Before 1200: Patterns in World History – Key Vocabulary

Flashcards covering major vocabulary, concepts, and belief systems from Chapter 1, helping students review key terms related to early human societies, agricultural transformations, major civilizations, and the development of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Paleolithic Era

Old Stone Age; period of human history (to ca. 12,000 BCE) when people lived in small, mobile foraging bands and used stone tools.

Agricultural Revolution

Neolithic transition (ca. 12,000–4,000 BCE) from foraging to deliberate cultivation of plants and domestication of animals.

Pastoral Society

Nomadic or semi-nomadic community that relies primarily on herding domesticated animals for livelihood.

Chiefdom

Agricultural village society led by inherited chiefs who rely on gift-giving and charisma rather than force to rule.

Civilization

Complex society based in cities and governed by states, marked by social stratification, occupational specialization, and cultural innovation.

Ziggurat

Stepped Mesopotamian temple platform symbolizing religious and political authority.

Patriarchy

System in which men hold primary power and dominate in political, social, and familial spheres.

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese belief that a ruler’s legitimacy is granted by Heaven and can be lost through misrule.

Filial Piety

Confucian virtue of honoring parents and ancestors, foundational to Chinese social order.

Confucianism

Chinese philosophy emphasizing moral behavior, education, and hierarchy to achieve social harmony.

Daoism

Chinese tradition advocating alignment with the Dao (Way of Nature), simplicity, and withdrawal from politics.

Yin and Yang

Chinese concept of complementary opposites (female/male, dark/light) creating universal balance.

Hinduism

India’s oldest religious tradition; diverse beliefs centered on karma, dharma, samsara, and pursuit of moksha.

Brahman

In Hindu thought, the World Soul or ultimate reality underlying all phenomena.

Atman

Individual human soul that is ultimately identical to Brahman in Hindu philosophy.

Moksha

Liberation from the cycle of rebirth; ultimate spiritual goal in Hinduism.

Karma

Law of cause and effect whereby a person’s actions determine future rebirths.

Samsara

Cycle of birth, death, and rebirth common to Hindu and Buddhist worldviews.

Upanishads

Indian sacred texts (800–400 BCE) that expound philosophical ideas of Hinduism such as Brahman and atman.

Caste System

Rigid Indian social hierarchy based on hereditary occupation and ritual purity.

Brahmins

Priestly caste in India responsible for rituals and preservation of sacred knowledge.

Bhakti Movement

Popular Hindu devotional trend (ca. 600–1300 CE) emphasizing personal love for a chosen deity.

Buddhism

Religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) teaching the Four Noble Truths and path to nirvana.

Theravada Buddhism

‘Teaching of the Elders’; early form viewing Buddha as wise teacher and stressing monastic discipline.

Mahayana Buddhism

‘Great Vehicle’; later form offering salvation to laypeople, featuring bodhisattvas and devotional practices.

Nirvana

Buddhist state of enlightenment in which desire, suffering, and individual identity are extinguished.

Eightfold Path

Buddhist guide to ethical and mental development leading to nirvana.

Bodhisattva

Enlightened being in Mahayana Buddhism who postpones nirvana to help others achieve liberation.

Judaism

Monotheistic faith of the Hebrews centered on covenant with the single God (Yahweh) and ethical living.

Ten Commandments

Core ethical laws given to Moses in Jewish and Christian tradition, beginning with exclusive loyalty to one God.

Christianity

Religion based on life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, proclaiming him as Messiah and Son of God.

Sermon on the Mount

Key set of Jesus’ ethical teachings emphasizing love, humility, and mercy.

Saint Paul

Early Christian missionary whose letters helped spread Christianity to Gentiles across the Roman Empire.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity

Branch of Christianity dominant in Byzantium and Eastern Europe, separating from Roman Catholicism in 1054.

Roman Catholic Church

Western branch of Christianity headed by the pope in Rome.

Islam

Monotheistic religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad; core text is the Quran.

Quran

Islamic holy scripture believed by Muslims to be the literal word of God revealed to Muhammad.

Muhammad

Prophet (570–632 CE) who founded Islam and united much of Arabia under its banner.

Umma

Worldwide community of Islamic believers transcending tribal or ethnic divisions.

Sharia

Islamic law derived from Quran, hadith, and scholarly interpretation, governing all aspects of life.

Sunni Islam

Major branch holding that caliphs should be chosen by the Muslim community; emphasizes Sunna of Muhammad.

Shia Islam

Branch that believes leadership should stay within Prophet’s family, beginning with Ali and his descendants.

Ulama

Islamic scholars who preserve and teach sharia, serve as judges, teachers, and interpreters of faith.

Madrassa

Formal college of Islamic higher learning focusing on Quran, law, and other disciplines.

Sufism

Mystical dimension of Islam seeking direct personal experience of the Divine through meditation, music, and dance.

Dar al-Islam

‘Abode of Islam’; lands under Muslim rule where Islamic law prevails.

Silk Roads

Network of overland trade routes linking China with the Mediterranean from ca. 200 BCE to 1500 CE.

Sea Roads

Indian Ocean maritime trade network connecting East Africa, Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia.

Sand Roads

Trans-Saharan trade routes linking North Africa and Mediterranean with interior West Africa.

Dar al-Islam

Regions where Muslims are in political ascendancy and Islamic law is established.

Empire

Large multiethnic state ruled by a single sovereign power, often formed through conquest.

City-State

Small independent state consisting of a city and its surrounding territory, e.g., ancient Greece or Swahili coast.

Neo-Confucianism

Revival and synthesis of Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist thought in Song-era China (960–1279 CE).

Yellow Turban Rebellion

Chinese peasant uprising (184–204 CE) influenced by Daoist millenarian ideas seeking a utopian society.

Bantu Migrations

Not mentioned explicitly in text; no flashcard created.

Cahokia

Largest North American Mississippian chiefdom near modern St. Louis, flourishing ca. 1200 CE.

Shotoku Taishi

Japanese ruler (7th century CE) who promoted Buddhism and Confucianism and issued Seventeen-Article Constitution.

Seventeen Article Constitution

604 CE Japanese document influenced by Confucian ideals, emphasizing moral ruler and harmony.

Axum

Christian kingdom in present-day Ethiopia/Eritrea established in 4th century CE.

Dark Ages (European)

Early medieval period in Western Europe post-Roman collapse, not necessarily culturally ‘dark.’