APWH Unit 1-7 Key Terms (VOCABULARY Flashcards)

VOCABULARY flashcards mapping each listed term to a concise definition.

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Two major rivers in Mesopotamia whose fertile floodplains supported early agricultural civilizations.

Mesopotamia

Region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; cradle of early urban societies and writing.

Fertile Crescent

Arc of fertile land stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean; site of early agriculture and civilizations.

Carthage

Phoenician-founded city-state in North Africa; major trading power and rival to Rome.

Sahara

Largest hot desert in the world, spanning much of North Africa.

Kalahari

Desert region in southern Africa; semi-arid with diverse flora and fauna.

Nile River

Longest river in Africa; floods deposited fertile silt enabling ancient Egyptian civilization.

Desertification

Process by which productive land becomes desert, often due to overuse and climate change.

Indus River Valley

Civilization along the Indus River (Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro) in South Asia.

Environmental degradation

Deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources and pollution.

Deforestation

Removal of forests, impacting climate, soil, and biodiversity.

Huang He River

The Yellow River of China; core region of early Chinese civilization; known for loess floods.

Chiang Jiang

Alternative spelling for the Yangtze River, a vital waterway in Chinese history and agriculture.

Loess

Fine wind-blown silt that creates fertile soil in the Yellow River basin.

Mesoamerica

Region from central Mexico to Central America where civilizations like Maya and Olmec emerged.

Maize

Early domesticated maize (corn), a staple crop in the Americas.

Oceania and Polynesia

Pacific island regions home to seafaring cultures that spread across vast oceanic distances.

Division of labor

System where different people perform specialized tasks, increasing efficiency.

Barter

Exchange of goods or services without using money.

Polytheistic

Belief in and worship of multiple gods.

Ziggurats

Stepped temple towers in Mesopotamian cities serving religious functions.

Astronomy, astrology

Astronomy studies celestial bodies scientifically; astrology is a belief system about celestial influence.

Hebrews (Israelites; Jews)

Ancient Semitic people and their descendants; religion evolved into Judaism.

Abraham

Patriarch of the Hebrew Bible; foundational figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Moses

Hebrew prophet who led the Exodus from Egypt and received the Ten Commandments.

Ten Commandments

Moral and religious laws given to Moses in the Hebrew Bible.

Monotheism

Belief in a single, all-powerful deity.

Jewish Diaspora

Dispersal of Jews beyond Israel, particularly after ancient conquests.

Theocrats

Rulers who govern in the name of a deity or religious authority.

Aten

Egyptian sun god introduced during Akhenaten’s religious reforms.

Mummification

Preservation of the dead body through special embalming practices.

Aryans

Indo-European-speaking peoples who influenced early Indian culture; see also Indo-Aryan.

Hindi

Language of northern India, part of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family.

Vedas and Vedic Age

Sacred Hindu texts and the early period of Vedic culture in ancient India.

Brahma

Hindu creator god; part of the Trimurti.

Dharma

Duty, law, and righteous path in Hinduism and other Indian religions.

Karma

Law of cause and effect determining future rebirths and moral consequence.

Moksha

Liberation from the cycle of rebirth in Hindu belief.

Ancestor veneration

Respect and ritual honoring of deceased family members.

Golden Age

Period of peak cultural achievement and prosperity.

Scribes

Professional writers and record-keepers in ancient civilizations.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Ancient Mesopotamian epic about Gilgamesh’s adventures and search for immortality.

Cuneiform

Early writing system using wedge-shaped marks, developed in Mesopotamia.

Alphabetic script

Writing system using a set of letters representing sounds.

Hieroglyphics

Egyptian writing system using symbolic pictures.

Papyrus

Plant-based writing material used in ancient Egypt.

Book of the Dead

Egyptian funerary text guiding the dead through the afterlife.

Indo-European

Language family including Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and English.

Sanskrit

Classical language of ancient India; liturgical and scholarly use.

Rig-Veda

Oldest Sanskrit text; early Indian sacred hymns.

Upanishads

Philosophical Hindu texts exploring ultimate reality and self.

Pictographs, glyphs

Early writing using pictures or symbols to represent ideas.

Austronesian speakers

People who spread across the Pacific and Indian Oceans by seafaring.

Patriarchal

Society in which men hold primary power and authority.

Clans

Kin-based groups within larger societies.

Feudalism

Political and economic system with lords, vassals, and peasants.

Sumer and Sumerians

Ancient Mesopotamian civilization and its people known for city-states.

Uruk

One of the earliest major cities in Mesopotamia.

City-states

Independent cities and surrounding territory with their own rulers.

King and kingdom

Ruler (king) and the political unit he governs (kingdom).

Babylonians

People of Babylon; built a major Mesopotamian empire.

Empire

A large political unit ruling over diverse peoples and lands.

Phoenicians

Seafaring traders who spread commerce and the alphabet.

Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms

Egyptian historical periods: Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.

Hyksos

Foreign rulers who controlled Egypt during a Middle Kingdom period.

Hittites

Anatolian empire known for chariots and law codes.

Kush

Ancient kingdom in Nubia; a center of trade and culture south of Egypt.

Axum

Aksumite Empire in Africa; powerful trading state in the Horn of Africa.

Dravidians

Indigenous peoples and language groups of southern India.

Harappa

Indus Valley city-site; key urban center in early South Asian civilization.

Mohenjo-Daro

Major Indus Valley city known for sophisticated urban planning.

Chavin Civilization

Early civilization in the Andean highlands of Peru.

Olmec

Early Mesoamerican civilization known for colossal stone heads.

Easter Island

Remote Pacific island famed for its moai statues.

Aboriginals

Indigenous peoples of Australia with diverse cultures.

Hammurabi

Babylonian king famous for codifying laws in Hammurabi’s Code.

King Menes (Narmer)

Early Egyptian ruler who united Upper and Lower Egypt.

Pharaoh

Ruler of ancient Egypt regarded as a god on earth.

Akhenaton

Egyptian pharaoh who briefly promoted monotheism around Aten.

Ramses the Great

Prominent New Kingdom pharaoh known for military leadership and monuments.

Xia Dynasty

Early Chinese dynasty; legendary or semi-mythical beginnings of Chinese state.

Shang Dynasty

Early Chinese dynasty known for bronze work and oracle bones.

Zhou Dynasty

Long-lasting Chinese dynasty with feudal structure and Mandate of Heaven.

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese political theory justifying rulers’ authority by divine approval.

Herodotus

Ancient Greek historian often called the Father of History.

The Histories

Work by Herodotus detailing Greek and Persian histories.

Homer

Ancient Greek epic poet; author of the Iliad and Odyssey.

Iliad

Epic poem by Homer about the Trojan War and its heroes.

Odyssey

Epic by Homer detailing Odysseus’s long journey home.

Plato

Greek philosopher; student of Socrates; wrote The Republic.

The Republic

Plato’s dialogue on justice, virtue, and the ideal state.

Aristotle

Greek philosopher; studied logic, science, and ethics; tutor to Alexander the Great.

Poetics

Aristotle’s work on tragedy, poetry, and literary theory.

Avestas

Sacred Zoroastrian scriptures.

Aristophanes

Ancient Greek playwright known for comedies.

Aeschylus

Ancient Greek tragedian; author of Agamemnon and other plays.

The Trojan Women

Play by Euripides about the fate of Trojan women after the war.

Euripides

Greek tragedian known for exploring human psychology.

Sophocles

Greek playwright famous for Oedipus Rex and Antigone.

Parthenon

Temple on the Acropolis of Athens, symbol of ancient Greece.