AP World History Unit #1 Vocabulary #1 – Flashcards
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Agricultural Revolution
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The transition from foraging to the cultivation of food occurring about 8000-2000 B.C.E; also known as the Neolithic Revolution
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Artifact
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An object made by human hands
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Alexander the Great
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King of Macedon (336-323), the son of Philip II. He was a pupil of Aristotle. After his succession he invaded Persia, liberating the Greek cities in Asia Minor, and then defeating the Persians in Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia. While in Egypt he founded Alexandria (332 BC), his first and best-known city
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Aristocracy
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Rule by a privileged hereditary class or nobility
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Aristotle
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Greek philosopher and scientist. A pupil of Plato and tutor to Alexander the Great, in 335 BC he founded a school and library (the Lyceum) outside Athens. His surviving written works constitute a vast system of analysis, including logic, physical science, zoology, psychology, metaphysics, ethics, politics, and rhetoric. He established the inductive method of reasoning and proposed a system for the classification of plants and animals.
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artisan
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a craftsman
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Civilization
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A cultural group with advanced cities, complex institutions, skilled workers, advanced technology, and a system of recordkeeping
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climate
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The pattern of temperature and precipitation over a period of time
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Cultural Diffusion
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The transmission of ideas and products from one culture to another
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Cuneiform
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A system of writing originating in Mesopotamia in which a wedge-shaped stylus was used to press symbols into clay tablets
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Democracy
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A political system in which the people rule
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Dynasty
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A series of rulers from the same family
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Foraging
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A term for hunting and gathering
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Geocentric Theory
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The belief held by many before the Scientific Revolution that the earth is the center of the universe
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Hieroglyphics
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A system of picture writing used in Egypt
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Hellenistic Age
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The era (c. 323-30 B.C.E) in which Greek culture blended with Persian and other Eastern influences spread throughout the former empire of Alexander the Great
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Independent Invention
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The development of innovation or technology independent of cultural diffusion
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Indo-Europeans
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A group pf semi-nomadic peoples who, around 2000 B.C.E., began to migrate from central Asia to India, Europe, and the Middle East
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Jati
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One of the many sub-castes in the Hindu caste system
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Monsoon
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A seasonal wind
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Mandate of Heaven
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The concept developed by the Zhou dynasty that the deity granted a dynasty the right to rule and took away that right if the dynasty did not rule wisely
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Matrilineal
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Referring to a social system in which descent and inheritance are traced through their mother
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Mystery Religion
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During the Hellenistic Age, religions that promised their faithful followers eternity in a state of bliss
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Neolithic Age
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Final stage of technological development or cultural evolution among prehistoric humans. It is characterized by the use of stone tools shaped by polishing or grinding, the domestication of plants or animals, the establishment of permanent villages, and the practice of such crafts as pottery and weaving.
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Neolithic Revolution
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The discovery of farming and the domestication of animals brought an end to the slow development of the hunting societies of the PALAEOLITHIC and MESOLITHIC periods and initiated a time of rapid change that soon produced metal-working, cities, states, and empires.
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Oracle Bones
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Animal bones or shells used by the Chinese priests to receive messages from the gods
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Patriarchal
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Pertaining to a social system in which the father is the head of the family
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Pharaoh
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An Egyptian monarch
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Polytheism
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The belief in many gods
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Pax Romana
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The Roman Peace; the period of prosperity and stability throughout the Roman Empire in the first two centuries C.E.
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Paterfamilias
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the head of Roman family life; the oldest living male who looked after the family's business affairs and property and could perform religious rites on their behalf; he had absolute rule over his household and children. If they angered him, he had the legal right to disown his children, sell them into slavery or even kill them.
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Steppe
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A dry grassland
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Slash and Burn Agriculture
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A agricultural method in which farmers clear fields by cutting and burning trees, then use the ashes as fertilizer
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Specialization of Labor
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The division of labor that aids the development of skills in a particular type of work
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Ziggurat
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A multilayered pyramid constructed by Mesopotamians
