Before 1200: Patterns in World History

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms and concepts from Chapter 1: Before 1200: Patterns in World History, ranging from early human history and agricultural societies to major cultural traditions and global interactions.

Paleolithic Era

Also called the Old Stone Age, representing over 95% of the time humans have occupied the planet, characterized by hunting and gathering societies that were small, nomadic, and highly egalitarian.

Old Stone Age

Another name for the Paleolithic Era.

Agricultural Revolution

The most fundamental transformation in human history, also called the Neolithic (New Stone Age) Revolution, involving the deliberate cultivation of plants and domestication of animals, leading to settled villages, growing populations, and technological innovation.

Neolithic Revolution

Another name for the Agricultural Revolution.

Pastoral Societies

Societies of herders and nomads who relied heavily on animals, emerging in regions where farming was difficult or impossible, such as Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.

Village-based Agricultural Societies

Permanently settled farming villages that maintained social and gender equality, organized by kinship or lineage groups, and provided an alternative to states, kingdoms, and empires.

Chiefdoms

Societies characterized by inherited positions of power and privilege, where chiefs govern through generosity, ritual status, or charisma rather than force, and often collect and redistribute tribute.

Civilizations

The most significant outcome of the Agricultural Revolution, based in cities, governed by powerful states, and characterized by occupational specialization, greater inequality, patriarchy, and artistic/scientific/technological innovations.

Patriarchy

A social system prevalent in early civilizations, marked by gender inequality and male dominance.

Hinduism

A South Asian cultural tradition with no historical founder, integral to Indian civilization, characterized by a diversity of gods, beliefs, and practices, with central ideas like Brahman, moksha, samsara, and karma.

Brahman

In Hinduism, the World Soul, considered the ultimate reality.

Moksha

The ultimate goal in Hinduism, which is the union of atman (the individual soul) with Brahman, achieved through many lifetimes.

Samsara

The concept of reincarnation or rebirth in Hinduism, central to the process of achieving moksha.

Karma

The belief that actions in this life, whether good or bad, will decide your place in the next life, governing samsara.

Buddhism

A South Asian cultural tradition founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), teaching that life is suffering caused by craving, and the 'cure' is a modest and moral life through the eightfold path, aiming for nirvana.

Siddhartha Gautama

The founder of Buddhism, who achieved enlightenment and became known as the Buddha.

Nirvana

The goal of Buddhism, representing the extinguishing of individual identity and suffering through enlightenment.

Theravada Buddhism

An early version of Buddhism, known as the 'Teaching of the Elders,' which viewed the Buddha as a wise teacher rather than divine and emphasized rigorous, time-consuming practices.

Mahayana Buddhism

A later development of Buddhism that became more accessible to ordinary people, emphasizing compassion and the idea that enlightenment is available to all in the context of ordinary life, and was the first major religion to spread widely outside its homeland.

Confucianism

A Chinese cultural tradition founded by Confucius, focusing on philosophical and rational principles for life in this world, emphasizing moral behavior, filial piety, the importance of education for moral improvement, and a past golden age as an ideal society.

Confucius

The founder of Confucianism, whose teachings were collected in the Analects.

Filial Piety

A central virtue in Confucianism, emphasizing respect for parents, elders, and ancestors, and serving as a model for political life.

Daoism

A Chinese cultural tradition associated with Laozi and the Daodejing, advocating withdrawal into the world of nature, connecting with the 'dao' (the way of nature), and emphasizing simple living over education and active self-improvement.

Dao

The central concept in Daoism, meaning 'the way of nature' and the underlying principle that governs all natural phenomena.

Judaism

A monotheistic faith developed among the Hebrews, characterized by a distinctive conception of a powerful, jealous, yet accessible God who demanded exclusive loyalty, and serving as a foundation for Christianity and Islam.

Christianity

A monotheistic religion that began in a Jewish cultural setting, founded by Jesus of Nazareth, who taught principles of love, compassion, and challenging conventional values; it was spread widely by Saint Paul and eventually became a world religion after Roman persecution ended with Emperor Constantine's conversion.

Jesus of Nazareth

The founder of Christianity, a 'wisdom teacher' who emphasized love, compassion, and challenged societal norms, eventually executed as a criminal.

Saint Paul

A key figure in the spread of Christianity, whose inclusive message helped transform it from a small Jewish sect into a world religion.

Islam

An enormously significant monotheistic faith born in the 7th century C.E., founded by Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (the Prophet), whose revelations from Allah were recorded in the Quran, establishing the 'umma' (community of believers) and leading to a vast global civilization known as Dar-al Islam.

Muhammad Ibn Abdullah

The founder of Islam, a trader from Mecca who received revelations from Allah, which form the basis of the Quran.

Quran

The holy book of Islam, containing the divine revelations received by the Prophet Muhammad from Allah.

Umma

The community of believers in Islam, established under common faith, emphasizing social justice, equality, and care for others.

Sunni and Shia

The two main branches of Islam, resulting from a civil war following Muhammad's death and representing an enduring division within the faith.

Ulama

A group of learned scholars in Islam who played a significant role in uniting the faith through their interpretations and teachings.

Madrassas

Formal colleges that emerged in the Islamic world starting in the 11th century, serving as centers for higher learning and scholarship.

Sufism

Islam's mystical dimension, emphasizing the pursuit of an interior spiritual life and a personal experience of the Divine, often critical of the more legalistic interpretations of sharia.

Sharia

Islamic law, which Sufi practitioners sometimes criticized for being too scholarly or legalistic.

Empire

A large political unit that served as a setting for encounters between culturally different societies and arenas for the exchange of products, foods, ideas, religions, and diseases.

Silk Roads

Long-distance trade routes that began around 200 B.C.E. and operated for over 1500 years, linking China and the Mediterranean world.

Sea Roads

Sea-based trade networks that operated around the same time as the Silk Roads, traversing the Indian Ocean and South China Sea to link people between southern China and East Africa.

Sand Roads

Also known as trans-Saharan trade routes, which linked North Africa and the Mediterranean region with the interior of West Africa.