History of Civilization: Ancient Near East to the Roman Republic

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, civil ordinances, concepts, and philosophies from the History of Civilization lecture notes.

Historia

Greek word meaning inquiry; history is our attempt to reconstruct the past through inquiry into records, meaning, marvelous deeds, and human achievements.

Capital Punishment

The first civil ordinance given to establish order and protect human life following the Flood (Genesis 9:6).

Mesopotamia

Literally 'land between the rivers' (Mesos Potamas), referring to the region bounded by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Fertile Crescent.

Nation

A group of people who think of themselves as one and act in history as a single entity.

Ziggurat

A prominent Sumerian temple structure that served as the center of early city life and religious rule.

Lugal

Literally 'Big Man'; theocratic kings who took over leadership of Sumerian city-states from the priesthood.

Cuneiform

The Sumerians' greatest contribution and most important invention, marking the beginning of written language.

Edubba

The Sumerian 'Tablet House' where formal education took place to train scribes.

Ur-Nammu

Ruler who developed the first known ancient law code based on practical punishment, stipulating that the man of one mina should not fall prey to the man of one shekel.

Epic of Gilgamesh

The oldest surviving work of literature outside the Bible, depicting a king's friendship with Enkidu, a catastrophic flood, and an introspective quest for immortality.

Nomes

Agricultural communities established along the Nile River that functioned similarly to counties within a state.

Menes

Egyptian ruler known as the 'Raging Catfish' who united Upper and Lower Egypt, built Memphis, and initiated the Old Kingdom.

Hyksos

A Semitic-speaking people who ruled northern Egypt from their capital of Avaris during the Second Intermediate Period.

Treaty of Kadesh

The world's first recorded peace treaty, established between Pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittites following their military clash in $1274\text{ B.C.}$

Ma'at

The Egyptian concept of cosmic balance and justice, conceptualized in the afterlife through the weighing of a deceased person's heart against a feather on the scales of justice.

Rosetta Stone

A trilingual artifact containing inscriptions in Hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Greek that enabled Jean Francois Champollion to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Covenant

A solemn and binding contract established between God and man in Hebrew religion.

Satrapies

Administrative provinces or states within the Persian Empire governed by prominent local rulers.

Zoroastrianism

The dualistic religion of the Persian Empire founded by Zoroaster, characterized by an ongoing cosmic struggle between light and dark.

Karma

The Hindu spiritual principle governing cause and effect, which dictates the status and condition of a soul's rebirth in the cycle of reincarnation.

Moksha

A Hindu spiritual objective meaning 'to free,' attained when an individual eliminates personal distinctiveness and achieves oneness with the universe.

Caste System

The rigid social structure of India based on ritual purity ('castus'), historically divided into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Sudras, and Pariahs.

Nirvana

The state of ultimate spiritual enlightenment in Buddhism centered on the self.

Taoism

A Chinese philosophy and religion founded by Lao-tse that emphasizes the balance and complementary nature of opposing forces in the universe.

Confucianism

A primary native Chinese philosophy founded by Confucius that stresses the preservation of past traditions, moral order, and honored family relationships.

Taiping Rebellion

A devastating civil war ($1851$-$1864$) in Qing-dynasty China led by Hong Xiuquan, who proclaimed himself the 'Brother of Jesus.'

Shinto

The animistic, nature-based national religion instituted by the Yamato dynasty to legitimize imperial rule in Japan.

Sakoku

A policy meaning 'chained country,' referring to the period of total international isolation enforced by Tokugawa-era Japan.

Dejima

An artificial island in Nagasaki that served as a Dutch trading outpost and the sole point of foreign contact with Japan during Sakoku.

Uniformitarianism

The philosophical and geological view that large-scale physical changes on Earth result exclusively from slow, gradual, and steady processes.

Animism

The traditional belief system holding that every natural object possesses an inherent spirit.

Polis

The foundational community and political unit of ancient Greece, consisting of an urban center, an open public space (agora), and surrounding farmland.

Phalanx

A tightly packed, rectangular military tactical formation composed of heavily armored Greek citizen soldiers (hoplites).

Helots

The enslaved indigenous population subjugated by Sparta to perform agricultural and manual labor.

Timocratic Principle

A political governing structure instituted in Athens by Solon that apportioned political authority and civic offices according to wealth rather than noble birth.

Trireme

A specialized ancient Greek naval warship featuring three staggered tiers of rowers and a bronze battering ram on the prow.

Koine Greek

The 'common' everyday dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout the Hellenistic world, which provided a unified medium for the writing of the New Testament.

Stoicism

A Hellenistic philosophy established by Zeno teaching that individuals must know and fulfill their role under divine law while cultivating apathy toward pain and external turmoil.

Epicureanism

A Hellenistic philosophy established by Epicurus advising adherents to seek tranquility through modest, moderate pleasure while avoiding emotional and physical pain.

Res Publica

A Latin phrase meaning 'the public thing,' signifying a republican system of government designed to check factional impulse and prevent rash decision-making.

Twelve Tables

The earliest formal written codification of Roman civil and customary law, guaranteeing legal protection and transparency to all citizens.

Pyrrhic Victory

A battle won at such devastating cost to the victor's forces that it ultimately leads to losing the wider war, named after Pyrrhus of Epirus.

Pietas

A foundational Roman civic virtue signifying strict devotion to duty, family, and state.

Gravitas

A Roman traditional virtue referring to seriousness, dignity, and substantial quality of mind.

Dignitas

A Roman ideal representing personal honor, moral reputation, and prestige within the community.

Optimates

The conservative political faction in the late Roman Republic representing senatorial authority, translated as 'the best ones.'

Populares

The political faction in the late Roman Republic that sought power through popular assemblies and public welfare, translated as 'favoring the people.'

Battle of Actium

The decisive naval engagement between Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra that symbolically ended the Roman Republic and inaugurated the Roman Empire.

332-323 BC

Alexander conquered Egypt/ Ptolemy and the Hellenistic Dynasty

753 BC

City of Rome founded

509 BC

Roman Republic established

30 BC

Octavian 1st Emperor/ Ceasar Agustus/ Pax Romana

AD 30

Death and resurrection of Christ

AD 395

Roman Empire Divided

AD 476

Fall of Western Roman Empire