World History I Midterm – Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering essential people, places, ideas, and achievements for the World History I online midterm review.

Neolithic Revolution

The transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture and settlement about 12,000 years ago.

Paleolithic Age

Pre-agricultural era marked by stone tools and nomadic hunter-gatherers.

Neolithic Changes

Rise of farming, permanent villages, job specialization, hierarchy, and new technologies.

Ziggurat

Step-shaped Mesopotamian temple built to honor city gods.

Pyramid

Triangular Egyptian stone tomb for pharaohs and their afterlife goods.

Great Wall of China

Massive fortification begun under Qin to repel northern invaders.

Obelisk

Tall, four-sided Egyptian pillar symbolizing the sun god Ra.

Animal Domestication

Taming animals for labor, food, clothing, and companionship.

Mesopotamia

“Land between the Tigris and Euphrates,” site of the first civilization.

Four River Valleys

Mesopotamia, Nile, Indus, Huang He – early cradles of civilization.

Code of Hammurabi

First major written law code stressing justice and “eye for an eye.”

Mummification

Egyptian preservation of bodies for the journey to the afterlife.

Pharaoh

Divine king of ancient Egypt regarded as a living god.

Egypt’s Natural Barriers

Deserts, cataracts of the Nile, and surrounding seas that offered protection.

Cultural Diffusion

Spread of people, ideas, and technology between civilizations.

Dynastic Cycle

Chinese pattern of rise, flowering, decline, and replacement of ruling families.

Legalism

Chinese philosophy advocating strict laws and harsh punishments for order.

Daoism

Chinese belief in harmony with nature and minimal government interference.

Confucianism

Ethical system stressing filial piety, proper roles, and education.

Hieroglyphics

Egyptian picture-writing system.

Chinese Ideographs

Written characters that stand for ideas rather than sounds.

Cuneiform

Sumerian wedge-shaped script pressed into clay tablets.

Phonetic Writing

System where symbols represent sounds, foundation of alphabets.

Hebrew Monotheism

Belief in one God introduced by the ancient Israelites.

Ten Commandments

Moral laws given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Abraham

Patriarch revered by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Diaspora

Scattering of Jews beyond the land of Israel.

Himalayan Mountains

High range forming a natural barrier between India and China.

Harappan Civilization

Well-planned cities of the Indus River Valley (e.g., Mohenjo-Daro).

Caste System

Rigid Hindu social hierarchy known as varnas.

Brahmins

Priestly class at the top of the Hindu caste system.

Kshatriyas

Warrior and ruler caste of Hindu society.

Vaishyas

Merchant and artisan caste in Hinduism.

Shudras

Laborer and servant caste of Hindu society.

Vedas

Ancient Hindu sacred hymns and prayers.

Upanishads

Philosophical Hindu texts explaining the Vedas and concepts like Brahman.

Silk

Luxurious Chinese fabric kept secret for a millennium.

Zhou Dynasty

Chinese dynasty that introduced feudalism and the Mandate of Heaven.

Feudalism (China)

System where nobles governed lands for the king in exchange for loyalty.

Calligraphy

Artistic Chinese brush writing.

Yellow River "River of Sorrows"

Huang He, notorious for devastating floods in China.

Middle Kingdom

Chinese self-name reflecting belief that China was the center of civilization.

Shared Hindu–Buddhist Ideas

Reincarnation, karma, dharma, ahimsa, release from suffering.

Hindu–Buddhist Differences

Hindu caste & many gods vs. Buddhist no caste & no personal gods.

Atman

Individual soul in Hindu belief.

Karma

Sum of a person’s actions determining future rebirths.

Moksha

Hindu liberation from the cycle of rebirth; union with Brahman.

Dharma

Moral duty and right conduct in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Ahimsa

Principle of non-violence toward all living things.

Varnas

Four broad social classes of Hindu society.

Brahma

Hindu creator god.

Vishnu

Hindu preserver god.

Shiva

Hindu destroyer and transformer god.

Parvati

Hindu goddess of love, fertility, and devotion.

Nirvana

Buddhist state of enlightenment and freedom from suffering.

Theravada

Traditional, monastic branch of Buddhism.

Mahayana

Buddhist branch offering salvation to laypeople through bodhisattvas.

Sangha

Buddhist community of monks and nuns.

Stupa

Dome-shaped Buddhist shrine housing sacred relics.

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese belief that a just ruler has divine approval, lost through misrule.

Qin Dynasty

First Chinese empire; unified China, built wall, used Legalism.

Han Dynasty

Golden-age Chinese dynasty noted for paper, Silk Road, and civil service exams.

Silk Road

Trade network linking China with the Mediterranean world.

Civil Service Exam

Han test on Confucian texts for government positions.

Meritocracy

System where officials are chosen for ability rather than birth.

Greek Geography

Mountains and seas that fostered independent city-states and maritime trade.

Parthenon

Temple to Athena on Athens’ Acropolis built during the Golden Age.

Acropolis

Fortified hilltop in Greek city-states; religious and civic center of Athens.

Limited Athenian Democracy

Excluded women, slaves, and foreigners from political participation.

Direct Democracy

Citizens vote on laws themselves (Athens).

Representative Democracy

Citizens elect officials to make laws (modern U.S.).

Hippocrates

Greek "Father of Medicine" who established ethical medical practice.

Roman Roads

Extensive network facilitating trade, communication, and military movement.

Etruscans

Pre-Roman Italian people who taught Romans the arch and gladiator games.

Patricians

Wealthy landowning elite of the Roman Republic.

Plebeians

Commoner class of farmers, artisans, and merchants in Rome.

Roman Senate

300-member body drafting laws and advising consuls.

Consuls

Two elected Roman executives who led government and army.

Tribunes

Officials elected to protect plebeian rights; could veto Senate actions.

Hannibal

Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps with elephants in the Second Punic War.

Twelve Tables

First written Roman law code granting plebeian rights.

Romulus and Remus

Legendary twin founders of Rome raised by a she-wolf.

Jesus Christ

Jewish teacher and messiah; founder of Christianity.

Gospels

New Testament books recounting Jesus’ life and teachings.

Apostle Paul

Missionary who spread Christianity to non-Jews (gentiles).

Nero

Roman emperor who initiated persecution of Christians.

Constantine

Emperor who legalized Christianity via the Edict of Milan (313 AD).

Pax Romana

200-year era of Roman peace and prosperity (27 BC–180 AD).

Roman Concrete

Durable building material enabling grand structures.

Colosseum

Large Roman arena for gladiatorial games.

Roman Forum

Central marketplace and political heart of ancient Rome.

Circus Maximus

Vast Roman stadium for chariot races.

Pantheon

Roman temple with a concrete dome dedicated to all gods.

Fall of Rome – Causes

Political chaos, economic decline, military weakness, invasions, and overexpansion.