World History H Midterm Exam Review

Abraham

Founder of Judaism who, according to the Bible, led his family from Ur to Canaan in obedience to God's command; first monotheist

Jesus

A Jew from Galilee in northern Israel who sought to reform Jewish beliefs and practices. He was executed as a revolutionary by the Romans. He is the basis of the world's largest religion.

Moses

Led the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt; received the 10 commandments

Muhammad

Arab prophet; founder of religion of Islam.

Monotheism

Belief in one God

Torah

The first five books of Jewish Scripture, which they believe are by Moses

New Testament

The second part of the Christian Bible, containing descriptions of the life and teachings of Jesus and of his early followers

Old Testament

make up the first part of the Bible and history before the coming of Jesus Christ; acknowledge by Christians but not by Jews

Covenant

A binding promise between humans and God in which mutual commitments are made.

Prophet

A person who speaks or interprets for God to other people

Mt. Sinai

Where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God

Exodus

book in the Torah which recounts the story of the Hebrews leaving the land of Egypt

Apostles

the 12 chosen disciples of Jesus who spread his teachings

Jerusalem

A city in the Holy Land, regarded as sacred by Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

Mecca

City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.

Qur'an

the sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina

Salvation

acceptance into heaven

Messiah

Anointed one/Savior sent by God

Resurrection

Jesus's rise from the dead

Arabia

a peninsula in the Middle East

Ka'aba

A black stone building in Mecca that is shaped like a cube and that is the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine; Muslims believe that Abraham built the Ka'ba as a shrine to honor God

Allah

God (Islam)

Angel Gabriel

The angel who came to Muhammad and revealed messages from God

Hijrah

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to (Yathrib) Medina

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran

Judaism

the monotheistic religion of the Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior/messiah

Muslim

a follower of the religion of Islam

Five Pillars

The obligatory religious duties of all Muslims

Shari'ah

a law code drawn up by Muslim scholars after Muhammad's death; it provided believers with a set of practical laws to regulate their daily lives

Mosque

A Muslim place of worship

Hijab

A head covering worn in public by some Muslim women.

Paul of Tarsus

important figure in the spread of Christianity after Jesus's death

Parable

A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson; used by Jesus to teach his followers

Baptism

a Christian sacrament (religious ceremony or act of the Christian Church) signifying spiritual cleansing and rebirth

Hajj

A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims

Hell

Eternal separation from God (Christianity)

Ramadan

(Islam) a fast (held from sunrise to sunset) that is carried out during the Islamic month of Ramadan

Yahweh

Hebrew name for God

Shi Huangdi

founder of the Qin dynasty and China's first emperor

nomad

A person who moves from place to place in search of food

Hongwu

First Ming emperor in 1368; originally of peasant lineage; original name Zhu Yuanzhang; drove out Mongol influence; restored position of scholar-gentry

Genghis Khan

Also known as Temujin; he united the Mongol tribes into an unstoppable fighting force; created largest single land empire in history.

Mandate of Heaven

in Chinese history, the divine approval thought to be the basis of royal authority

Chinese Geography

Isolated by many natural barriers. Civilization began along the Yellow river aka the Huang He river because of rich soil (loess) that floods it annually. They had the Yangtze river in the south.

Tang Dynasty

dynasty often referred to as China's Golden age that reigned during 618 - 907 AD; China expands from Vietnam to Manchuria

Great Wall

A barrier made of walls across China's northern frontier.

Gunpowder

The formula, brought to China in the 400s or 500s, was first used to make fumigators to keep away insect pests and evil spirits. In later centuries it was used to make explosives and grenades and to propel cannonballs, shot, and bullets.

Ming Dynasty

Succeeded Mongol Yuan dynasty in China in 1368; lasted until 1644; initially mounted huge trade expeditions to southern Asia and elsewhere, but later concentrated efforts on internal development within China.

Song Dynasty

(960-1279 CE) The Chinese dynasty that placed much more emphasis on civil administration, industry, education, and arts other than military.

magnetic compass

Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was north

China Civil Service Exam

emphasize the importance of education in society

Grand Canal in China

The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Empire.

Yuan Dynasty

(1279-1368 CE) The dynasty with Mongol rule in China; centralized with bureaucracy but structure is different: Mongols on top-\>Persian bureaucrats-\>Chinese bureuacrats.

Kublai Khan

Mongolian emperor of China and grandson of Genghis Khan who completed his grandfather's conquest of China

Dynastic Cycle in China

Dynasty strong then becomes corrupt (civil war, high taxes, etc) - falls apart

A New Dynasty takes over (Mandate of Heaven)

Yangtze River

Longest major river in China

Sui Dynasty

(589-618 CE) The Chinese dynasty that was like the Qin Dynasty in imposing tight political discipline; this dynasty built the Grand Canal which helped transport the rice in the south to the north.

Tang Taizong

(627- 649) He reconquerored the northern and western land that China had since the decline of the Han Dynasty. He started the achievements of the Tang Dynasty.

Beijing

China's northern capital, first used as an imperial capital in 906 and now the capital of the People's Republic of China.

movable type

individual letters and marks that can be arranged and rearranged quickly

Subcontinent

A large landmass that forms a distinct part of a continent

Monsoons

Seasonal winds that bring flooding or droughts to India

Mauryan Empire

The first Indian empire, founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 321 B.C.

Chandragupta Maurya

Founder of the Mauryan dynasty, the first empire in the Indian subcontinent who was a strict ruler with a massive army, a network of spies and was paranoid of assassination.

Asoka

Grandson of Chandragupta; most honored emperor for his commitment to spreading peace and prosperity to all; displayed his laws on stone pillars throughout his empire and built and improved roads for his people. He was Buddhist but accepted other religions; decline came after his death

Gupta Empire

Dynasty started by the Gupta family; considered the Golden Age of India, where art, literature, and trade spread greatly and many medical and mathematical advancements were made

Gupta Golden Age

Advancements in medicine (c-sections performed, plastic surgery, medicinal guides and inoculations), science (solar calendar, discovery that Earth is round), literature, art, and mathematics (concept of zero, pi, and decimal system)

Babur

Founded the Mughal dynasty in India; descendant of Genghis Khan; Brilliant general who expanded empire to north and central India

Akbar

Most famous Muslim ruler of India during the Mughal Dynasty. Famous for his religious tolerance, his investment in arts and culture, for expanding the empire to 100 million people, and for his fair (graduated) tax

Shah Jahan

Jahangir's son; Mughal ruler who loved building mosques and forts, at the expense of his people starving. Heartbroken by the death of his wife, he built the Taj Mahal in her honor

Taj Mahal

A tomb built by Shah Jahan for his wife; took 22 years to build and almost bankrupted the empire

Aurangzeb

Jahan's son; who was a strict Muslim, who took away the rights of non-Muslims in his Empire. He spent lots of money on conquests, but the Empire reached its greatest extent, under his rule. He drained the empire of money, lost the loyalty of his subjects and the Mughal Empire collapsed after his death.

Silk Road

Network of trade routes, connecting China, India, and the Middle East to Rome. Traded goods and helped to spread culture.

Aryans

nomads from Europe and Asia who migrated to India and finally settled

Vedas

Collections of hymns, songs, prayers, and rituals honoring the various gods of the Aryans.

Castes

social classes in the ancient Indian class system

Kshatriya

The Hindu warrior caste.

Brahmin

in Aryan society, a member of the social class made up of priests

Dalits

Members of India's "lowest" caste; literally, "broken people." Also called "Untouchables."

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

Brahman

The term for The Universal Soul in Hinduism.

Reincarnation

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the process by which a soul is reborn continuously until it achieves perfect understanding

Karma

The belief that actions in this life, whether good or bad, will decide your place in the next life.

Brahma

A Hindu god considered the creator of the world.

Dharma (Hinduism)

In Hindu belief, a person's religious and moral duties

Siddhartha Gautama

The prince who is said to have founded Buddhism.

Enlightenment

A state of perfect wisdom in which one understands basic truths about the universe and ends their suffering

Buddhism

Belief system that started in India in the 500s BC. Happiness can be achieved through removal of one's desires. Believers seek enlightenment and the overcoming of suffering.

Eightfold Path

In Buddhism, the basic rules of behavior and belief leading to an end of suffering

Four Noble Truths

as taught by the Buddha, the four basic beliefs that form the foundation of Buddhism

Dharma (Buddhism)

The teachings of the Buddha, and one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism

Nirvana (Buddhism)

ultimate reality/goal, the end of suffering

Moksha (Hinduism)

liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth

Impermanence

The idea that all things have an end and everything is temporary

Confucius

(551-479 BCE) A Chinese philosopher known also as Kong Fuzi and created one of the most influential philosophies in Chinese history.

Filial Piety

respect shown by children for their parents and elders

Analects

The book that Kong Fuzi wrote and that stresses the values and ideas of Confucianism.

Griot

a member of a class of traveling poets, musicians, and storytellers who maintain a tradition of oral history in parts of West Africa.

Migration

movement of people from one place to another