Pre- AP World Midterm Prep

Major World Regions:

Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America; North America, Europe (be able to identify on a map)

History

The study of past events based on historical writings

Historian

A person who analyzes historical sources, formulates theses, and writes about past events

Economist

EconomistA person who studies resources, money, and labor practices and how they impact society

Archaeologist

A person who analyzes past societies through a study of artifacts

Artifact

Items left behind by past societies

Anthropologist

A person who studies the origin, development, and behavior of humans.

Geographer

A person who studies landforms, regions, climate, and the environment. Often geographers assist historians in piecing together past events

Archipelago

A chain of islands

Isthmus

A narrow strip of land connecting to larger areas of land

Steppe

A high, cold, flat plain

Primary Source

A source of learning about the past that is from the past

Secondary Source

A source of learning about the past that is not from the period being studied

Oral History

Spoken traditions about past events

Comparison

Historical thinking skill relating to noting similarities and differences between at least two societies

Cause and Effect

Historical thinking skill - a cause is a source or producer of effects. An effect is the result or consequence of a cause.

Continuity and Change over Time

Historical thinking skill - over a period of time, some political, social or economic developments occur producing a new thing or change. Over that period of time, many things remain the same, or continuous.

Historical Context

The big picture or background surrounding a historical development

Geographic Context

How the terrain, climate, or environment directly influenced the historical development in question

Latitude/Longitude

Grid like pattern of intersecting lines superimposed on world maps to indicate location.

Australopithecus

Early human ancestor discovered in the Great Rift region of Eastern Africa. Demonstrated bi-pedal development of hominids

Lucy

Name given to the Australopithecus skeleton discovered in East Africa

The Leakeys

Family of scientists who discovered Australopithecus

Great Rift Valley

East African location believed to by the starting point of human migration across the world and the location of the discovery of Lucy

Paleolithic Period

Stone Age - pre Neolithic period

Migration

Movement of people from one geographic region to another

Neolithic Revolution

10,000 BCE beginning of agriculture, domestication, pastoralism, and the rise of civilization

Agriculture

Farming - allows for stable settled communities that stay in one location

Domestication

The use of plants and animals for human needs

Irrigation

Channeling water to locations where needed for farming

Terrace Farming

Cutting steps in the sides of mountains to increase the surface area under cultivation

Chinampas

Floating gardens resulting from felled trees covered in soil to increase the surface area under cultivation

Civilization

Complex societies with government, laws, religious belief, and advanced economies

Urbanization

The growth of cities

Pastoralism

People who follow a herd as an economic source - important as agents of cultural diffusion

Cultural Diffusion

The spreading of ways of life from one group of people to another

Core and Foundational Civilizations

Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus River, Yellow, Olmec, and Chavin

Mesopotamia

The land between the rivers (Tigris-Euphrates) located in the Middle East

Tigris-Euphrates Rivers and the Geography of Mesopotamia

Fertile Crescent of arable land allowing for the growth of early cities. Relatively low lying flat plains that were prone to invasions

Cuneiform

Earliest form of pictographic writing - shapes pressed into wet clay tablets to keep track of surplus agriculture

Sumer, Ur, Uruk, Eridu

City states that represent the earliest known sites of human civilization located in Mesopotamia

Assyrians

Warlike Mesopotamian society that established an empire throughout the region. Known for iron weapons, use of chariots in the military, and a library in the city of Nineveh. Very intolerant

Babylonians

Group that established a large Mesopotamian empire - generally tolerant toward conquered groups

Hammurabi

King of the Babylonians known for his system of 282 laws

Code of Hammurabi

System of 282 laws; one of the earliest known systems of law; different punishments for different classes of people; reinforced the idea that government is responsible for what happens in society

Ziggurat

Pyramid-like temple of the Mesopotamians

Nile River and Geography of Egypt

"The Gift of the Nile" - river was the giver of life and civilization for the Egyptians; predictable flooding every 365 days - led to innovations such as irrigation, the calendar, and a powerful government; Egyptian geography isolated by the desert so the society developed uninterrupted for a long period of time

Old, Middle, New Kingdoms

Divisions of Ancient Egyptian history

Pharaoh

Powerful king of the Egyptians - believed to be a living god; buried in ornate sarcophagus' in the pyramids

Pyramid

Huge Egyptian burial tombs meant to symbolize the awesome power of the Pharaoh; demonstrates advanced building methods and ways of organization

Hieroglyphics

Pictographic writing systems of the Ancient Egyptians

Rosetta Stone

Artifact uncovered in the early 1800s containing a text written in Egyptian, Greek, and Aramaic; allowed for the translation of hieroglyphics

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Indus River Valley and the Geography of South Asia

Isolated beneath the Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountain reigns; very little (but some) diffusion of ideas and products to and from other regions; Indus River flooded unpredictably yet the society developed sophisticated urban planning methods

Urban Planning Citadel

Streets in city states such as Harappa and Mohenjo - Daro laid out in grid like patterns with highly developed plumbing systems beneath; Citadels were fortified areas in the cities that were probably centers of government administration

Himalaya Mountain Range

Large central Asian mountain range that isolated South and East Asia from one another and other regions

Harappa/Mohenjo Daro

South Asian city states that were centers of political, social, and economic development; located along the banks of the Indus River

Aryans

South Asian population group whose invasions did much to shape the demographic makeup of the area

Yellow River and the Geography of East Asia

"China's Sorrow" unpredictable flooding; isolated from other regions due to the Pacific Ocean, Himalayan Mountains, Gobi, and Taklamakan Deserts; led to cultural isolation

Gobi Desert

Isolating geographic factor in the north of China

Shang Dynasty

First confirmed Chinese dynasty established circa 1900 BCE; known for pictographic writing, ancestor worship, and oracle study

Zhou Dynasty

Dynasty that followed the Shang established circa 1000 BCE; known for the concepts of the Mandate of Heaven, filial piety, and the dynastic cycle; dynasty the Confucius lived during

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese concept where the emperor gets his power to rule from God; natural signs determine how long a dynasty may maintain the Mandate

Silk

Cloth making commodity produced in East Asia - primary product exchanged via the Silk Road

Silk Road

Road which connected East Asia to the outside world

Olmecs

Early Mesoamerican society known for the "Giant Head" sculptures

"Big Head" Sculptures

Massive Olmec art forms that probably indicate a high level of power of their government

Chavin

Early South American "Andean" society known for the magnificent capital city of Chavin de Huantar

Chavin de Huantar

Chavin capital city located in the Andes Mountains; located at the intersection of American trade networks; high level of organization

Trade Networks

Mediterranean, Silk Road, Trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean, Royal Road

Monsoons

Seasonal winds impacted trade in the Indian Ocean trade network

Caravans

Merchants who traveled in large groups for safety across land based trade networks such as the Trans Saharan and Silk Roads

Caravanserai

"Rest stops" along land based trade networks that facilitated exchange and cultural diffusion

Han Dynasty

Chinese dynasty lasting from approximately 200 BCE - 200 CE; known for the use of Confucian concepts of society and government; civil service exams, development of paper, and the expansion of the empire into new areas; existed concurrently with the Romans

Dynastic Cycle

The Chinese concept of the natural rise, reign, and decline of dynasties over time; has to do with the Mandate of Heaven and the right to rule

Confucianism

Belief system based on the ideas of Kung Fu Zi; meritocracy, 5 relationships, and filial piety

Filial Piety

Veneration of the family

Paper

Developed during the Han period and diffused along the Silk Road westward over a period of hundreds of years

Achaemenid Persian Empire

Persian Empire that unified a large area of what is today the Middle East and Iran; known for Zoroastrianism and government innovations

Cyrus

Founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire - tolerant toward conquered peoples

Darius

Son of Cyrus; innovated the idea of empire being broken down into provinces with provincial leaders that reported to the central government

Satraps

Persian governors

Satrapies

Persian provinces

Zoroastrianism

Persian monotheistic religion that contributed to ideas about the afterlife, heaven, and hell

Mauryan Empire

South Asian empire founded circa 300 BCE

Hinduism

South Asian polytheistic faith based partly on the ideas of the Aryans; belief activity in life determines position in the next life; reincarnation

Caste System

Social hierarchy of the Hindu religion (Brahmans, Kshatyras, Vaiysas, Sudra, Pariah), influenced South Asian political, social, economic, and demographic development

Karma

Hindu idea that activity during this life influences the next one

Dharma

The specific duty associated with each caste in the Hindu religion

Buddhism

Belief system founded by Siddhartha Gautama as a reaction to the caste system of Hinduism; belief in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

Four Noble Truths

Buddhist notion that life is pain, pain is caused by desire, the way to eliminate pain is to eliminate desire, the way to eliminate desire is to follow the eightfold path

Eightfold Path

The Buddhist prescription for how to live life

Gupta Empire

South Asian dynasty known as a period of Golden Age that lasted from approximately 300 CE - 460 CE; mathematicians developed the idea of zero and some used algebra

Concept of Zero/Aryabhata

Developed by Ancient Indians; mathematician known for the use of algebra

Ancient Greek Geography

Aegean Sea; mountains, islands had the effect of isolation of individual city states; hot, dry summers with little arable land for agriculture led to a seafaring way of life and the establishment of colonies in other areas

City States

The principle political format of the Ancient Greek civilization (Sparta, Athens, Corinth would be examples)

Athens/Sparta

Two city states in Ancient Greece that represent vastly different ideas of political, social, and economic organization; Athens: Attica; democracy, trade, philosophy, drama, patriarchy and history; Sparta: militarism, self sufficiency, patriarchy, and oligarchy

Polis

Greek notion of the city state + the citizens

Acropolis

Elevated area in the center of a Greek City states with ceremonial and religious significance

Agora

Area surrounding the Acropolis that served as a meeting and merchant activity center