Pre-AP 10,000 BCE - 600 BCE Test Prep

East Africa

Regional location of the first appearance of early humans

Hunter-Gatherers

Nomadic Pre-Neolithic peoples who used animals and plants for tools, weapons, and food

Civilization

A sophisticated society with a central government, organized religion, writing and a social hierarchy

Judaism and Zoroastrianism

Monotheistic religions

Monotheism

Belief in one god that controls nature

Polytheism

Belief that many gods control nature

Pyramids

Sophisticated structures built by the Egyptians and Mesoamerican peoples using advanced technology and mathematical concepts

Social Hierarchy

Stacked order of society - usually divided into leaders and workers in descending power from the top down. Common in all ancient societies

Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, Indus, Yellow

River valleys associated with the rise of the world's core and foundational civilizations

Hinduism and Buddhism

Belief systems that originated in South Asia that teach that peace can be attained through selflessness; Hinduism is very hierarchal in its' concept of caste, while Buddhism rejects the caste system

Caste System

Social Hierarchy of Hinduism. Levels based on birth

Four Noble Truths

Meaning of life according to Buddhism: life is pain, pain is caused by desire, the way to eliminate pain is to eliminate desire, the way to eliminate desire is to follow the Eightfold Path

Eightfold Path

Buddhist prescription for how to live a proper life

Rosetta Stone

Archaeological find which contained the key to the interpretation of Egyptian hieroglyphics

The Neolithic Revolution

The switch that occurred sometime around 10,000 BCE between hunting and gathering to settled civilizations practicing animal domestication and agriculture

Shang Dynasty/Zhou Dynasty

Shang - Early Chinese society that practiced agriculture, animal domestication, writing and metallurgy (making objects out of metal). Zhou - known for the Mandate of Heaven and the beginning of the dynastic cycle, and the Shi (highly educated "men of service")

Oracle Bones

Shang practice of interpreting the cracks on tortoise shells for religious meaning

Cuneiform

Earliest known form of writing developed by the ancient Mesopotamians. It was a pictographic system of indentations onto wet clay tablets.

Himalayan Mountains

Mountain range in Central/South Asia that isolated the Harappans. Contains parts of the Indus and Ganges Rivers

Kung Fu Zi

"Confucius" - originator of the Confucian belief system

Confucianism

East Asian belief system based on social order. Human relationships contain a superior and inferior, with the importance of mutual respect. Harmony comes from everyone fulfilling their basic roles in society

Hammurabi

Babylonian king who established a law code

Code of Hammurabi

Ancient Babylonian law code that established the idea that government is responsible for what happens in society. Punishment determined by social standing

Phoenicians

Mediterranean trading people who established North African and Southern European colonies. Large trading fleet that harvested resources from coastlines for the manufacture of luxury goods (purple dye). Originators of the phonetic alphabet that went on to become the basis for Greek, Latin, and modern languages

The Leakeys

Leaders of a scientific expedition in East Africa that discovered Australopithecus, and example of an early human exhibiting bipedalism

Homo Habilis

"Person with ability" early human most credited with discovering fire, allowing the diffusion of humanity to different climates and geographies

Cro Magnon (Homo Sapien-Sapien)

Modern humans first appearing about 200,000 years ago

Harappans/Mohenjo-Daro

Ancient South Asian societies that utilized sophisticated urban planning and underground plumbing techniques

Achaemenid Persian Empire

The empire of Cyrus and Darius located in modern day Iran. Known for government innovations such as Satrapies (provinces) and Satraps (governors)

Olmecs/Chavin

Ancient Latin American societies. Olmecs from Mesoamerica known for "giant head" sculptures and the Chavin for their magnificent "Chavin de Huantar, located at the intersection of South American trade routes