AP World History

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[ period 1 and 2 ]

Chapter 1:
Paleolithic Era

Time Period: Beginning to 600 BC

Homo Sapiens appeared 250,000 years ago in Africa

● Hunter Gatherers
● Nomads
● Equal

They crafted tools out of stones and bone and wood.

Some societies started trading people and ideas. Societies were egalitarian; men and women
were equally treated. This period was called the Paleolithic Age(Old Stone Age).

Humans began migrating 100,000 years ago. They came to America by land bridge from
Russia.

Humans made art of what they did. They often depicted hunting.

The Ice Age ended 11,000 years ago.

● It got warmer and wetter
● Large mammals went extinct
● Plant life increased
● Humans domesticated the wolf

Neolithic Revolution

Humans began to learn how to domesticate plants around 9000 BC. They stopped their
nomadic lifestyle, and stayed in one place. This was because they were able to plant crops and
not worry about running out. These agricultural societies often fought with others groups like
them.

Some people still were nomadic, but they herded animals and took the animals with them
wherever they went. This is known as pastoral nomads.
Changes from Paleolithic to Neolithic Age:
● Food surplus
● Humans specialized, and could work on arts, and advancing civilization
● Humans started using bronze for tools instead of stone
● Increased trade, now trading food as well. However it is local.

First civilizations arise:

● Catal Hyuk(Modern Turkey)
● Jericho(Modern Israel)

Six characteristics of civilizations:

● Advanced Cities- over 10,000 people, religious centers, and trade centers
● Specialized Workers- lived in cities, and fed by surplus food. Included artisans,
shopkeepers, rulers, priests, etc.,
● Social classes- slaves -> farmers -> artisans -> nobles -> priests
● Complex institutions- Government, Religion, Education, Military
● Writing and Recordkeeping- keep track of time, events, rituals, trade
negotiations, taxes
● Technology- monumental architecture, art, new tools(wheels, plows, etc.,)

Society becomes male dominated, and patriarchal. Women didn’t have many rights anymore,
and men became the leaders of society.

Humans began to clear forests to make copper, bronze, and salt. Some harmful plants went
extinct.

Chapter 2: The first civilizations

Major Early Civilizations:
● Mesopotamia
● Egypt
● Indus
● Shang/Zhou
● Olmec
● Chavin

Egypt:
● Hieroglyphics- Pictographic writing system. Uses pictures to represent words, syllables,
ideas, etc
● Pyramids- royal tombs to ensure afterlife of pharaoh

Political: Central ruler. The pharaoh was seen as a god by the people of Egypt.
Cultural: Polytheistic religion. Optimistic; they view afterlife and their gods as positive.
Economic: They were mainly agricultural and relied on grain. They bartered locally and
regionally with Mesopotamia and Nubia.

Mesopotamia:
Located between Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern day Iraq.
● Cuneiform- Earliest writing system. Consisted of wedge shaped markings on clay
tablets.
● Ziggurats- Stepped pyramids that house temples and altars to the local deity/god.

Political: Decentralized. Each city-state had its own ruler. The rulers were strong
warriors.
Cultural: Polytheistic, but were pessimistic about their gods; they viewed them as cruel.
Economic: They were mainly agricultural and relied on grain. They bartered locally and
regionally with Egypt and Indus Valley.
Hammurabi’s Code: First law code. An eye for an eye. Unequal punishment between
men and women. Shows social stratification, and inequality between classes.

Indus River Valley:

Located in Indus River Valley in modern day Pakistan.
● Pictographic Writing- still being deciphered. We don’t know the full meaning yet.

Political: Some cities were central, but some were decentralized. It was decentralized
for the most part.
Cultural: Very little known. Aryans later come in and bring Hinduism.
Economic: They were mainly agricultural. They bartered locally and regionally with
Mesopotamia.

Shang/Zhou Dynasty:
Yellow River Valley in modern China, later Yangtze as well.
● Oracle Bones: Pictographic form of writing. Used for divination, but shed light on culture
and writing.

Political: Mandate of Heaven. The right to govern is given by god. All power goes to
emperor, however, he can be removed is he’s a bad leader.
Cultural: Animistic and polytheistic. Ancestor Veneration developed around importance
of close family ties.
Economic: Rice Cultivation. No trading with other civilizations.
Shang= Oracle Bones
Zhou= Mandate of Heaven

Phoenicians:
Located of East Coast of Mediterranean.

Economy was based on sea trade with people around the Middle East and Mediterranean

They created an alphabet. This means that symbols represented sounds and not words.

Olmec:
Located in modern day Mexico.

Precursor to Mayans
Religious Stone heads. Polytheistic.
Cultivated maize and beans.
Developed city state political structure.

Chavin Cult:
Located in Andes Mountains around Peru

Agriculture based on potatoes and maize.

Precursor to Incas.

Chapter 7