World History Key Concepts and Terms

Flashcard collection covering historical vocabulary, civilizations, religions, political structures, and trade networks across all 5 provided source documents.

What was the Paleolithic Era?

The 'Old Stone Age' characterized by nomadic human groups who relied on hunting and gathering for survival.

What was the Neolithic Revolution?

The major transition in human history from hunting and gathering to settled agriculture and animal domestication.

What were the Twelve Tables?

The earliest written code of law in ancient Rome, establishing basic rights and duties for Roman citizens.

What defines a matrilineal system?

A social or kinship system where inheritance, ancestry, and family lines are traced through the mother.

What does polytheistic mean?

The belief in, or worship of, multiple gods and goddesses simultaneously.

How is agriculture defined?

The practice of cultivating soil, growing crops, and raising livestock to provide food and other products.

What is the specialization of labor?

A system where individuals focus on specific trades or crafts (like pottery, metalworking, or farming) rather than producing everything themselves.

What is Judaism?

The ancient, monotheistic religion of the Jewish people, based on the principles of the Torah and a covenant with God.

What is irrigation and why was it important for early civilizations?

The artificial application of water to land or soil to assist in the growing of crops, which was crucial for early river valley civilizations.

What is the Fertile Crescent?

A crescent-shaped region in the Middle East spanning modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt, known as the birthplace of agriculture and early civilizations.

What was Mesopotamia?

An ancient region in the eastern Mediterranean bounded by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, often called the 'cradle of civilization' where the first urban societies developed.

What is a city-state?

An independent, self-governing political unit that consists of a central city and its surrounding lands or territories.

What is pastoralism?

A form of agricultural activity based on the herding and raising of domesticated livestock, often involving a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle.

How is an empire defined?

An extensive group of states, countries, or distinct ethnic groups under a single supreme authority, such as an emperor or empress.

What is Hammurabi's Code?

A comprehensive set of 282 laws written by the Babylonian King Hammurabi, famous for its 'eye for an eye' principle and setting legal standards for Mesopotamian society.

What is metallurgy?

The scientific and technological process of extracting, refining, and working with metals to create tools, weapons, and goods.

What defines a patriarchy?

A social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.

What is cuneiform?

A system of wedge-shaped writing developed by the ancient Sumerians, considered one of the earliest known forms of written expression.

What is syncretism?

The blending or merging of different cultures, religions, schools of thought, or practices into a unique new system.

Who were the Phoenicians?

An ancient maritime civilization of the Mediterranean, famous for their extensive seafaring trade networks and the development of the first alphabet.

What was feudalism?

A decentralized social and political system based on land ownership and mutual obligations, where lords granted land to vassals in exchange for military service and loyalty.

What is monotheism?

The belief in only one supreme God, such as in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

What was manorialism?

The economic system of Middle Ages Europe based on self-sufficient agricultural estates (manors) worked by serfs.

What is filial piety?

The Confucian virtue of respect, obedience, and care for one's parents and ancestors.

What is a theocracy?

A system of government in which priests or religious leaders rule in the name of God or a deity.

What were caliphates?

Islamic states led by a caliph, serving as political and religious successors to the Prophet Muhammad.

What were the Bantu migrations?

A centuries-long movement of Bantu-speaking peoples across sub-Saharan Africa, spreading agriculture, ironworking, and language.

What were the Aryan migrations?

The movement of Indo-Aryan groups into Northern India, influencing the region's language, religion, and social structure.

What is Zoroastrianism?

An ancient Persian monotheistic religion founded by Zoroaster, centered on the struggle between good and evil.

What is a qanat?

An ancient system of underground channels used to transport water from hills to dry agricultural fields.

What is the caste system?

A rigid social hierarchy in India that divides people into hereditary groups based on purity and occupation.

What is the monsoon system?

Seasonal wind patterns in South and Southeast Asia that create predictable rainy and dry seasons, heavily impacting trade and farming.

What is Sanskrit?

An ancient Indo-Aryan language of India that serves as the sacred language of Hinduism and classical Indian literature.

What was the Mandate of Heaven?

A Chinese political and religious doctrine that legitimized the rule of the Emperor based on divine approval, under which overthrown dynasties were believed to have lost this favor.

What are the key elements of Buddhism?

A religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama in ancient India that focuses on eliminating suffering by overcoming desire and following the Eightfold Path to reach Nirvana.

What is Confucianism?

A Chinese philosophy based on the teachings of Confucius that emphasizes filial piety, social harmony, and ritual decorum, forming the basis of traditional Chinese governance and education.

What characterizes Hinduism?

A major world religion originating in the Indian subcontinent characterized by belief in reincarnation, karma, and dharma, featuring a diverse pantheon of deities and sacred texts.

What is Islam?

A monotheistic religion founded by the Prophet Muhammad in Arabia, guided by the Quran and the Five Pillars, which spread rapidly across Afro-Eurasia through trade and conquest.

What was the Great Schism?

The 1054 CE split within the Christian Church that divided Christianity into Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy due to political, cultural, and theological differences.

What were the core features of Eastern Orthodoxy?

A branch of Christianity that developed in the Byzantine Empire, centered in Constantinople, led by the Patriarch, and rejected the supreme authority of the Roman Pope.

What were the Silk Roads?

A vast network of Eurasian overland trade routes connecting East Asia to the Mediterranean basin that facilitated the exchange of luxury goods, technologies, and religions.

What is a republic?

A form of government where power rests with elected representatives and is governed by law rather than a hereditary monarch, historically exemplified by the ancient Roman Republic.

What is a democracy?

A system of government originating in ancient Athens as a direct democracy where power is vested in the people and relies on citizen participation and voting to make decisions.

What was the Qin Dynasty?

The first centralized dynasty of China (221-206 BCE) that unified China through harsh Legalist policies and standardization, and built early defensive walls that later became the Great Wall.

What was the Han Dynasty?

A golden age dynasty succeeding the Qin (202 BCE-220 CE) that established Confucianism as the official state ideology and exam system and expanded Silk Road trade to western markets.

How did epidemic disease impact major ancient empires?

Widespread infectious disease outbreaks devastated major empires like Rome and Han China via trade networks, causing massive population drops, economic disruption, and social instability.

What is cultural diffusion?

The spread of cultural beliefs and social activities from one group to another along trade routes, such as Islam spreading to Southeast Asia or Buddhism to China.

What is Sinicization?

The process where non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, impacting regions like Korea, Japan, and Vietnam through the adoption of Confucianism, writing systems, and bureaucratic models.

What was the Byzantine Empire?

The Eastern half of Rome that survived the fall of the Western Empire, centered in Constantinople with an Orthodox Christian culture, preserving Greco-Roman heritage while dominating Mediterranean trade.

What was a caravanserai?

Roadside inns built along major Asian and North African trade routes that supported commerce across Silk Road and Trans-Saharan networks by providing safe shelter, water, and food for merchants and their animals.