History Before 1200 CE Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering early human development, first civilizations, major world religions, classical empires, and post-classical civilizations based on Unit 0 lecture notes.

Animism

A system of religious beliefs involving reverence for deities associated with features of nature, such as animals, specific mountains, or rivers.

Agricultural Revolution

A major transformation around $8000\text{ B.C.E.}$ when humans began planting crops and raising animals, leading to food surpluses, population growth, and job specialization.

City-state

An independent state formed by a city and its surrounding territory, prominent in ancient Mesopotamia.

Ziggurats

Monumental religious temples constructed by city-states in ancient Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform

The first written language in history, invented by the Sumerians to record laws, trade, and taxes.

Pharaoh

A centralized ruler in ancient Egypt who held total power in the Nile River valley.

Caste System

A rigid social hierarchy taught in the Vedas that divided society into defined classes (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Sudras, and Untouchables) and prohibited social mobility.

Zoroastrianism

An early monotheistic faith developed in Persia that focused on human free will and the eternal struggle between good and evil.

Four Noble Truths

The foundational summary of Buddhist doctrines that aims to eliminate desire and suffering by following the Eightfold Path.

Nirvana

The peaceful bliss and ultimate goal in Buddhism achieved through enlightenment, ending the cycle of reincarnation.

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese concept originating in the Zhou Dynasty that a universal force justified an emperor's rule, with natural disasters serving as signs that legitimacy was lost.

Filial Piety

The duty of individuals to honor their ancestors, heavily emphasized in Confucian philosophy.

Civil Service Exam

A merit-based examination system established under the Han Dynasty that required applicants to analyze Confucian texts to qualify for government bureaucracy positions.

Twelve Tables

Publicly displayed written laws in ancient Rome created to protect individual rights and limit abuses of government power.

Entrepôt

A coastal trading center where goods are imported, stored, and exported, such as post-classical Constantinople.

Justinian Code

A comprehensive consolidation of Roman law commissioned by Emperor Justinian the Great that served as the foundation of European legal codes.

Five Pillars of Islam

The core religious practices of Islam recorded in the Qur'an: belief in Allah, ritual prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Sharia

The law code based on the Qur'an that regulates both religious and civic life in Islamic society.

Dar al-Islam

The 'House of Islam', referring to territories united under Islamic faith and rule across Southern Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of India.

Jizya

An extra tax required from non-Muslim subjects in the Abbasid Caliphate to allow them to maintain their faith.

Grand Canal

A water system stretching over $1000\,\text{miles}$ built during the Sui Dynasty to connect southern agricultural regions with northern population centers.

Tributary System

The Chinese foreign relations framework requiring foreign states to submit to Chinese rule and pay tribute in exchange for trading privileges.

Neo-Confucianism

A syncretic philosophy that emerged under the Tang and Song Dynasties, combining Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.

Shogun

A supreme military general standing at the top of feudal Japan's political and social hierarchy.

Shinto

The official native religion of Japan focused on the veneration of spirits in nature and ancestor worship.

Where did humans originate?

East Africa

What does Peleothic mean?

Old stone age

What was the main lifestyle during the Paleolithic Era?

Hunting and gathering

Why were hunter-gatherers generally nomadic?

They moved to follow available food, water, plants, and animals.