Lecture Review: Global Civilizations and Empires

Vocabulary flashcards covering key civilizations, empires, and cultural concepts from the lecture notes.

Paleolithic Australians

Lived a nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle, engaged in trade, centered on religion and mythology, and known for stories and paintings.

North American Hunter-Gatherer Societies

Ranked societies with economic specialization, led by clan leaders, and known for extensive food storage.

Tigris River Villages

Early stateless societies settled near rivers, which expanded into empires through wealth-driven conquest, and engaged in trade of goods like cotton and copper.

Iroquois Confederacy

An alliance of 5 (later 6) Iroquois-speaking nations, featuring local self-government, significant women's authority, and peace maintained through confederation.

Timur (Tamerlane)

A Central Asian conqueror whose empire expanded through warfare and later broke into successor states.

Samarkand

A city that flourished as a trade and cultural center under Timur.

Ming Dynasty

China's dynasty characterized by a centralized bureaucracy and Confucian traditions, known for building the Great Wall, rebuilding Beijing, and initially leading maritime voyages.

Zheng He

Commander of Chinese maritime voyages during the Ming Dynasty, which were later ended to focus on inward defense.

European Renaissance

A period in Europe marking a rebirth of learning, culture, and art, influenced by ancient Greece and Rome, with figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Ottoman Empire

Located in Anatolia and beyond, captured Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, central to Islam, and governed diverse peoples using the millet system.

Millet System

The Ottoman Empire's system for governing its diverse religious communities.

Safavid Empire

Located in Persia (Iran), adherents of Shia Islam, and rivals with the Sunni Ottoman Empire.

Mughal Empire

An Islamic empire in India ruling over a Hindu majority, known for emperors like Akbar the Great who promoted tolerance.

Akbar the Great

A Mughal emperor famous for promoting religious tolerance.

Songhay Empire

A West African empire with Timbuktu as a major trade and cultural hub, influenced by Islam, and an economy based on gold and trans-Saharan trade.

Timbuktu

A major trade and cultural hub within the Songhay Empire.

Aztec Empire

Located in Mesoamerica (Mexico), with its capital Tenochtitlán, and human sacrifice central to its religious rituals.

Tenochtitlán

The capital city of the Aztec Empire.

Inca Empire

Located in the Andes Mountains (South America), utilized Quipu for record-keeping, the Mita system for labor tribute, and its capital was Cuzco.

Quipu

The Inca system of knotted strings used for keeping records.

Mita system

The Inca system of labor tribute.

Cuzco

The capital city of the Inca Empire.

Florence, Italy

A European city that became a center of trade and culture, comparable to Mughal cities, characterized by wealth, trade, and diverse religious influences.