Classical Period, c. 600 BCE to 600 CE (Part 1)

Diplomacy

negotiation between nations

Aristocratic

belonging to or characteristic of the nobility

Articulate

express or state clearly

Authoritarian

expecting unquestioning obedience

Levy

the act of drafting into military service

Bureaucrat

A nonelective government official

Commodity

Any good that can be bought and sold

Urbanization

The condition of being transformed into a city

Commerce

transactions supplying goods and services

Detachment

lack of emotion or interest

Practitioner

Someone who carries out a learned profession

Inaugurate

commence (start) officially

rectify

make right or correct

cavalry

troops trained to fight on horseback

incentive

a positive motivational influence

kinfolk

a person's relatives, collectively

unprecedented

novel (new); having no earlier occurrence

alienation

separation, often resulting from hostility

reverent

feeling or showing profound respect or veneration

earnest

devout or heartfelt

restraint

discipline in personal and social activities

subconscious

just below the level of awareness

magistrate

a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law

caste

a hereditary social class among Hindus

salvation

the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil

karma

effects of one's actions that determine his or her destiny

ethical

adhering to moral principles

sage

a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics

monastic

relating to life in an isolated religious community

diffusion

the act of dispersing something

tributary

paying money, as for protection

patronage

the act of providing approval and support

avatar

the manifestation of a Hindu deity in human or animal form

centralization

the act of consolidating power under a single authority

doctrine

a belief accepted as authoritative by some group or school

liberation

the act of freeing someone or something

flux

a state of constant change

obscurity

an unimportant and not well known standing

retrospect

contemplation of things past

conception

an abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances

formalize

declare or make legally valid

empirical

derived from experiment and observation rather than theory

deduction

reasoning from the general to the particular

legislative

of or relating to or created by law

cosmopolitan

composed of people from many parts of the world

administer

supervise or be in charge of

stoic

someone who is seemingly indifferent to emotions

convergence

the occurrence of two or more things coming together

successor

a person who inherits some title or office

accountability

responsibility to someone or for some activity