Unit 1 Vocabulary –World History

1. Aryans – An Indo-European people who, about 1500 B.C., began to migrate into the

Indian subcontinent.

2. Moksha – In Hinduism, a state of perfect understanding of all things and a release

from the cycle of reincarnation.

3. civilization - Highly organized society marked by P.E.R.S.I.A: political organization

(advanced government), economic system (an advanced knowledge of trade, an

organized religion, social hierarchy, inventions (which often included written language

and other scientific and engineering accomplishments), and arts.

4. specialization - The development of skills in a particular kind or work, such as

trading or record keeping

5. artisan - person skilled in a craft

6. scribe – one of the professional record keepers in early civilizations

7. cuneiform – Sumerian (Sumer was a region within Mesopotamia) system of writing

using wedge-shaped markings (important to note: cuneiform was not an alphabet, but

pictographs which represented whole words. In addition, it is the first writing system

ever developed)

8. ziggurat - A tiered, pyramid-shaped structure that formed part of a Sumerian

(Mesopotamian) temple

9. Fertile Crescent - An arc of rich farmland in Southwest Asia, between the Persian

Gulf and Mediterranean Sea.

10. covenant - A solemn pledge or agreement (like a contract)

11. city-state - An independent state consisting of a city and the surrounding land and

villages.

12. dynasty - A line of rulers who belong to the same family

13. cultural diffusion - The exchange of goods, ideas, and customs among different

cultures.

14. matriarchal / patriarchal - Relating to a social system in which the mother

(matriarchal) / father (patriarchal) is head of the family

15. theocracy - Government headed by religious leaders or a leader regarded as a god.

16. push-pull factors - Conditions that draw people to another location (pull factors) or

cause people to leave their homelands and migrate to another region (push factors)

17. filial piety - Respect shown by children for their parents and elders (a core principle

of the Chinese philosophy of Confucianism)

18. Surplus – an amount that is more than needed, excess

19. Mandate of Heaven - In ancient China, authority granted by heaven to deserving

rulers, called Mandate of Heaven

20. caste - One of the four classes of people in the social system of the Aryans who

settled in India –priests, warriors, peasants or traders, and non-Aryan laborers or

craftsmen

21. reincarnation - In Hinduism and Buddhism, the process by which a soul is reborn

continuously until it achieves perfect understanding.

22. karma - In Hinduism and Buddhism, the totality of the good and bad deeds

performed by a person, which is believed to determine his or her fate after rebirth

23. animism - The belief that spirits are present in animals, plants, and other natural

objects

24. nirvana - In Buddhism, the release from pain and suffering achieved after

enlightenment

25. Torah - The first five books of the Hebrew Bible – the most sacred writings in the

Jewish tradition.