Early African, Indian, and Chinese Civilizations

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing early African kingdoms, ancient Indian empires and religions, and classical Chinese dynasties based on lecture notes.

Africa

The second largest continent in the world, measuring $4\times$ the size of the United States.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The region of Africa located south of the Sahara desert, noted as not being very well known.

Bantu Migration

The first trace of people in Africa, known for Bantu languages, of which $200\text{ to }300$ could have come from Babel.

Kush

An early African kingdom located south of Egypt in modern-day Sudan that gained independence by $1000\text{ BC}$, took control of Egypt, and was later driven out of Egypt by the Assyrians.

Aksum

An African kingdom that defeated Kush, embraced a form of Christianity, minted coins, built commemorative stone pillars, constructed canals and reservoirs to collect water, and possessed the only known written language in African history.

Frumentius

A Syrian Christian missionary who was sold as a slave to the Aksum people, gained power by doing right, brought Christianity to Aksum, and earned the title 'Apostle to the Abyssinians.'

zenal

An Aksum king who defeated Kush and could have been a Christian influenced by Frumentius.

Nok

The location of the earliest evidence of life in western Africa and the oldest city in West Africa, known for extensive trade.

Polygamy (African Family Life)

A marital practice in early African society that produced large families, which formed clans that subsequently formed tribes.

Miurgen Empire

An Indian empire started by chendragpurs Maurya that backed Buddhism and collapsed soon after ATOks's death.

chendragpurs Maurya

The founder who started the Miurgen Empire.

ATOks

The most famous Miurgen ruler, who extended the empire to all but the southern tip of India, converted to Buddhism, sent out Buddhist missionaries, and built thousands of stupas.

Stupas

Buddhist shrines, thousands of which were constructed across India by ATOks.

Gupta Empire

An empire representing India's greatest era of prosperity and finest period of Indian art, architecture, literature, and science, which gave backing to Hinduism.

kolider

The foremost Indian poet and dramatist of the Gupta empire, famously referred to as the 'Indian Shakespeare.'

Buddhism

A major religion backed by the Miurgen Empire that split into two philosophical schools (Theravada and Mahayana) and later entered China through trade along the Silk Road.

Theravada and Mahayana

The two separate philosophical schools into which Buddhism divided.

Hinduism

A religion backed by the Gupta empire that adopted some Buddhist ideas and simplified its focus down to three main gods.

Brehm

One of the three main Hindu gods, identified as the creator of the world.

Vishnu

One of the three main Hindu gods, identified as the preserver of the world.

shive

One of the three main Hindu gods, identified as the destroyer of the world.

Qin Shi Huang

A title meaning 'First Emperor of the Qin'; the ruler from whose dynasty the name China is believed to come, who first united China's provinces, standardized weights, measurements, coinage, and writing uniformity, and began building the Great Wall.

Chinese Characters

A system of writing where each character tells a story and includes references to Bible stories.

Han Dynasty

A popular Chinese dynasty started by Lin Bang that established Pax Sinica, conducted trade via the Silk Road, and saw the entrance of Buddhism.

Lin Bang

The founder who started the Han Dynasty.

wa Ti

The most famous ruler of the Han Dynasty, known for driving back the Huns.

Pax Sinica

A historical term meaning 'Chinese Peace,' established during the reign of the Han Dynasty.

Silk Road

An extensive trade route used by the Han Dynasty through which commerce flourished and Buddhism entered China.

Block Printing

A printing technique using carved characters pressed onto paper with ink, which later led to the invention of movable type.

Chinese Technology

Pioneering technological developments originating in China, including paper, ink, the magnetic compass, and gunpowder.

Chinese Family

A foundational social structure ruled like the state where the good of the family was paramount, marriage existed to continue the family line, and dying without an heir was viewed as the greatest sin.

Confucius

An influential Chinese thinker whose activities and sayings were collected and preserved in the Anglects.

Anglects

The historical text that contains the collected sayings and activities of Confucius.