History before 1200 C.E. Lecture Notes

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the development of human civilizations from the first migrations to the world in 1200 C.E.

Animism

A system of religious beliefs involving a reverence for deities associated with features of nature, such as animals or specific mountains or rivers.

Patriarchy

A social system characterized by domination by males.

Agricultural Revolution

A transition beginning around $8000$ B.C.E. in the Middle East where humans began to plant crops and raise animals, leading to food surpluses and labor specialization.

City-state

An independent state made up of a city and its surrounding territory.

Ziggurats

Monumental religious temples built by cultures in Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform

The first written language in history, invented by the Sumerians to record taxes, trade, and laws.

Hieroglyphics

The writing system developed by the ancient Egyptians in the Nile River valley.

Vedas

Scriptures brought to South Asia by the Aryans that taught ideas of reincarnation and the organization of society into castes.

Caste System

A social structure in India that organized society into sharply defined classes and prohibited social mobility.

Zoroastrianism

An early form of monotheism developed in Persia that focused on human free will and the battle between good and evil.

Covenant

In Judaism, the mutual promise between the Jewish people and their God, Yahweh.

Four Noble Truths

Buddhist doctrines that sought to eliminate desire and suffering by following the Eightfold Path.

Nirvana

In Buddhism, the state of enlightenment and peaceful bliss that ends the cycle of reincarnation.

Mauryan Empire

The first period of unity in South Asia ($322$ B.C.E. - $187$ B.C.E.) which reached its peak under the rule of Ashoka.

Golden Age of India

The period under the Gupta Empire ($320$ C.E. - $550$ C.E.) marked by advancements in medicine, such as inoculations, and the development of a numbering system from $0$ to $9$.

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese concept that a universal force provided the justification for an emperor and his family to rule.

Filial Piety

A central Confucian tenet emphasizing the duty of people to honor their ancestors.

Daoism

A Chinese philosophy focused on how people could live in harmony with nature through internal reflection.

Civil Service Exam

A system created by the Han Dynasty requiring students to analyze Confucian teachings to earn prestigious government jobs.

Hellenistic World

The region where Greek culture was spread across Egypt, Persia, and India by the army of Alexander the Great.

Twelve Tables

Publicly displayed written laws in Rome designed to protect individual rights and check abuses of government power.

Diaspora

The spreading of Jews to lands throughout northern Africa and Europe following Roman persecution.

Entrepôt

A coastal trading center, such as the Byzantine capital of Constantinople.

Justinian Code

A consolidation of Roman law that served as the foundation of legal knowledge in Europe until the $19$th century.

Five Pillars of Islam

The core principles of the Qur'an: belief in Allah, ritual prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Sharia

An Islamic law code based on the Qur'an that regulates both religious and civic behavior.

Sunni

The branch of Islam that believes the caliph can be selected from any leader in the Islamic community.

Shi'a

The branch of Islam that believes the caliph should be a blood relative of Muhammad.

Dar al-Islam

A term meaning 'House of Islam,' referring to the united areas of southern Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of India.

Jizya

An additional tax paid by non-Muslims in the Abbasid Caliphate to keep their faith.

Grand Canal

A construction of the Sui Dynasty stretching over $1000$ miles that connected southern agriculture to northern population centers in China.

Tributary System

The Chinese idea that surrounding kingdoms should make payments and submit to rule in exchange for trading privileges.

Shogun

A military general at the top of the political and social hierarchy in postclassical Japan.

Shinto

The official religion of Japan centered on the veneration of ancestors and nature spirits.

Great Schism

The $1054$ split of the Christian church into the Roman Catholic Church in the west and the Orthodox Church in the east.