Historical Societies and Empires

These flashcards cover significant terms and concepts from the lecture notes on various historical societies and empires.

Shamans

Religious leaders or healers in steppe societies who communicate with spirits.

Sui Dynasty

Chinese dynasty that unified China after 3.5 centuries of division, known for the Grand Canal.

Tang Taizong

Founder of the Tang Dynasty, known for military expansion and reforms.

Neo-Confucianism

Philosophical movement that merged Confucianism with Buddhist and Daoist ideas.

Movable Type Printing

Technological advancement that allowed for the mass production of texts, significant in spreading literature.

Gupta Empire

Ancient Indian empire known for its cultural and scientific achievements, often referred to as a golden age.

Bedouins

Nomadic Arab tribes known for their strong tribal culture and camel herding.

Byzantine Empire

Eastern Roman Empire that lasted longer than the Western Roman Empire and was rich and powerful.

Timbuktu

A major city in Mali known as a center of trade and learning, particularly in Islamic studies.

Cahokia

A major urban center of the Mississippian culture known for its earth mounds and pyramids.

Quipu

An ancient Incan record-keeping system that used knots in strings to convey information.

Aztec Empire

A mesoamerican civilization known for its agricultural economy and religious practices including human sacrifice.

Inca Empire

A powerful South American empire known for extensive road networks and high-altitude agriculture.

Warriors (Kshatriyas)

The warrior class in the caste system of ancient Indian society.

Civil service exams

Merit-based examinations used to select candidates for bureaucratic positions in imperial China.