AP World History: Modern - History Before 1200 C.E. Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms, definitions, and key concepts derived from the AP World History: Modern Prologue Review Worksheet (History Before 1200 C.E.).

East Africa

The geographical area where modern humans first appeared according to the text.

Patriarchy

The domination of society by males, present even in early foraging societies.

Agricultural Revolution

A major technological development around $8000\,\text{B.C.E.}$ that allowed people to produce a surplus of food for the first time.

Sumer

The ancient civilization credited with inventing cuneiform, the first written language in history.

Cuneiform

The first written language in history, invented by the Sumerians.

Siddhartha Gautama

The founder of Buddhism.

Ashoka

The Mauryan ruler who converted to Buddhism and helped spread it throughout South Asia.

Confucianism

A Chinese philosophy that emphasized filial piety, education, and respect for authority.

Quran

The sacred scripture of Islam, believed to contain revelations given to Muhammad.

Constantinople

The city that became the capital of the eastern half of the Roman Empire after its division in $395\,\text{C.E.}$

Sui Dynasty

The Chinese dynasty that built the Grand Canal to connect agricultural southern China to northern population centers.

Grand Canal

A canal built by the Sui Dynasty connecting agricultural southern China to the population centers in the north.

Justinian Code

The legal code created by the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire.

City-state

An independent state made up of a city and its surrounding territory, common in early Mesopotamia and ancient Greece.

Centralized Government

A government system unified under one strong government, as seen in ancient Egypt and Persia.

Decentralized Government

A government system divided among many local rulers or city-states, as seen in ancient Greece, Postclassical Western Europe, and Postclassical Japan.

Universalizing Religion

A faith that attempts to operate on a global scale and appeal to all people, such as Buddhism or Islam.

Mandate of Heaven

A Chinese political concept regarding the legitimacy of rulers and its primary effects on Chinese governance.

Long-Distance Trade Networks

Networks such as the Silk Roads, Indian Ocean trade, and trans-Saharan trade that contributed to the spread of religion between $600\,\text{C.E.}$ and $1200\,\text{C.E.}$

Causes of Classical Civilizations' Decline

Factors causing the collapse of classical states, including tax collection problems, declining trade, disease, the wealth gap, weak leadership, and outside attacks.