history part 2 ez breif version

Achaemenids

First Persian dynasty (558–330 B.C.E.) founded by Cyrus the Great.

Cyrus the Great

Founder who unified Persians & Medes; tolerant conqueror.

Cambyses II

Cyrus’s son; added Egypt to the empire.

Darius I (the Great)

Expanded & organized Persia; built Persepolis & Royal Road.

Xerxes I

Harsh Achaemenid ruler; lost to Greece in Persian Wars.

Persepolis

Ceremonial Persian capital built by Darius.

Pasargadae

Cyrus’s original fortress capital and tomb site.

Satrapy

Provincial division of the Achaemenid Empire.

Satrap

Governor of a Persian satrapy.

Royal Road

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Qanat

Underground irrigation canal improving Persian agriculture.

Battle of Marathon

490 B.C.E.; Greek victory halting Darius’s invasion.

Battle of Gaugamela

331 B.C.E.; Alexander’s decisive defeat of Persia.

Seleucids

Greek successors of Alexander ruling Persia (323–83 B.C.E.).

Parthians

Iranian horse-archer dynasty reviving Persian power (247 B.C.E.–224 C.E.).

Mithradates I

Parthian king who consolidated empire.

Ctesiphon

Parthian and Sasanid capital near modern Baghdad.

Sasanids

Last pre-Islamic Persian dynasty (224–651 C.E.).

Ardashir I

Founder of the Sasanid dynasty.

Shapur I

Sasanid king; captured Roman emperor Valerian.

Zarathustra (Zoroaster)

Persian prophet of moral dualism.

Ahura Mazda

Supreme good god in Zoroastrianism.

Angra Mainyu

Evil spirit opposing Ahura Mazda.

Avesta

Sacred Zoroastrian scripture.

Gathas

Hymns attributed to Zarathustra.

Magi

Zoroastrian priestly class.

Manichaeism

3rd-century faith blending Zoroastrian

Parsis

Modern Zoroastrians in India preserving ancient religion.

Confucius (Kong Fuzi)

6th-century B.C.E. philosopher teaching moral order.

Analects

Collected sayings of Confucius.

Junzi

“Superior person”; ideal Confucian official.

Ren

Benevolence and humanity.

Li

Proper ritual and behavior.

Xiao

Filial piety toward parents & ancestors.

Mencius

Confucian thinker; believed humans are naturally good.

Xunzi

Realist Confucian; humans selfish but perfectible.

Daoism

Philosophy seeking harmony with nature.

Laozi

Legendary founder of Daoism; author of Daodejing.

Daodejing

Classic of the Way and Virtue

Zhuangzi

Daoist philosopher expanding Laozi’s ideas.

Dao (“the Way”)

Universal natural principle guiding all things.

Wuwei

Daoist ideal of non-action and simplicity.

Legalism

Political philosophy emphasizing strict laws & state power.

Shang Yang

Early Legalist reformer of the Qin state.

Han Feizi

Legalist theorist combining power and law.

Qin Shihuangdi

First emperor; unified China in 221 B.C.E.

Great Wall of China

Linked fortifications against nomads.

Han Wudi

“Martial Emperor”; expanded empire & Confucian education.

Imperial University

State school for officials (124 B.C.E.).

Xiongnu

Nomadic confederation threatening China.

Paper

Invented in Han China c. 100 C.E.

Sericulture

Silk production; key industry.

Ashoka Maurya

Grandson of Chandragupta; spread Buddhism & moral rule.

Gupta Dynasty

Later Indian empire (320–550 C.E.); “Golden Age.”

Jati

Occupational sub-caste guild.

Ahimsa

Non-violence toward all living things.

Siddhartha Gautama

The Buddha; taught Four Noble Truths.

Buddhism

Religion of enlightenment and compassion.

Nirvana

Liberation from rebirth and suffering.

Mahayana Buddhism

“Greater Vehicle”; veneration of Bodhisattvas.

Bhagavad Gita

Hindu scripture teaching duty and faith.

Dharma (Hindu)

Sacred duty based on caste & life stage.

Karma

Law of cause and effect in rebirth.

Moksha

Liberation from samsara.

Vishnu

Hindu preserver god.

Shiva

Hindu destroyer/creator god.

Bhakti Movement

Devotional worship of personal deities.

Minoan Civilization

Bronze-Age Crete; maritime traders.

Mycenaeans

Early Greek warriors on mainland.

Polis

Greek city-state; political unit.

Sparta

Militarized Greek polis.

Athens

Democratic Greek polis.

Pericles

Athenian leader of Golden Age.

Delian League

Athenian-led alliance vs Persia.

Peloponnesian War

Civil war between Athens & Sparta.

Alexander the Great

Macedonian conqueror; spread Hellenism.

Hellenistic Age

Era of Greek cultural diffusion (323–30 B.C.E.).

Socrates

Philosopher of ethics & reasoning.

Plato

Student of Socrates; wrote Republic.

Aristotle

Student of Plato; logic & science.

Epicureanism

Happiness through pleasure & peace of mind.

Stoicism

Virtue through reason and duty.

Pythagoras

Mathematician; numerical harmony.

Hippocrates

Father of medicine; natural disease theory.

Herodotus

“Father of History.”

Thucydides

Historian of Peloponnesian War.

Parthenon

Temple to Athena on Acropolis.

Olympic Games

Pan-Hellenic athletic festival.

Etruscans

Pre-Roman Italians influencing Rome.

Roman Republic

System of elected magistrates & Senate.

Patricians

Aristocratic landholders of Rome.

Plebeians

Common citizens of Rome.

Senate

Advisory body of Roman state.

Consuls

Two chief executives elected annually.

Tribunes

Plebeian officials with veto power.

Twelve Tables

First Roman law code (450 B.C.E.).

Legions

Roman citizen armies.

Carthage

Phoenician rival defeated by Rome.

Punic Wars

Three wars between Rome & Carthage.

Hannibal Barca

Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps.