Unit 1 Vocab 8/8 WH

Jericho

Town in modern day Israel, one of the longest continuously occupied sites in the world

Mesopotamia

Geographical reference to the area of land curving from Egypt to the Persian Gulf, known for its ancient agricultural productivity

Hammurabi

Founder of the Babylonian Empire, noted for his code of law

Qin Shi Huangdi

Founder of the Qin dynasty, first emperor of unified China

Ziggurat

Step pyramid architecture built in the center of Sumerian city-states for government, religious, and trade use

Alexander the Great

Macedonian emperor who conquered much of the known world prior to his death, responsible for the spread of Hellenism

Legalism

Chinese philosophy that promotes strict adherence to laws to support a merit based bureaucracy

Catal Huyuk

Well preserved Neolithic agricultural village in modern day Turkey, had a population of up to 10,000

Five Classics

Set of books which describes classical Confucian philosophy

Warring States

Period of Chinese history prior to Qin unification and after the Zhou, known for its political chaos

City State

Independent city that controls the surrounding area, which is often culturally similar to surrounding cities

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese idea that there could only be one legitimate ruler at a time, and that the ruler had the blessing of the universe

matrilineal/patrilineal

A description of kinship and inheritance based on either the mother's or father's family line

Bureaucracy

A state of government in which professional government officials chosen for merit make decisions instead of elected representatives

Qin Dynasty

Dynasty that lasted from 246 BCE to 206 BCE, built a large portion of the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army

Mono/poly

Types of religion featuring either many gods or a single god

Bronze Age

Historical time period characterized by the first use of metal tools and early writing systems

Xia Dynasty

First Chinese dynasty, which was believed to be mythical prior to recent archaeological evidence

Neolithic Revolution

Period where humans transitioned from nomadic hunter gatherer groups to sedentary agricultural societies

Shang Dynasty

First recorded Chinese dynasty based near the Huang He River Valley, which lasted from 1600 BCE to 1046 BCE

Civil Service Exam

Method of identifying prospective government officials by merit rather than family inheritance or connections used in China

Phoenicians

Civilization based out of modern day Lebanon, known for their writing system and maritime trade

Indo-Aryans

Group of people believed to have migrated from Central Asia into South Asia, whose language and oral Vedic tradition replaced the Harappans

Analects

Primary collection of the sayings and ideas of Confucius

Babylonians

Empire in Mesopotamia founded by Hammurabi, capital located in modern day Baghdad

Hatshepsut

Longest ruling female Egyptian pharaoh from 1478 BCE to 1458 BCE, who is often artistically depicted as masculine

Harrapa and Mohenjo Daro

Ancient city states built on a grid plan in the Indus River Valley, known for their lack of weapons and complex architectural projects

Silk Road

Ancient trade route network across Eurasia

Hunter Gatherers

Nomadic lifestyle in which people forage for their food

Epic of Gilgamesh

Poem written circa 2100 BCE in Mesopotamia about a Sumerian king, and is considered the oldest known work of literature

Cuneiform

Writing system based on wedge shaped letters used throughout Mesopotamia

Domestication

The process of taming a wild plant or animal for the purpose of human consumption

Pastoralism

Type of agriculture in which animals are kept and herded as a food source

Zhou Dynasty

the longest lasting Chinese dynasty, during which the use of iron was introduced.

Fertile Crecent

fertile land between tigris and euphrates river