WHAP Unit 0 Vocabulary

Patriarchy

A form of social organization in which males dominate

Agricultural Revolution

The time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering

Mesopotamia

A region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that developed one of the first civilizations.

city-state

A sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate hinterland.

Hinduism

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

Silk Road

An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea linking China with the Roman Empire.

Judaism

Early monotheistic religion - guided by the Hebrew Bible called the Torah.

Buddhism

the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

Daoism

philosophical system developed by of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events

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.

Dar al-Islam

an Arabic term that means the "house of Islam" and that refers to lands under Islamic rule

Shinto

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

Roman Catholic Church

Church established in western Europe during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages with its head being the bishop of Rome or pope.

Orthodox Church

the church that followed the Eastern traditions of Christianity as opposed to the Western traditions

Civil Service Exam

In Imperial China starting in the Han dynasty, it was an exam based on Confucian teachings that was used to select people for various government service jobs in the nationwide administrative bureaucracy.

Entrepot

commercial center where goods are received and reshipped

Shogun

A general who ruled Japan in the emperor's name

Daimyos

powerful warlord that controlled big estates; the best person from this class would become the shogun

Teotihuacan

first major metropolis in Mesoamerica, collapsed around 800 CE. It is most remembered for the gigantic "pyramid of the sun".

Mayans

A Mesoamerican civilization of Central America and southern Mexico. Achievements include mathematics, architecture, and calendar. .

Mississippian

A Native Indian culture that flourished in the modern day midwest. They resided in the Mississippi river valley

Toltecs

Powerful postclassic empire in central Mexico. It influenced much of Mesoamerica. Aztecs claimed ties to this earlier civilization.

Mauryan Empire

The first state to unify most of the Indian subcontinent. It was founded by Chandragupta Maurya.

Gupta Empire

The decentralized empire in modern day India that emerged after the Mauryan Empire, and whose founder is Chandra Gupta.

Mandate of Heaven

a political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source

Qin Dynasty

The first centralized dynasty of China founded by Qinshihuang

Han Dynasty

This dynasty continued the centralization of the Qin Dynasty, but focused on Confucianism.

Persian Empire

Mesopotamian empire that conquered the existing Median, Lydian, and Babylonian empires, as well as Egypt and many others. Also known as the Achaemenid Empire.

Roman Empire

Existed from 27 BCE to about 400 CE. Conquiered entire Mediterranean coast and most of Europe. Ruled by an emperor. Eventually oversaw the rise and spread of Christianity.

Byzantine Empire

The eastern half of the Roman Empire, which survived after the fall of the Western Empire at the end of the 5th century C.E. Its capital was Constantinople, named after the Emperor Constantine.

Abbasid Caliphate

Descendants of the Prophet Muhammad's uncle, al-Abbas, they overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate and ruled an Islamic empire from their capital in Baghdad.

Sui Dynasty

The Chinese dynasty that was like the Qin Dynasty in imposing tight political discipline; this dynasty built the Grand Canal which helped transport the rice in the south to the north.

Tang Dynasty

The Chinese dynasty that was much like the Han, who used Confucianism. This dynasty had a bureaucracy based on merit, and a Confucian education system. It was known for expanding to the West for trade.

Song Dynasty

The Chinese dynasty that placed much more emphasis on civil administration, industry, education, and arts other than military.

Ghana

First known kingdom in sub-Saharan West Africa between the sixth and thirteenth centuries C.E. Also the modern West African country once known as the Gold Coast. gold and salt trade.

Great Zimbabwe

City, now in ruins (in the modern African country of Zimbabwe), whose many stone structures were built between about 1250 and 1450, when it was a trading center and the capital of a large state.

Indus River Valley

(2500-1700 BCE) an early river valley civilization located in the present-day countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India that included the cities Mohenjo-daro and Harappa

Zoroastrianism

One of the first monotheistic religions, particularly one with a wide following. It was central to the political and religious culture of ancient Persia.

Confucianism

The system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct.

Analects

The book that Kong Fuzi wrote and that stresses the values and ideas of Confucianism.

Greek city-states

region controlled exclusively by Greeks, and usually having sovereignty. Ex. Sparta

Diaspora

A dispersion of people from their homeland

Islam

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

Jizya

tax paid by Christians and Jews who lived in Muslim communities to allow them to continue to practice their own religion

Sunni

Muslim branch that believes their political leader should be selected from among the leaders of the community. It is the majority of Muslims today.

Shi'ia

Sect of Islam which makes up 10% of the world's Muslims (mostly Iranian)