Foundation of Society and State Flashcards

A set of flashcards covering foundational concepts of human society, state building, Greek city-states, and the Roman Republic based on lecture notes.

Narratives

Stories and history we tell about our past.

Perspectives

Refers to who tells the story and whose story it is.

Ethnocentrism

Emphasizing or evaluating other cultures based on one's own culture.

Prehistoric

The period of time before recorded history.

Before Common Era

Abbreviated as BC.

Common Era

Abbreviated as AD.

Neolithic Revolution

Also known as the First Agrarian Revolution, marked by farming becoming widespread.

Domestication

Taming animals and plants to human will.

Agrarian

Relating to farming and cultivating land.

Patriarchy

A social system dominated by male power.

Matriarchy

A social system dominated by female power.

Animism

A belief system centered on the idea that objects and nature possess spirits.

Deity

A god or goddess.

Polytheism

Belief in or worship of many gods, such as in Hinduism.

Pantheon

The collective gods belonging to a religion.

Monotheism

Belief in one God.

Cultural Diffusion

The spread of cultural beliefs and activities from one group to another.

Cultural Syncretism

When different cultures blend together to make a new culture.

Consensus

A general agreement that everyone agrees to.

Tyranny

Described as an adjective describing rule rather than a distinct type of government.

Meritocracy

A system where leadership is based on individual ability.

Urbanization

The process of building and developing a city.

City-State

An independent state consisting of a single city and its surrounding area.

Kingdom

A large geographical area under the control of a monarch.

Empire

A large area that encompasses many people and is ruled by a supreme leader.

Social Hierarchy

A system that ranks people within a society.

Barter

The system of trading goods directly without money.

Currency

Money used as a medium of exchange.

Development / Progress

The process of becoming more complex over time.

Job Specialization

A system where individuals focus on specific, specialized jobs.

Cyrus Cylinder

An ancient cylinder stamp inscribed with laws.

Bronze Age Collapse

A large-scale societal collapse in the Mediterranean region during the 12th century BCE.

The Iliad

The oldest surviving book in Western culture.

The Olympics

Ancient Greek religious and athletic practices.

Greco-Persian Wars

Conflicts between Greece and Persia representing East versus West.

The Parthenon

The largest temple in ancient Greece.

Alexander the Great

A famous conqueror whose father was King Philip.

Hellenism

A culture combining Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian influences, dominated by Greek culture ($90\%$ Greek).

Latin

The language spoken and written in ancient Rome.

Patricians

Wealthy, land-owning upper-class citizens in Rome.

Plebeians

The common working-class citizens in ancient Rome.

The Forum

A public building and plaza space in Rome used for parades and civic gatherings.

Pater Familias

The oldest living male in a household who held ultimate authority.

Roman Republic

A political system where Roman citizens elected government leaders, restricted strictly to free-born male citizens.

Struggle of the Orders

A conflict where plebeians went on strike demanding written laws from the patricians.

The Twelve Tables

The first written body of laws in ancient Rome.

Tribune

A elected representative of the plebeians protected by law, carrying a death penalty if harmed or killed.

Patronage System

A social system where a citizen asks a Patrician for favors in exchange for personal loyalty.

Equites

A new Roman social class consisting of cavalry soldiers (horse soldiers).

Greek City-States Characteristics

A summary table outlining Greek city-state features including polytheistic religion, democracy, columns, and patriarchy.