AP World History – Unit 1 Vocab (Foundations & Classical 800 BCE–600 CE)

Administrative

Systems and processes to organize and run a government. Example: Egypt used scribes and officials to collect taxes.

Agrarian

Societies that rely on farming for food and economy. Example: Indus Valley people grew wheat and barley.

Animal Husbandry

Raising and caring for domestic animals. Example: Mesopotamians raised sheep and goats.

Animism

Belief that nature (trees, rivers, animals) has spirits. Example: Early African and Native religions believed spirits lived in nature.

Artisan

Skilled worker who makes things by hand. Example: Sumerians made pottery and jewelry.

Ascetic

Person who lives a simple life with self-discipline. Example: Buddhist monks in India practiced meditation and poverty.

Bureaucracy

A system where officials run the government. Example: Han China used civil service officials to manage the empire.

Caste

Social system dividing people by birth. Example: India divided society into Brahmins, warriors, merchants, and workers.

Civilization

Complex society with cities, government, and culture. Example: Mesopotamia had cities, writing, and kings.

Codification

Writing down and organizing laws. Example: Hammurabi’s Code in Mesopotamia.

Commerce

The activity of trade and exchange of goods. Example: Silk Road trade between China and Rome.

Cultivation

Preparing and using land to grow crops. Example: Olmecs in Mesoamerica grew maize.

Decentralized

Power spread across smaller states or leaders. Example: Ancient Greece had city-states like Athens and Sparta.

Diaspora

Scattering of a people from their homeland. Example: Jews spread after Babylonian conquest.

Divine

Related to gods or seen as sacred. Example: Pharaohs in Egypt were seen as divine rulers.

Domesticated

Plants and animals adapted for human use. Example: Rice in China and wheat in Mesopotamia were domesticated.

Edict

Official law or command. Example: Ashoka’s Edicts spread Buddhism in India.

Egalitarian

Equal treatment of all people. Example: Hunter-gatherer groups were more equal between men and women.

Empire

A large state that controls many regions and people. Example: Roman Empire ruled Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Empirical

Based on observation and evidence. Example: Greek doctors like Hippocrates studied medicine using observation.

Filial piety

Respect for parents and elders. Example: Confucian China taught children to honor parents.

Foraging

Searching for food in nature (hunting and gathering). Example: Paleolithic people hunted animals and gathered fruits.

Fortifications

Defensive walls or structures for protection. Example: Great Wall of China was built for defense.

Hierarchical

A system with ranks or levels. Example: Egypt’s society had pharaohs, nobles, and peasants.

Imperial

Expansion of control over other lands and people. Example: Persian Empire conquered Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Asia Minor.

Innovation

New ideas, tools, or methods. Example: Mesopotamians invented the wheel.

Interregional

Interaction between different regions. Example: Silk Road connected China and Rome.

Intraregional

Interaction within one region. Example: Mayans traded maize and jade in Mesoamerica.

Maritime

Connected to the sea or seafaring trade. Example: Phoenicians traded by ships in the Mediterranean.

Metallurgy

Working with metals to make tools or weapons. Example: Hittites used iron weapons.

Monasticism

Religious life of monks living apart from society. Example: Buddhist monks lived in monasteries in India and China.

Monotheism

Belief in one god. Example: Hebrews believed in one God (Judaism).

Monsoon

Seasonal wind bringing rain or drought. Example: India depended on summer monsoons for farming.

Pastoralism

Way of life based on herding animals. Example: Central Asian nomads raised horses and sheep.

Pathogen

Germ or disease-causing organism. Example: Plagues weakened the Roman and Byzantine Empires.

Patriarchy

Society where men hold most power. Example: In Athens, men ruled and women had few rights.

Polytheism

Belief in many gods. Example: Greeks worshipped Zeus, Athena, Apollo.

Secular

Not connected to religion. Example: Roman law was mostly secular.

Staple

Basic food in a diet. Example: Rice in China, maize in Mesoamerica.

Stratified

Divided into social classes. Example: Mesopotamia had kings, priests, merchants, farmers, slaves.

Stupa

Buddhist shrine holding relics. Example: Stupas built in India under Ashoka.

Surplus

Extra food produced beyond need. Example: Mesopotamian farmers grew surplus grain for trade.

Transregional

Across many regions. Example: Silk Road trade linked Asia, Middle East, and Europe.

Veneration

Great respect or worship. Example: Chinese honored ancestors through rituals.

Vernacular

Common everyday language. Example: People in the Mediterranean spoke Greek (koiné) for trade.