamerican Civilizations
Which of these structures was central to religious ceremonies in early Mesoamerican civilizations?
- Pyramids
Pyramids served which of the following functions in early Mesoamerican civilizations?
- Religious temples
Temples in early Mesoamerican civilizations were used for which of the following purposes?
- Memorials to powerful former leaders
Most of the surviving Chavín buildings served which of the following purposes?
- Places of worship
Which of these civilizations laid the cultural foundation for later civilizations in the Andes region?
- Chavín
Which of these early American civilizations was largely nomadic?
- Anasazi
Which of the following best describes an important difference between the Maya and Teotihuacán civilizations?
- The Maya civilization consisted of a number of independent city-states, while Teotihuacán’s civilization existed in a single major city.
Both the Mayan civilization and the Zapotec civilization:
- reshaped their environments to develop complex agricultural and urban centers.
What do the declines of the Zapotec and Mayan civilizations have in common?
- Both civilizations declined under circumstances that are still not entirely clear to historians.
Pacal the Great is an important figure in Maya history because he:
- expanded the Maya’s western borders during his rule of nearly seven decades.
One of Pacal the Great’s most important accomplishments was that he:
- presided over the construction of many great Maya buildings.
The Temple of Inscriptions is particularly important because:
- it is the burial place of one of the Maya’s greatest rulers.
Postclassical Era Empires
Rise and Fall of Empires
During the postclassical era, empires grew to larger sizes than they had in the past. Which of these factors contributed to this trend?
- Expansion of trade routes
- An increase in regional interaction
- Expansion of transcontinental trade routes
Which of these postclassical empires covered the largest geographic territory?
- Mongol
Which of these empires had control over a large portion of the former Roman Empire?
- Byzantine
Which of these postclassical empires was located in the Americas?
Inca
Which of these was more likely to happen during the postclassical era than during the classical period?
A Chinese merchant sells goods in Europe.
Which of these could not have occurred until the postclassical era?
A West African ruler converts to Islam.
Which of these statements accurately describes a difference between the classical and postclassical periods?
The postclassical period saw empires control larger territories than during the classical period.
Which of these terms is often used to describe Europe during the postclassical period?
Middle Ages
Which of these statements best defines the term Middle Ages?
The period following the decline of the Roman Empire in Europe
Which of these terms can be used interchangeably with medieval?
Postclassical
4,2.4
Which of these factors led to the rise of the Kingdom of Ghana?
Control of trade routes
Which of these factors did not contribute to making Mali a powerful kingdom?
Cooperation with the Kingdom of Ghana
Which of these factors helped make the Kingdom of Songhai prosperous?
Control of trade routes
Which of these factors was not responsible for the fall of the Kingdom of Mali?
Merchants no longer valued Mali’s trade goods.
Which of these factors played an important role in the fall of the Kingdom of Ghana?
Merchants created new trade routes around Ghana.
Which of these factors led to the fall of the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai?
Internal conflict
Which of the following scenarios illustrates the cultural impact of expanded regional trade for postclassical civilizations?
An Arabian sultan wears a robe made from Chinese silk
After building a road to connect it with a larger trade route, a small southeastern African village would most likely experience which of these effects during the postclassical period?
Young members of its community begin adopting nontraditional opinions and beliefs.
Which of the following scenarios accurately describes a cultural impact of the Silk Road during the postclassical period?
An Indian Hindu converts to Islam after visiting a Muslim university on a trade expedition through Persia
Why might Arab traders sailing the Indian Ocean prefer to sail their ships toward India in July?
The direction of monsoon winds in the Indian Ocean in July would favor their travel.
Why were Arab traders important to Indian Ocean trade around 600 CE?
Arabs had become experts in navigation and geography by 600. Those skills gave them an advantage in establishing trade routes in the Indian Ocean.
How did weather and climate influence historical trade patterns in the Indian Ocean?
Monsoon winds made sea travel from Somalia and Arabia easier during certain times of year. Traders took advantage of this to transport goods quickly along Indian Ocean trade routes.
Why did salt become so important in early African trade?
Salt was able to preserve meat before the invention of refrigeration.
How did the Kingdom of Ghana facilitate the gold trade despite not having gold mines?
It regulated the trade of gold by taxing merchants who used trade routes that passed through Ghana.
How did the Kingdom of Ghana become wealthy from the African gold-salt trade?
How were the trans-Saharan trade routes different from the Silk Road?
Trans-Saharan trade routes were primarily land based; the Silk Road was both land and sea based.
What is a difference between the rise to power of the Kingdom of Ghana and that of the Umayyad Empire?
The Kingdom of Ghana became powerful by taxing gold merchants who passed through its lands. In contrast, the Umayyad Empire extended its power through campaigns of conquest by Islamic armies.
Which of the following describes a major similarity between the Kingdom of Mali and the Umayyad Empire?
Both states actively promoted the development and spread of Islam.
Which group controlled the Indian Ocean trade during the postclassical period?
Muslim merchants from Arabia
Which of these statements best describes the Silk Road?
A network of trade routes over land and sea linking Europe and Africa to Asia
What was the name of the network of trade routes between Africa, Europe, and Asia?
Silk Road
4.2.7
The ________ dynasty arose from a period of chaos to rule over a Golden Age in China from 618 to 907 CE.
Tang
Following the fall of an earlier dynasty, the ________ dynasty reunified China in 960 CE.
Song
The ________ dynasty ruled over China’s Golden Age from 960 to 1279 CE.
Song
How did woodblock printing help Buddhism grow during the Tang dynasty?
It made it easier for Buddhists to spread their sacred texts.
Why did rice become a Chinese staple food during the Tang dynasty?
New types of rice and new growing techniques yielded bigger harvests.
Which of these developments accounted for the dramatic population growth during the Tang dynasty?
Advances in food production and distribution
Which of the following describes a key difference between the Tang and Song dynasties?
The Song dynasty developed gunpowder weapons, while the Tang dynasty did not.
Which of these characteristics applies to both the Tang and Song dynasties?
A reliable food production and distribution system
Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between the Tang and Song dynasties?
The Song dynasty built upon the achievements of the Tang.
________ brought Buddhist teachings and holy relics from ________ to China.
Xuanzang; India
The fictional book Journey to the West describes ________
the travels of a Chinese monk who brought Buddhism to China from India
Wu Zetian
Which of these events provides an example of cultural transmission between China and Japan?
Chinese Chan Buddhism was adopted as Zen Buddhism in Japan.
How did Chinese philosophy during the Tang and Song dynasties impact Korean society?
Korean government officials based policies on Confucian principles.
Which Chinese philosophy formed the basis for Korea’s government during the Tang dynasty?
Confucianism
A poor farmer’s son grows up to be one of the most politically powerful government officials in China. Which important Tang and Song cultural feature allowed this person to become so successful?
The expansion of the civil service exam system
Which of the following scenarios would have been possible for the first time during the Song dynasty?
A Muslim sailor uses a magnetic compass to navigate from China to India.
A Chinese farmer living during the early Tang dynasty could expect to experience which of the following changes?
He and his family have more food to eat because of larger rice harvests each year.
How did the inventions of printmaking and paper help to raise the social status of women during the Tang dynasty?
As printed materials became more available, more women became literate.
How did Empress Wu Zetian’s reign relate to the ideals and teachings of Confucianism?
Confucianism taught that women were below men, so Wu Zetian’s reign was an exception to Confucianism.
How did the influence of Daoism affect the role of women in China?
Daoism presented positive female role models, so it had a positive effect on the role of women in China.
4.3.4
Muslims believe that the Prophet _____ received the word of _____ from an angel in the mountains around Mecca.
Muhammad; Allah
Muhammad’s followers wrote his prophecies and teachings into the _____, or holy book of _____.
Quran; Islam
Followers of Muhammad’s _____ faith condemned idol worship and were called _____.
monotheistic; Muslims
Why did leaders in Mecca initially reject Muhammad’s teachings?
The spread of monotheism threatened Mecca’s economy, which relied on the wealth of non-Muslim pilgrims.
How did Islam spread throughout the Middle East during Muhammad’s lifetime?
Through a series of military conquests
Which statement accurately describes the Islamic Empire following Muhammad’s death?
It was divided by disagreements over which Muslims should be leaders. |
Which feature of Islam incorporated religious practices from previous Arab cultures into Islam?
Muslims consider the Kaaba a sacred place.
The reverence for the Kaaba in Islam indicates that:
Muhammad was careful not to destroy all objects that were sacred in Arabia before Islam.
What features of pre-Islamic Arabian religions are preserved in the teachings of Muhammad?
The encouragement to pilgrimage to Mecca and pray at the Kaaba
After conquering new territory, caliphates of the Islamic Empire often established mosques. This demonstrates their desire to:
promote Islamic scholarship in their territories.
Christians and Jews living in the Islamic Empire could expect to be treated in which of the following ways?
Allowed to practice their own faiths, but forced to pay additional taxes
Which statement describes the way the Islamic Empire treated conquered peoples throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe?
It promoted Islam but tolerated the culture, religion, and science of non-Muslims.
A central principle of Islam that differentiates it from Judaism and Christianity is its belief in _____, the most important Islamic guidelines for Muslims.
the Five Pillars
What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
The central guidelines and foundations of Islamic worship
The Five Pillars of Islam offer Muslims:
guidelines for living and worshipping
Which of the following actions is necessary for fulfilling the pillars of Islam?
Giving to charity
Which of the following actions is necessary for fulfilling the pillars of Islam?
Traveling to Mecca
Charity, one of the pillars of Islam, demonstrates Muslims’ _____.
concern for the poor