AP World History Vocab #1 – Flashcards
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Paleolithic Age
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ending in 12,000 BCE; use of crude stone tools and hunting and gathering for subsistence
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Homo sapien sapiens
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the human species that as most successful at the end of the Paleolithic period
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Neolithic Age
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8,000 BCE-5,000 BCE; adaptation of sedentary agriculture; domestication of animals & plants
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Neolithic Revolution
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succession of technological innovations and changes in human organization that led to development of agriculture; 8,500 BCE-3,500 BCE
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hunting and gathering
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human means of obtaining subsistence before sedentary agriculture; band social organization
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Bronze Age
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from 4,000 BCE, when bronze tools came into existence, to 1,500 BCE, when iron tools replaced them
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slash-and-burn agriculture
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system of cultivation where forest floors are cleared by fire and then farmed on
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bands
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levels of social organization of 20-30 people; nomadic hunters & gatherers; work distributed based on gender
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Çatal Hüyük
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early urban culture based on sedentary agriculture
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cuneiform
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form of writing developed by Sumerians using a stylus and tablets
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nomads
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cattle and sheep herding societies found on the fringes of civilized societies
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Mesopotamia
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"between the rivers"; civilizations that arose between the Tigris-Euphrates river valleys
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Sumerians
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people who migrated to Mesopotamia c. 4,000 BCE; created first society in the region
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Ziggurats
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massive towers associated with Mesopotamian temple complexes
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city-states
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form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilizations
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Babylonians
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unified of all Mesopotamia c.1,800 BCE; collapsed due to foreign invasion c.1,600 BCE
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Hammurabi
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most important ruler of the Babylonian empire; responsible for codification of law
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pharoah
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title of kings of ancient Egypt
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pyramids
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monumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as tombs for pharoahs
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Kush
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African state divided along Upper Nile c.1,000 BCE; conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries
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Indus River
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river sources in Himalayas to mouth in Arabian Sea; location of Harappan civilization
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Harappa
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major urban complex of Harappan civilization; along with Mohenjo-Daro
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Mohenjo-Daro
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major urban complex of Harappan civilization
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Huanghe River
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site of the development of sedentary agriculture
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Dao
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philosophy associated with Lao-Tze
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Zhou
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overthrew Shang Dynasty and established second Chinese dynasty
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Qin
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221 BCE-207 BCE; arose after the decline of the Zhou Dynasty
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Shi Huangdi
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founder of the brief Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE
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Great Wall
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defensive monument to keep out invaders from the North; built during Qin Dynasty under Shi Huangdi
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Han
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dynasty that succeeded the Qin in 202 BCE; ruled for 400 years
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Silk Roads
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trading route connecting European, Chinese, and Indian civilizations; transmitted ideas and goods throughout
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Alexander the Great
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successor of Philip II; attempted to combine Greek and Persian cultures
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Himalayas
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mountain range marking northern border of India; site of Aryan settlements
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monsoon
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seasonal winds crossing India and southeast Asia; brings rain during summers
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Aryan
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Indo-European nomadic pastoralists who replaced Harappan civilizations; militarized society
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Sanskrit
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sacred and classical Indian language
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Vedas
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Aryan hymns written in sacred books in 6th century BCE
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untouchables
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lowest caste in Indian society; performed tasks considered polluting
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Indra
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chief deity of the Aryans
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Chandragupta Maurya
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founder of Mauryan dynasty; developed first empire in India
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Mauryan
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dynasty in India in 4th century BCE after invasion of Alexander the Great
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Ashoka
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grandson of Chandragupta Maurya; converted Buddhism and helped to spread it throughout India
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Dharma
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the caste position and career determined by a person's birth
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Kushans
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dynasty that succeeded Mauryan; sponsored Buddhism
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Guptas
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dynasty that succeeded Kushans in 3rd century CE
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Kautilya
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political advisor to Chandragupta Maurya; believed in scientific application of warfare
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gurus
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brahmans who were teachers for the princes of the imperial court of the guptas
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Vishnu
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the brahman, later Hindu, god of sacrifice
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Shiva
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the brahman, later Hindu, god of destruction and reproduction
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reincarnation
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successive attachment of the soul to some animate form according to merits earned in previous lives
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nirvana
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Buddhist state of enlightenment; state of tranquility
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Buddha
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Siddhartha Guatama; creator of major Indian and Asian religion in 6th century BCE
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stupas
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stone shrines built to house pieces of bone or hair or personal possessions said to be relics of the Buddha
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scholar-gentry
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Chinese class created by marital linkage of the local land-holding aristocracy with the office-holding shi
