1. Higher Standards Daily Facts Weeks 14 -21

2. Week 14 The Neolithic Revolution refers to a time when early humans developed agriculture. The Athenians valued the arts and philosophy. The works of Medieval scholars led to the development of universities.

3. Chinese contributions include: porcelain, silks, and woodblock printing. Humanism influenced Renaissance painters to create realistic scenes, images, and human figures. The lifestyles of Native Americans were changed with the introduction of horses and cattle.

4. Week 15 Mesopotamia was a frequent target for invaders due to its geographic surroundings. Rome had a republic which means it had a leader and a law making body. Once the Bible was printed in Latin, people learned how to read.

5. The Incan system of roads was designed for communication and movement of the army. William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. The Dutch came to the Caribbean in search of the Sugar Cane.

6. Week 16 The Plateau of Tibet helps isolate China to the South. Western Civilizations adopted the Roman theory that all citizens would be equal before the law. The church during the Middle Ages dominated the lives of the people.

7. Muslim contributions include advances in science and medicine. Martin Luther was a German monk who started the Protestant movement. Prince Henry the Navigator encourage explorers to sail along Africa’s coast and capture Africans to be traded as slaves.

8. Week 17 The annual flooding of the Nile helped create rich topsoil in Egypt. Roman contributions to engineering include aqueducts, paved roads, and the Colosseum. The Black Death of the 14 th century left dramatic shortages of laborers and people throughout Europe.

9. Mali, under Mansa Musa’s rule, entered a Golden Age influenced by Islam. The printing press helped improve the growth of the literacy rates. The Aztecs made sacrifices to the sun god.

10. Week 18 The Huang He civilization developed without contact with other civilizations. The Pax Romana means 200 years of peace. The Black Death ended feudalism.

11. China influenced Japan’s literature. Gutenberg invented the printing press. The Incas dug terraces into the mountainside to make more farmland.

12. Week 19 People of the Indus River Valley made their houses with mud-brick because the monsoon season left them with a lot of mud. The Romans invented cement. Merchants and pilgrims were closely associated with the spread of the Black Death.

13. Japanese culture was unique because Japan is isolated by the sea. Martin Luther started the Reformation which led to the Protestant Movement. Constantinople became the capital of the Byzantine Empire because it was a crossroad of trade between Europe and Asia.

14. Week 20 Civilization emerged in Mesopotamia and Egypt because of the fertile soil. Rome fought with Carthage for control of the Mediterranean. Rodents with infected fleas help spread the Black Death.

15. The Japanese religion of Shinto worships ancestors and spirits in nature. The Reformation helped new Christian denominations emerge. The Byzantine Empire helped establish Orthodox Christianity in Russia.