Classical Era Vocab

Bureaucracy

System of managing government through departments run by appointed (not elected) officials (ex. cabinet depts and Post Office in the United States)

Centralization

Refers to a government structure where most decisions made for the entire state are made by one executive leader, rather than multiple regional leaders

Decentralization

Refers to a government structure where local or regional governments hold more power than the main, central government

Infrastructure

The basic physical and organizational structures that help a society function, such as roads, bridges, schools, airports, etc.

Aqueduct

Built in Ancient Rome, structures that bring fresh water to Roman cities

Qanat system

a system of irrigation that began in Persia comprised of underground canals

Noria / Sakia

a waterwheel used for raising water from a river so that it can flow by gravity via aqueduct to villages and cultivated land for irrigation

Diaspora

The spreading of people (such as Jews) who share an ethnic identity from their original homeland to a new location

Syncretism

The blending of cultural or religious elements as a result of cultural diffusion, migration, or state-building

Hellenism

The spread of ancient Greek culture and ideas to Persia, after Alexander the Great conquered Persia

Diplomacy

Skillful, peaceful negotiation between nations

Maritime

Refers to activities or events happening on the high seas

Monsoon

Seasonal winds in South and Southeast Asia that bring rain in alternating seasons to the subcontinent and provide winds for trade in the Indian Ocean

Fortification

Walls or defensive protection built around cities or nations

Satrapies

System of provincial governments in the Persian Empire, in which administration is divided into provinces, each of which is called a

Empirical

Refers to gathering knowledge through objective observation, measurement, or experimentation (science, NOT INTUITION / GUT FEELINGS)

Nirvana

The ultimate spiritual goal in Buddhism, defined as a state of absolute peace, freedom from suffering, and release from the cycle of rebirth

Moksha

The Hindu concept of the ultimate spiritual goal: liberation from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth; Liberation of the individual soul (atman) to achieve oneness with the universal supreme force (Brahman).

Dharma

In Hinduism, the concept of obedience to religious and moral laws and order / In Buddhism, the basic doctrine of following the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths

Reincarnation

Idea that the soul is reborn into another body or animal after one dies (Hinduism & Buddhism)

Bodhisattva

A follower of Buddhism who studied the religion and is capable of achieving nirvana, but chooses to stay on earth to teach others about how to seek enlightenment

Brahmin

Hindu caste of priests

Kshatryia

Hindu caste of warriors and aristocrats

Vaishya

Hindu caste of cultivators, artisans, and merchants

Shudra

Hindu caste of landless peasants and serfs

Monastic

Refers to ideas or people who live by religion and religious vows they have taken and live together in a monastery

Filial Piety

In Confucianism, the reverence and honoring of one’s ancestors and parents

Tribute

Refers to payments that one group makes to another group, such as the payments that the Chinese made to the nomadic groups

Sinicize

Process of non-Chinese people or societies becoming influenced by Chinese culture; to become Chinese

Conscription

To enact a law that forces people to join the military, or some other required labor force

Conducive

To make something more likely to happen / good for or beneficial to something

Continuity

Term in AP World History that refers to the ways that features of a society have stayed the same over time, rather than changed over time