Chapter 1: The Rise of Universalizing Religions (300–600 CE)

Vocabulary flashcards covering the spread of universalizing religions, political developments, and cultural transformations across Afro-Eurasia and sub-Saharan Africa between 300 and 600 CE.

Universalizing Religions

Religions—notably Christianity and Buddhism—that appeal to diverse, widespread populations and challenge the power of secular rulers and thinkers.

Vibia Perpetua and Felicitas

Christian martyrs, including the maidservant Felicitas, whose deaths highlighted the important role of females and ultimate allegiance to God over human rulers in early Christianity.

Sogdians

Known as the 'Lords of the Silk Roads' who linked the ends of Afro-Eurasia; their language was the common tongue of early Silk Roads trade, and their culture blended Zoroastrian, Mesopotamian, and Brahmanic influences.

Bamiyan and Yungang

Locations famous for massive rock-carved statues of Buddha that demonstrated the spread of Buddhism along trade routes into East Asia.

Chandragupta

Gupta dynasty ruler styled as 'King of Kings, Great King' who expanded Gupta territory and served as a patron of the arts.

Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva

The three major deities representing the three phases of the universe in transformed Hinduism: Brahma (birth), Vishnu (existence, the most prominent), and Shiva (destruction).

Atma

The Hindu concept referring to the eternal self.

Bhagavad Gita

A key Hindu text that addresses dharma, developing alongside the epic poems Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Sanskrit Cosmopolis

A cultural synthesis across South and Southeast Asia where Sanskrit was used by elites, poets, and rulers as a shared public language of politics and intellectual life without a centralized empire.

Code of Manu

A text offering guidance on organizing communities, absorbing new groups, and living within the varna and jati system regarding marriage, professions, and dietary rules.

Kumarajiva

A translator and scholar who translated Buddhist texts into Chinese, clarified Buddhist philosophy, and established Madhyamika (Middle Way) Buddhism.

Emperor Xuanwu

The northern Chinese emperor under whose rule Buddhism was adopted as a state religion.

Xuanzang

A Buddhist pilgrim and scholar who brought a library of Buddhist texts to China and translated them.

Bantus

The most expansionist of sub-Saharan African peoples who migrated in two major waves, shifted from hunting and gathering to settled agriculture, and introduced the banana plant.

Eastern Bantu Communities

Sub-Saharan Bantu-speaking regions organized as centralized polities led by a king ruling by divine right.

Western Bantu Communities

Sub-Saharan Bantu-speaking societies organized as small-scale communities based on family, clan connections, age groups, ruling elders, and leaders chosen for their talents.