FAU HISTORY

FIRST TEST OF THE YEAR

B.C.E.

Before Common Era

C.E.

Common Era

abdicate

(v.) to resign, formally give up an office or a duty; to disown, discard

accession

(n.) agreeing with or consenting to

(n.) the act of attaining or gaining access to a new office or position

agrarian

concerning farms, farmers, or the use of land

amenities

convenient features that helps to make life pleasant; social courtesies

anarchy

(n) a lack of government and law; confusion

animism

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.

antiquity

the quality of being ancient; ancient times

appeasement

Satisfying the demands of dissatisfied powers in an effort to maintain peace and stability.

Aristocracy

the highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices.

asceticism

severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.

assimilate

(v.) to absorb fully or make one's own; to adopt as one's own; to adapt fully

authoritarian

A style of government characterized by submission to authority. It tends to opposed individualism and democracy. In its most extreme cases it is one in which political power is concentrated in a leader or leaders, who possess exclusive, unaccountable, and arbitrary power. (One person has power; dictatorship).

autocracy

A system of government in which the power to rule is in the hands of a single individual

barbarism

uncivilized, brutal behavior; cruelty; a nonstandard word or expression

bureaucracy/bureaucrats

a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

city-state

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

civic

adj. relating to the city or citizens

classical

related to the culture of ancient Greece and Rome

colonial

Attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory.

commerce

the buying and selling of goods and services

communal

shared by all members of a community; for common use.

concubine

a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives; mistress

conscription

compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces.

cosmopolitan

familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures

coup

the violent overthrow of a government by a small group; a victorious accomplishment

demography/demographic

the study of statistics such as births, deaths, income, or the incidence of disease, which illustrate the changing structure of human populations.

despot

a ruler with absolute power or tyrannical control over a group of people

diaspora

A dispersion of people from their homeland

dissent

(v.) to disagree; (n.) disagreement

dissident

A person opposed to established ideas or beliefs, especially in politics or religion; rebel

domestic/domesticate

domesticated is tame, domestic is of or relating to the home.; to tame or adapt to live in close connection with humans

dynasty/dynastic

a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock, or group

edict

an official order or proclamation issued by a person in authority

egalitarian

A person who believes in the equality of all people

elite

(n.) the choice part of a group of people or things; (adj.) superior

emigrate

leave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another.

epic

A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society

ethnocentric

believing in the superiority of one's own ethnic and cultural group, and having a corresponding disdain for all other groups

feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

genocide

the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.

gentry

A general term for a class of prosperous families, sometimes including but often ranked below the rural aristocrats.

guild

an organization of people in the same craft or trade

hierarchy

a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.

hominids

A species on the human branch of the evolutionary tree; a member of the family Hominidae, including Homo sapiens and our ancestors

pantheon

A group of gods; a group of people so accomplished in a skill or field that they seem like gods

ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

imperial/imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

indigenous

native to a certain area

infrastructure

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

lineage

direct descent from an ancestor; derivation

linguistic

having to do with the structure of language

manifest

obvious; very clear; evident

maritime

on or near the sea; relating to the sea

martial

warlike; relating to the military; armed forces

matrilineal

relating to a social system in which family descent and inheritance rights are traced through the mother

mercenary

a professional soldier hired by a foreign army to kill people

monarchy

A government ruled by a king or queen

monopoly/monopolize

the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service.

monotheism

belief in only one god

mystical

Having a spiritual meaning or reality that is neither apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; the visible sign of the hidden reality of salvation.

nation-state

A sovereign state whose citizens or subjects are relatively homogeneous in factors such as language or common descent; A type of state that conjoins the political entity of a state to the cultural entity of a nation, from which it aims to derive its political legitimacy to rule and potentially its status as a sovereign state.

neo

new, recent

homogenous

of a similar kind; same

Neolithic

The period of the Stone Age associated with the ancient Agricultural Revolution. It follows the Paleolithic period.

aesthetic

concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty

nomadic

wandering, moving about from place to place

oligarchy

a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution; a government ruled by a few powerful people, usually of noble/ higher class

papal/papacy

Having to do with the authority of the pope, head of the Catholic Church

parliament/parliamentary system

a system of government having the real executive power vested in a cabinet composed of members of the legislature who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature; A parliamentary system is a form of democracy where the people elect the legislature, and the legislature chooses the executive.

pastoral

A work of literature dealing with rural life; having to do with the country

patriarchal

relating to a society in which men hold the greatest legal and moral authority

patrilineal

relating to a social system in which family descent and inheritance rights are traced through the father

patronage

Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

peasant

a member of a class of persons who are small farmers or farm laborers of low social rank

pharaoh

A king of ancient Egypt, considered a god as well as a political and military leader.

piety/pious

the quality of being religious or reverent

polity

an organized society, such as a nation, state, church, or other organization, having a specific form of government

polygamy

marriage to several people at the same time

polytheism

the belief in or worship of more than one god.

proselytize

to persuade someone to convert to a faith, belief, or cause

provincial

(adj.) pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside; (n.) a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony

regent

a person who governs in place of a ruler who is ill, absent, or still a child; A person who rules a country for someone who is unable to rule alone

republic

A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.

rhetoric/rhetorical

the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.

sedentary

(adj.) characterized by or calling for continued sitting; remaining in one place

serf

an agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.

Sharia

Body of Islamic law that includes interpretation of the Quran and applies Islamic principles to everyday life

Sinification

Term used for the spread of Chinese culture; extensive adaptation of Chinese culture in other regions

state

a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.

steppe

partly dry grassland often found on the edges of a desert; sparse, dry, treeless grassland

stratification

A structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society; the uneven distribution of resources and privileges among participants in a group or culture

Sub-Saharan

from or forming part of the African regions south of the Sahara desert; Africa south of the Sahara

subordinate

(adj.) lower in rank or position, secondary; (n.) one who is in a lower position or under the orders of someone else; (v.) to put in a lower or secondary position

succession

the gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established; A series of predictable and orderly changes within an ecosystem over time.

syncretism

The unification or blending of opposing people, ideas, or practices, frequently in the realm of religion; a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith.

textiles

The first industry to be industrialized in the 18th century; a type of cloth or woven fabric.

theocracy

a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god; government run/controlled by religious leaders

theology

the study of religion and God