Final Vocabulary Assessment

Sedentary Society

Community of people who remain in one permanent place

Hunter-Gatherer

Member of a nomadic group that hunt, fish, and harvest wild food

Specialization (of Labor)

distinct, specialized roles (ex: artisans, preiests)

River Valley Civilization

Ancient Civilization developed alongside a major river system to utilize fertile soil and freshwater

Neolithic Revolution:

Hunting and gathering to agriculture and permanent, settled communities

Fertile Crescent

Crescent-shaped region in the middle East, first agricultural communities and river civilizations began

Irrigation

Application of water to fields to control seasonal flooding and sustain crops

Silt

Fine, fertile soil deposited by river floods

Domestication

Process of taming wild animals

Subsistence Agriculture

Type of farming majority of crops are grown to feed the farmer’s own family

Surplus

Excess supply of food or goods left over after basic needs have been met

Urbanization

Small, rural settlements grow into densely populated cities and urban centers

Cuneiform

Earliest known system of writing, developed by Sumerians of Mesopotamia

Hieroglyohics

Ancient Egyptian writing system used symbols and pictographs to record religious, legal, and historical records

Monotheism

Belief in only one god

Torah

First five books of the Hebrew bible containing recorded religious, moral, and legal laws of Judaism

Mandate of Heaven

Ancient Chinese philosophical concept that an emperor had the divine right to rule

Four Noble Truths

Core teachings of Buddhism believing that life involves suffering, suffering caused by desire, desire can be ended via the Eightfold path

Karma

The sum of a person’s moral actions across lifetimes deciding their destiny or placement in their next life

Filial Piety

Confucian belief emphasizing deep respect, obedience, and care for your elders

Confucianism

Chinese philosophy focused on restoring social harmony through rigid social relationships and personal beliefs

Polytheism

Belief in multiple gods

Code of Hammurabi

Earliest complete written legal codes in history, famous for its harsh system of justice

Legalism

Ancient Chinese philosophy that rejected Confucian beliefs, wanted strict laws and harsh punishments

Reincarnation

Religious belief that a soul is reborn into a new physical body after death

Atman

Spiritual concept in Hinduism that the individual soul seeks unity with the universe

Five Pillars of Islam

Five core religious duties required of all Muslims

Caste system

A rigid social hierarchy rooted in Hinduism that divided people into fixed social classes based on purity and occupation

Daoism (Taoism)

Ancient Chinese philosophy founded by Laozi emphasizes living in harmony with nature

Direct Democracy

A form of government practiced in ancient Athens where citizens vote directly on laws and policies

Republic

Government supreme power rests with the citizens who elect representatives to make laws on their behalf

Patricians

Wealthy, land-owning noble class of ancient Rome held almost all the political and legal power

Plebians

Common people, farmers and artisans of ancient Rome

Law of the Twelve Tables

Earliest written legal code of ancient Rome, displayed publicly to ensure all citizens were treated equally

Aqueduct

Engineered, bridge structure built by the Romans to transport fresh water

Pax Romana

Golden age of relative peace and stability across the Roman Empire

Hellenistic Culture

Blending of Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian cultures

Cultural Diffusion

Spreading and blending of cultural elements, technology, religion, and languages across different societies

Silk Road

Network of trade routes connecting East Asia with the Middle East and Europe, exchanging luxury goods

Pax Mongolica

Period of relative peace, stability, and massive economic trade across Eurasia under the unified Mongol Empire

Silk Road Papermaking

Technology of manufacturing paper traveled westward from china to Baghdad along trade paths.

City-State

Independent, self-governing political unit consisting of a central city and its surrounding territory

Golden Age

Period of Great peace, economic prosperity, and peak cultural achievements

Bureaucracy

System of government administration managed by non-elected officials utilized by the Roman and Han Empires

Feudalism

Political and military system of the European Middle Ages based on mutual obligations of loyalty and military services

Manor System (Manorialism)

Centered around lord’s estate, defining the economic ties between lords and serfs

Nomadic Pastoralists

Groups of people dependent on domesticated livestock and migrate to find fresh pastures

Steppe

Flat grassland region across southeastern Europe and Asia, home to nomadic horsemen

Trans-Saharan Trade

Major trading network exchanging West African gold for North African Salt

Black Death

Global epidemic of bubonic plaugue, spreading rapidly along trade routes

Humanism

Intellectual movement of the Renaissance focused on human potential and Individualism

Secular

Worldly, non religious matters rather than spiritual or church affairs

Protestant Reformation

Movement by Martin Luther, criticizing corruption in the Catholic Church and split Western Christianity

Indulgences

Certificates sold by medieval Catholic Church that promised to reduce or forgive spiritual punishments for a person’s sin

Gutenberg Printing Press

Allowed for the mad production of texts rapidly spreading protestant ideas

Vernacular

Everyday spoken language, which Northern Renaissance Scholars translated the Bible

Serf

A Peasant legally bound to a lord’s land on medieval manor, obligated to farm the land in exchange for physical protection

Crusades

Medieval religious military expeditions launched by Western European Christians to reclaim the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from Muslim control

95 Theses

List of 95 formal arguments against Catholic Church corruption, targeting the sale of indulgences