Prelude (Chapter 0)

Traditions & Encounters 7th Edition AP Edition

Afro-Eurasia

Supercontinent that encompasses Asia, Africa, Eurasia

Silk Roads

Series of land and maritime trade routes throughout Afro-Eurasia that facilitated high levels of material and non-material exchanged. Existed in different periods based on the ability for empires to operate it

Great Arid Zone

Combination of deserts and mountainous terrain from Atlantic Coast of Africa to East Asia. Very harsh, dry, warm climates

Steppe Zone

Eurasian grasslands north of Great Arid Zone. People here lived as pastoral nomads, as the grass fed their animals

Pastoral Nomadism

A way of life involving the grazing of animals, and relying on the trade/production of materials from those animals to survive

Indian Ocean Basin

A large area of water that touches East Africa all the way to Australia. Utilized during Silk Road maritime trade

Monsoon

Seasonal weather patterns for the wind. Used across Indian Ocean Basin to exploit trade (April-Sept: East, Nov-Feb: West)

Great European Plain

Area in Central/Eastern Europe that has a diverse typography (e.g. rivers), allowing many different trade routes to occur, which aided in the diffusion of Christian missions

Southwest Asia

Commonly called the Middle East, it consists of the Tigris and Euphrates River and is part of the Great Arid Zone

Confucianism

Chinese ideology, based on the teachings on philosopher Confucius, that emphasizes the role of gentlemen, obligation to society, and reciprocity

Daoism

Chinese philosophy, originating in the Zhou Dynasty and associated with philosopher Laozi. It had a policy of noncompetition

Legalism

Chinese philosophy from Zhou Dynasty that called for harsh suppression and punishment of the common people

Buddhism

East Asian religion based on Four Noble Truths, associated with Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha; its adherents desired to eliminate all distracting passion/suffering and reach nirvana

Yangzi

River in central China that produces a sizeable amount of rice and other cultivations

Aegean Sea

Sea located between the mainlands of modern Greece and Turkey

Mesoamerica

Region consisting of modern-day Mexico and Central America, where civilizations like the Maya and Aztec were developed

Olmec

Early Mesoamerican society (1200 - 100 BCE) that centered on sites at San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Tres Zapotes and that influenced later Maya. Not much is known about them, other than they created the colossal human head structures, supposed for religious purposes

Teotihuacan

Central American society (200 BCE - 750 CE); its Pyramid of the Sun was the largest structure in Mesoamerica

Maya

Central American society (300 - 1100 CE) known for math, astronomy, and a sophisticated written language

East Asian Cultural Complex

Area that includes modern day China, Korea, Japan, and parts of Southeast Asia (e.g. Vietnam), whose ideologies were heavily influenced by Chinese ones; they still kept their indigenous values though

Han Dynasty

Chinese empire (206 BCE – 220 CE) that was governed by a bureaucracy, opened the first Silk Roads, and took place when Buddhism first spread into modern-day China.

Monotheism

Belief in one god, a rare concept in the ancient world

Christianity

Monotheistic sect from Judaism based on the life, teachings, death, and resurrections of Jesus Christ (around 6 BCE - 33 CE); diffusing through missionaries because of land/maritime trade routes (e.g. Silk Roads) towards the Mediterranean, then the Roman Empire

Islam

Monotheistic religion announced by the prophet Muhammad (570 - 632 BCE) that spread through various means (e.g. Silk Roads) into North Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Iberian Peninsula of Europe

Judaism

The earliest of the three main monotheistic Abrahamic religions, they were diasporic (scattered) and lived in isolated areas, so it was easy for them to be persecuted. They eventually grew to have more intellectual/commercial influence in the ancient world in Afro-Eurasia

Roman Empire

An empire that succeeded the Roman Republic during the reign of Augustus, which dates from 27 BCE to 395 CE

Nubia

Area south of Egypt; the kingdom of Kush in this area invaded and dominated Egypt from 750 to 664 BCE

Sasanians

Powerful empire that ruled much of Central Asia and Mesopotamia from 224 to 651 CE

Nestorian

Early branch of Christianity, named after 5th Century Greek theologian Nestorius that emphasized the nature of Jesus Christ. They gained influenced in the Muslim world, and later, the Mongol Empire

Great Schism of 1054

A reaction against the expansion of the papacy (power of the Pope) in Italy to something more than a religious institution. The Pope began to rival the power of some royalty in the Middle Ages in Europe

Monasticism

A religious way of life that gives up a secular (non-religious) life, in order to pursue only spiritual activities. Many Christian denominations practiced this, like some Catholic and Orthodox churches

Aristotle

Greek philosopher that heavily influenced the expansion and deepening of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity

Brahmin

Hindu priests, considered to be on the top of their caste system

Brahminism

Very early (first millennium BCE) South Asian religion that emphasized the power of the caste system and involved ritual sacrifice

Caste

A system of social distinction that emerged late in the second millennium BCE, which divides the population into a series of “classes” or varnas

Jainism

Indian religion associated with the teacher Vardhamana Mahavira (540 - 468 BCE) that believed in complete nonviolence and rejected the caste system

Ahimsa

The principle in Jainism that describes nonviolence to other living things or their souls

Siddhartha Gautam

Indian prince in the 6th Century who achieved enlightenment and became known as the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism

Mahayana

Denomination of Buddhism that was more accessible to new adherents and spread throughout the Silk Roads to Central/East/Southeast Asia

Hinduism

South Asian religion that competed with Buddhism, and was influenced by Brahamanism’s caste system. Major gods include Vishnu and Shiva

Popol Vuh

An elaborate Mayan story that describes how the gods made humans out of maize (flesh) and water (blood)

Bloodletting rituals

Ritual involving the shedding of human blood as a form of sacrifice to the gods, practiced by the Maya and Aztecs amongst many other societies

Xia Dynasty

Ancient Chinese dynasty (2200 - 1766 BCE)

Shang Dynasty

Early Chinese dynasty (1766 - 1122 BCE)

Zhou Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (1122 - 256 BCE) that was the foundation of many Chinese ideologies (Confucianism, Daoism). They used the “Mandate of Heaven” as justification for overthrowing the Shang Dynasty. Then, this dynasty fell into warring states

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese belief that the emperors ruled through the mandate, or approval, of heaven contingent on their ability to look after the welfare of the population

Qin Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (221 - 207) that was marked by the first unification of China from the Warring States Period and the early construction of defensive walls

Sinicization

Process by which non-Han Chinese people come under the cultural or political domination of Han Chinese influence

Warring States Period

Transformative era (475 – 221 BC) in classic history that was characterized by the fragmentation and tensions of 7 kingdoms. It ended because the Qin Dynasty brought the ideology of Legalism

Chang’an

Capital city for various early Chinese dynasties, including the Qin, Tang, and Song

Tang Dynasty

Powerful and wealthy Chinese dynasty that ruled a vast East Asian empire from 618 to 907 CE

Mauryan Empire

Indian dynasty (321 - 185 BCE) founded by Chandragupta Maurya and reaching its peak under Ashoka

Gupta Empire

Indian dynasty (320 - 550 CE) that briefly reunited India after the collapse of the earlier Maurya dynasty

Dar al-Islam

The “house of Islam”, another word for the Muslim world (region where there is a big Muslim population)

Byzantine Empire

Long-lasting empire (330 - 1453 CE) centered at Constantinople; it grew out of the end of the Roman Empire, carried the legacy of Roman greatness, and was the only classical society to survive into the early modern age

Constantine

Roman emperor who reigned from 306 to 337 CE and who moved the capital of the empire from Rome to Constantinople

Moche

Pre-Incan South American society known for their well organized government and brilliant ceramics

Kushan Empire

Major empire that controlled much of Central Asia and modern Pakistan and India during the first three centuries of the Common Era

Mesopotamia

Term meaning “between the rivers,” in this case the Tigris and Euphrates; Sumer and Akkad are two of the earliest societies

Hammurabi’s Code

Sophisticated law code concerning society (e.g. women’s rights, family roles) associated with the Babylonian king of the same name

Achaemenid Empire

First great Persian empire (558 - 330 BCE), which began under Cyrus and reached its peak under Darius

Varna

Hindu word for caste, in other words, a specific class within the caste system

Kshatriyas

Warriors and aristocrats; second in the caste system behind the brahmins (priests)

Vaishyas

Peasants and merchants; third in the caste system behind the brahmins and kshatriyas

Shudras

Serfs (landlocked slave-like workers); fourth in the caste system behind brahmins, kshatriyas, and vaishyas

Untouchables

Those who handle the dead flesh/skin of dead animals; they are the last in the caste system behind all castes

Jati

Subcastes that evolved into guilds that maintained social order throughout the subcontinent of India

Alexandria

An important city of the ancient world, founded by Alexander on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt during fourth century BCE

Huns

A militarized confederation of Central Asian nomads whose westward migration helped precipitate the collapse of the Western Roman Empire

Patriarchy

A type of society that involves males having more power, freedom, and rights in comparison to women. A vast majority of ancient and early societies followed this thought, but to varying degrees

Qanat

Persian underground irrigation technology that allowed for distribution of water (like for agriculture); it aided the Silk Roads