Other Global Regions - SAT Subject Test in World History

The Zhou Dynasty lasted for some eight hundred years from roughly 1100 B.C.E. to about 250 B.C.E. It was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty (of Qin Shi Huang). The Zhou Dynasty is most notable for its formalization and standardization of the Chinese script language. The Warring States Period, that marked the rise of the Qin Dynasty, also brought about the end of the Zhou Dynasty when the forces of Qin Shi Huang killed the last Zhou Emperor Nan during the invasion of Changzhou.

The Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang conquered the majority of the opponents to his rule and finally unified China in 221 B.C.E. To fortify his northern position against the Xiongnu people he ordered the construction of a series of walls that would later come to be called the Great Wall of China.

Due to its extreme geographic isolation, ancient China was almost entirely devoid of contact with the rest of the world. Ancient India, on the other hand, was constantly and repeatedly invaded by empires from the West (mostly from the Middle East) and had extensive trade networks with the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. Both regions had a rigid social order, although not perhaps as rigid as is generally assumed. They were both ethnically diverse, although India was much more so. Neither had a unified religion, and historically, neither country has had one.

The political philosophy of Legalism, in China, was established by the Qin Dynasty after the chaotic period of Chinese history known as the Warring States Period. Legalism advocated for complete and absolute state control over all facets of life to prevent the chaotic and destructive tendencies of selfish individuals. As such it can be understood as a means of ensuring state control.

The Zhou Dynasty emerged in the tweltfh century B.C.E. and lasted in one form or another for several hundred years. Although much of their reign involved the loss of territory in wars and rebellions. The influential Chinese philosophies/religions of Confucianism and Taoism both emerged during the Zhou Dynasty.

For much of the time that the Zhou Dynasty was in control of China that control was somewhat tentative. The Zhou Dynasty were challenged constantly by several different factions competing for control of all of China and eventually the Zhou fled eastwards and so began the so-called Warring States Period which would last for two hundred years. The Warring States Period was marked by massive violence and repeated conquest and reconquest and eventually ended in 221 B.C.E. when the Qin finally emerged victorious and unified all of China. They built much of the Great Wall of China and then were promptly replaced themselves a mere 15 years later by the Han Dynasty.

The earliest known civilization in Mesoamerica is the Olmec Empire. The Olmec Empire emerged approximately 1500 BCE and lasted as an empire until approximately 400 BCE. The Olmec people are known for their unique art and architecture.

The Inuit people (often popularly called "Eskimos") have inhabited the Arctic tundra since at least 3000 B.C.E. Their society was based around hunting caribou and seals, and they survive in the very coldest regions of North America to this day.

The Hopewell people lived in modern-day Midwest United States. They are most famous for their burial mounds that exist to this day.

The Maya had a very profound understanding of astronomy, the movement of the stars, and the passage of time. Their calendars went back to 3000 B.C.E. and were much more accurate than any other calendars on Earth during the height of Maya civilization. Their calendar is known today as "the Long Count calendar."

The Agricultural Revolution took place in Mesoamerica around 5,000 B.C.E. The earliest known agricultural site in the Americas is at Tehuacan in modern-day Mexico. Even if you did not know the answer to this question you could have reasonably inferred from the similarities between Tehuacan and Teotihuacan (a well-known Aztec community).

Beginning in roughly 300 CE, the Polynesian peoples of the South Pacific began sailing to the various islands across the Pacific Ocean, reaching the Hawaiian islands by at least 800 CE. Using outrigger canoes and rafts built with sails, the Polynesians used a system of celestial navigation that was complimented by memorizing wind routes and swells.

Ashoka the Great was a ruler of the Indian subcontinent from around 270 BCE to 230 BCE. Despite his violent military conquests, he is most remembered as a man who promoted peace and spread Buddhism around the country.

The Zhou Dynasty is the longest lasting in Chinese history, ruling from circa 1000 B.C.E. to 256 B.C.E. During the Zhou Dynasty the Chinese philosophies of Daoism, Legalism, and Confucianism were founded and formalized. These three philosophies (or religions in some cases) have been influential to the direction of Chinese culture, society, and government.

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most important works of ancient Hinduism that continues to be relevant in Indian society to this day.