History Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental historical concepts, ancient civilizations, Greece, and early Rome.

History

The study of human societies of the past.

Types of Sources

The two categories of historical evidence: primary and secondary sources.

Herodotus and Thucydides

The two fathers of history in Western civilization.

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures by comparing them to one's own culture and norms.

Collective Imagination

The shared belief system that allowed Homo sapiens to develop large-scale cooperation.

Tigris and Euphrates

The two major rivers that define the geography of Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform

The earliest known system of writing.

Phoenician Alphabet

The greatest heritage and legacy of the Phoenician civilization.

Arable Land

The key factor driving Phoenician colonial expansion across the Mediterranean.

Geography of Ancient Greece

Defined by natural mountain and sea barriers, which led to reliance on maritime trade and navigation.

Polis

The term designating an ancient Greek city-state.

Agora and Acropolis

The two central public spaces found in ancient Greek city-states.

Isonomy

The principle of equality before the law.

Athenian Government

A democracy based on the direct political participation of male citizens.

Excluded Groups from Greek Politics

Enslaved people, women, and foreigners, all of whom were barred from political participation.

Syncretism

The process of fusion between Greek culture and the traditions of other civilizations.

Polytheism and Monotheism

Polytheism is the belief in multiple gods, while monotheism is the belief in a single God.

Hellenism

The spread and influence of Greek culture, learning, and knowledge.

Greeks and Etruscans

The two early peoples who had the greatest cultural influence on the Romans.