Islam & Islamic Empires
Who was the founder of Islam and the final prophet according to Islamic belief?
Muhammad
Which kingdom was the first major West African trading empire?
Ghana
Which Greek city-state is known as the birthplace of democracy?
Athens
What is the name of the successful general who was assassinated by the Roman senate?
Julius Caesar
Alexander the Great conquered lands in Africa, Asia, and which third continent?
Europe
Why did early civilizations develop near rivers?
Fertile land, water supply, transportation
What is the name of the ruler whose tomb is guarded by an army of terracotta soldiers and a pool of mercury? He was the first ruler of a unified China and the founder of the Qin Dynasty.
Shi Huangdi
What major change marks the Neolithic Revolution?
The shift from hunting and gathering to farming
What is the holy book of Islam?
The Quran
What two valuable resources were traded across the Sahara?
Gold and Salt
Which form of government could be found in Ancient Sparta? Describe what this form of government looks like/explain who is typically in charge.
Oligarchy, which means rule by a few (typically wealthy elites).
What is the name for the period of peace, prosperity, and wealth in Rome?
The Pax Romana
Alexander the Great was the ruler of which kingdom?
Macedonia
Which ancient river valley civilization developed along the Nile?
Which early Chinese dynasty established the civil service system and expanded trade on the Silk Roads?
The Han Dynasty
What two key practices began during the Neolithic Revolution?
Agriculture (farming) and domestication of animals
Which traveler wrote about his journeys across the Islamic world, Africa, and Asia?
Ibn Battuta
Which ruler of Mali became famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca and great wealth?
Mansa Musa
Who could participate in Athenian democracy?
Free adult male citizens
What form of government did Rome have before becoming an empire? What did this form of government look like?
Rome had a republic where citizens elected representatives to vote in a way that reflects their citizens interests
What is Hellenistic culture?
A blend of Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian cultures
Which river valley civilization created cuneiform writing?
Mesopotamia
Which Indian empire was ruled by Ashoka, who promoted Buddhism?
The Mauryan Empire
What is a nomad, and how did nomads live before the Neolithic Revolution?
A nomad is a person who moves from place to place. Before the Neolithic Revolution, nomads survived by hunting and gathering.
Which Islamic caliphate made Baghdad a major center of learning, translation, and scholarship during the Islamic Golden Age?
The Abbasid Caliphate
Which West African kingdom replaced Mali and controlled major trade routes and cities like Timbuktu?
Songhai
How did geography influence Greek political development?
Mountains and seas led to independent city-states since these natural barriers made it difficult for the entire peninsula and its islands to be unified
What group represented ordinary Roman citizens in government?
Plebeians
What was the name of Alexander the Great’s father, a brilliant general and king who unified Macedonia and laid the groundwork for his son’s vast conquests before his death?
King Philip II
Which early river valley civilization is known for having grid patterns and planned cities such as Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro?
The Indus River Valley
Which empire is known as a “Golden Age” of math, science, and medicine in India?
The Gupta Empire
How did the Neolithic Revolution lead to the development of civilizations?
Food surplus allowed for population growth, job specialization, and the development of social classes and cities
Which Islamic empire controlled Constantinople and lasted into the early 20th century?
The Ottoman Empire
How did trans-Saharan trade help spread Islam in West Africa?
Muslim traders spread Islamic beliefs through trade, travel, and cultural exchange
Explain ONE key difference between Athens and Sparta.
Athens valued education and democracy; Sparta valued military discipline
Read the following definition then determine the key term that belongs to it:
The first phase of the Roman Empire established by Augustus, a system where emperors held absolute power while maintaining a facade of the old Roman Republic.
The Principate
What empire did Alexander defeat to conquer much of Southwest Asia?
The Persian Empire
What is the name of the first written legal code used to keep order in Ancient Mesopotamia, often remembered for their harsh punishments ( “an eye for an eye”) ?
The Code of Hammurabi
Name ONE achievement of the Han Dynasty.
Paper, Silk Road trade, civil service exams
Name one positive and one negative effect of the Neolithic Revolution.
Positive: more food / stable communities
Negative: disease, social inequality, environmental impact