World History Final Exam Study Guide

Hinduism

Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs that developed slowly over a long period of time

Reincarnation

individual soul or spirit born again and again; rebirth

Dharma

divine order and balance of things in one’s life

Karma

deeds (good or bad) that follow the soul through reincarnation

Moksha

a state of perfect understanding of all things; enlightenment

Caste System

   Brahmins (Priests) > Kshatriyas (Warriors/Kings) > Vaishyas (Business Community) > Kshudras (Servants) >>> The Dalits (Untouchables)

Varna

Each cast in the caste system

Dalit

Those excluded from the caste system who were considered unclean and did dirty work

Buddhism

Religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama that believes a middle way needs to be achieved

Siddhartha Gautama

Indian prince born in 563 BCE; later known as Buddha

Four Noble Truths

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1. Sorrow and suffering are part of life
2. People suffer because they constantly try to get things they can’t have
3. The way to escape suffering is to overcome these desires and reach a state of “not wanting”
4. To reach nirvana people should follow a “middle way”

Eightfold Path

The path to nirvana which practices eight aspects and leads to liberation

Nirvana

state of enlightenment

Middle Way

having neither too much nor too little pleasure

Indus River Civilizations

The earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent

Chandragupta Maurya

Ruler who established the Maurya Empire

Maurya Empire

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* Empire included all of northern India and part of present day Afghanistan
* Empire had a strong central government

Asoka

Chandragupta’s grandson who ruled harshly at first but then turned to Buddhism where he became a great ruler

Gupta Empire

Empire established after the Maurya Empire and the last great Hindu empire

Chandragupta

First emperor of the Gupta Empire

Sultanate

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* Indian territories became a separate Muslim kingdom – a sultanate / territory ruled by Muslims

Mogul Empire

Mongolian empire established in India by Babur

Akbar

Great emperor who allowed religious freedom and lessened the conflict between the Hindus and Muslims

Shah Jahan

Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal

Shah

king

Taj Mahal

architectural wonder of the world, built for Shah Jahan’s wife

Angkor Watt

city and temple complex; one of world’s greatest architectural achievements

Koryu Dynasty

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* Modeled central government after China’s
* Established a civil service system
* Produced lasting achievements for the Korean culture

Archipelago

island group

Shinto

way of the gods

Kami

divine spirits that dwelled in nature

Shogun

barbarian-defeating general

Feudalism

a political, economic, and social system based on loyalty, the holding of land, and military service

Japanese Feudal Pyramid

Emperor > Shogun > Daimyo > Samurai > Peasants > Artisans > Merchants

Samurai

warriors

Bushido

the samurai code; way of the warrior

Seppuku

ritual suicide

Bonsai

dwarfed tree

Typhoon

a tropical storm 

Tsunami

a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water

Ainu

indigenous people from the northern region of the Japanese archipelago

Clan

a group of close-knit and interrelated families

Yamato

major clan in Japan that claimed to be emperors of the land

Terrace

a level paved area or platform next to a building

Tale of Genji

The first novel written in Japan by Lady Murasaki

Ring of Fire

region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur

Nippon

Japanese name of Japan meaning ‘land of the rising sun’

Daimyo

one of the great lords who were vassals of the shogun

Haiku

 a Japanese poetic form

Kabuki

a classical form of Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with traditional dance

Olmec Civilization

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* First urban civilization in Mesoamerica
* Developed first writing system in the Americas
*  Traded with others from far away

Maya Empire

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* Developed around 1000 BCE
* Grew to more than 40 cities of up to 50,000 people each
* Spread throughout the Yucatan Peninsula
* Traded goods to different areas of Mesoamerica 

Yucatan Peninsula

Peninsula which creates the Mexican Gulf

Terrace Farming

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* Hillsides turned into flat terraces so crops could be grown close to cities

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Aztec Empire

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* Ruled a large empire in central Mesoamerica
* Ruled from 1100s to 1500s
* Controlled huge trade network
* Considered themselves the people of the sun

Tenochtitlan

capital of the aztec empire which had a system of canals that supplied many citizens

Hernan Cortes

Spanish explorer who conquered the Aztecs

Montezuma II

Aztec emperor Montezuma II thought Cortes was a god but Cortes took him as a prisoner

Inca Empire

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* By the 1500s it stretched from Ecuador to Chile and totaled 12 million people
* Government was centralized and controlled many aspects of life
* Called their empire the Four Quarters of the World

Andes Mountains

mountains where the Inca tribe began

Francisco Pizarro

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* Spaniards came to Peru in 1530, led by Francisco Pizarro
* When the Incas would not convert to Christianity, the Spanish attacked 
* Spanish defeated the Incans in 1537 and took control of the area

Machu Picchu

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* Machu Picchu means “old peak” and is situated on a mountain
* It has giant walls, terraces and ramps, and it is in the middle of the tropical forest

Hiram Bingham

person who discovered Machu Picchu

End of the Empires

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* Both empires had internal problems before the Spanish arrived
* The leaders of both empires were captured by the Spanish
* The Spanish had an advantage with horses and with guns
* Disease weakened and killed many native people

Roman Government

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* Rome was originally ruled by kings
* In 509 BCE Romans created a republic

Social Classes in Rome

* Roman society was divided into 2 social classes

PATRICIANS: powerful aristocratic class organized into clans

PLEBEIANS: all other citizens

* Plebeians were discriminated against but gradually increased their own power

Twelve Tables

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* In 450 BCE, Romans engraved laws on tablets known as the Twelve Tables
* Placed in the Forum
* By 300 BCE, distinction between classes became less important

First Triumverate

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* Caesar joined with Gaius Pompey and Licinius Crassus to form the First Triumvirate in 60 BCE

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Caesar

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* Caesar traveled to Egypt and put Cleopatra on the throne
* In 46 BCE, Caesar returned to Rome & in 44 BCE, Senate named him Dictator for life

Augustus

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* In 31 BCE, Octavian defeated their fleet & captured Alexandria
* In 27 BCE, Senate titled him Augustus, meaning “the revered one”
* First Roman Emperor
* Roman state became the Roman Empire

Second Triumverate

Octavian, Marc Antony, and Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate

Julio-Claudian Emperors

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* Augustus died in 14 CE
* For next 54 years, Caesar’s relatives ruled the empire

Good Emperors

Series of 5 good emperors that ruled for over 100 years after the Julio-Claudian emperors

Diocletian

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* Diocletian became Emperor in 284 CE
* Restored order and increased the empire’s strength
* Divided the Empire and ruled the Eastern half

Constantine

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* Constantine reunited the empire 
* In 330 CE, he moved the capital to Byzantium
* Renamed the capital Constantinople

Romulus Augustulus

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* Romulus Augustulus was the last Emperor
* Romulus was exiled in 476
* Eastern half of the Empire flourished and became the Byzantine Empire

Justinian

First emperor of the Byzantine Empire who won rule of all of Italy and parts of Spain

Theodora

Wife of Justinian, supported Icons

Procopius

principle Roman historian

Justinian Code

they combed through 400 years of Roman law and legal opinions. Some of those laws had become outdated. Some repeated or contradicted other laws. The panel’s task was to create a single, uniform code.


1. The *Code*: nearly 5,000 Roman laws that the experts considered useful for the Byzantine Empire
2. The *Digest*: opinions of Rome’s greatest legal thinkers about the laws (was made up of 50 volumes)
3. The *Institutes*: a textbook that told law students how to use the laws
4. The *Novellae* (New Laws): presented legislation passed after 534

Byzantine Education

Byzantine families valued education and sent their children to monastic or public schools or hired private tutors. Basic courses focused on Greek and Latin grammar, philosophy and rhetoric. Scholars preserved many Greek and Roman works.

Iconoclastic Controversy

Emperor Leo III banned the use of icons,

* Leo III believed that icons equaled idol worship
* Army supported Leo III and iconoclasts broke into churches to destroy images
* People rioted and clergy rebelled
* Pope became involved and supported use of icons

Icons

sacred images used in religious devotions

Iconoclasts

icon-breakers

Clergy

religious officials

Excommunication

being banned from the church

Schism

split

Great Schism

In 1054, matters came to a head when the pope and Byzantine patriarch excommunicated each other in a dispute over religious doctrine. After this schism, Christianity was permanently divided between the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Orthodox Church in the East.

Eastern Missionaries

The Orthodox missionaries opened up highways for Byzantine influence in Slavic lands. As these missionaries were carrying out their work among the Slavs, a new Slavic nation was forming. Saint Methodius and Saint Cyril

Slavs

people from the forests north of the Black Sea

Kiev

major city of Russia which could trade easily with Constantinople and was a principality. Orthodoxy flourished in Kiev under princess olga and vladimir

Mongols in Russia

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* Mongols gave Russians freedoms, but demanded obedience and tribute
* Russian nobles such as Alexander Nevsky supported the Mongols
* Mongol rule isolated Russia from the rest of Europe

Yaroslav the Wise

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* Yaroslav created a legal code, built the first library in Kiev, and helped Christianity prosper
* Kievan state began to decline when Yaroslav died
* Yaroslav divided the state among his sons, causing civil war

Alexander Nevsky

A Russian noble who supported Mongol rule

Ivan III

prince of Moscow who challenged Mongol rule and won Russia freedom from Mongol rule

Dark Ages

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* 410 CE to 1066 CE
* AKA the early middle ages
* Rise of barbarians
* Between 400 and 700 CE, Monasteries became centers of education 
* Romanesque Architecture Style

Middle Ages

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* 1066 CE to 1453 CE
* Marked by the Crusades, Feudalism and the Plague
* Lasting Political Ideals – the Magna Carta and Parliament
* Gothic Architecture Style

Carolingian Dynasty

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 dynasty formed to protect the papacy & establish that the pope and bishops make kings

Pepin the Short

established the Carolingian dynasty and was the father of Charlemagne