| Gilgamesh | Gilgamesh became a legendary protagonist in the Epic of Gilgamesh. |
| Alexander the Great | United Ancient Greece; Hellenistic Age, conquered a large empire. |
| Socrates and Plato | Greek philosopher/student. |
| Aristotle | 54. Aristotle |
| Julius Caesar | Roman military and political leader. He was instrumental in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. Dictator for life. |
the Fujiwara clan | dominated the Japanese politics of Heian period. |
| Mohammed and the foundation of Islam | In 610/earlier, he received the first of many revelations: Allah transmitted to him through the angel Gabriel. Believed in the five pillars: (1) “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet.” (2) Pray facing the Mecca five times a day. (3) Fast during the month of Ramadan which enhances community solidarity and allowed the faithful to demonstrate their fervor. (4) The zakat, tithe for charity, strengthened community cohesion. (5) The haji, pilgrimage to the holy city Mecca, to worship Allah at the Ka’ba. |
| Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates | Umayyad: Clan of Quraysh that dominated politics and commercial economy of Mecca; clan later able to establish dynasty as rulers of Islam. Abbasid: Dynasty that succeeded the Umayyads as caliphs within Islam (750 C.E.) A caliph is a political and religious successor to Muhammad. |
| Anasazi | Ancestral Puebloans were a prehistoric Native American civilization centered around the present-day Four Corners area of the Southwest United States. |
| Abraham | the first of the Old Testament patriarchs and the father of Isaac; according to Genesis, God promised to give Abraham's family (the Hebrews) the land of Canaan (the Promised Land); God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son; "Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each has a special claim on Abraham" |
| Moses and the Exodus from Egypt – Passover | Passover to celebrate the day the Jews were led out of Egypt and into their land by Moses. |
| Siddhartha Gautama | Buddha; founder of Buddhism. |
| Theravada (Hinayana) and Mahayana Buddhism | T - Buddha is Teacher; M - Buddha is God. |
| Laozi | Founder/teacher of taoism. |
| K’ung Fu-tzu (Confucius) | Teacher/founder of Confucianism. |
| Jesus of Nazareth | Son of God. |
| Peter and Paul | Main disciples of Jesus; carried on teaching after death. |
| Mohammed | Last prophet of God. |
| Abu Bakr | (632-634 C.E.) The first caliph; one of Muhammad's earliest followers and closest friends |
| Ali | The 4th caliph; the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad who was meant to be the original successor of Muhammad but was too young. Caused warfare between the Sunnis and Shi'a for not punnishing the murderer of the 3rd caliph, Uthman |
| Charlemagne | Charles the Great; Carolingian monarch who established substantial empire in France and Germany |
| Charles Martel | Charles the "Hammer"; led the the Battle of Tours and saved Europe from the Islamic expansion. (732 C.E.) |
| Emperor Xuanzong | (reigned 713-755) Leading Chinese emperor of the Tang dynasty; encouraged overexpansion |
| Ferdinand | marriage to Isabella created united Spain; responsible for reconquest of Granada, initiation of exploration of New World |
| Franks | a group of Germanic tribes in the early Christian era; spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire |
| Genghis Khan | (1170s – 1227) from 1206 khagan of all Mongol tribes; responsible for conquest of northern kingdoms of China and territories as far west as the Abbasid regions |
| Ivan the Terrible | Ivan IV, confirmed power of tsarist autocracy by attacking authority of boyars(aristocrats); continued policy of Russian expansion; established contacts with western European commerce and culture |
| Joan of Arc | A French military leader of the fifteenth century, a national heroine who at the age of seventeen took up arms to establish the rightful king on the French throne. She claimed to have heard God speak to her in voices. These claims eventually led to her trial for heresy and her execution by burning at the stake. Joan of Arc is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church |
| King Clovis | Early Frankish king; converted Franks to Christianity C. 496; allowed establishment of Frankish kingdom |
| King Hugh Capet | king of France (987–96), first of the Capetians; son of Hugh the Great; he gave away much of his land to secure the dynasty. He spent much of his reign fighting Charles and later became involved in a controversy with the papacy—unsettled at his death—over deposition of the Carolingian archbishop of Reims |