Unit 1-4: World History and Social Sciences Review

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering social sciences, early river civilizations, classical Rome and Greece, world belief systems, the Byzantine Empire, and the Middle Ages.

Culture

A common way of life shared by a group of people, which includes language, religion, traditions, and various elements under the cultural umbrella.

History

A social science primarily concerned with the study of written records.

Economist

One who studies how people satisfy seemingly endless needs and wants.

Geography

The study of settlement patterns and the impact climate has on people and the development of culture.

Sociology

The study of how people interact in groups, addressing concerns such as racism and sexism.

Archeology

The study of the past, before written records, where archeologists (like Indian Jones) recreate the past through physical remains such as bone fragments, tools, and pottery.

Artifacts

Physical remains such as bone fragments, tools, and pottery used by archeologists to study the past.

Paleolithic Era

Also known as the Old Stone Age, a period from $2\,\text{million BC} - 10,000\,\text{BC}$ when small, nomadic tribes of $20-30$ people lived as hunter-gatherers with simple tools.

Neolithic Era

A period characterized by the domestication of plants and animals, the emergence of permanent civilizations, and more advanced culture.

Hammurabi code of law

One of the first written law codes from Mesopotamia (c. $4,000\,\text{BC}$) based on the principle of an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.

Cuneiform

A system of writing contributed by the Mesopotamian civilization.

Hieroglyphics

A system of writing contributed by the Egyptian civilization along the Nile River.

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

Two major organized cities in the Indus Valley (c. $4,000\,\text{BC}$) that followed a grid system.

Huang He

The Yellow River Valley civilization in China (c. $4,000\,\text{BC}$) known for contributions such as bronze, silk, porcelain, and the Great Wall.

Polis

Isolated Greek city-states, such as Athens and Sparta, which developed independently due to mountainous topography.

Athens

A Greek city-state known for philosophy, comedies, tragedies, and the development of direct democracy where all males could vote.

Sparta

A Greek city-state characterized by its militaristic culture.

Alexander the Great

A Macedonian leader who extended the empire and created the Hellenistic culture after his father, King Phillip, conquered Greece in $338\,\text{B.C.}$

Roman Republic

A government described as a thing of the people, featuring a $300$ member senate and $2$ consuls.

12 tablets

The written law code of the Roman Republic.

Pax Romana

A period of peace and prosperity during which the Roman Empire was at its height, producing achievements like the Coliseum, aqueducts, and domes.

Emperor Constantine

The ruler who split the Roman Empire in $312\,\text{AD}$ and established Constantinople as the capital of the Eastern half.

Torah and Talmud

The sacred texts associated with Judaism.

Diaspora

A key term describing the scattering of the Jewish people from their geographic origin in the Middle East.

Five pillars

The basic practices of Islam, which include the belief that Mohammed received the word of God (Allah).

Siddhartha Gautama

The founder of Buddhism in $553\,\text{BC}$, also known as the enlightened one.

Nirvana

The state of enlightenment in Buddhism achieved by ending desire, which is considered the cause of suffering.

Caste system

A strict social structure in Hinduism and the Gupta Empire used to maintain social order.

Moksha

The end of the cycle of death and rebirth in the Hindu belief system.

Dharma

The religious and moral duties in Hinduism; good dharma ensures good karma.

Filial piety

A key concept in Confucianism emphasizing respect for the five relationships to maintain social order.

Yin Yang

A symbol of balance used in Daoism (Lao Tze, $500\,\text{BC}$) to represent living in harmony with nature.

Asoka

A leader of the Maurya Empire ($321\,\text{BC}-185\,\text{BC}$) who promoted religious toleration and spread Buddhism through Rock Edicts.

Bureaucracy

A system of managing government through departments, used by the Maurya Empire in India.

Gupta Empire

An Indian empire ($320\,\text{BC}-550\,\text{AD}$) known as a Golden Age for achievements in roads, trade, and advanced math (zero as a base).

Constantinople

The capital of the Byzantine Empire, located at a crossroads of Europe and Asia, making it a great location for trade.

Justinian Code

A written system of laws created by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, based on Roman Empire laws.

Eastern Orthodox Religion

The branch of Christianity practiced in the Byzantine Empire, which later influenced Russia through cultural diffusion.

Feudalism

A decentralized political system of the Middle Ages in which kings gave land to nobles in return for loyalty and military service.

Chivalry

A code of behavior for knights during the Middle Ages that stressed loyalty and bravery.

Manorialism

An economic system where people lived on self-sufficient manors (owned by nobles) containing farmland, artisans, and serfs.

Serfs

Peasants during the Middle Ages who performed farm labor and were bound to the noble's land.

Crusades

Religious wars spanning $1100-1300$ in which European Christians fought to regain control of the Holy Land from Muslims.

Holy Land

A sacred area of the Middle East, including the city of Jerusalem, which was the focus of the Crusades.