4 Social Studies: Unit 4 Vocabulary

Golden Age

A period of time when a civilization has lots of wealth, new ideas, and art.

Bureaucracy

A system of government where the ruler assigns most tasks to government employees.

Monarchy

A system of government where one person (king or queen) makes all important decisions.

Dynasty

A family of monarchs that rules for many years. It usually passes down power to the monarch's children.

Mandate of Heaven

The idea that monarchs get permission to rule from heaven. Once a dynasty has lost this, a new dynasty can take over.

Qin Shi Huang Di

The first emperor of China. Responsible for the construction of the great Wall & the Terracotta warriors.

Terracotta Warriors

An army of 8,000 clay warriors built for the tomb of Qin Shi Huang Di in order to provide protection in the afterlife.

City-State

A city that governs itself.

Democracy

A system of government where the people have power.

Oligarchy

A system of government where power belongs to a small group of people.

Geography of Greece

Very mountainous. Living by the sea provided opportunities to fish & trade.

Olive Oil

A useful trade good in Ancient Greece. Was used in food or as lamp fuel.

Athens

A city-state that practiced Democracy. Women & enslaved people could not vote in Athens.

Sparta

A city-state that focused on its military. There was more equality between men & women than in Athens.

Mythology

A set of stories about gods & heroes that explained natural phenomena and taught lessons.

The Myth of Persephone & Hades

A story that explained why crops do not grow during the winter. Hades, god of the underworld, kidnapped Persephone, goddess of vegetation.

Republic

A form of government where citizens voted for government officials, but did not decide issues directly.

The Senate

A group of Roman officials, called senators, who made important government decisions as a group.

Consuls

A pair of two people who were elected by the Senate to rule Rome. They were only in charge for one year each.

Dictator

A person who is given total control over the government during emergencies. They were chosen by the Senate.

Plebeians

The majority of Romans. They were mostly poor and did not have a say in the government.

Patricians

A small group of Romans who were wealthy and controlled the government.

The 12 Tables

A set of laws which was supposed to be equal for Plebeians & Patricians, but restricted Women's rights.

Pompeii

A city which was covered in volcanic ash by Mt. Vesuvius. Many artifacts were perfectly preserved.