World History: UNIT 1

Paleolithic Era

The period of the Stone Age associated with the evolution of humans and nomadic groups with simple tools.

Neolithic Era

The switch from nomadic lifestyles to a settled agricultural lifestyle

River Valley Civilizations

a type of civilization that developed near or around a major river and considered the earliest known large human civilizations

domesticated animals

Adapting animals for human use: Milk, meat, wool, and labor

cuneiform

A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge shaped stylus and clay tablets.

Bronze Age

a period of human culture between the Stone Age and the Iron Age, characterized by the use of weapons and implements made of bronze

Code of Ur-Nammu

Possibly the world's most ancient law code, which proclaimed the king as a messenger of justice

Code of Hammurabi

the set of laws drawn up by a Babylonian king dating to the 18th century BC, the earliest legal code known in its entirety

Zhou Dynasty

(1050BC-400BC) Longest dynasty in Chinese history. Established a new political order with king at the highest level, then lords and warriors and then peasants.

Mandate of Heaven

a political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source

ziggurat

A rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians

pastoralism

A type of agricultural activity based on nomadic animal husbandry or the raising of livestock to provide food, clothing, and shelter.

Akkadian Empire

began in 2350 BCE when Sargon - King of Akkad - began conquering Sumerian cities. The empire was the first to unite city-states under a single ruler and ruled for 200 years.

Hittite Empire

An empire in Asia minor that had been in conflict with Egypt until a treaty was established, demonstrated an interesting ability to assimilated other cultures into their own; they were the first known users of smelted iron weapons. The empire ended because of internal problems and attack by the sea people in Gaza.

skepticism

An attitude of doubt; a philosophy which suggests that nothing can ever be known for certain.

Alexander the Great

Between 334 and 323 B.C.E. he conquered the Persian Empire, reached the Indus Valley, founded many Greek-style cities, and spread Greek culture across the Middle East.

Punic Wars

A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (264-146 B.C.); resulted in the destruction of Carthage and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean.

Maurya Empire

The first large-scale centralized empire that unified most of the Indian subcontinent from 332-185 BCE.

Vedas

Ancient Sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism.

Cyrus the Great

king of Persia and founder of the Persian empire (circa 600-529 BC)

satrap

A governor of a province in ancient Persia

dharma

In Hindu belief, a person's religious and moral duties

Roman citizenship

A specific social status granted by the Roman government that granted privileges regarding governance, property, and respect towards law. They had the right to vote, own property, contracts, and the right to marry Roman citizen. They were freed from property tax, and protected from arbitrary arrest and violence.

karma

(Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation

Athens

A democratic Greek polis who accomplished many cultural achievements, and who were constantly at war with Sparta.

caste system

A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life

Buddhism

the teaching that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy of Indo-Aryan decent developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

Ashoka the Great

grandson on Chandragupta Maurya; took Mauryan dynasty to its heights; converted to Buddhism and later preached nonviolence

Hellenistic Era

the age of Alexander the Great; period when the Greek language and ideas were carried to the non-Greek world in North Africa, Greece, Anatolia, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia

Gupta Empire

Indian empire from the mid-3rd to mid-6th centuries CE that ruled through central government but allowed village power; restored Hinduism and usher in Golden Age of India

monotheism

Belief in one God

polytheism

Belief in many gods

Zoroastrianism

system of religion founded in Persia in the 6th century BC by Zoroaster

Second Temple Judaism

A term often used to refer to the span of Jewish history from the building of the second temple during the Persian period (515 BCE) to the destruction of the temple by the Romans in 70 CE.

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Paul of Tarsus

A Jew from Asia Minor that played the most influential role in the spread of Christianity.

Analects

a record of the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples

Confucianism

A philosophy that promotes a stable government and an orderly society in the present world and stresses a moral code of conduct.

Warring States Period

time of warfare between regional lords following the decline of the Zhou dynasty in the 8th century B.C.E.

Qin Dynasty

(221-207 BCE) The first centralized dynasty of China that used Legalism as its base of belief.

Han Dynasty

imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time) from 206 BC to 221 and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy

Xiongnu Confederacy

A confederation of nomadic peoples living beyond the northwest frontier of ancient China. Chinese rulers tried a variety of defenses and stratagems to ward off these 'barbarians,' as they called them, and dispersed them in 1st Century

Emperor Wu of Han

emperor under the Han Dynasty that adopted Confucianism as the official state philosophy; wanted to create a stronger central government by taking land from the lords, raising taxes and places the supply of grain under the government's control

Emperor Shi Huangdi

Emperor of the Qin Dynasty who unified all of China under one ruler and created the first ancient imperial Chinese dynasty

Legalism

A political philosophy that emphasized the unruliness of human nature and justified state coercion and control. Rigorous laws. Legalism was invoked by the Qin ruling class to validate the authoritarian nature of their regime