World History: World Religions, East Asia, and South Asia/Middle East

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering major world religions, Chinese imperial history from the Zhou to the Tang dynasties, and early South Asian and Middle Eastern empires.

Brahma

The "creator" deity in Hinduism.

Samsara

The Hindu concept of the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Moksha

The ultimate goal in Hinduism, representing liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

Brahmins

The priestly and academic class within India's Caste System.

Kshatriyas

The class of rulers, administrators, and warriors in the Indian Caste System.

Vaishyas

The class consisting of artisans, tradesmen, farmers, and merchants in the Caste System.

Shudras

The class of manual laborers in the Indian Caste System.

Dalits

The group responsible for street cleaning and menial tasks, often outside the traditional four-tier Caste System.

Siddhartha Gautama

The founder of Buddhism, which originated in India around $530$ BCE.

Nirvana

The ultimate goal of Buddhism, signifying a state of transcendence and liberation from suffering.

Eightfold Noble Path

The buddhist path to "enlightenment."

Sutras/Suttas

The holy texts or scriptures of Buddhism.

Mahayana, Vajrayana, and Theravada

The three main sects of Buddhism.

Yahweh

The monotheistic deity worshipped in Judaism.

Torah

The holy scripture of Judaism, also known as the "Five Books of Moses."

Prophet Muhammad

The founder of Islam in the $7\text{th}$ Century CE.

Mecca

The holy city of Islam located on the Arabian Peninsula.

Five Pillars

The core tenets that anchored the Islamic community after the death of Muhammad.

Sunni and Shia

The two primary sects of Islam.

Filial Piety

A core value of Confucianism involving ancestor worship and high regard for traditional Chinese social values.

The Tao (The Way)

The central concept of Daoism, established by Lao Tzu, which emphasizes living in harmony with nature.

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese belief that authority to rule is granted to dynasties and rulers by divine or heavenly power.

Shi Huangdi

The founder of the Qin Dynasty ($221$ BCE) and leader of the first Imperial Dynasty in China.

Han Chinese

The largest ethnic group in China that ruled every dynasty for $1000$ years until the Yuan Dynasty.

Xuanwu Gate Incident

The event in $626$ CE where Li Shimin killed his two brothers to eventually take power in the Tang Dynasty.

Wu Zetian

The Tang Dynasty empress who claimed to be the reincarnation of Buddha and rose to power after the Emperor's death in $683$ CE.

Emperor Xuanzong

Tang ruler from $712-756$ CE whose "Golden Age" included abolishing the death penalty and reducing inflation.

Jiedushi

Ten military governorships that challenged the power of the Tang government and ruled independently until $960$ CE.

"Fire Medicine"

A term for gunpowder, which was discovered accidentally by Tang Dynasty alchemists trying to find the elixir of life.

Ashoka

The Mauryan Empire ruler ($322-187$ BCE) who centralized taxes, built infrastructure, and unified laws across the empire.

Stupas

Buddhist religious structures built during the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka.

Gupta Empire

The "Golden Age" of India ($320-550$ CE) known for medical inoculations and the development of the $0-9$ decimal system.

Monsoon Winds

Natural phenomena used by the Chola Dynasty to facilitate trade as a hub of the Indian Ocean.

Mandalams

The primary administrative divisions of the Chola Empire, which were further divided into self-governing Nadus.

Rashidun Caliphate

The period from $632-661$ CE involving the first four Sunni Caliphs who unified Muhammad’s followers.

Umayyad Caliphate

A caliphate ($661-750$ CE) that expanded Islamic influence through powerful conquest and trade.

Muhammed Ghori

The leader of the Ghurid Sultanate who invaded Northern India in the late $12\text{th}$ century and was assassinated in $1206$.