Question

mapping: 7 continents + 5 oceans + the columbian exchange/triangle trade
decline of the medieval period

• what was a major factor in the emergence of nation - states in europe during the decline of the medieval period?
• how did the role of citizens change as a result of the decline of the european medieval period?

maya, aztec & inca

• which statement accurately compares the writing and record - keeping systems of the maya and inca civilizations?
• which civilization is known for building an extensive road system to connect their empire?
• what type of writing system did the maya develop?
• what was a notable aspect of aztec religious practices?

the renaissance

• what was one of the key factors that contributed to the origins of the european renaissance?
• what intellectual movement during the renaissance emphasized the value of human potential and achievements?
• which renaissance figure is known for his contributions to art, science, and engineering, and is famous for works like the mona lisa and the last supper?
• which influential family in florence were major patrons of the arts during the renaissance?
• what artistic technique, developed during the renaissance, allowed artists to create more realistic and three - dimensional images?
• what was one of the impacts of the renaissance on western europe?

Explanation:

Decline of the Medieval Period

1. Nation-states factor: The growth of centralized royal power, which reduced the authority of feudal lords and the Catholic Church, allowed rulers to unify territories under a single government.
2. Citizen role change: Shifted from being tied to feudal land (owing loyalty to a lord) to having direct ties to a central state, with emerging rights and obligations tied to national identity rather than feudal bonds.

Maya, Aztec & Inca

1. Writing/record-keeping comparison: The Maya used a complex, phonetic-logographic writing system with glyphs, while the Inca used quipus (knotted string devices) for numerical records and no true writing system for language.
2. Road system civilization: The Inca Empire built an extensive network of paved roads, suspension bridges, and waystations spanning over 40,000 km to connect their vast territory.
3. Maya writing system: A logophonetic (glyph-based) system, combining symbols representing whole words (logograms) and symbols representing sounds (phonograms).
4. Aztec religious aspect: Ritual human sacrifice, practiced to appease gods believed to sustain the sun, fertility, and the world's balance.

The Renaissance

1. Renaissance origins factor: Increased trade and wealth from the Italian city-states (e.g., Florence, Venice) allowed wealthy patrons to fund artists, scholars, and thinkers.
2. Human potential intellectual movement: Humanism, which focused on secular study of classical Greek and Roman texts, human achievement, and individual potential.
3. Multi-disciplinary Renaissance figure: Leonardo da Vinci, a polymath known for artistic masterpieces and scientific/engineering studies.
4. Florentine artistic patron family: The Medici family, whose wealth and support funded countless Renaissance artists, architects, and scholars.
5. Realistic artistic technique: Linear perspective, developed by Filippo Brunelleschi, uses mathematical principles to create the illusion of depth on a flat surface.
6. Renaissance impact: It sparked a shift from medieval theocentric thinking to a focus on secularism, individualism, and scientific inquiry, laying groundwork for the Enlightenment and modern Western thought.

Answer:

Decline of the Medieval Period

1. The growth of centralized royal authority (reducing feudal and Church power)
2. Citizens shifted from feudal lord loyalty to direct ties to a national state, gaining identity-based rights/obligations

Maya, Aztec & Inca

1. The Maya used a glyph-based writing system; the Inca used quipus (knotted strings) for numerical records, no true writing system.
2. The Inca Empire
3. A logophonetic (glyph-based) system combining logograms and phonograms
4. Ritual human sacrifice to appease deities

The Renaissance

1. Increased trade and wealth in Italian city-states enabling artistic/scholarly patronage
2. Humanism
3. Leonardo da Vinci
4. The Medici family
5. Linear perspective
6. It fostered secularism, individualism, and scientific curiosity, shaping modern Western intellectual foundations