World History Review for Test #2: Ancient Greece, Rome, Byzantine, Islam, and East Asia

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantine Empire, Islam, and East Asian civilizations based on the Test #2 review guide.

epic poem

A long poem that tells the deeds of a great hero, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer

arete

In early Greece, the qualities of excellence that a hero strives to win in a struggle or contest

polis

The early Greek city-state, consisting of a city or town and its surrounding countryside

acropolis

In early Greek city-states, a fortified gathering place at top of hill that was sometimes the site of temples and public buildings

agora

In early Greek city-states, an open area that served as a gathering place and as a market

phalanx

A wall of shield created by foot soldiers marching shoulder to shoulder in a rectangular formation

tyrant

A ruler who seized power by force from the aristocrats, gained support from the newly rich and the poor, and maintained power by using hired soldiers and fighting tactics

oligarchy

“The rule of the few”; a form of government in which a select group of poe[; exercise control

democracy

“The rule of many”; government by the people, either directly or through their elected representatives

helot

In ancient Sparta, a captive person who was forced to work for the conqueror

ephor

One of the five men elected each year in ancient Sparta who were responsible for the education of youth and the conduct of all citizens

Age of Pericles

The period between 461 B.C and 429 B.C when Pericles dominated Athenian politics and Athens reached the height of its power

direct democracy

A system of government in which the people participate directly in government decision making through mass meetings

ostracism

In ancient Athens, the process for temporarily banning ambitious politicians from the city by popular vote

oracle

In ancient Greece, a sacred shrine where a god or goddess was said to reveal the future through a priest or priestess

tragedy

A form of drama that portrayed a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a protagonist who is brought to ruin or extreme sorrow, especially as a result of a fatal flaw

philosophy

An organized system of thought, from the Greek for “love of wisdom”

Socratic method

The method of teaching used by the Greek philosopher Socrrates; it employs a question-and-answer format to lead pupils to see things for themselves by using their own reason

legacy

Something that comes from someone in the past or that happened in the past

Hellenistic Era

The age of Alexander the Great; period when the Greek language and ideas were carried to the non-Greek world

Epicureanism

A school of thought developed by the philosopher Epicurus in Hellenistic Athens; it held that happiness is the chief goal in life, and the means to achieve happiness was the pursuit of pleasure

Stoicism

The school of thought developed by the teacher Zeno in Hellenistic Athens; it says that happiness can be achieved only when people gain inner peace by living in harmony with the will of God and that people should bear whatever life offers

republic

A form of government in which the leader is not a king and certain citizens have the right to vote

plebian

In Roman Republic, a social class made up of minor landholders, craftspeople, merchants, and small farmers

patrician

A social class of wealthy, powerful landowners, they formed the ruling class in the Roman Republic

triumvirate

A government by three people with equal power

dictator

An absolute ruler

urbanization

Moving to urban areas

paterfamilias

In the Roman social structure, the dominant male head of the household, which also included his wife, sons, and their wives and children, unmarried daughters, and slaves

inflation

A rapid increase in prices

bishopric

A group of Christian communities, or parishes, under the authority of a bishop

monk

A man who separates himself from ordinary human society in order to delicate himself to God; monks live in monasteries headed by abbots

missionary

A person sent out to carry a religious message

patriarch

The head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, originally appointed by the Byzantine emperor

icon

A picture of a religious image

idolatry

The worship of religious images

Allah

Arabic for God; the supreme god of Islam

Quaran

The holy scriptures of the religion of Islam

Hijrah

The journey of Muhammad and his followers to Madinah in 622, which became year 1 of the official calendar of Islam

bedouin

A nomadic Arab who lives in the Arabian, Syrian, or North African deserts

hajj

A pilgrimage to Makkah, one of the requirements of the Five Pillars of Islam

Five Pillars of Islam

Acts of worship every Muslim must perform; these include belief, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage

shari’ah

A law code drawn up by Muslim scholars after Muhammad’s death; it provided believers with a set of practical laws the regulate their daily lives

caliph

A successor of Muhammad as spiritual and temporal leader of the Muslims

Shia

A Muslim group that accepts only the descendants of Muhammd’s son-in-law Ali as true rulers of Islam

Sunni

A Muslim group that accepts only the descendants of the Umayyads as the true rulers of Islam

sultan

“Holder of power’; the military and political head of state under the Seljuk Turks and the Ottomans

scholar-gentry

In China, a group of people who controlled much of the land and produced most of the candidates for civil service

dowry

A gift of money or property paid at the time of marriage, either by the bride’s parents to her husband or, in Islamic societies, by a husband to his wife

khanate

One of the several separate territories into which Genghis Khan’s empire was split, each under the rule of one of his sons

neo-Confucianism

A revised form on Confucianism that evolved as a responded the Buddhism and held sway in China from the late Tang dynasty to the den of the dynastic system in the late twentieth century

samurai

“Those who serve’; Japanese warriors familiar to the knights of medieval Europe

Bushido

“The way of the warrior”, the strict code by which Japanese samurai were supposed to live

shogun

“General’; a powerful military leader in Japan

Shinto

‘The Sacred Way” or ‘the way of the Gods”; the Japanese state religion; among its doctrines are the divinity of the emperor and the sacredness of the Japanese nation

Zen

A sect of Buddhism that became popular with Japanese aristocrats and became part of the samurai’s code of behavior; under Zen Buddhism, there are different paths to enlightenment

archipelago

A chain of islands

Theravada

“The teachings of the elders’; a school of Buddhism that developed in India; its followers view Buddhism as the way of life

Mahayana

A school of Buddhism that developed in northwest India, stressing the view that nirvana can be achieved through devotion to the Buddha; its followers consider the Buddha a divine figure