Unit 0 - Prologue: History before 1200 C.E.

Patriarchy

Domination by males

Agricultural Revolution

Humans begin to plant crops and raise animals for food

Mesopotamia

World’s first civilization located around Tigris and Euphrates rivers

City-state

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

Egypt

an early civilization in the Nile River valley

Indus River Valley Cities

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro traded with Mesopotamia

China

A highly patriarchal and centralized civilization along the Huang He River

Non-River Valley Civilizations

Olmec in Mesoamerica and Chavin in the Andes were complex societies that participated in trade

Hinduism

Polytheistic or monotheistic religion that believed that a person’s soul is reborn and will eventually escape the cycle of rebirth

Zoroastrianism

Monotheistic religion from Persia focused on free will and the battle between good and evil

Judaism

Monotheistic religion which believed that God would consider believers his chosen people

Silk Roads

Eurasian land routes where goods and ideas flowed

Buddhism

Monotheistic religion that believed in reflection to end the cycle of reincarnation

Mauryan Empire

First period of unity in South Asia and its high point was led by Ashoka

Gupta Empire

Second period of unity in South Asia aka the Golden Age of India which was under a centralized government

Mandate of Heaven

The idea that heaven justified an emperor and his family to rule China

Confucius

Philosopher whose teachings affected Chinese beliefs and values more than any other philosophy

Daoism

Religion that focused on how people could live in harmony with nature

Qin Dynasty

A period of stability where China’s population established centralized control

Han Dynasty

One period of stability where China’s population grew

Persian Empire

A large empire in Persia started under the leadership of Cyrus the Great

Greece

Empire divided into about 1000 city-states with people who believed in many deities

Rome/Roman Empire

Prosperous empire that borrowed heavily from the Greeks

Diaspora

The spreading of a specific group of people

Christianity

Monotheistic religion that believed that people could have good afterlife if they believed in Jesus

Byzantine Empire

The eastern half of the Roman Empire

Entrepôt

coastal trading center

Teotihuacan

An important civilization in the Americas with an urban area that prospered through trade

Mayans

The most influential classical civilization in the Americas located south of Teotihuacan

Indian Ocean Trade Networks

Ocean trade routes that went across the Indian Ocean

Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

Land exchange routes that went across the Sahara Desert

Islam

Monotheistic religion that followed revelations in a book called the Quran

Dar al-Islam

Area where Islam had united southern Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of India

Abbasid Caliphate

Caliphate with the most influential rulers of Dar al-Islam

Sui Dynasty

Ended the Han Dynasty and a period of turmoil

Tang Dynasty

Came after the Sui Dynasty and built itself on the Sui Dynasty’s accomplishments

Song Dynasty

Came after the Tang Dynasty and helped continue China’s golden age

Shogun

Powerful military leaders at the top of Japan’s hierarchy

Daimyos

Powerful landlords that followed the shogun in the social hierarchy

Shinto

Japan’s official religion that centered on ancestor and nature spirit worship

Ghana

West African kingdom that took became wealthy due to trans-Saharan trade routes

Great Zimbabwe

Large kingdom located in southeast Africa that dominated between the 12th and 15th century

Monsoon Winds

Seasonal winds that were utilized for trade

Roman Catholic Church

Branch of Christianity separate from the Orthodox Church

Orthodox Church

Branch of Christianity separate from the Roman Catholic Church

Mississippian Civilization

Flourished between the 8th century and 16th century with Cahokia, being a major trade hub

Toltecs

Mesoamerican civilization that emerged in the 10th century and adopted Mayan Practices

Civil Service Exam

Tested students on Confucian teachings and gave high-scorers prestigious bureaucratic jobs