AP World History-Midterm Review Terms Rowland

Neanderthal

A type of human common in Europe some 40,000 years ago, and in parts of western and central Asia. Homo Sapiens displaces Neanderthals.

Jericho

Town on the west bank of the Jordan River, that has been excavated. The excavations reveal a large and elaborate early agricultural settlement. Had defensive fortifications, and dates back to 8,000 BCE.

Catal Huyuk

Town in Central Anatolia(Turkey) that has been excavated. Larger than Jericho, and dates back to 7,000-5,000 B.C.E. Covers 32 acres, and had no defensive fortifications. Prospered from long-distance trade, but agriculture was basis. People practiced religion.

Venus Figurines

Number of prehistoric statuettes of women portrayed with similar physical attributes from the Upper Palaeolithic, mostly found in Europe, but with finds as far east as Siberia, extending their distribution to much of Eurasia. Carved from stone, clay, bone or ivory. Date back to 35,000 years ago.

Cro-Magnon

The first early modern humans (homo sapiens) of the European Upper Paleolithic. The earliest known remains date back to 35,000 years ago. Robustly built and powerful, first humans to have prominent chin, and co-existed with Neanderthals.

Agricultural Transition

Change from hunting and gathering to agriculture. The aftermath of the Great Ice Age, The Holocene. Between 6,000 and 2,000 BCE many people adopted agriculture, when the earth was warm. The adoption of agriculture increased population.

Ziggurats

A massive pyramid stepped tower made of mud bricks. It is associated with religious complexes in ancient Mesopotamian cities, but its function is unknown.

Cuneiform

A system of writing in which symbols represented words or syllables. It originated in Mesopotamia and was used initially for Sumerian and Akkadian, but later was adapted to represent other languages of western Asia. It was confined to a small group of administrators and scribes. Originally used for economic purposes.

Hieroglyphics

A system of writing where pictorial symbols represented sounds, syllables, or concepts. It was used for official and monumental inscriptions in ancient Egypt. Literacy was confined to a small group of scribes and administrators. Cursive symbols were developed for composition on papyrus.

Epic of Gilgamesh

Epic poem from Mesopotamia, and one of the earliest works of literature. Developed as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the protagonist of the story, Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and was fashioned into an Akkadian Epic later.

Lex talionis

The meaning of the principle, an eye for an eye. A person who has injured another receives the same compensation or punishment. Most famously used in the Code of Hammurabi.

Menes

An ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the early dynastic period, credited by classical tradition with having united Upper and Lower Egypt, and as the founder of the first dynasty (Dynasty I). Theories identify Menes with Namar.

Sargon of Akkad

He was an Akkadian emperor famous for his conquest of the Sumerian city-states in the 23rd and 22nd centuries BC.[2] The founder of the Dynasty of Akkad, Sargon reigned from 2270 to 2215 BC. Killed the king and usurped the throne.

Hammurabi

Amorite ruler of of Babylon. He conquered many city-states in southern and northern Mesopotamia and is best known for his code of law, illustrating the principles to be used in legal cases.

Hatshepsut

Fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. She was a woman and queen, and dispatched a naval expedition down the Red Sea to, Punt for myrrh. After her death her name and image were frequently defaced.

Akhenaton

An Egyptian pharaoh. He built a new capital at Amarna, fostered a new style of naturalistic art, and created a religious revolution by imposing worship of the sun-disk. The Amarna letters are mostly from his reign.

Law Book of Manu(Manusmṛti)

It is the most important and earliest metrical work of the Dharmaśāstra textual tradition of Hinduism. he text presents itself as a discourse given by Manu, the progenitor of mankind to a group of seers, or rishis, who beseech him to tell them the "law of all the social classes. Ancient law book, and defines gender roles.

Rig Veda

The most celebrated and earliest of the four Vedic collections is the Rig Veda, a compilation of 1,017 songs, which probably was largely put together in the form we know it between 1200 and 900 B.C.E., although it contains many elements that stretch back to long before the Aryans arrived in India.

Upanishads

Philosophical texts considered to be an early text of Hindu Religion. More than 200 are known, and the first dozen are the most important and oldest. They are known as the mukyha Upanishads.They interpret concept of Vedas.

Brahmins

In the Indian Caste System, the group comprising priests and scholars. Highest of the four groups.

Kshatriyas

The group comprising warriors and officials or military and ruling elite.

Vaishyas

The group comprising merchants, artisans, and landowners.

Shudras

Group comprising peasants and laborers. Lowest of four classes, they serve people of superior caste.

Aryans

Group who arrived in Indian from Iran and southern Russia at about 1500 BCE. The caste system is to believed have been established by Aryans. They tend to be lighter skinned than Dravidians.

Dravidian

Original people of Indian, and have originated in Indian before the Aryans. Dravidians mainly resided in southern India.

Mohenjo-Daro

Largest of the cities of the Indus Valley Civilization. It was centrally located in the floodplain of the Indus River in Pakistan. Large- scale construction, and bastardization of building reveal central planning.

Harappa

Site of one of the greatest cities of the Indus Valley Civilization of the third millenium BCE. It was located on the northwest frontier of the zone of cultivation and may have been the center for the acquisition of raw materials.

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese religious and political ideology developed by the Zhou, where the chief deity granted power to ruler of China, but could also take it away if the ruler failed to conduct himself justly.

Xia Dynasty

The first dynasty in China to be described in ancient historical chronicles from (2070-1600 BCE). Established by Yu the Great.

Shang Dynasty

The dominant people in the earliest Chinese Dynasty(second dynasty) for which we have written records (1750-1027 BCE). Ancestor worship, divination and the use of bronze vessels for rituals were major elements. Warrior aristocracy.

Zhou Dynasty

The people and dynasty that took over the dominant position in north China from the Shang and created the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule. The Zhou Era was remembered in Chinese Tradition as a time of prosperity and benevolent rule. In later Zhou period centralized control broke down and there was war among small states.

Qin Dynasty

A people and a state in the Wei Valley of eastern China that conquered rival states and created the first Chinese empire(221-206 BCE). The ruler, Shi Huangdi, standardized many features and ruthlessly marshalled subjects for military and construction projects.

Oracle bones

Piece of tortoise shell or shoulder bone of an animal that was touched with the heated point of a stick. It would crack and read a message from the spirit world. It was used as divination during the late Shang Period.

Huang He River(Yellow River)

The second-longest river in China (after the Yangtze) and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of 5,464 kilometers.The Yellow River is called "the cradle of Chinese civilization" as its basin - specifically, the Wei valley that cuts across the long Ordos loop - was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilizations and the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. Home to Zhou and Shang Dynasty.

Yanzi River

The longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. From the Han dynasty it gained importance.Along with the Yellow River, the Yangtze is the most important river in the history, culture and economy of China.

Olmec

The first Mesoamerican civilization. Between 1200-400 BCE the Olmec people of central Mexico create d a civilization that included agriculture and trade and construction. Had great cultural influences on later societies such as religious imagery, ball games, and calender.

Mayan

Mesoamerican civilization concentrated in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, but never unified into a single empire. Major contributions were in mathematics, astronomy, and the development of the calender.

Chavin cult

The first major urban civilization in South America (900-250 BCE). It capital was located high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Became politically and economically dominant in a densely populated region.

Mesoamerica

A region of great geographic and climate diversity. It incorporates Mexico and northern central America. Home to Olmec, Maya, Aztec, etc.

San Lorenzo

The cultural core of the early Olmec civilization from 1200-900 BCE.

Achaemenid(Persian Empire)

It ruled significant portions of the ancient world from Indus Valley in East to Macedon in West and included Egypt. Conflict with Greek city states and was beaten by Alexander the Great. Zoroastrianism reached it and had rulers like Darius. Was the biggest empire in its time.

Satrapy

Governors of a province in the Achaemenid Persian Empire, often a relative of the king. He was responsible for the protection of the province and for tributes to the central administration. In outlying provinces they enjoyed autonomy.

Zoroastrianism

A religion originating in ancient Iran with the prophet Zoroaster. It centered on a single deity -Ahuramazda- who engaged in a twelve-thousand year struggle with demonic forces. It demanded that humans choose between good and evil. The religion of the Persian and Sasanid empires, it influenced the Abrahamic religions and other faiths.

Ahura Mazda

The main deity of Zoroastrianism. He eventually destroys evil, and his evil counterpart is Angra Mainyu. First appeared in Persian period.

Cyrus

Living from (600-530 BCE). He is the founder of the Persian Empire, and he conquered Media, Lydia, and Babylon. He employed Persians and Medes in his administration and respected the institutions and beliefs of his subjects.

Darius

Lived from (558-486 BCE). He was the third ruler of the Persian Empire. HE crushed the widespread initial resistance to his rule and gave all government posts to Persians instead of Medes. Established a system of Provinces and tributes, began construction of Persepolis, and expanded Persian control.

Xerxes

Persian king who succeeded his father on the Persian throne in 486 BCE, who descended into central and southern Greece. He controlled it.

Anatolia

Anatolia is modern day Turkey and Asia Minor. Home to the Assyrians, the Hittites, the Byzantine Empire, the Selecuids and the Ottoman Turks.

Ionia

An ancient region of central, coastal Anatolia. Home to pre-socratic philosophers and home to logographers. Was under control of the Persian and Macedonian Empire. Cities in this region were in the between Persian and Greek conflicts.

Marathon

A town in Greece, the site of the battle of Marathon in 490 BC, in which the heavily outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians. The name of the athletic long-distance endurance race, the "marathon", comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek runner , who was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been miraculously defeated in the Battle of Marathon.

Confucianism

A Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It was restablished by the Sui. Hierarchy is innate in the order of the universe and patterns of human society should echo and harmonize with the cycles of the natural world. Emphasis on Duty.

Daoism

Chinese school of thought, origination in the Warring States Period with Laozi (604-531 BCE). An alternative to Confucianism, it teaches that the world is always changing and is devoid of absolute morality or meaning, and to deviate as little as possible from the Dao, or path of nature.

Legalism

A political philosophy that emphasized the unruliness of human nature and justified state coercion and control. The Qin ruling class invoked it to validate the nature of their regime. It was Superseded by Confucian doctrine in Han era.

Filial Piety

One of the Confucian ideals,which is to be held above all else, which states a respect for the parents and the ancestors. First virtue in Chinese Culture

Sericulture

Also called silk farming, it is the rearing of silkworms for the production of silk. Dates back to 2700 BCE.

Mencius

Chinese philosopher who was the most famous Confucian after Confucius. He argued against Legalism, and made Confucianism teaching much better known.

Qin Shihuangdi

Founder of the short lived Qin dynasty and creator of the Chinese Empire. He his remembered for his ruthless conquests, standardization of practices.

Han Wudi

Seventh Emperor of the Han Dynasty.Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under his reign, as well as the strong and centralized Confucian state he organized. He is cited in Chinese history as the greatest emperor of the Han dynasty and one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history. Emperor Wu's effective governance made the Han Dynasty one of, if not by itself, the most powerful nation in the world.

Jainism

An Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state of supreme being is called a jina the conqueror or the victor. The ultimate status of these perfect souls is called siddha. Parshva is the earliest Jain leader.

Siddhartha Gautama

An Indian prince who renounced his wealth and social position. After becoming enlighted he enunciated the principles of Buddhism.

Mahabharata

One of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa. Is about the Kuruksheta War and contains much philosophical and devotional material and discusses the four goals of life or purusharthas.

Ramayana

It is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon. It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king and tells the story of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. Dharma is explored

Bhagavad-Gita

A 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text. It is a conversation between Lord Krishna and the Pandava prince Arjuna taking place in the middle of the battlefield before the start of the Kurukshetra War .

Chandragupta Maurya

He was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor. He conquered Macedonian Satrapies and conquered Nanda Empire.

Ashoka

Third ruler of of the Mauryan Empire in India. He converted to Buddhism and broadcast his precepts on
inscribed stones and pillars.

Chandra Gupta II

He was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta empire. His rule spanned 375-413/15 CE, during which the Gupta Empire achieved its zenith. Ruled during Golden Age. Chandragupta II the Great was the son of the previous ruler, Samudragupta the Great. He attained success by pursuing both a favorable marital alliance and an aggressive expansionist policy.

Salamis

Battle fought between Greek city states and Persia in 480 BCE. Greeks blocked pass at Thermopylae while Athens navy engaged Persian navy. Many Persian ships were destroyed and it was a key victory for the Greeks.

Antigonid Empire

After the death of Alexander the Great, it was the kingdom that controlled Macedonia and parts of Northern Greece during the Hellenistic Age. It was a homogenous kingdom so there was little hostility.

Ptolemaic Empire

The Macedonian Dynasty that ruled Egypt for three centuries after the death of Alexander the Great. They had a magnificent capital at Alexandria, and took over system to extract wealth of land. Rewarded Greeks and Hellenized non-Greeks serving in the military.

Seleucid Empire

Empire that took over the bulk of Alexander's conquests, but faced the greatest challenges. They lost Iran to the Parthians, and the Indus Valley and Afghanistan split off. Maintained an administrative structure modeled on the Persians before them. They
founded Greek style cities throughout their domains.

Epicureans

Philosophy that believed that pleasure is the greatest good. But the way to attain pleasure was to live modestly and to gain knowledge of the workings of the world and the limits of one's desires.It emphasizes neutrality of Gods and flourished for many centuries. Everything is made from atoms. Believed in freedom
from fear. Based on teachings of Epicurus.

Skeptics

Pyrrho and his school were not actually "skeptics" in the later sense of the word. They had the goal of peace of mind and pitted one dogmatic philosophy against the next to undermine belief in the whole philosophic enterprise. The idea was to produce in the student a state of aversion towards what the Pyrrhonists considered arbitrary and inconsequential babble. Since no one can observe or otherwise experience causation, external world,ultimate purpose of the universe or life, justice, divinity, soul, etc., they declared no need to believe in such things. Critically examined meaning system of their time.

Stoics

Followers of stoicism. They believe virtue is the most important human attribute and that virtue depends on
the strength of the will. Stoicism teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of
overcoming destructive emotions

Socrates

Athenian philosopher who shifted the emphasis of philosophical investigation from questions of natural science to ethics and human behavior. Was executed for corruption of youth.

Plato

A Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science.

Aristotle

A Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects. Together with Plato and Socrates
Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy. Aristotle's writings were the first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, encompassing morality and aesthetics, logic and science, politics and metaphysics. Influence in Renaissance.

Alexander

A king of Macedon, a state in northern Greece. By the age of thirty, he had created one of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Himalayas. He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time. Alexander was tutored by the famed philosopher Aristotle.

Pericles

A prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. Turned the Delian League into an
an Athenian Empire. Fostered Democracy

Aeschylus

The first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived and is the father of tragedies. According to Aristotle, he expanded the number of characters in plays to allow for conflict amongst them.
Only seven of his works have survived. The oldest of
the three. Looked back to archaic Period. The Persians
is his play.

Sophocles

One of the three ancient Greek tragedians.His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and
earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides.
Seven tragedies have survived and he wrote Oedipus
and Antigone. In the middle of the transition.



.

Euripides

One of the 3 great tragedians. Is identified with theatrical innovations. Cornerstone with ancient literary education. last of the three. Inbred with new spirit of classical age. Medea is famous play.

Aristophanes

Comic playwright of Ancient Athens. His plays define the genre called Old Comedy.

Plebians

The general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Rome. In Rome plebeians could become quite wealthy and influential.

Patricians

A group of elite families in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman Empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire it remained a high honorary title in the Byzantine Empire.

Latifundas

The latifundia of Roman history were great landed estates, specializing in agriculture destined for export: grain, olive oil, or wine. They depended on slave labor.

Punic Wars

The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 B.C to 146 B.C.[1] At the time, they were probably the largest wars that had ever taken place. First time Rome struggled.

Judaism

The "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people.Originating in the Hebrew Bible. They believe in Yaweh and the founder is Abraham. Monothiestic religion.

Mithraism

A pagan religion consisting mainly of the cult of the ancient Indo-Iranian Sun-god Mithra. It entered Europe from Asia Minor after Alexander's conquest, spread rapidly over the whole Roman Empire at the beginning of our era, reached its zenith during the third century, and vanished under the repressive regulations of Theodosius at the end of the fourth century. Of late the researches of Cumont have brought it into prominence mainly because of its supposed similarity to Christianity.

Christianity

Abrahamic Religion founded by Jesus of Nazareth. Persecuted in the Early Roman Empire, but was made OK by Emperor Constantine. Belief in God and Holy Trinity. Monotheistic.

Julius Caesar

A Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He was murdered, and was a populist.

Augustus Caesar

First emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.[note 1] Born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, he was adopted posthumously by his great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BC via his last will and testament, and between then and 27 BC was officially named Gaius Julius Caesar.

Jesus of Nazareth

Commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity. His impact on the course of human history has been significant, affecting Christians, as well as others. Was known as a teacher and a healer. He was Jewish from
Galilee.

Paul of Tarsus

One of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with his writings forming a considerable portion of the New Testament. His influence on Christian thinking has been significant due to his role as a prominent apostle of Christianity during the spreading of the Gospel through early Christian communities across the Roman Empire. Persecuted Christians before conversion.

Silk Roads

Trade route that linked China to the Mediterranean, and was very influential in spreading Ideas, Technology,
but also disease. Was originally created for silk trade.

Nestorians

Nestorians believed that Christ existed after the incarnation as two separate persons, Jesus the man
and the Son of God.

Manichaeism

One of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia. Its beliefs can be seen as a synthesis of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism. actually consisted of Zoroastrian Dualism, Babylonian folklore, Buddhist ethics, and some small and superficial, additions of Christian elements. As the theory of two eternal principles, good and evil. 3 creations.

Council of Nicea

The first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church. Most significantly, it resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Creed of Nicaea.This synod had been charged with investigation of the trouble brought about by the Arian controversy in the Greek-speaking east.

Edict of Milan

A letter signed by emperors Constantine I and Licinius that proclaimed religious toleration (Christianity) in the Roman Empire. The letter was issued in AD 313, shortly after the conclusion of the Diocletianic Persecution.

Zhang Qian

An imperial envoy to the world outside of China in the 2nd century BCE, during the time of the Han Dynasty. He was the first official diplomat to bring back reliable information about Central Asia to the Chinese imperial
court, then under Emperor Wu of Han. His travels are assocaited with the Silk Road.

Constantine

Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Issued Edict of Milan which allowed Christianity, and first Roman Emperor to
convert to Christianity.