AP World History: Ways of the World (4th edition) Chapter 1 Key Terms

Paleolithic era

Also called the "Old Stone Age" - when people used simple stone tools and were nomadic hunters and gatherers

pastoral society

A society in which food is obtained primarily by raising and taking care of animals

chiefdom

Form of political organization with rule by a hereditary leader who held power over a collection of villages and towns. Less powerful than kingdoms and empires, they were based on gift giving and commercial links.

patriarchy

A form of social organization in which males dominate females

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

Upanishads

A group of writings sacred in Hinduism concerning the relations of humans, God, and the universe.

Siddhartha Gautama

Founder of Buddhism

Theravada Buddhism

Buddhist sect that focuses on the wisdom of the Buddha

Mahayana Buddhism

Buddhist sect that focuses on the compassion of the Buddha

bhakti movement

An immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.

Confucianism

A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It shows the way to ensure a stable government and an orderly society in the present world and stresses a moral code of conduct.

Han dynasty

(202 BCE-220 CE) This dynasty continued the centralization of the Qin Dynasty, but focused on Confucianism and education instead of Legalism.

Daoism

A religion in China which emphasizes the removal from society and to become one with nature.

Judaism

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Yahweh was responsible for the world and everything within it. They preserved their early history in the Old Testament.

Jesus of Nazareth

Founder of Christianity

Saint Paul

The first great popularizer of Christianity

Muhammad Ibn Abdullah

Prophet of Islam

Quran

The holy book of Islam

umma

The community of all Muslims

ulama

Islamic religious scholars

Sufism

An Islamic mystical tradition that desired a personal union with God--divine love through intuition rather than through rational deduction and study of the shari'a. Followed an ascetic routine (denial of physical desire to gain a spiritual goal), dedicating themselves to fasting, prayer, meditation on the Qur'an, and the avoidance of sin.

Silk Roads

A system of ancient caravan routes across Central Asia, along which traders carried silk and other trade goods.

Sea Roads

The world's largest sea based system before 1500. Took place on the Indian Ocean and was made possible by the push from the predictable monsoons. Sea roads were not only limited to luxury goods like the silk roads, and could carry more bulk.

Sand Roads

A term used to describe the routes of the trans-Saharan trade in Africa.