World History Prologue: Pre-1200 C.E. Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on the provided World History prologue notes, covering key terms, religious beliefs, political systems, and major developments before 1200 C.E.

Animism

A system of religious beliefs centered on a reverence for deities associated with features of nature, such as animals or specific mountains or rivers.

Patriarchy

A social system characterized by domination by males.

Agricultural Revolution

A development beginning around 10,000 years ago (c. 8000 B.C.E.) in the Middle East where humans began planting crops and raising animals, leading to food surpluses, population growth, and job specialization.

City-state

An independent state made up of a city and its surrounding territory.

Ziggurats

Monumental religious temples built by city-states in ancient Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform

The first written language in history, invented by the Sumerians to record taxes, trade, and written laws.

Pharaoh

The title of the single ruler under whom ancient Egypt was highly centralized.

Hieroglyphics

The writing system developed by ancient Egyptians.

Monotheism

The belief in just one supreme deity, which over time replaced polytheistic belief systems in various regions.

Vedas

Sacred scriptures brought to South Asia by Aryans that taught reincarnation and the organization of society into castes.

Caste system

Sharply defined social classes in ancient India that prohibited social mobility.

Zoroastrianism

An early monotheistic belief system developed in Persia focusing on human free will and the eternal battle between good and evil.

Judaism

An influential monotheistic religion originating in Israel based on a mutual promise (covenant) between Yahweh and the Jewish people.

Silk Roads

Eurasian land exchange routes along which goods, technology, and ideas flowed between classical empires.

Four Noble Truths

Buddhist doctrines that summarize how to eliminate desire and suffering by following the Eightfold Path.

Nirvana

A state of peaceful bliss and enlightenment in Buddhism that ends the cycle of death and rebirth.

Universalizing religion

A religion, such as Buddhism or Christianity, that actively seeks converts among all people.

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese concept that a universal force provided the justification for an emperor and his family to rule.

Filial piety

The duty of people to honor their ancestors, emphasized in Confucianism.

Daoism

A Chinese philosophy focusing on internal reflection and living in harmony with nature.

Civil service exam

A government examination system created under the Han Dynasty requiring candidates to analyze Confucian teachings to obtain prestigious bureaucracy jobs.

Hellenistic world

The region spanning Egypt, Persia, and parts of India influenced by Greek culture spread by Alexander the Great's army.

Aqueducts

Publicly funded Roman engineering projects designed to transport water to cities.

Diaspora

The spreading of Jews to lands throughout northern Africa and Europe as a result of Roman persecution.

Entrepôt

A coastal trading center, such as Constantinople, where raw and finished goods are imported and exported.

Justinian Code

A consolidation of Roman law created under Emperor Justinian that served as the foundation of legal knowledge in Europe into the 19th century.

Five Pillars of Islam

The core principles of the Qur'an: belief in Allah, ritual prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Sharia

An Islamic legal code based on the Qur'an regulating religious and civic behavior without distinguishing between the two.

Dar al-Islam

A term meaning 'House of Islam', referring to areas unified under Islamic rule, faith, and culture.

Jizya

An additional tax paid by non-Muslims living under the Abbasid Caliphate to maintain their religious faith.

Grand Canal

A waterway stretching over $1\text{,}000 composition\text{ }miles$ ($1\text{,}000\text{ }miles$) built during the Sui Dynasty to connect agricultural southern China to northern population centers.

Tributary system

The Chinese practice requiring surrounding kingdoms to make payments (tribute) to China in exchange for trading privileges.

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophy emerging during the Tang and Song dynasties that melded Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist beliefs.

Shogun

A military general who held political power at the top of feudal Japan's social hierarchy.

Shinto

The official religion of Japan, centered on the veneration of ancestors and nature spirits.

Bantu migrations

The movements of people out of west central Africa from c. 1000 B.C.E. to c. 1500 C.E., spreading language, farming techniques, and ironworking.

Crusades

A series of European holy wars launched in 1095 to free Jerusalem from Islamic control, which made Europeans more aware of Asian advances.