Name Moemin Ebrahim

HIST 1101 WORLD CIVILIZATIONS TO 1300

First Exam

For the first part of this exam, answer 25 questions in short answer format. Each of your
answers will be worth 2 points, for a total of 50 points. Each answer should be specific but short.

1. When did significant cultural differences emerge among humans?

Once agriculture was discovered humans were able to grow their food instead of having
to search for it which made a substantial difference in culture.

1. What was unique, compared to other animals of its time, about Australopithecus
Africans? Unlike other animals, the Australopithecus was unique because it
walked on two legs.

1. Early Homo sapien hunter-gatherers formed small bands that were relatively egalitarian.
What were two characteristics of these small bands?
Hunting animals for there meat, and gatherers who would gather meat and other
forms of food.

1. Describe a common theme among prehistoric cave paintings.

They usually depicted animals .

1. List two forms of art that have been found among prehistoric humans.
Painting and sculpting (willendorf venus)

1. List two functions that creation myths serve.

Gives us an idea of how the people of that time served their purpose as well as showing
us how rules may have been established or made.

1. From what material did the Mesoamerican creator gods make living creatures, and why
do you think they chose this material? The final material that the creators made living
creatures from was maize. This was probably because Maize was a sacred food to
the mayans.

1. List the 4 “ingredients” needed to make a city 5000 years ago.

Environment, access to water, social structure, law.
 1. Describe two ways that rivers changed society between 4000 and 2000 BC.
A Reliable water sources determined where and exactly how people would settle. Predictable flows of water
allowed for the growing of crops which could feed a large sum of people, ultimately leading to population
growth.
1. What’s the main reason we don’t know much about the Harappan society today?
Because we haven't yet learned to decipher their language.

1. List two characteristics of Harappan society.

Social distinctions between the rich and poor were made clear by the difference
in living areas. Religion placed great emphasis on agriculture and fertility

1. What effect did scribes and writing have on urban and rural worlds?
Scribes and writing made it possible to pass down knowledge to generations to come.

1. What is the oldest written story and what’s the moral of the story? The Epic Of
Gilgamesh is the oldest story and the main moral is that Death is inevitable and
we can't escape it.

1. How does studying law codes help us to better understand ancient societies?
It gives us a better understanding on how the people lived. Through there laws we can
get an idea of what the people were like and how they treated each other.

1. Settled communities increased the need for trade. Why? What aided the rise of trade
between settled communities?

1. What began to be fully exploited as a tool for transportation and pottery production about
the same time that cities emerged? The wheel

1. How did the Assyrians get conquered people to do what they were told? How did the
Persians get conquered people to do what they were told?
Assyrians used fear and torture, persians liberated people and were kind to its subjects
making them willing to obey and do what they were told.

1. How did the Assyrian empire fulfill its agricultural and construction needs?
The fulfilled it by forcing the people that they conquered to work for them.
 1. List two characteristics of women in Assyria.
They had no control over their lives as well as having to wear veils however, if you were
a prostitute you it was against the law for you to wear one and if a prostitute wears a veil
she could be killed.

1. Briefly explain the cosmic and moral dualism in Zoroastrianism.

There is good gods and evil gods placing an emphasis on moral responsibility on each
person.

1. What did the Persian kings ask from all of their subject peoples in exchange for an equal
footing in their society? Be loyal to the king and pay tribute.

1. List two characteristics of the land of Judah.

1. The emergence of monotheism amongst the Israelites came after what previous
concept? The concept of diversity in religions and beliefs.

1. What was the role of the Brahman caste in Vedic society? They were priest and
leaders of their society.

1. List two characteristics of the Polynesians of the South Pacific.

Next, choose 2 essay questions to answer from the 4 possible questions listed below. Do not
answer more than 2 essay questions. Each of your essays will be worth 25 points, for a total of
50 points. Your answers should be in essay format, about a page long, with introductions and
conclusions, complete sentences, and specific examples to support your arguments.

1. How did the development of art give advantages to Homo sapiens over other species
and express developing values in Homo sapiens’s society?

1. How did the urban-rural divide express itself in different early Afro-Eurasian societies? In
what ways did these societies remain dependent on one another?
 1. Explain the importance of technological developments in the emergence of early Afro-
Eurasian societies. How did different social needs spur certain technological
developments? How did different technological developments shape certain societies?

1. Discuss the social, religious, and political structure of Vedic society in South Asia. Of
what importance was the state to the process of cultural integration?

Moemin Ebrahim
Prof.Adam Gish
World Civilization
12 February 2018
Pt.2 Exam 1

How did the development of art give advantages to Homo sapiens over other species ?

Through The development of art, Homo sapiens became a lot more understanding of their

surroundings. The ability draw aloud for them to really recognize their environment that they

were surrounded by. It also gave them something to bond about and share with each other, rather

than having it always be about eating and sleeping, the became more connected through it and

formed groups. During hard times homo sapiens could use art as a stress reliever something that

the other species couldn’t do and would eventually collapsed under such conditions. Art later

aloud for them to develop language, increasing there mental capacity as a whole and later on the

emergence of writing which really changed the game. The ability to make art gave homo sapiens

something that the other creatures didn’t have and that was a form of expression. This is very

important because without being able to express oneself gives a greater purpose to living and
surviving which I believe is on of the main reasons homo sapiens were able to beat out the other

species, its because we felt that we had a purpose of being here.

Explain the importance of technological developments in the emergence of early Afro-Eurasian

societies. How did different social needs spur certain technological developments? How did
different technological developments shape certain societies?

Technological advances in Afro-Eurasian societies allowed for many things to become more

efficient For example with the invention of iron, armies could not have more reliable and

stronger weapons. Making the societies who had this technology more feared and reputable for

their resource shaping the way of how they would proceed with future warfare. Also, since some

goods were not available in certain places the use of pack camels made it possible for trade

routes to open across Afro-eurasia so now people could trade with places that they couldn’t trade

with before. This allowed for specific social needs to be fulfilled through means of trade.