Hunter-Gatherers and the Neolithic Revolution - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from hunter-gatherer life, the Neolithic Revolution, early Mesopotamian civilization, Greek democracy, the Roman Empire, and major religious and imperial developments.

Hunter-gatherers

People who subsisted by hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants, living in small, mobile bands (about 20–25 individuals).

Neolithic Revolution

The shift around 8000 BC to domestication of plants and animals, settled farming villages, and new technologies (pottery, cloth, metalworking, brewing).

Domestication

A two-way process in which humans adapt plants and animals for human use, enabling reliable food supply and complex societies.

The Three Sisters

Corn (maize), beans, and squash grown together in Mesoamerica as staple crops.

Jericho

One of the world's earliest walled cities (c. 6800 BC) in the Jordan River valley with irrigation farming.

Sumerians

The inhabitants of the first Mesopotamian civilization (c. 3100 BC), known for city-states like Uruk and early writing (cuneiform).

Uruk

A major Sumerian city-state with thousands of inhabitants and extensive walls; a center of early urban life.

Cuneiform

The wedge-shaped writing system developed by the Sumerians, used for record-keeping and literature.

Lugal

Sumerian title meaning ruler, king, or big man.

Epic of Gilgamesh

Ancient Mesopotamian epic poem about the legendary king Gilgamesh of Uruk.

Ekklesia

The Assembly of all adult, free male citizens in democratic Athens (c. 5th century BC).

Council of 500

A randomly chosen body of citizens over 30 who prepared and directed affairs for the Athenian Assembly.

Ostracism

Athenian practice of banishing a citizen for ten years through a vote.

Pericles

A dominant Athenian statesman who led Athenian democracy during its height (5th century BC).

Polis

An ancient Greek city-state; a political and social comunidad centered around a city and its countryside.

Acropolis

The elevated fortified area of a Greek city-state; the site's religious and monumental complex.

Parthenon

The temple on the Acropolis of Athens, symbolizing ancient Greek architectural and cultural achievement.

Pax Romana

The Roman Peace; about two centuries of relative political stability and economic prosperity across the empire.

Cursus publicus

The Roman imperial courier and transport system used to transmit messages and goods.

Hadrian’s Wall

A Roman frontier fortification in Britannia stretching about 74 miles; built under Emperor Hadrian.

Roman citizenship (Edict of 212)

Caracalla’s edict granting Roman citizenship to all free men within the empire.

Constantine

Roman emperor who supported Christianity, founded Constantinople, and promoted religious tolerance.

Edict of Milan

313 CE decree by Constantine granting religious tolerance to Christians within the empire.

The People of the Book

Islamic term referring to Christians and Jews as recipients of divine revelation.

Jizya

Tax imposed on non-Muslims under Islamic rule in exchange for protection and toleration.

The Islamic Exchange

The period (roughly 700–1300) when the Islamic world transmitted crops, ideas, and technologies across Afro-Eurasia (e.g., rice, papermaking, Hindu-Arabic numerals).

Osman

Founder of the Ottoman Empire; the name gives rise to the term ‘Ottoman.’

Siege of Constantinople (1453)

Ottoman capture of Constantinople, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire in the East.

Hagia Sophia

The great church of Constantinople (Holy Wisdom), later converted to a mosque after 1453.

Constantinople

Capital of the Byzantine Empire; renamed Istanbul after the Ottoman conquest in 1453.

Five Good Emperors

Nerva–Marcus Aurelius period (96–180 CE), known for relatively stable and competent rule.

Barrack Emperors

A tumultuous period (235–284 CE) with rapid and often short-lived imperial successions.

What major innovations, beyond crops and papermaking, were transmitted during the Islamic Exchange?

The Islamic Exchange facilitated the spread of significant intellectual contributions like Hindu-Arabic numerals, advancements in medicine and astronomy, and philosophical texts, fostering a rich cross-cultural intellectual environment across Afro-Eurasia.

How did Islam spread?

Islam spread through military conquests, trade routes, missionary activity, and cultural exchange, establishing a vast empire that spanned from the Iberian Peninsula to India by the 8th century.

The Rise of Christianity

Initially a persecuted religion within the Roman Empire, Christianity gained significant momentum after Emperor Constantine's conversion and the Edict of Milan in 313 CE, which granted religious tolerance, eventually leading to its establishment as the state religion.