History Before 1200 C.E. Lecture Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the prologue of world history, from human origins and the Agricultural Revolution through the Classical and Postclassical eras up to 1200 C.E.

Animism

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

Patriarchy

A social system characterized by domination by males.

Agricultural Revolution

A development beginning around $8000\,\text{B.C.E.}$ in the Middle East where humans began to plant crops and raise animals, leading to food surpluses and population growth.

City-state

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

Ziggurats

Monumental religious temples built by civilizations in Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform

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

Hieroglyphics

The writing system developed by the ancient Egyptians in the Nile River valley.

Vedas

Ancient Hindu scriptures brought by the Aryans that taught the ideas of reincarnation and the organization of society into castes.

Zoroastrianism

An early form of monotheism developed in Persia focusing on human free will and the eternal battle between good and evil.

Jewish Diaspora

The spreading of Jews from the Middle East to lands throughout northern Africa and Europe due to Roman persecution.

Buddhism

A universalizing religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) that seeks to eliminate suffering by following the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Mauryan Empire

The first period of unity in South Asia ($322\,\text{B.C.E.}-187\,\text{B.C.E.}$), which reached its high point under the rule of Ashoka.

Gupta Empire

A centralized government in India ($c.\,320\,\text{C.E.}$ to $c.\,550\,\text{C.E.}$) known as the Golden Age of India for its advancements in medicine and the numbering system of $0$ through $9$.

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese concept that a universal force provided the justification for an emperor and his family to rule, a right that could be lost through corruption or natural disasters.

Confucianism

A philosophy based on the teachings of K’ung Fu-tzu emphasizing education, benevolence, virtue, respect for authority, and filial piety.

Filial Piety

The Confucian duty of people to honor their ancestors.

Daoism

A Chinese philosophy focused on living in harmony with nature through internal reflection.

Qin Dynasty

A short-lived dynasty ($221\,\text{B.C.E.}-207\,\text{B.C.E.}$) that standardized Chinese script and established a uniform system of weights and measures.

Han Dynasty

A Chinese Golden Age ($206\,\text{B.C.E.}-220\,\text{C.E.}$) that created the civil service exam and produced inventions like the magnetic compass, paper, and the sternpost rudder.

Hellenistic world

The region where Greek culture was spread by the army of Alexander the Great across Egypt, Persia, and east to India.

Twelve Tables

The publicly displayed written laws of Rome intended to protect individual rights and provide a check on government power.

Justinian Code

A consolidation of Roman law created by Justinian the Great that served as the foundation of European legal knowledge until the $19\text{th}$ century.

Teotihuacan

One of the largest cities in the world by the $6\text{th}$ century $C.E.$, located near modern-day Mexico City, featuring streets on a grid and temples to the sun and moon.

Five Pillars of Islam

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

Sharia

An Islamic law code based on the Qur'an that regulates both religious and civic behavior.

Sunni Muslims

The majority branch of Islam that believes the caliph could be selected from any leader in the Islamic community.

Shi'a Muslims

A branch of Islam that believes the caliph should be a blood relative of Muhammad.

Abbasid Caliphate

A golden age of Islamic culture ($750–1258$) centered in Baghdad where algebra was developed and Greek and Roman texts were preserved.

Jizya

An additional tax paid by non-Muslims in the Abbasid Caliphate to keep their faith.

Sui Dynasty

The dynasty ($581-618$) that reconstituted centralized government in China and constructed the Grand Canal.

Tributary System

The Chinese idea that surrounding kingdoms should pay tribute and submit to Chinese rule in exchange for trading privileges.

Neo-Confucianism

A melding of Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist philosophies that became popular during the Song Dynasty.

Shogun

A top-ranking military general in the Japanese political and social hierarchy.

Daimyos

Powerful land-owning nobles in Japan who were served by samurai warriors.

Shinto

Japan's official religion centered on the veneration of ancestors and nature spirits.

Great Zimbabwe

A large kingdom in the southeast part of Africa that dominated the region between the $12\text{th}$ and $15\text{th}$ centuries.

EntrepAt

A coastal trading center, such as Constantinople, where raw goods and finished products are imported and exported.

Mississippian civilization

A North American culture near present-day St. Louis that featured the city of Cahokia, a major trade hub flourishing between the $8\text{th}$ and $16\text{th}$ centuries.