Chapter 2 Flashcards
Loess was
a rich dus blown in in from central Asia
Geographic determinism is shown in the build-up of the south in China more than the north because
rice feeds more people per cultivated acre, leading to increased population in the south
The Chinse acquired silk by
raising silkworms and pioneering silk cloth production
What does the practice of feng shui accomplish?
It orients the buildings in harmony with the heavens
The first writing in China that has survived was
etched in animal bones
During the Shang period, ancestor worship became important because
ancestors had special influence with the gods
The Shang elite were what part of society?
warriors
Other than oracle bones, one of the main sources of information on Shang China is
royal and elite tombs
The Mandate of Heaven meant that the rule retained the right to rule as long as
he remained a wise and principled guardian of his people
Confucius most admired which political figure for maintaining harmony in his rule and for being a dutiful servant of the state?
Duke Zhou
The Eastern Zhou period is first broken down into the Spring and Autumn period because
the history was recorded in a text called Spring and Autumn Annals
The later Eastern Zhou period is characterized by
warfare and fragmentation of central order
To Confucious, the fundamental element of society was the
family
The chinese political system that relied primarily on strict laws and punishments to compel people to behave is called
Legalism
Twi indigenous Chinese philosophies that emerged form the Warring States Period are
Confucianism and Daoism
The fundamental idea of Daoism can be summarized as
accepting the world as you find it, avoiding useless struggles, and adhering to the “path” of nature
The concept of yin and yang represented the complementary nature of
male and female roles in the natural order
Nubian’s primary form of transportation for trade was
the Nile River
How did Nubia become a “corridor” for long-distance trafe before 3000 BCE?
It connected sub-saharan Africa with North Africe
The earliest political and economic influence on Nubia was
Egypt
Why was the Nubian offer to aid Palestine a mistake?
The Assyrians invaded Egypt as retaliation, driving Nubians southward
Why did the center of power shift to Meroë in the fourth century BCE?
It was a better location for agriculture and trade
In the Nubian kingdom’s matrilineal system, the monarch who usually inherited the throne was the
son of the dead king’s sister
Why did the Olmec lay out their cities in alignment with the paths of stars?
They knew that the westerly winds woul follow the path of the stars
