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Venus Figurines

answer

Paleolithic carvings of female form, often with exaggerated breasts, buttocks, hips and stomachs, which may have had religious significance.

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Trance Dance

answer

In San culture, a nightlong ritual held to activate a human being's inner spiritual potency (n/um) to counteract evil influences of gods and ancestors. Common to the Khoisan people.

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Shaman

answer

In early societies, a person believed to have the ability to act as a bridge between living humans and supernatural forces, often by means of trances induced by pyschoactive drugs.

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San, or Jo/'hoansi

answer

A Paleolithic people still living on the nothern fringe of the Kalahari desert in southern Africa

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Paleolithic "settling down"

answer

The process by which some Paleolithic peoples moved toward permanent settlement in the wake of the last Ice Age. Settlement was marked by increasing storage of food and accumulation of goods as well as growing inequalities in society.

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Paleolithic Rock Art

answer

Although this term can refer to any art of a hunting or gathering society, it is usually done to describe the hundreds of Paleolithic paintings discovered in Spain and France dating back to 20,000 years ago; these paintings usually depict a range of animals, although human figures and abstract designs can also be found. The purpose of this art is debated.

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Paleolithic

answer

Literally "old stone age", the term to describe early Homo Sapiens in the period before the development of agriculture.

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"The original affluent society"

answer

Term coined by scholar Marshall Sahlins in 1972 to describe Paleolithic societies which he regarded as affluent not because of having too much, but because they wanted and needed so little.

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n/um

answer

Of the San, a spiritual potency that becomes activated during "curing dances" and protects humans from the malicious forces of gods or spirits.

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Neanderthals

answer

A European varient of Homo sapiens that died out 25,000 years ago.

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Megafaunal Extinction

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Dying out of a large number of animal species, including the mammoth and several species of horses and camels, that occured around 11,000-10,000 years ago, at the end of the Ice Age.

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Jomon Culture

answer

A settled Paleolithic culture of prehistoric Japan, characterized by seaside villages and the creation of some of the world's earliest pottery.

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"Insulting the meat"

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A San cultural practice meant to deflate pride that involved negative comments about meat brought in by a hunter and the expectation that a successful hunger would disparage his own kill.

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Ice Age

answer

Any number of cold periods in the Earth's history; the last one was at its peak around 20,000 years ago.

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"Human Revolution"

answer

The term used to describe the transition of humans acting out of biological imperative to dependence on learned or invented ways of living (culture)

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Hadza

answer

A people of Northern Tanzania, almost the last surviving Paleolithic society

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Great Goddess

answer

According to one theory, a dominant deity of the Paleolithic era

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"Gathering and Hunting Peoples"

answer

People who live by collecting food rather than producing it. Recent scholars have turned to this term instead of the older "hunter-gatherer" in recognition that such societies depend much more heavily on gathering than on hunting for survival.

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Flores Man

answer

A recently discovered hominid species of Indonesia

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Dreamtime

answer

The native Australian Aborigines' belief about how they came to be

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Clovis Culture

answer

The earliest widespread and distinctive culture of N. America; named from a particular kind of projectile point

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Chumash Culture

answer

Paleolithic culture of Southern California that survived until the modern era.

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Brotherhood of the Tomol

answer

A prestigious craft guild that monopolized the building and ownership of large ocean-going canoes, or tomols, among the Chumash people (S. California)

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Austronesian Migrations

answer

The last phase of the great human migration that established a human presence in every habitable region on Earth. These people settled in the Pacific Islands and Madagascar in a series of seaborne migrations that began around 3500 years ago.

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Agricultural Revolution

answer

Also known as the Neolithic Revolution, this is the transformation of human (and world) existence caused by the deliberate cultivation of particular plants and the deliberate taming and breeding of particular animals.

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Austronesian

answer

An Asian-language family whose speakers gradually became the dominant culture of the Phillippines, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands thanks to their mastery of agriculture.

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Banpo

answer

A Chinese archeological site where the remains of a significant Neolithic village have been found

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Bantu

answer

An African-language family whose speakers gradually became the dominant culture of eastern and southern Africa thanks to their agricultural techniques and, later, their iron working skills.

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Bantu Migration

answer

The spread of Bantu-speaking peoples from their homeland in what is now southern Nigeria or Cameroon to most of Africa in a process that started ca. 3000 BCE and continued for several millennia.

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Broad Spectrum Diet

answer

Archeologists' term for the diet of gathering and hunting societies, which included a wide array of plants and animals.

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Cahokia

answer

An important agricultural chiefdom of North America that flourished around 1100 CE.

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Catalhuyuk

answer

An important Neolithic site in what is now Turkey.

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Chiefdom

answer

A societal grouping governed by a chief who typically relies on generosity, ritual status, or charisma rather than force to win obedience from the people.

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Diffusion

answer

The gradual spread of agricultural techniques without extensive population movement.

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Domestication

answer

The taming and changing of nature for the benefit of humankind.

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End of the Last Ice Age

answer

A process of global warming that began around 16,000 years ago and ended about 5,000 years later, with the earth enjoying a climate similar to that of our own time; the end of the Ice Age changed conditions for human beings, leading to increased population and helping to pave the way for agriculture.

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Fertile Crescent

answer

Region sometimes known as Southwest Asia that includes the modern states of Iraq, Syria, Israel/Palestine, and southern Turkey; the earliest home of agriculture.

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Horticulture

answer

Hoe-based agriculture, typical of early agrarian societies.

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Intensification

answer

The process of getting more in return for less; for example, growing more food on a smaller plot of land.

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Jericho

answer

Site of an important early agricultural settlement of perhaps 2000 people in present day Israel.

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Mesopotamia

answer

The valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in present-day Iraq

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Native Australians

answer

Often called "Aboriginals" the natives of Australia continued to live (and to some extent still do) by gathering and hunting despite the transition to agriculture in nearby lands.

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Pastoral Society

answer

A human society that relies on domesticated animals rather than plants as the main source of food; lead their animals to seasonal grazing grounds rather than settling permanently in a single location.

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"Secondary Products Revolution"

answer

A term used to describe the series of technological changes that began ca. 4000 BCE, as people began to develop new uses for their domesticated animals, exploiting a new source of power.

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Stateless Societies

answer

Village-based societies usually organized by kinship group that functioned without a formal government apparatus.

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Teosinte

answer

The wild ancestor of maize.

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Zhou dynasty

answer

Period of Chinese history from 1122 to 256 BCE

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Xia dynasty

answer

A legendary series of monarchs of early China, traditionally dated to 2200-1766 BCE.

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Uruk

answer

The largest city of ancient Mesopotamia.

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Teotihuacan

answer

The largest city of ancient Mesoamerica, flourished around 500 CE.

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Son of Heaven

answer

Title of the ruler of China, first known from the Zhou dynasty.

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Shang dynasty

answer

Period of Chinese history from 1766 to 1122 BCE.

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Sanxingdui

answer

An ancient city of China that developed independently from the Shang dynasty.

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Salinization

answer

The buildup of minerals in soil, decreasing its fertility; can be caused by long-term irrigation.

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Rise of the state

answer

A process of centralisation that took place in the first civilizations, growing out of the greater complexity of life (urban) in recognition of the need for coordination, regulation, adjudication, and military leadership.

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Quipu

answer

A series of knotted cords, used for accounting and perhaps as a form of writing in the Norte Chico civilization.

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Phoenicians

answer

A civilization in the area of present-day Lebanon, creators of the first alphabetic writing system. Pyramid monumental tomb for Egyptian pharaoh; mostly built during the Old Kingdom (2663"2195 BCE). Pyramids are also found in Meroe to the south of Egypt.

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Pharaoh

answer

Naming a king of Egypt. The term literally means "the palace" and came into use in the New Kingdom, but it is generally employed in reference to all ancient Egyptian rulers.

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Patriarchy

answer

Literally "rule of the father"; a social system of male dominance.

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Oracle bones

answer

In Chinese civilization, animal bones that were heated and the cracks were then interpreted as prophecies. The prophecies were written on the bone and provide our earliest written sources for ancient China.

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Olmec civilization

answer

An early civilization that developed along the coast of Mexico around 1200 BCE.

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Nubia

answer

A civilization to the south of Egypt in the Nile valley, noted for development of an alphabetic writing system and a major ironworking industry by 500 BCE.

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Norte Chico/Caral

answer

A region along the central coast of Peru, home of a civilization that developed in the period of 3000"1800 BCE. Caral was the largest of some 25 urban centers that emerged in the area at the time.

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Mohenjo Daro

answer

A major city of the Indus valley civilization, flourished around 2000 BCE.

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Minoan civilization

answer

An advanced civilization that developed on the island of Crete around 2500 BCE.

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Mesopotamia

answer

The "land between the rivers", Tigris and Euphrates in modern Iraq.

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Mandate of Heaven

answer

The ideological underpinning of Chinese emperors, this was the belief that a ruler held authority by command of divine force as long as he ruled morally and benevolently.

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Indus Valley

answer

Home of a major civilization that emerged from what is now Pakistan during the third millenium BCE, in the valleys of the Indus and Saraswati rivers, noted for the uniformity of its elaborately planned cities over a large territory.

question

Hyksos

answer

A pastoral group of unknown ethnicity that invaded Egypt and ruled in the north from 1650 to 1535 BCE. Their dominance was based on their use of horses, chariots and bronze weapons.

question

Hittites

answer

An Indo-European civilization established in Anatolia in the 18th century BCE.

question

Hieroglyphs

answer

Ancient Egyptian writing system, literally "sacred writing" as Greeks saw them in ancient temples.

question

Hebrews

answer

Smaller earlier civilization whose monotheistic faith provided foundation for modern Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

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Hatshepsut

answer

Ancient Egypt's most famous queen, reigned 1472"1457 BCE.

question

Harappa

answer

Major Indus Valley civilization, and flourished around 2000 BCE.

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Epic of Gilgamesh

answer

Most famous extant literary work from ancient Mesopotamia, tells story of a man's quest for immortality.

question

Egypt "gift of the Nile"

answer

Region would not have been able to support such significant human population without the Nile's silt deposits to support agriculture and daily life.

question

Cuneiform

answer

Wedge-shaped writing in the form of symbols incised into clay tablets; used in Mesopotamia from around 3100 BCE to the beginning of CE.

question

Cradle of Civilization

answer

Term used for Southern Mesopotamia (in modern day Iraq)

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Code of Hammurabi

answer

Series of laws publicised at the order of King Hammurabi of Babylon (d. 1750 BCE). Not actually a code but a number of laws that proclaim the king's commitment to social order.

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Ahura Mazda

answer

In Zoroastrianism, the good god who rules the world.

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Alexander the Great

answer

Alexander III of Macedon (356-323 BCE) conqueror of the Persian Empire and part of NW India.

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Aryans

answer

Indo-Europeans pastoralists who moved into India about the time of the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization; their role in causing this collapse is still debated by historians.

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Ashoka

answer

The most famous ruler of the Mauryan Empire (r. 268-232 BCE) who converted to Buddhism and tried to rule peacefully with tolerance.

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Athenian Democracy

answer

A radical form of direct democracy in which most of the free male population of Athens had the franchise and officeholders were chosen by lot.

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Battle of Marathon

answer

Athenian victory over a Persian invasion in 490 BCE.

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Caesar Augustus

answer

The great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar who emerged as sole ruler of the Roman state at the end of an extended period of civil war (r. 31 BCE-14 CE)

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Cyrus the Great

answer

Founder of the Persian Empire (r. 557-530 BCE); a ruler noted for his conquests, religious tolerance, and political moderation.

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Darius I

answer

Great king of Persia (r. 522-486 BCE) following the upheavals after Cyrus's death; completed the establishment of the Persian Empire.

question

Greco-Persian Wars

answer

Two major Persian invasions of Greece in 490 BCE and 480 BCE in which the Persians were defeated on both land and sea.

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Gupta Empire

answer

An empire of India (320-550 CE)

question

Han Dynasty

answer

Dynasty that ruled China from 206-220 BCE creating a durable state based on Shihuangdi's state-building achievement.

question

Hellenistic era

answer

The period from 323-30 BCE in which Greek culture spread widely in Eurasia in the kingdom ruled by Alexander's political successors.

question

Herodotus

answer

Greek historian known as the "father of history"; His histories enunciated the Greek view of a fundamental divide between East and West, culminating in the Greco-Persian Wars of 490-480 BCE.

question

Hoplite

answer

A heavily armed Greek infantryman; the ability to afford a panoply and to fight for the city came to define Greek citizenship.

question

Ionia

answer

The territory of Greek settlements on the coast of Anatolia; the main bone of contention between the Greek and Persian empires.

question

Mandate of Heaven

answer

The ideological underpinning of Chinese emperors, this was the belief that a ruler held authority by command of divine force as long as he ruled morally and benevolently.

question

Mauryan Empire

answer

A major empire (322-185 BCE) that encompassed most of India.

question

Olympic Games

answer

Greek religious festival and athletic competition in honour of Zeus; founded in 776 BCE and celebrated every four years.

question

Patricians

answer

Wealthy, privleged Romans who dominated early Roman society.

question

pax Romana

answer

The "Roman peace" a term typically used to denote the stability and prosperity of the early Roman empire, especially in the first and second centuries CE.

question

Peloponnesian War

answer

Great war between Athens (and allies) and Sparta (and allies) lasting from 431-404 BCE. The conflict ended in the defeat of Athens and the closing of Athen's Golden Age.

question

Persepolis

answer

The capital and greatest palace-city of the Persian Empire, destroyed by Alexander the Great.

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Persian Empire

answer

A major empire that expanded from the Iranian plateau to incorporate the Middle East from Egypt to India; flourished from around 550 to 330 BCE.

question

Plebeians

answer

Poorer, less-privleged Romans who gradually won a role in Roman politics.

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Punic Wars

answer

The major wars between Rome and Carthage in North Africa, fought between 264 and 146 BCE, that culminated in Roman victory and control of the Western Mediterranean.

question

Qin Dynasty

answer

A short-lived (221-206 BCE) but highly influential Chinese dynasty that succeeded in reuniting China at the end of the Warring States period.

question

Qin Shihuangdi

answer

Literally "first emperor from Qin"; forcibly reunited China and established a strong and repressive state.

question

Solon

answer

Athenian statesmen and lawmaker (594-560 BCE) whose reforms led the Athenians toward democracy.

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Wudi

answer

Han emperor (r. 141-86 BCE) who began the Chinese civil service system by establishing an academy to train imperial bureaucrats.

question

Xiongnu

answer

Nomadic peoples to the north of the Great Wall of China who were a frequent threat to the stability of the Chinese state

question

Yellow Turban Rebellion

answer

A major Chinese peasant revolt that began in 184 BCE and helped cause the fall of the Han Dynasty.

question

Socrates

answer

The first great Greek philosopher to turn rationalism towards questions of human existence (469-399 BCE).

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Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)

answer

The Indian prince turned ascetic (ca. 566-ca. 486 BCE) who founded Buddhism.

question

Saint Paul

answer

The first great popularizer of Christianity (10-65 CE).

question

Pythagoras

answer

A major Greek philosopher (ca. 560-ca. 480 BCE) who believed that an unchanging mathematical order underlies the apparent chaos of the world.

question

Plato

answer

A disciple of Socrates whose Dialogues convey the teachings of his master while going beyond them to express own philosophy; lived 429 to 328 BCE.

question

Nirvana

answer

The end goal of Buddhism, in which individual identity is "extinguished" into a state of serenity and great compassion.

question

Moksha

answer

In Hindu belief, liberation from separate existence and union with the Brahman.

question

Mahayana

answer

"Great Vehicle", the popular development of Buddhism in the early centuries of the Common Era, which gives a much greater role to supernatural beings and proved to be much more popular than the original (Theravada) Buddhism.

question

Legalism

answer

A Chinese philosophy distinguished by an adherence to clear laws with vigorous punishments.

question

Laozi

answer

A legendary Chinese philosopher of the sixth century BCE; regarded as a founder of Daoism.

question

Karma

answer

In Hinduism, the determining factor of the level at which the individual is reincarnated, based on purity of action and fulfillment of duty in the prior existence.

question

Judaism

answer

The monotheistic religion developed by the Hebrews, emphasizing a sole personal god (Yahweh) with concerns for social justice.

question

Jesus of Nazareth

answer

The prophet/god of Christianity (ca. 4 BCE-ca. 30 CE)

question

Isaiah

answer

One of the most important prophets of Judaism, whose teachings show the transformaton of the religion in favour of compassion and social justice (eighth century BCE).

question

Hippocrates

answer

A very influential Greek medical theorist (ca. 460-ca. 370 BCE); regarded as the father of medicine.

question

Hinduism

answer

A word derived from outsiders to describe the vast diversity of indigenous Indian religious traditions.

question

Greek Rationalism

answer

A secularizing system of scientific and philosophic thought that developed in classical Greece in the period 600 to 300 BCE; it emphasized the power of education and human reason to understand the world in nonreligious terms.

question

Filial Piety

answer

The honouring of one's ancestors and parents, a key element of Confucianism.

question

Daoism

answer

A Chinese philosophy/popular religion that advocates the simplicity and understanding of the world of nature, founded by the legendary figure Laozi.

question

Daodejing

answer

The central text of Daoism, translated as The Way and its Power.

question

Constantine

answer

Roman emperior (r. 306-337 CE) whose conversion to Christianity paved the way for the triumph of Christianity in Europe.

question

Confucius (Kong Fuzi)

answer

The founder of Confucianism (551-479 BCE); an aristocrat of northern China who proved to be the greatest influence on Chinese culture in its history.

question

Confucianism

answer

The Chinese philosophy first enunciated by Confucius, advocating the moral example of superiors as the key element of social order.

question

Buddhism

answer

The cultural/religious tradition first enunciated by Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha).

question

Brahmins

answer

The priestly caste of India.

question

Brahman

answer

The "World Soul" or final reality in upanishadic Hindu belief.

question

Bhakti Movement

answer

An immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.

question

Bhagavad Gita

answer

A great Hindu epic text, part of the much larger Mahabharata, which affirms the performance of caste duties as a path to religious liberation.

question

Ban Zhao

answer

A major female Confucian author of Han-dynasty China (45-116 CE) whose works give insight into the implication of Confucian thinking for women.

question

Atman

answer

The human soul, which in classic Hindu belief seeks union with Brahman.

question

Aristotle

answer

A Greek polymath philosopher (384-322 BCE) a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.

question

Angra Mainyu

answer

In Zoroastrianism, the evil god, engaged in a cosmic struggle with Ahura Mazda.

question

Ahura Mazda

answer

In Zoroastrianism, the good god who rules the world.

AP World History Ways of the World Chapters 1-5 – Flashcards

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