WORLD HISTORY EXAM CORE CIVILIZATIONS
AND EVENTS REVIEW 2026
◉ Library at Ashurbanipal.
Answer: A large collection of writings drawn from the ancient
literary, religious, and scientific traditions of Mesopotamia. It was
assembled by the 7th-centry B.C.E. Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal. The
many tablets unearthed by archaeologists constitute one of the most
important sources of present-day knowledge of the long literary
tradition of Mesopotamia.
◉ Assyrians.
Answer: Their kings were viewed as both gods and kings and the
center of the universe. They were known as a warrior people who
ruthlessly conquered neighboring countries. They used iron
weapons, cavalry, couriers, signal fires, and spy networks as well as
scare tactics and mass deportation to conquer others.Their control
was more effective at the core and less effective in the peripheral
parts of the empire. They consisted of free, land-owning citizens,
farmers and artisans, and slaves. They preserved the knowledge
inherited from older Mesopotamian societies and made original
contributions to mathematics and astronomy. They maintained
libraries that were attached to temples in the cities, such as the
Library of Ashurbanipal in Ninevah.
,◉ Hebrews.
Answer: These people were nomadic herders and caravan drivers
who developed a complex sedentary agricultural civilization. As they
did so, their cult of a desert god evolved into an influential
monotheistic religion. They were known by various names: Canaan,
Israel, Palestine; Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews.
◉ Torah/Hebrew Bible.
Answer: A collection of sacred books containing diverse materials
concerning the origins, experiences, beliefs, and practices of the
Israelites. Most of the extant text was compiled by members of the
priestly class in the 5th century B.C.E. and reflects the concerns and
views of this group.
◉ Solomon.
Answer: The Israelite monarchy reached the height of its power in
King ____'s reign (David's son), who forged alliances and sponsored
trade with distant lands. He also expanded the bureaucracy and the
army, and built the first temple in Jerusalem.
◉ Monotheism.
Answer: Belief in the existence of a single divine entity. Some
scholars cite the devotion of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten to
Aten (sun-disk) and his suppression of traditional gods as the
earliest instance. The Israelite worship of Yahweh developed into an
, exclusive belief in one god, and this concept passed into Christianity
and Islam.
◉ Diaspora.
Answer: A Greek word meaning "dispersal," used to describe the
communities of a given ethnic group living outside their homeland.
Jews, for example, spread from Israel to western Asia and
Mediterranean lands in antiquity and today can be found throughout
the world.
◉ Phoenicians.
Answer: Semitic-speaking Canaanites living on the coast of modern
Lebanon and Syria in the 1st millennium B.C.E. From major cities
such as Tyre and Sidon, Phoenician merchants and sailors explored
the Mediterranean, engaged in widespread commerce, and founded
Carthage and other colonies in the western Mediterranean.
◉ Olmecs.
Answer: The first Mesoamerican civilization. Between 1200-400
B.C.E., the ____ people of central Mexico created a vibrant civilization
that included intensive agriculture, wide-ranging trade, ceremonial
centers, and monumental construction. They had great cultural
influence on later Mesoamerican societies, passing on artistic styles,
religious imagery, sophisticated astronomical observation for the
construction of calendars, and a ritual ball game.
AND EVENTS REVIEW 2026
◉ Library at Ashurbanipal.
Answer: A large collection of writings drawn from the ancient
literary, religious, and scientific traditions of Mesopotamia. It was
assembled by the 7th-centry B.C.E. Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal. The
many tablets unearthed by archaeologists constitute one of the most
important sources of present-day knowledge of the long literary
tradition of Mesopotamia.
◉ Assyrians.
Answer: Their kings were viewed as both gods and kings and the
center of the universe. They were known as a warrior people who
ruthlessly conquered neighboring countries. They used iron
weapons, cavalry, couriers, signal fires, and spy networks as well as
scare tactics and mass deportation to conquer others.Their control
was more effective at the core and less effective in the peripheral
parts of the empire. They consisted of free, land-owning citizens,
farmers and artisans, and slaves. They preserved the knowledge
inherited from older Mesopotamian societies and made original
contributions to mathematics and astronomy. They maintained
libraries that were attached to temples in the cities, such as the
Library of Ashurbanipal in Ninevah.
,◉ Hebrews.
Answer: These people were nomadic herders and caravan drivers
who developed a complex sedentary agricultural civilization. As they
did so, their cult of a desert god evolved into an influential
monotheistic religion. They were known by various names: Canaan,
Israel, Palestine; Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews.
◉ Torah/Hebrew Bible.
Answer: A collection of sacred books containing diverse materials
concerning the origins, experiences, beliefs, and practices of the
Israelites. Most of the extant text was compiled by members of the
priestly class in the 5th century B.C.E. and reflects the concerns and
views of this group.
◉ Solomon.
Answer: The Israelite monarchy reached the height of its power in
King ____'s reign (David's son), who forged alliances and sponsored
trade with distant lands. He also expanded the bureaucracy and the
army, and built the first temple in Jerusalem.
◉ Monotheism.
Answer: Belief in the existence of a single divine entity. Some
scholars cite the devotion of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten to
Aten (sun-disk) and his suppression of traditional gods as the
earliest instance. The Israelite worship of Yahweh developed into an
, exclusive belief in one god, and this concept passed into Christianity
and Islam.
◉ Diaspora.
Answer: A Greek word meaning "dispersal," used to describe the
communities of a given ethnic group living outside their homeland.
Jews, for example, spread from Israel to western Asia and
Mediterranean lands in antiquity and today can be found throughout
the world.
◉ Phoenicians.
Answer: Semitic-speaking Canaanites living on the coast of modern
Lebanon and Syria in the 1st millennium B.C.E. From major cities
such as Tyre and Sidon, Phoenician merchants and sailors explored
the Mediterranean, engaged in widespread commerce, and founded
Carthage and other colonies in the western Mediterranean.
◉ Olmecs.
Answer: The first Mesoamerican civilization. Between 1200-400
B.C.E., the ____ people of central Mexico created a vibrant civilization
that included intensive agriculture, wide-ranging trade, ceremonial
centers, and monumental construction. They had great cultural
influence on later Mesoamerican societies, passing on artistic styles,
religious imagery, sophisticated astronomical observation for the
construction of calendars, and a ritual ball game.
