Golden Ages
Golden Age is: A period of success in a culture/society. This usually means that they have success in math, science, literature and medicine. Considered the high point of a society.
Chinese Dynasties Shang: 1650-1027 BC Zhou: 1027-256 BC Han: 206 BC- 220 AD Tang: 618-907 Song: 960-1279 Ming: 1368-1644
Government Dynastic Cycle: Mandate of Heaven- When a dynasty went into decline and began to abuse its power, it was said to lose the Mandate of Heaven and a new one would take over. With the Han Dynasty they created Civil Service. This is getting the best person to do the job based on taking a test dealing with Confucianism.
Religion/Philosophy Confucianism and Buddhism
Art and Architecture Han: Carvings of jade, wood and ivory. Building of elaborate temples. Produced Silk. Developed the Silk Road. Song: Build pagodas (Buildings with curved roofs), calligraphy and porcelain.
Literature Tang: Block printing. Zhou: 1 st books by binding long thin strips of wood, bamboo. Ming: Detective stories.
Math and Science Han: Wrote texts on zoology and botany. Astronomers: were able to create clocks that were accurate. Tang: Created gunpowder.
Medicine Han: Acupuncture and herbal remedies. Tang: Smallpox vaccine
People Wudi: Emperor during the Han Dynasty. Created the Civil Service Reform. Zheng He: Chinese explorer who explored Africa, Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.
Golden Age of Islam From the 8 th to 13 th Century under the Abbasid Dynasty.
Government Tolerant of conquered people and welcomed people to the conversion of Islam. Followed the Koran as a way to govern.
Religion/Philosophy All people must be Muslim and must be able to read Arabic to be able to read the Koran. Sharia Law: Book of laws guiding life based on the Koran.
Art and Architecture In mosques they used geometric shapes and patterns. Wrote in calligraphy. Dome of Rock (Famous mosque in Jerusalem)
Literature Koran was great literature. Thousand and One Nights
Math and Science Study of algebra. Studied ellipses.
Medicine Physicians/Pharmacists had to pass exams. Set up hospitals for trauma cases. Treatment for cataracts. Sweet tasting syrup for medicine.
People Al-Khwarizimi- studied algebra. Ibn Sina- Wrote Canon on Medicine which was used as a text for medicine for hundreds of years.
Mesoamerica Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs and Incas. In North America until Europeans came to the New World in the 1400s.
Mayans and Olmecs
Inca Civilization
Aztec Civilization
Polytheistic Religion
Art and Architecture Mayans: large elaborate palaces and pyramid shaped temples. Aztecs: Pyramid temples, aqueducts for water, large stone carvings and colorful paintings. Incas: Elaborate road system and terrace farming.
Math and Science Mayans: Numbering system using the concept of zero. 365 day a year calendar. Irrigation system.
Medicine Aztecs: Setting broken bones, filling cavities. Incas: Performed surgery, herbal remedies.
African Trading Kingdoms Ghana, Mali and Songhai in the 1400-1500s in western Africa.
Government All of them were influenced by Islam.
Religion/Philosophy Influenced by Islam which was brought by Mansa Musa.
Art and Architecture Often religious in nature. Religious statues and masks carved from ivory, wood and bronze.
Literature Used both oral and written literary traditions. Histories/folktales passed from generation to generation orally.
Trade Became powerful because of the vast trading networks. Major product being gold and salt.
People Mansa Musa Emperor of Mali. Converted it to 1 st African Islamic Empire.
The Renaissance/Enlightenment 1300-1600 in Europe
Government Enlightenment looked to explain the purpose of government and describe it in its best form.
Religion/Philosophy Humanism Movement based on the life in the present. Individual is the most important rather than religion (afterlife).
Art and Architecture Perspective: 3 dimensional appearance. Columns, domes and arches from Rome and Greece. Idea of Realism in which everything looks realistic.
Literature The Social Contract: Rousseau Two Treatise of Government: Locke Leviathan (Hobbes) Spirit of Laws (Montesquieu)
People Michelangelo: Painted Sistine Chapel and statue of David.
Leonardo da Vinci Painted the Mona Lisa
Jean Jacques Rousseau People are good, government is for the people. If government doesn t do what the people want they have the right to change it.
John Locke Believed in the natural rights of people which included Life, Liberty and Property.
Thomas Hobbes People are bad so they need government control and the best government would be one that has absolute control.
Voltaire Believes in freedom of speech. The best way to control the government was to give people the ability to speak.
Montesquieu Believed that there should be 3 branches of government and that each branch should check each of the other two and balance them out.
Japan From 1603-1868 under the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Government Tokugawa Shogunate: Isolated Japan. The Shougun not the Emperor had the power.
Religion/Philosophy Buddhism/Confucianism
Art/Architecture Kabuki theatre. Tea ceremonies. Landscape gardening.
Haiku poetry. Literature
Cultural Diffusion Borrowed a lot from China by using the Korean land bridge.
Greece 5 th Century BC-3rd Century BC
Government City-states of Athens and Sparta. Athens was the 1 st democracy. Alexander the Great was the Emperor who controlled a large empire (Hellenistic)
Religion/Philosophy Famous philosophers of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
Art and Architecture Paintings and sculptures show humans in perfect form. Created columns.
Literature Plays: Tragedies and Comedies. Were the 1 st historians.
Math and Science Pythagoras: created a formula for the right triangle. Euclid: Modern geometry. Eratosthenes: Said the earth was round. Archimedes: Lever and pulley system.
Medicine Hippocrates: Standards for doctors. (Hippocratic Oath)
509BC to 476 AD Roman Empire
Government Rome: Republic Patricians: Senators. Plebeians: Lower class. Led to the Law of 12 Tables which showed the Plebeians what they were being charged with.
Art and Architecture Copied Greek statues. Arch and domes (like the US capital building)
Math and Science Roads, harbors, bridges. Aqueducts (water) Ptolemy: Earth was the center of the universe.
People Julius Caesar: Emperor August Caesar: Grandnephew of Julius who started the Pax Romana.
320-550 AD in India. Guptas
Government Strong central government with some local control.
Religion/Philosophy Follow Hindu beliefs. Follow the Caste System
Literature Fables and folktales written in Sanskrit.
Math and Science Concept of zero and decimal system. Number system (Arabic numbers)
Medicine Herbal remedies. Plastic surgery. Smallpox.