AP World History: Modern - Prologue Review

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the Agricultural Revolution, core civilizations, major world religions, and imperial dynasties through 1200 C.E. as detailed in the lecture transcript.

Agricultural Revolution

The transition around $10,000$ years ago where humans shifted from foraging to planting crops and raising animals due to warming climates.

Cuneiform

The first written language, invented in the Sumer region of southern Mesopotamia to record laws and trade.

Ziggurats

Monumental religious structures centered in polytheistic Mesopotamian city-states.

Pharaoh

The title for the single, highly centralized ruler of ancient Egypt.

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

Major cities of the Indus Valley civilization known for sophisticated urban planning, such as indoor plumbing and planned grid layouts.

Olmec and Chavin

Non-river valley civilizations in Mesoamerica and the Andes, respectively, that developed complex societies and extensive trade networks.

The Vedas

Ancient scriptures brought by the Aryans to South Asia at least $3,500$ years ago, forming the foundations of Hinduism.

Caste System

A rigid, stratified hereditary social structure in India that limited social mobility but provided social unity.

Buddhism

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama, a religion focusing on overcoming suffering through the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Zoroastrianism

A monotheistic religion developed in Persia that emphasized human free will and the eternal battle between good and evil.

Yahweh

The one all-powerful God of Judaism, with whom the Hebrews/Israelites entered a mutual covenant.

Mandate of Heaven

A Zhou Dynasty concept stating that universal forces gave a just ruler authority, while natural disasters signified heaven's displeasure with a corrupt ruler.

Filial Piety

A core Confucian value emphasizing extreme respect for one's parents and ancestors.

Daoism

A philosophy focusing on internal reflection and living in harmony with the natural cosmic force known as the "Dao" rather than social structures.

Achaemenid Empire

The first Persian Empire founded by Cyrus the Great, characterized by a strong centralized government, efficient bureaucracy, and religious toleration.

Hellenistic World

The era following the conquests of Alexander the Great in the $300\text{s B.C.E.}$, which spread Greek culture across Egypt, Persia, and India.

Twelve Tables

Publicly displayed written laws in Rome designed to protect individual rights and provide a check against government power.

Civil Service Exam

An exam system established during the Han Dynasty to create a highly educated bureaucracy and allow for some social mobility.

Grand Canal

A $1,000$-mile waterway constructed by the Sui Dynasty to connect southern agricultural China to northern population centers.

Champa Rice

A fast-ripening crop adopted by the Tang Dynasty that significantly boosted China's population.

Tributary System

A Chinese practice where neighboring kingdoms made payments and submitted to Chinese rule in exchange for trading privileges.

Shogun

The supreme military general in the Japanese social hierarchy who held power over regional daimyos and samurais.

Shinto

The official religion of Japan centered on nature spirits and ancestor veneration.

Bantu Migrations

The movement of peoples out of West-Central Africa (c. $1000\text{ B.C.E.}$ to $1500\text{ C.E.}$) that spread iron-working, language, and agricultural practices.

Ummah

The vast, unified community of believers in the Islamic faith.

Moksha

The ultimate liberation of the soul from the cycles of death and rebirth in Hinduism.

Diaspora

The scattering of Jewish communities across centuries following foreign domination.