world history final

prehistory

the period of time before written records

Neolithic Age

"New Stone Age"; About 10,000 years ago marked by advances in the production of stone tools. Shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture

Paleolithic Age

(750,000 BCE - 10,000 B.C.E.) Old Stone Age. A period of time in human history characterized by the use of stone tools and the use of hunting and gathering as a food source.

Neolithic Revolution

(10,000 - 8,000 BCE) The development of agriculture and the domestication of animals as a food source. This led to the development of permanent settlements and the start of civilization.

Mesopotamia

Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Name literally means "between rivers"

cuneiform

A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge shaped stylus and clay tablets.

hieroglyphics

An ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds

Seven Features of Civilization

Organized governments, complex religions, job specialization, social class, arts & architecture, public works, writing

Dynasty

A series of rulers from the same family

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Monarchy

A government ruled by a king or queen

Mandate of Heaven

the belief that the Chinese king's right to rule came from the gods

Code of Hammurabi

the set of laws drawn up by Babylonian king Hammurabi; the earliest legal code known in its entirety

City-states

a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.

King Minos

a king of the Minoans who legend has it owned a half-human, half-bull monster called the "Minotaur" who was kept in a labyrinth. Located on the island of Crete

Crete

Home of the ancient Minoans

Minoans

earliest Greek civilization that had developed on the island of Crete by 2000 B.C.

Homer

A Greek poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey

Consuls

Two officials from the patrician class were appointed each year of the Roman Republic to supervise the government and command the armies

Senate

300 patrician men; served the Republic for life. More powerful than the assembly, advised the consuls, debated foreign policy, proposed laws, etc.

Roman Republic

The period from 507 to 31 B.C.E., during which Rome was largely governed by the aristocratic Roman Senate.

Plebeians

The lower class of Roman society who could not hold public office. They were the largest social class.

Patricians

Powerful landowners who controlled Roman government and society

Alexander the Great

King of Macedonia who conquered Greece, Egypt, and Persia. Credited with spreading Hellenistic culture throughout the world.

Punic Wars

A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (264-146 B.C.); resulted in the destruction of Carthage and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean.

Aqueducts

Bridge-like stone structures that carry water from the hills into Roman cities

Circus Maximus

a Roman outdoor arena in which public games, such as chariot races, were held

Colosseum

A large arena in Rome where gladiator contests and other games and sporting events were held.

Caesar

Part of the first triumvirate who eventually became "emperor for life." Was assassinated by fellow senators in 44 BCE for being seen as a threat to the Republic

Twelve Tables

Rome's first code of laws; adopted in 450 B.C.

Constantinople

A large and wealthy city that was the imperial capital of the Byzantine empire and later the Ottoman empire, now known as Istanbul

Athens

A democratic Greek polis who accomplished many cultural achievements, and who were constantly at war with Sparta.

Sparta

Greek city-state that was ruled by an oligarchy, focused on military, used slaves for agriculture, discouraged the arts

Battle of Marathon

Greek victory over the Persian army that ended the First Persian War

Cyrus

Founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Between 550 and 530 B.C.E. he conquered Media, Lydia, and Babylon. Revered in the traditions of both Iran and the subject peoples.

Darius

The third king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. He ruled the empire at its peak. He organized the empire by dividing it into provinces and placing satraps to govern it. He organized a new uniform money system, along with making Aramaic the official language of the empire. He also worked on construction projects throughout the empire.

Peloponnesian Wars

Wars from 431 to 404 BCE between Athens and Sparta for dominance in southern Greece; resulted in Spartan victory but failure to achieve political unification of Greece

Persian Wars

A series of wars between the Greeks (mainly Athens) and the Persians in which the Greeks were usually victorious.

Persepolis

Persian city built by Darius I

Satrap

A governor of a province in ancient Persia

Hellenism

Greek culture spread across western Asia and northeastern Africa after the conquests of Alexander the Great.

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.

12 Tribes of Israel

the future name for the descendants of Abraham; tribes named for the sons of Jacob/Israel

Rabbis

A Jewish religious leader and teacher

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

Hinduism

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

Caste System

A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life

Nirvana

The state of englightenment for Buddhists.

Eightfold Path

the Buddhist path to nirvana, comprising eight aspects in which an aspirant must become practiced: right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

Dharma

In Hindu belief, a person's religious and moral duties

Karma

(Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation

Shinto

A Japanese religion whose followers believe that all things in the natural world are filled with divine spirits

Ten Commandments

A set of laws for responsible behavior, which, according to the Bible, were given to Moses by God.

Jerusalem

A city in the Holy Land, regarded as sacred by Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

Mecca

City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.

Zoroaster

persian prophet the gave hope for the afterlife, life is a battle of good v. evil

Zoroastrianism

A monotheistic religion that developed in early Persia and stressed the fight between the forces of good and the forces of evil and how eventually the forces of good would prevail.

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.

Buddha

Means "Enlightened One." He is said to have found a path for overcoming suffering.

Reincarnation

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the process by which a soul is reborn continuously until it achieves perfect understanding

Siddhartha Gautama

Founder of Buddhism

Charlemagne

king of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor

Justinian

Byzantine emperor in the 6th century A.D. who reconquered much of the territory previously ruler by Rome, initiated an ambitious building program , including Hagia Sofia, as well as a new legal code

Holy Roman Empire

An empire established in Europe in the 10th century A.D., originally consisting mainly of lands in what is now Germany and Italy

Black Death

the epidemic form of bubonic plague experienced during the Middle Ages when it killed nearly half the people of western Europe

Pope Urban II

Leader of the Roman Catholic Church who asked European Christians to take up arms against Muslims, starting the Crusades

Magna Carta

the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215

William the Conqueror

duke of Normandy who led the Norman invasion of England and became the first Norman to be King of England

Henry II

In 1154, He became king of England, broadened the system of royal justice by expanding accepted customs into law and establishing royal courts. Married to Eleanor of Aquitaine, father of King John

Vikings

one of a seafaring Scandinavian people who raided the coasts of northern and western Europe from the eighth through the tenth century.

Feudalism

the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants( serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.

Manorialism/Manor System

Economic system during the Middle Ages that revolved around self-sufficient farming estates where lords and peasants shared the land.

Constantinople

A large and wealthy city that was the imperial capital of the Byzantine empire and later the Ottoman empire, now known as Istanbul

Great Schism of 1054

The separation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church

Great Schism of 1378

A division in the Catholic Church- rival claimants to the papacy existed in Rome and Avignon. later a 3rd pope was elected in Pisa

Hagia Sophia

Most famous example of Byzantine architecture, it was built under Justinian I and is considered one of the most perfect buildings in the world.

Monotheistic

Belief in one God

Caliphs

the military and political leaders of the Muslim community who succeeded Muhammad after his death

Abu Bakr

first caliph after death of Muhammad

Five Pillars of Islam

Declaration of faith, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage

Hijrah

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina

Quran

The holy book of Islam

Istanbul

Capital of the Ottoman Empire; named this after 1453 and the destruction of Constantinople.

Battle of Tours

(732 CE) European victory over Muslims. It halted Muslim movement into Western Europe.

Silk Road

An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea extending some 6,440 km (4,000 mi) and linking China with the Roman Empire. Thrived under the Mongol Empire

Pax Mongolica

The period of approximately 150 years of relative peace and stability created by the Mongol Empire.

Ming Dynasty

Succeeded Mongol Yuan dynasty in China in 1368; lasted until 1644; initially mounted huge trade expeditions to southern Asia and elsewhere, but later concentrated efforts on internal development within China.

Movable Text

individual clay characters that could be arranged in a frame to form a page. This allowed for books to be produced more cheaply which lead to a boom in education in China

Zheng He

(1371-1433?) Chinese naval explorer who sailed along most of the coast of Asia, Japan, and half way down the east coast of Africa before his death.

Osman the Great

A powerful ghazi who developed a small Turkish state along the frontier of the Byzantine Empire, becoming the leader of the Ottoman Turks

Kublai Khan

(1215-1294) Grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty in China.

Ghana

West African state that supplied the majority of the world's gold from 500 CE-1400's

Mali

The kingdom in West Africa that followed the Kingdom of Ghana; its wealth is also based on trans-Saharan trade; this kingdom encouraged the spread of Islam.

Songhai

a West African empire that conquered Mali and controlled trade from the 1400s to 1591

Aztecs

Also known as Mexica, they created a powerful empire in central Mexico (1325-1521 C.E.). They forced defeated peoples to provide goods and labor as a tax.

Mayans

1500 B.C. to 900 A.D. This is the most advanced civilization of the time in the Western Hempishere. Famous for its awe-inspiring temples, pyramids, roads, and cities. A complex social and political order.

Chichen Itza

an ancient Mayan city located on the Yucatan Peninsula

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Incas

Highly advanced South American civilization that occupied present-day Peru until it was conquered by Spanish forces under Francisco Pizarro in 1532. The Incas developed sophisticated agricultural techniques, such as terrace farming, in order to sustain large, complex societies in the unforgiving Andes Mountains.