Ancient Civilizations Vocab - Modern World History Final (MP3)

This is just the VOCAB for the MP3 finals.

Dynasty

Dynasty

Families that pass the right to rule the nation from one generation to the next. The dynasties in order are Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han.

Calligraphy

The art of writing Chinese characters in an artistic way.

Emperor

The supreme leader of an empire.

Confucianism

A philosophy and religious belief system based on the teachings of Confucius.

Aryans

Migrated into the area and conquered local peoples. Developed superior weaponry and technology. This is Present in Xia dynasty.

Silk Road

A network of trade routes connecting ancient China to the rest of the world.

Xia

First dynasty ruled China from around 2100 B.C.E. until around 1800 B.C.E. Many historians however do not consider it a true dynasty.

Daoism

A Chinese philosophical and religious tradition emphasizing the natural order of things

Shang

Often considered the first true dynasty, and ruled China from around 1500 B.C.E. until 1100 B.C.E. thirty separate kings ruled from a succession of seven different capitals. Invention of writing came from this period.

The four noble truths

Fundamental teachings of Buddhism, which explain the nature of suffering, its causes, the possibilities of its cessation and the path towards the cessation of suffering thought the Eight fold Path.

Zhou

Defeated and overthrew the Shang dynasty. Was the longest lasting dynasty that ruled for 800 years. They maintained control over the people effectively and set up a new economy, rearranging the affairs in the kingdom. Also hired noblemen and they grew in power.

The Eight fold Path

A set of principles in Buddhism that lays out the steps to achieve enlightenment and end suffering, including right understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

QIn

The Zhou dynasty got overthrown by a guy named Qin. Lasted only 11 years and reorganized the affairs of China by making a centralized government (gave him more power.) Strengthened the military and built the great wall of china, also helped develop more writing structure.

Buddhism

A religion and philosophy originating from ancient India which spread into ancient China.

Han

Ruled China for 400 years and were one of the wealthiest and powerful dynasties on earth. Practiced a lot of exploration, trade, and invented many things.

Pax Sinica

Refers to the period of relative peace and stability in East Asia under the influence and leadership of China, particularly during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Mandate Of Heaven

The right to rule a nation through god/heavens. If you do a bad job ruling you get punished.

Laoizm

A Chinese philosopher and the author of the Tao Te Ching, a seminal work in Taoist philosophy that advocates living in harmony with the Tao, or the natural order of the universe.

Great Wall Of China

Built during the Qin dynasty to protect the land and make invasion harder to achieve and control who got in and out of the territory.

Qin Shihuangd

The person who ruled the Qin dynasty, considered the first emperor.