Unit 1 Flashcards: Ancient Civilizations and Beliefs

Vocabulary flashcards covering Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, Hinduism, Buddhism, China, Judaism, Africa (Bantu), and the Olmec.

Mesopotamia

The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; birthplace of early civilizations with city-states and innovations like cuneiform and Hammurabi's Code.

Tigris River

One of the two major rivers in Mesopotamia that contributed to the civilization's geography and trade.

Euphrates River

The other major river in Mesopotamia; together with the Tigris shaped Mesopotamian geography.

City-states

Independent political units within Mesopotamia, each with its own ruler and government.

Cuneiform

Early wedge-shaped writing system developed by Mesopotamians.

Wheel

Innovative Mesopotamian technology that aided transportation and pottery.

Ziggurat

A stepped temple pyramid central to Mesopotamian religious architecture.

Hammurabi’s Code

Babylonian law code famous for the principle of law and order and the idea of an ordered society.

Nile River

Major river in Egypt whose geography supported a unified civilization and agriculture.

Theocracy

A system of government in which priests rule in the name of a god; Egypt was a unified theocracy under the Pharaoh.

Pharaoh

Egyptian monarch considered a god-king and ruler of the unified state.

Hieroglyphics

Egyptian formal writing using picture symbols.

Papyrus

A writing material made from the papyrus plant used by ancient Egyptians.

Pyramids

Massive monumental tombs built for pharaohs, symbolic of Egyptian architectural achievement.

Egyptian calendar

Calendar system with 365 days and 12 months developed by ancient Egyptians.

Mummification

Preservation of the dead for the afterlife in Egyptian belief.

Aryans

Pastoralists who migrated into the Indian subcontinent and introduced the Caste System.

Caste System

Social hierarchy in India determining occupation, marriage, and status; little social mobility.

Priests, Warriors, Merchants, Laborers

Four main classes within the Aryan-Indian caste structure.

Dharma

In Hinduism, the moral duties and duties that govern one’s role in life.

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

Major Hindu gods; part of the Hindu trinity.

Reincarnation

Belief in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Karma

The moral law of cause and effect governing one’s actions and future rebirths.

Moksha

Liberation from the cycle of rebirth in Hindu belief.

Vedas

Ancient Hindu sacred texts; Rig Veda is the most important collection.

Upanishads

Philosophical Hindu writings exploring the nature of reality and self.

Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama)

Founder of Buddhism; taught the path to enlightenment.

Tripitaka

Sacred Buddhist scriptures (Pali Canon).

Four Noble Truths

Core Buddhist teaching about suffering and its cessation.

Eightfold Path

Buddhist path to end suffering and achieve enlightenment.

Buddhism and caste

Buddhism rejected the Hindu caste system’s social hierarchy.

Zhou Dynasty

Longest-lived Chinese dynasty; introduced the Mandate of Heaven and feudalism.

Mandate of Heaven

Idea that the ruler’s authority comes from heaven and can be revoked if misgoverned.

Feudalism

Decentralized political system in which local lords governed lands with the king’s permission.

Warring States Period

Era of internal conflict and philosophical development before Chinese unification.

Legalism

Chinese philosophy that advocates strict laws and harsh punishments to maintain order.

Confucianism

Philosophy focusing on ethics, social order, and duties; stressed the Five Constant Relationships and filial piety.

Five Constant Relationships

Key Confucian social bonds: parent-child, husband-wife, older-younger, older-younger friend, ruler-subject.

Civil service exams

Civic examinations in China used to recruit officials based on merit (influenced by Confucian thought).

Abraham

Founding patriarch of Judaism; central figure in the covenant with God.

Canaan

Land promised by God to the Israelites; the homeland in biblical narrative.

Torah

Sacred Jewish scripture containing laws and teachings.

Talmud

Important collection of Jewish oral laws and additional interpretations.

Monotheism

Belief in a single, all-powerful God.

Covenant

A binding agreement between God and His people; two key covenants in Jewish tradition.

Ten Commandments

Biblical laws given to Moses for living a righteous life.

Promised Land

Land promised by God to the Israelites, eventually inhabited by them.

Bantu

Group of Niger-Congo-speaking peoples in sub-Saharan Africa; migrated and spread technologies and languages.

Animism

Belief that spirits inhabit natural features and objects.

Ancestor worship

Ritual respect for deceased ancestors, common in many African cultures.

Griots

West African storytellers who preserve history through oral tradition.

Slash-and-burn farming

Agricultural technique burning vegetation to clear land for farming.

Olmec

First major Mesoamerican civilization; known as the Mother Culture of Mesoamerica.

Mesoamerica

Cultural region in the Americas that includes civilizations like the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec.

Agriculture in Olmec

Cultivated crops such as corn (maize), beans, squash, and avocados.

Nature Gods in Olmec belief

Animistic deities including a jaguar, rain god, and other nature spirits.

Stone monuments

Large sculpted heads and other statues built by the Olmec.

Great Pyramid

Part of Olmec monumental landscape; a notable architectural example.

Mother Culture

Term describing how Olmec influenced later Mesoamerican civilizations (Maya, Aztec) in arts, language, and beliefs.