AMSCO World History Chapter 02 Vocabulary – Flashcards
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Tigris and Euphrates
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rivers that flow south from Turkey through Iraq into the Persian Gulf; the site of many important early civilizations
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Mesopotamia
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the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; means "between rivers"
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Fertile Crescent
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overlaps with Mesopotamia but also includes an area to the west along the Mediterranean coast
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Carthage
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a Phoenician colony on the coast of North Africa; a significant outpost in the region
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Sahara
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a large desert in northern Africa
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Kalahari
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a desert in southern Africa
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Nile River
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begins in the interior of Africa and flows north to empty into the Mediterranean Sea
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desertification
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the creation of desert-like conditions
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Indus River Valley
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area in which the Dravidians established Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
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environmental degradation
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any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable
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deforestation
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the clearing of trees, transforming a forest into cleared land
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Huang He
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a major river in China; runs through the northern interior to the Yellow Sea
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Chiang Jiang
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a major river in China; runs 4000 miles across Central China
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loess
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a type of fertile soil that is yellow in color
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Mesoamerica
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Central America and what is now Mexico
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maize
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corn
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Oceania
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the vast region in the Pacific Ocean that includes New Guinea, Australia, and more than a thousand other islands
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Polynesia
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a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1000 islands in thester central and southern Pacific Ocean, including Samoa, Hawaii, Easter Island, and New Zealand
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division of labor
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the assignment of different parts of a manufacturing process or task to different people in order to improve efficiency
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barter
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a system by which one thing is exchanged for another
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polytheistic
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worshipping many gods
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ziggurats
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large stepped Sumerian pyramids
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astronomy
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the study of objects outside Earth's atmosphere
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astrology
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predicting the future by studying movements of stars and planets
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Hebrews
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lived in Canaan; descendents became known as Israelites and later as Jews
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Israelites
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Hebrews that lived during the Jewish Diaspora
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Jews
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a later name for Israelites; believers in Judaism
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Abraham
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left Mesopotamia and founded Canaan in 2000BC; ancestor of all Jews, Christians, and Muslims
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Moses
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led the Hebrews out of Egypt; introduced the Ten Commandments
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Ten Commandments
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a code of conduct that became very influential in areas dominated by Christianity
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monotheism
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belief in one deity
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Jewish Diaspora
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the spreading of Jews throughout the Mediterranean world and the Middle East
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Aten
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a sun god; Akhenaton called for worship to him only
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mummification
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removing the body's internal organs, drying the body with salts, and packing its insides and wrapping it with chemically treated cloth
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Aryans
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Indo-European speaking peoples originally from Central Asia
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Hindi
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commonly spoken in modern northern India; originated from a commonly used tongue used in Aryan society
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Vedas
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a collection of Aryan hymns, poems, and songs
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brahmin
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priestly
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Vedic Age
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800-400BC; marked by the Aryans' growing awareness of Dravidian beliefs
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brahma
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an overarching, universal soul that connects all creatures on Earth
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dharma
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righteous duties and deeds described in the Upanishads
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karma
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fate
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moksha
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eternal peace and unity with brahma
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ancestor veneration
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the belief that ancestral spirits have the power to intervene in the affairs of the living
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Golden Age
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a period in a society of relative peace, prosperity, and innovation
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scribes
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a class of people skilled at cuneiform; charged first with record-keeping and later with writing history and myths
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The Epic of Gilgamesh
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the oldest written story on the earth; concerns the adventures of a king who ruled Uruk
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cuneiform
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the world's first writing system; consisted of marks carved onto wet clay tablets
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alphabetic script
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a system of symbols (letters) that represent the sounds of speech
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hieroglyphics
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a form of picture writing developed by the people in the Nile Valley
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papyrus
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a type of plant that grew along the Nile River; its fibers were used to create a type of paper
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Book of the Dead
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a paper book that was put in coffins of pharaohs and nobles; told the story of the dead person
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Indo-European language
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a major language branch comprised of those found in Europe and large parts of Asia
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Sanskrit
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the Aryans' sacred language in which most literary and religious works were recorded
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Rig-Veda
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sheds light on ancient Indian society; outlined proper brahmin behavior
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Upanishads
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a collection of religious thought that illuminated several new religious concepts; created through blending of both Aryan and Dravidian beliefs
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pictographs
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graphic symbols
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glyphs
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pictures and symbols of real objects
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Austronesian-speaking people
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originated in southern China, then moved to Taiwan, the Phillipines, and New Guinea
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patriarchal
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dominated by men
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clans
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each had its own territory and was headed by a male chief who ruled with advice from a committee in Aryan society
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feudalism
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origins lie in the Zhou regional network of rulers with relationships based on mutual defense agreements
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Sumerians
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a group of nomadic pastoralists that migrated into Mesopotamia before 5000BC
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Sumer
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a civilization created by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia
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Uruk
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the largest city in Sumer with a population of 50000
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city-states
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a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state
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king
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military rulers
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kingdoms
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the territory over which a king rules
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Babylonians
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a group of Persians who invaded Mesopotamia in 1900BC; built a new capital city called Babylon
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empire
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a large territory that includes diverse cultural groups
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Phoenicians
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occupied modern-day Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan around 3000BC; developed the alphabetic script
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Old Kingdom
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the first of three major time periods in Egypt; government centralized, pharaohs had power; fell to a rebellious noble class
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Middle Kingdom
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the second of three major time periods in Egypt; established by Mentuhotep II in 2040BC; encouraged loyalty through art and literature; fell to Hyksos invasions
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New Kingdom
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the last of three major time periods in Egypt; Ramses expanded territory and built more temples and statues; declined after his death
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Hyksos
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a pastoral nomadic people from modern Syria who defeated Middle Kingdom Egypt with superior technology
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Hittites
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a group of invaders with iron tools and weapons; invaded New Kingdom Egypt
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Kush
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a kingdom that arose after the decline of Nubia in 2500BC
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Axum
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the civilization that conquered Kush in 340s CE
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Dravidians
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indigenous peoples of the Indian subcontinent; established Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
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Harappa
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(H) one of two urban centers established by Dravidians in the Indus River Valley
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Mohenjo-Daro
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(M) one of two urban centers established by Dravidians in the Indus River Valley
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Chavin civilization
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existed from 1000-200BC on the coast of Peru; center was Chavin de Huantar; fell because of weak political structure
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Olmec
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the foundation of later civilizations such as the Maya and Aztec; lived in Mexico from 1200-400BC; agricultural society
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Easter Island
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the civilization that settled here built distinctive large stone statues
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aboriginals
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people belonging to one of the indigenous peoples of Australia
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Hammurabi
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Babylonians' most power king; created a set of laws, reorganized tax structure, abolished local governments
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Code of Hammurabi
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a set of coded laws that protected people's rights; built on the idea of "an eye for an eye"
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King Menes
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united Upper and Lower Egypt in 3100BC; establishes a capital at Memphis
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pharaoh
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the king or queen leading the government in Egypt
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theocrats
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rulers holding both religious and political power
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Akhenaton
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a pharaoh who called for the worship of one god, Aten
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Ramses the Great
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a powerful pharaoh who expanded the empire, built temples and statues, and made peace with the Hittites
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Xia Dynasty
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the first dynasty in China; began when Yu passed his power to Qi, lasted 400 years; little is known because a writing system had not yet developed
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dynasty
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a series of rulers who all belong to the same family
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Shang Dynasty
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began in 1750BC when Tang overthrew the Xia king and took power; lasted 600 years
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Mandate of Heaven
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the idea that a just ruler's power is bestowed by the gods
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Zhou Dynasty
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began in 1045BC when military man Wu used his own army to challenge Shang rule and kill the king
