Florida 6th Grade World History Study Guide

A vocabulary-focused study guide covering historical inquiry, geography, and various world civilizations as part of the Florida 6th Grade World History curriculum.

history

The study of the human past.

archaeology

The study of past people through artifacts and physical remains.

artifact

An object made or used by people.

primary source

Evidence created during the time being studied, such as a letter, law, coin, or photograph.

secondary source

A later explanation or analysis, such as a textbook or documentary.

chronology

The order in which events happened.

BCE / CE

Before Common Era / Common Era.

century

A period of $100$ years.

millennium

A period of $1,000$ years.

bias

A preference or point of view that can influence a source.

absolute location

An exact position, often expressed with latitude and longitude.

relative location

Where a place is compared with another place.

physical map

A map that shows landforms and bodies of water.

political map

A map that shows human-made boundaries, countries, and cities.

region

An area united by shared physical or cultural characteristics.

migration

The movement of people from one place to another.

cultural diffusion

The spread of ideas, beliefs, technologies, foods, or customs between cultures.

human-environment interaction

How people depend on, adapt to, and change their environment.

Paleolithic Life

Characterized by nomadic hunter-gatherers living in small groups with simple portable tools and little stored food.

Neolithic Life

Characterized by permanent farming settlements, larger populations, food surplus, and improved tools like pottery and metallurgy.

Mesopotamia

Known as the "Land Between the Rivers," located in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Southwest Asia.

Sumer

A Mesopotamian civilization that developed city-states, cuneiform writing, irrigation, the wheel, and ziggurats.

Hammurabi

Babylonian king known for a written law code with punishments that depended partly on social class.

theocracy

A government in which religious authority and political power are connected.

hieroglyphics

A system of writing used by ancient Egyptians.

Narmer/Menes

The figure traditionally credited with unifying Upper and Lower Egypt.

Hatshepsut

A female pharaoh who encouraged trade and building.

Akhenaten

A pharaoh who promoted worship focused on Aten.

Tutankhamun

A young pharaoh whose tomb revealed much about Egyptian life.

Ramses II

A powerful pharaoh known for military campaigns and monuments.

monotheism

The belief in one God, a distinguishing feature of Judaism.

Torah

The sacred teachings and laws of Judaism, including the Ten Commandments.

Phoenicians

Skilled sailors and merchants whose phonetic alphabet influenced later Greek and Roman writing systems.

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

Major cities of the Indus Valley Civilization featuring planned streets and sewer systems.

Olmec

An early Mesoamerican culture known for colossal stone heads.

Maya

Mesoamerican civilization with city-states, writing, pyramids, and mathematics including the concept of $0$.

Aztec

A powerful empire centered at Tenochtitlan that used a tribute system and chinampa agriculture.

Inca

An empire in the Andes known for roads, terraces, suspension bridges, and quipu recordkeeping.

Athens

A Greek city-state known for direct democracy for eligible male citizens and valuing education in arts and citizenship.

Sparta

A Greek city-state with an oligarchic and military government that emphasized discipline and warfare.

Peloponnesian War

A conflict between Athens and Sparta that resulted in a Spartan victory but weakened all of Greece.

Hellenistic culture

A blend of Greek ideas with Egyptian, Persian, and Asian cultures following Alexander the Great's conquests.

Socrates

A philosopher known for his questioning method and examination of beliefs.

Plato

A philosopher and student of Socrates who wrote The Republic.

Aristotle

A philosopher who studied logic, science, and ethics, and taught Alexander the Great.

Pericles

The leader of Athens during its Golden Age who supported democracy.

Hippocrates

A figure associated with the development of observation and ethics in medicine.

Alexander the Great

A leader who spread Greek culture across a vast empire.

Roman Republic

A system of government with elected officials, a Senate, assemblies, consuls, and checks on power.

Twelve Tables

Written laws that were made public during the Roman Republic.

Patricians

Wealthy elites in Roman society.

Plebeians

Common citizens in Roman society.

Punic Wars

A series of wars in which Rome defeated Carthage to become the leading Mediterranean power.

Pax Romana

A period of relative peace and stability beginning with the rule of Octavian/Augustus.

Constantine

The Roman emperor who granted Christianity legal protection.

Hinduism

A religion featuring concepts such as Brahman, dharma, karma, reincarnation, and moksha.

caste system

A social structure in India consisting of hereditary social groups that affected work and daily life.

Buddhism

A religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama based on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Ashoka

A Mauryan emperor who promoted Buddhism and moral rule through edicts and monuments.

Gupta Empire

An Indian empire remembered for advances in the decimal system, $0$, medicine, and astronomy.

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese belief that rulers kept authority only while governing justly.

dynastic cycle

The historical pattern in China where a dynasty rises, prospers, weakens, and is replaced.

Shi Huangdi

The Qin ruler who unified China through standardization and strict Legalism.

Silk Roads

Trade networks that moved goods like silk, technologies, and religions across Eurasia.

Confucianism

A philosophy teaching that social harmony grows from education, duty, and respectful relationships.

Daoism

A philosophy suggesting people should live simply and in harmony with the Dao and nature.

Legalism

A philosophy stating that strong laws and harsh punishments are necessary to maintain order.

traditional economy

An economic system where customs and habits determine production and work.

command economy

An economic system where rulers or governments control major economic decisions.

specialization

A process where people focus on particular jobs to improve skill and productivity.

scarcity

The condition where resources are limited, forcing societies to make choices.

oligarchy

A government controlled by a small group.

democracy

A government in which citizens participate in decision-making.

republic

A government in which citizens elect representatives or officials to govern.