AP World

APWH Themes, General Key-terms, Western Civilization

social structure

a pattern of organized relationships among groups of people within a society

Politics

the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government

Interaction with environment

How we affect & are affected by environment

Culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

Economics

the study of how society manages its scarce resources

Technology

Knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings

consensus

general agreement

Ceremonial Burial

Burial for after life

Animism

The belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other natural objects have spirits

Nomads

people who wander from place to place

egalitarian

promoting equal rights for all people

agriculture

farming

irrigation

A way of supplying water to an area of land

civilization

A society with cities, a central government, job specialization, and social classes

monumental architecture

Large structures, such as pyramids, temples, public spaces, and large statues, that generally appear wherever powerful leaders emerge; a feature of all agrarian civilizations.

Urbanization

Movement of people from rural areas to cities

legitimize

To give credit or recognition to

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

hierarchy

a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.

Patriarchy

A form of social organization in which males dominate females

Western Civilization

culture of Europe and North America

Ancient Greece

Location was where the present day country of Greece is. It is famous for types of columns in architecture. The acropolis and the Parthenon. First democratic form of government

consolidate

(v.) to combine, unite; to make solid or firm

Mediterranean Trade

allowed Roman empire to trade with many different places thus increasing the economy

Decentralized

governmental power is spread among more than one person or group

city-state

a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.

Athens

the capital and largest city of Greece

Monarchy

A government in which power is in the hands of a single person

Tyranny

cruel and unjust use of power

Democracy

government by the people

Greek Golden Age

5th century

Euclid

(circa 300 BCE), Greek mathematician. Considered to be the father of modern geomertry.

Socrates

Greek philosopher; socratic method--questioning; sentenced to death for corrupting Athens youth

Cultural Diffusion

the spread of cultural elements from one society to another

Roman Empire

Existed from 27 BCE to about 400 CE. Conquiered entire Mediterranean coast and most of Europe. Ruled by an emperor. Eventually oversaw the rise and spread of Christianity.

Latin

The language of the Romans

Romance languages

Any of the languages derived from Latin including Italian, Spanish, French, and Romanian.

Roman Legal Concepts

Innocent until proven guilty, equality under the law

Hebrews

Early group of people who lived in lands between Mesopotamia and Egypt. They developed the religion Judaism.

Judaism

the monotheistic religion of the Jews.

Monotheism

Belief in one God

Abrahamic Religions

3 religions that regard Abraham as their ancestor in faith: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Imperial Cult

worship of the emperor

Diaspora

A dispersion of people from their homeland

Jewish Diaspora

the scattering of the Jewish people to many lands

Missionaries

people who work to spread their religious beliefs

Christianity

A religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus

Rome Legalizes Christianity

313 CE

Germanic Tribes

Nomadic groups that invaded the Roman Empire from the North and East. They caused the fall of Rome.

Fall of Rome

476 CE

Roman Catholic Church

the Christian church headed by the pope in Rome

Eastern Orthodox Christianity

A branch of Christianity that developed in the Byzantine Empire and that did not recognize the Pope as its supreme leader

Great Schism of 1054

The separation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church

Byzantine Empire

Eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived the fall of the Western half.

Hagia Sophia

Most famous example of Byzantine architecture, it was built under Justinian I and is considered one of the most perfect buildings in the world.