Civilization Introduction

Vocabulary terms regarding the origin and meaning of the name Olmec according to the lecture notes.

Olmec

A name originating from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs.

Nahuatl

The language of the Aztecs from which the word "Olmec" is derived.

Rubber people

The literal meaning of the word "Olmec" in the Nahuatl language.

Abundant rainfall

Caused Rivers to overflow

Floodwaters

Left behind fertile silt, making the land ideal for farming

Jade and greenstone artworks

Traded these valuable items across Mesoamerica

San Lorenzo

Largest and most prosperous Olmec center

Powerful leaders

They believed________________ _________ were associated with fearsome animals

Pyramid in La Venta

One of the earliest examples of a large-scale pyramid structure in Mesoamerica

Ball games

The Olmecs played_____ _____ as a serious ritual that mixed religion, politics, and social events

Cacao

They are believed to be the earliest civilization to have used ____, possibly for ceremonial drinks

Olmec gods

Are more like generalized supernatural beings often represented by a unique combination of different features

Olmec culture

Was later adopted by the Mayans and Aztecs

Maya civilization

Developed in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mesoamerica

Yucatán Peninsula

Where the Maya civilization developed

250-900 C.E

Marked the Maya’s golden age

Maya glyphs

Writing system used in Maya civilization

Concept of zero

The Mayas where the ones who invented this in mathematics

20

The Maya developed a numerical system based on this number

Religion

Was the center of the Maya civilization

Itzamna

Was the Maya's chief creator god and patron of knowledge

Tikal

Where the largest pyramid with flat tops is in

Tula

Major center of the Toltec civilization around 900-1000 CE

Chichén Itzá

Showed strong Toltec-style influences

Toltecs

They were skilled in architecture, art, medicine, engineering and timekeeping

Temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli

Known as pyramid B

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire

Human hearts

They offered this thing to receive protection from their gods

Templo Mayor

Main temple in the capital of Tenochtitlan

Hernando Cortez

Ended the Aztecs rule

Tlaxcalans

Helped end the Aztecs rule

Cuzco

Where the Incas established their capital

Viracocha

Creator god of the Incas and pre-Inca cultures in the Andes

Sun

What the Incas worshipped

Inti

Incan Sun God

Sapa Inca

They believed that they were the descendants of the Sun god

Corn and potatoes

We're the Incas staple foods

Llamas and Alpacas

What the Incas raised for wool and meat

Quipu

Knitted strings used to record crops and other events in the Inca Empire

Trepanation

Operation on the brain

Coca leaves

Used as anesthetics

Francisco Pizzaro

Marked the beginning of the decline of the Inca civilization

Diseases

One of the main factors of why the decline of the Inca civilization happened

Peru

Where Francisco Pizzaro arrived

Southeastern Europe

Where was Ancient Greece

Island of Crete

Where did the Minoans settle

Minoan, King Minos

He coined the term __________ based of the legend of ______ ________

Sir Arthur Evans

Discovered the earliest evidence of the Minoan civilization

Prosperity

It can be said that the Minoan civilization was a time of

Heinrich Schliemann

First to use the term “Mycenaean”

Mainland Greece

Where the Mycenaeans settled

Acropolis

Highest part of the city

Agora

Marketplace

Polis

City-States

Solon

Introduced reforms

Democracy

Rule by the people

Cleisthenes

Father of Athenian democracy

Assembly

All adult male citizens could vote on laws

Citizens

Only men could be citizens

Direct democracy

Ancient Greece is _____ ________

Athens

Birthplace of democracy

Warrior state

Sparta is a ____ _____

Spartiates

Spartan soldiers

Helots

Enslaved people who worked the land

Phalanx

Formations in Greek Army

Pericles

Important leader and architect of Athenian democracy

Parthenon

Famous temple built during this time

Drama, art, architecture

Cultural achievements

Socratic method

Art of questioning

Socrates

Known for questioning people and being the teacher of Plato

Plato

Founder of Academy and made the Republic book, teacher of Aristotle

Mount Olympus

Mythical home of the Greek Gods

Aristotle

Focused on logic and observation and was the tea her of Alexander the Great

Olympian Gods

The twelve main God's and goddesses of Greek mythology

Oracle of Delphi

A sacred place where people sought Apollo’s prophecies

Olympic games

A sports festival held every four years to honor zeus

A crown made of leaves

Winner of Olympic games were given a ______ that increases status

Athena

ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, warfare, and crafts

Romulus and Remus

The people who found Rome according to legend in 753 B.C.E

Tiber River in central Italy

Rome began a small settlement along the __________ in ___________

Alps

Mountain range that protects Rome

Boot Peninsula

Italian peninsula was called the _____________

Greeks

Bought art and philosophy

Etruscans

Who taught building skills, like arches

Republic

A government where citizens elect leaders to make decisions

Senate

Made laws and have advices to consuls

Consuls

Two leaders chosen each year to command the army and government

The Twelve Tables

The first written laws of the Roman Republic

Tribunes

Protect the rights and interests of the Plebeians

Patricians

Wealthy, land-owning and aristocratic class

Plebeians

Common people considered free citizens with the right to vote

Hannibal

Leader of Carthage

War elephants

The Carthage used ______ _________

Octavian

Became Rome’s first emperor, starting the Roman Empire

Pax Romana

Roman Peace

Aqueducts

For carrying water

Latin

Root if many modern languages

476 C.E

Western Roman Empire collapsed

Byzantine Empire

Continued for another 1000 years

Large heads

Olmecs built_____ _______