question

Achaemenid empire

answer

first great Persian empire which began under Cyrus and reached its peak under Darius

question

ahimsa

answer

Jain term for the principle of nonviolence to other living things or their souls

question

Ahura Mazda

answer

main god of Zoroastrianism who represented truth and goodness and was perceived to be in an eternal struggle with the malign spirit Angra Mainyu

question

Analects

answer

the teachings of Confucius compiled by his disciples

question

Antigonid Empire

answer

the portion of Alexander's realm that that included Greece and Macedon

question

Aryans

answer

nomads from Europe and Asia who migrated to India and finally settled; Vedas from this time suggest beginning of caste system

question

Assyrians

answer

descendants of the Akkadians who were traders and fierce warriors known for a powerful army and a well-structured state; used cavalry instead of chariots

question

Babylonian

answer

an ancient empire of Mesopotamia in the Euphrates River valley; flourished under Hammurabi, who had a very strict code of law which told people how to live; fell to the Persians

question

Bantu

answer

African peoples who originally lived in the area of present-day Nigeria; around 2000 B.C.E. they began a centuries-long migration that took them to most of sub-Saharan Africa; very influential, especially linguistically

question

Bodhisattvas

answer

enlightened persons who have postponed Nirvana to help others attain enlightenment

question

Brahmins

answer

Hindu caste of priests; led ceremonies

question

Buddhism

answer

based on Four Noble Truths, the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

question

Carthage

answer

city founded by the Phoenicians; became a major commercial center and naval power in the western Mediterranean until defeated by Rome in the Punic Wars

question

caste

answer

Indian social class system in which distinctions and restrictions on marriage, occupation, handling of food, and other matters are transferred through generations or through class

question

Catal Huyuk

answer

important Neolithic settlement in Anatolia; early urban culture based on sedentary agriculture

question

Christianity

answer

religion emerging from Middle East in the first century C.E. holding Jesus to be the son of God who sacrificed himself on behalf of mankind

question

city-states

answer

urban areas that controlled surrounding agricultural regions and that were often loosely connected in a broader political structure with others

question

Confucianism

answer

the system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Kong Fuzi and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct

question

Cro-Magnon

answer

Homo sapiens sapiens, who appeared forty thousand years ago during the Paleolithic age and were the first human beings of the modern type

question

Cuneiform

answer

ancient wedge-shaped script of the Sumerians, probably the first written script in the world

question

Daoism

answer

Chinese philosophy with origins in the Zhou dynasty associated with legendary philosopher Laozi; called for a policy of inaction

question

Dharma

answer

Hindu concept of obedience to religious and moral laws and order

question

Etruscans

answer

northern Italian society that initially dominated the Romans; helped convey Greek concepts to the expanding Romans

question

Four Noble Truths

answer

the foundation of Buddhist thought: life is pain; pain is caused by desire; elimination of desire will bring an end to pain; living a life based on the Noble Eightfold Path will eliminate desire

question

Gupta

answer

Indian dynasty that briefly reunited India after the collapse of the earlier Mauryan dynasty, under their rule India enjoyed a Golden Age

question

Code of Hammurabi

answer

one of the first sophisticated collections of laws; regulated Babylonians' everyday behavior

question

Han Dynasty

answer

Chinese dynasty that ruled an expanding empire with a large bureaucracy based upon Legalist and Confucian values; taxed agriculture and trade and raised large armies to colonize Vietnam, Korea, and the Xiongnu territory

question

Harappan

answer

early brilliant Indian society centered around Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro; most likely declined due to ecological degradation

question

Hellenistic period

answer

associated with the spread of Greek influence as a result of Macedonian conquests; often seen as the combination of Greek culture with eastern political forms

question

Hinduism

answer

main religion of India, a combination of Dravidian and Aryan concepts; goal to reach spiritual purity and union with the great world spirit; its important concepts include dharma, karma, and samsara

question

Hittites

answer

group that settles in central Anatolia around 2000 B.C.E., establishes powerful kingdoms, conquers the Babylonian empire in 1595 B.C.E., and dissolves about 1200 B.C.E. Technological feats include iron metallurgy and light horse-drawn chariots

question

Homo erectus

answer

"upright-walking human," which existed from 1.5 million to two hundred thousand years ago; used cleavers and hand axes and learned how to control fire

question

Homo sapiens

answer

"consciously thinking human," which first appeared around two hundred fifty thousand years ago and used sophisticated tools

question

Hyksos

answer

invaders who seized the Nile delta and helped bring an end to the Egyptian Middle Kingdom

question

Jainism

answer

Indian religion associated with the teacher Vardhamana Mahavira in which every physical object possessed a soul; believed in complete nonviolence to all living beings

question

jati

answer

Indian word for a Hindu subcaste

question

Jericho

answer

earliest known Neolithic village based on sedentary agriculture

question

Jomon

answer

japanese preagricultural society that lived in large villages and produced elaborate pottery

question

Karma

answer

Hindu concept that the sum of good and bad in a person's life will determine his or her status in the next life

question

Legalism

answer

Chinese philosophy from the Zhou dynasty that called for harsh suppression of the common people

question

Lex talionis

answer

"law of retaliation," in which offenders suffered punishments similar to their crimes (Code of Hammurabi)

question

Macedon

answer

frontier state north of the Greek peninsula, became centralized under Philip II; conquered Greek city-states

question

Mahayana

answer

sect of Buddhism that offers salvation to all and allows popular worship

question

Mandate of Heaven

answer

Chinese belief that the emperors ruled through the approval of heaven contingent on their ability to look after the welfare of the population

question

Mauryan

answer

first centralized empire of India founded by Chandragupta and reached its peak under Ashoka

question

Mayan

answer

brilliant Central American society known for math, astronomy, and a sophisticated written language

question

Mesopotamia

answer

meaning "between the rivers," the first civilization located between the Tigris and Eurphrates Rivers in present day Iraq

question

Monotheism

answer

belief in only one god, a rare concept in the ancient world

question

Mycenaeans

answer

developed on the Peloponnesus Peninsula; built a huge fleet of ships to capture trade routes and established colonies; adopted Minoan writing and building ideas and eventually conquered the Minoans in 1450 BC.

question

Neanderthals

answer

early humans who were prevalent during the Paleolithic period

question

Neolithic

answer

(New Stone Age) marked by the discovery and mastery of agriculture

question

Nirvana

answer

Buddhist concept of a state of spiritual perfection and enlightenment in which distracting passions are eliminated

question

Noble Eightfold Path

answer

final truth of the Buddhist Four Noble Truths that called for leading a life of balance and constant contemplation

question

Nubia

answer

area south of Egypt; kingdom of Kush invaded and dominated Egypt from 750 to 664 B.C.E.

question

Olmecs

answer

Mesoamerican civilization whose achievements include irrigation, a simple calendar and writing system, and small cities

question

oracle bones

answer

(Chinese Shang dynasty) means of foretelling the future

question

Paleolithic

answer

(Old Stone Age) a long period of human development before the development of agriculture

question

patriarchy

answer

system of social organization in which males dominate the family and where public institutions, descent, and succession are traced through the male line

question

Pax Romana

answer

Roman Peace, a term that relates to the period of political stability, cultural brilliance, and economic prosperity beginning with unification under Augustus and lasting through the first two centuries C.E.

question

Peloponnesian War

answer

a war between camps led by Athens and Sparta; ended with the unconditional surrender of Athens

question

Perseopolis

answer

new capital of the Persian Empire established under the reign of Darius

question

Persian War

answer

war sparked by revolt of Greek cities on the Ionian coast against Persia; after failure to take Athens, army forced to retreat back to Anatolia

question

pharaohs

answer

Egyptian kings considered to be gods on earth

question

Phoenicians

answer

a maritime civilization of the Mediterranean that developed extensive trade and communication networks as well as an early alphabetical script

question

plebians

answer

Roman common people

question

polis

answer

Greek term for the city-state

question

prehistory

answer

the period before the invention of writing

question

qanat

answer

Persian underground canal

question

Qin

answer

first true unified empire of China founded by Shihuangdi and was marked by the early construction of defensive walls

question

Samsara

answer

Hindu term for the concept of transmigration: the soul passing into a new incarnation

question

Sanskrit

answer

sacred language of the early Aryans

question

satraps

answer

Persian administrators, usually members of the royal family, who governed a satrapy

question

Seleucids

answer

controlled Persia after the death of Alexander the Great; retained Achaemenid systems of administration and taxation, as well as the imperial roads and postal service

question

Shang Dynasty

answer

Chinese kingdom in which agricultural surpluses supported large armies and a large network of walled towns

question

Shudras

answer

laborers, craftworkers and servants in the Indian caste system

question

Siddhartha Gautama

answer

Indian kshatriya who achieved enlightenment and became known as the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism

question

Silk roads

answer

ancient trade routes that extended from the Roman empire in the west to China in the east

question

stateless societies

answer

term relating to societies such as those of sub-Saharan Africa after the Bantu migrations that featured decentralized rule through family and kinship groups instead of strongly centralized hierarchies

question

Sumerians

answer

dominated Southern Mesopotamia through the end of the 3rd Millennium BCE; responsible for the creation of irrigation technology, cunieform, and religious conceptions.

question

Ten Commandments

answer

moral and ethical standards for followers of Moses

question

Thereveda

answer

truer to the early buddhism; more strict and harder to follow

question

Torah

answer

compilation of teachings that guide Judaism

question

Upanishads

answer

Indian reflections and dialogues that reflected basic Hindu concepts

question

Vaishyas

answer

Hindu caste of cultivators, artisans, and merchants

question

Varna

answer

Hindu word for the original social division of Vedic people into four main social groups

question

Vedas

answer

"wisdom," early collections of prayers and hymns that provide information about the Indo-European Aryans who migrated into India

question

Venus figurines

answer

small Paleolithic statues of women with exaggerated sexual features

question

Vishnu

answer

Hindu god, preserver of the world, who was often incarnated as Krishna

question

White Huns

answer

invaders who weakened the empire of the Guptas, nomadic invaders from central Asia; disrupted Gupta administration and caused decline and eventual fall

question

Wuwei

answer

Daoist concept of a disengagement from the affairs of the world

question

Xia

answer

Chinese dynasty that is known mainly from legend

question

Xiao

answer

Confucian concept of respect for one's parents and ancestors

question

Yahweh

answer

god of the monotheistic religion of Judaism that influenced later Christianity and Islam

question

Yellow River

answer

important river in ancient China named for the rich loess soil carried by the river

question

Yellow Turban Uprising

answer

revolt against the land distribution policies of the Han dynasty

question

Zarathustra

answer

Persian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism

question

Zhou

answer

Chinese dynasty that created the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify its rule

question

Ziggurats

answer

Mesopotamian temples

question

Zoroastrianism

answer

Persian religion based on the teaching of the sixth-century-BCE prophet Zarathustra; emphasis on the duality of good and evil and on the role of individuals in determining their own fate influenced later religions

A-Z Pre-AP (World History Midterm Review) – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards