World History Chapter 7

Brahma

A Hindu god considered the creator of the world.

Vishnu

A Hindu god considered the preserver of the world.

Centralized Government

A government in which a central authority controls the running of a state.

Liu Bang

A military leader who founded the Han dynasty in 202 B.C. He did away with the legalistic policies of the Qin dynasty and brought peace and stability to China.

Buddha

A name meaning the "enlightened one", used for Siddhartha Gautama, who started the religion of Buddhism.

Kalidasa

A poet and playwrighter who was a writer at the court of Chandra Gupta II. His most famous work is called "Shakuntala".

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a number of gods.

Theravada

A sect of Buddhism focusing on the strict spiritual discipline originally advocated by the Buddha.

Mahayana

A sect of Buddhism that offers salvation to all and allows popular workship.

Silk Roads

A system of ancient caravan routes across Central Asia, along which traders carried silk and other trade goods.

Wudi

Also known as the 'Martial Emperor' because he expanded the Han empire through war. He was the longest ever ruling emperor of the Han dynasty. He ruled from 141 B.C.to 87 B.C.

Xiang Yu

An aristocratic general who was willing to allow the warlords to keep their territories if they would acknowledge him as their feudal lord. He was beaten in battle by Liu Bang, in 202 B.C.

Shiva

An important Hindu deity who in the trinity of gods was the Destroyer.

Shi Huangdi

China's "First Emperor" who used strict laws and harsh punishments (legalism) as a basis for his government. He founded the Qin Dynasty which was later replaced by the Han dynasty.

Confucius

Chinese philosopher, administrator, and moralist. His social and moral teachings, collected in the 'Analects', tried to replace former religious observances. He believed that social order, harmony and good government could be organized around 5 basic relationships.

Chandra Gupta I

He founded the Gupta Empire, and took the title "Great King of Kings" in 320 CE. He came to power when he married a daughter of an influential royal family,

Kautilya

He was an adviser to Chandragupta and wrote a book called the "Arthasastra", on how to rule an empire through strong policies.

Seleucus I

He was one of Alexander the Great's generals, who wanted to reestablish the Macedonian rule in the Indus Valley. He and Chandragupta fought a war in which he was defeated around 305 BC.

Chandragupta Maurya

He was the founder of the Mauryan dynasty, which was the first empire in the Indian subcontinent. With his large army he was able to unit Northern India, and defeat Seleucus, who was a general with Alexander the Great.

Ban Biao

He wrote the "History of the Former Han dynasty", but died before he could finish it. His son and daughter finished it for him.

Brahman

In Hinduism he was the universal soul, believe to be made up of the three lesser gods of; Shiva, Brahmin, and Vishnu.

Stupas

Mounded stone structures built over holy Buddhist relics.

Xiongnu

Nomadic raiders from the grasslands north of China during the reign of Han dynasty. Emperor Wudi fought against them in the mid-100s BC.

Empress Lu

One of Liu Bang's wives who seized power with the help of powerful friends at court. She outlived her son and retained control of the throne by naming first one infant and then another as emperor, and then ruling for them.

Religious Toleration

The acceptance of people who held different religious beliefs.

Monopoly

The complete control of a product or business by one person or group. They control both the production and distribution of the product in this type of market.

Han Dynasty

The dynasty started by Lui Bang, in 202 B.C., who was a great and long-lasting rule. It discarded the harsh policies of the Qin dynasty and adopted Confucian principles; Han rulers chose officials who passed the civil service exams rather than birth.

Patriarchal

The father or oldest male is the authority figure in the family.

Matriarchal

The female head of a family or tribal line.

Mauryan Empire

The first Empire to unify most of the Indian subcontinent. It was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 321 B.C.E. It had a large army which was supported with heavy taxes.

Asoka

The grandson of Chandragupta who ruled the Mauryan Empire and brought it to its hight of power. He converted to Buddhism from Hinduism and tolerated other religions when he was the leader.

Brahmin

The highest of the four classes of the caste system, in Hindu culture, traditionally made up of priests.

Tamil

The language of the Tamil people who live in southern India. These people where members of three kingdoms that were never conquered by the Mauryan Empire.

Gupta Empire

The second empire in India, founded by Chandra Gupta I, who took the title "Great King of Kings", in A.D. 320

Assimilation

The social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another. The ancient Chinese government wanted the people to intermix with the newly conquered peoples so that they would be more united.

Bodhisattvas

These were enlightened persons who could become a Buddha but have chosen to postponed nirvana in order to help others attain enlightenment.

Civil Servise

These were government jobs that people were able to get if they passed a written examination. The government of the Han emperor Wudi provided schools to study Confucianism so they would have educated people to fill these posts.

Arthasastra

Written by Kautilya, one of Chandragupta's advisors, who wrote a ruler's handbook outlining how to rule a large empire. He suggested toughminded policies such as spying, and political assassination.

Jainism

a religion founded in India in the sixth century BC, whose members believe that everything in the universe has a soul and therefore shouldn't be harmed. Mahavira founded this religion.