WH Fall Semester Final Exam Review

Hammurabi

(1792-1750 BCE) was the sixth king of the Amorite First Dynasty of Babylon, assumed the throne from his father, Sin-Muballit, and expanded the kingdom to conquer all of ancient Mesopotamia; known for his Code of Law based on the premise of "any eye for an eye."

Peloponnesian War

(431-404 BC) An ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its allies against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases.

Xia

(c. 2070 - c. 1600 BC) The first dynasty in traditional Chinese history; may have been only mythological.

Shang

(c.1600-1046 BCE) was the second dynasty of China which succeeded the Xia Dynasty (c. 2700-1600 BCE) after the overthrow of the Xia. Since many historians question whether the Xia Dynasty really existed, the Shang Dynasty may have actually been the first in China and the origin of what has come to be recognized as Chinese culture.

Nirvana

(in Buddhism) a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Buddhism.

karma

(in Hinduism and Buddhism) the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences

agora

(in ancient Greece) A public open space used for assemblies and markets.

polis

A Greek city-state; broadly : a state or society especially when characterized by a sense of community.

yoga

A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures

varna

A Sanskrit word which means type, order, or class. The term refers to social classes--translated literally as color.

acropolis

A citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically built on a hill; the ancient citadel at Athens, containing the Parthenon and other notable buildings, mostly dating from the 5th century BC.

mummification

A complicated and lengthy process which lasted up to 70 days. It is the body of a person (or an animal) that has been preserved after death. They were any Egyptian who could afford to pay for the expensive process of preserving their bodies for the afterlife.

Hatshepsut

A daughter of King Thutmose I who became queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother, Thutmose II, around the age of 12. Upon his death, she began acting as regent for her stepson, the infant Thutmose III, but later took on the full powers of a pharaoh

hoplites

A heavily armed foot soldier of ancient Greece.

loess

A loosely compacted yellowish-gray deposit of windblown sediment of which extensive deposits occur, e.g., in eastern China--provided nutrients for agriculture.

helots

A member of a class of serfs in ancient Sparta, intermediate in status between slaves and citizens; a serf or slave.

Hunter-Gathers

A member of a nomadic people who live chiefly by hunting, fishing, and harvesting wild food.

Nomads

A member of a people having no permanent abode, and who travel from place to place to find fresh pasture for their livestock.

Untouchables

A member of the lowest-caste Hindu group or a person outside the caste system. Contact with untouchables is traditionally held to defile members of higher castes.

Zoroaster

A monotheistic pre-Islamic religion of ancient Persia based on the balancing of good and evil in the world.

Bronze Age

A period of human culture between the Stone Age and the Iron Age, characterized by the use of weapons and implements made of cast bronze. The beginning of the Bronze Age is generally dated before 3000 BCE in parts of Mediterranean Europe, the Middle East, and China

hieroglyphics

A pictographic script, particularly that of the ancient Egyptians, in which many of the symbols are conventionalized, recognizable pictures of the things represented.

delta

A piece of land shaped like a triangle that is formed when a river splits into smaller rivers before it flows into an ocean

hominid

A primate of a family ( Hominidae ) that includes humans and their fossil ancestors; humanlike beings that walked upright.

satrap

A provincial governor in the ancient Persian empire

hinduism

A religion of India that emphasizes freedom from the material world through purification of desires and elimination of personal identityl; beliefs include reincarnation

Buddhism

A religion of eastern and central Asia growing out of the teaching that suffering is inherent in life and that one can be liberated from it by mental and moral self-purification

rosetta stone

A rock stele, found in 1799, inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion is Demotic script, and the lowest is Ancient Greek.

Greco-Persian War

A series of wars fought by Greek states and Persia over a period of almost half a century. The fighting was most intense during two invasions that Persia launched against mainland Greece between 490 and 479.

tyrant

A sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly; any person in a position of authority who exercises power oppressively or despotically

city-state

A sovereign state that consists of a city and its dependent territories.

theocracy

A system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.

raja

An Indian king or prince.

Ziggurat

An ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top

Assyrians

An ancient empire in SW Asia whose greatest extent was from about 750-612 BCE; the capitol was Nineveh.

Babylonians

An ancient empire of Mesopotamia in the Euphrates River valley. It flourished under Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar II but declined after 562 bc and fell to the Persians in 539.

Mesopotamia

An ancient region of SW Asia in present-day Iraq, lying between the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Its alluvial plains were the site of the civilizations of Akkad, Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria.

artifacts

An object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest.

surplus

As a result of irrigation, farmers could produce excess foods the could support larger populations.

division of labor

As a result of surplus, people were no longer tied to agriculture and could pursue other economic activity.

filial piety

Confucian virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors.

democracy

Developed in Athens in the 4th to 5th century BCE had an extraordinary system of government, whereby all male citizens had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in the political arena.

dharma

Essential quality or character, as of the cosmos or one's own nature

Old Kingdom

First of the Kingdoms in Egypt. The Old Kingdom began in 2650 B.C. when Sanakhte took the throne as king. During this period, pyramid-building slowly shifted from step pyramids to "true" pyramids, with smooth surfaces. Khufu, who had built the Great Pyramid of Giza, lived during this period. The Old Kingdom ended in 2152, with the breakdown of centralized government.

Mycenaeans

Flourished in the late Bronze Age, and extended its influence not only throughout the Peloponnese in Greece but also across the Aegean, in particular, on Crete.

Isis

Goddess from the polytheistic pantheon of Egypt. She was first worshiped in ancient Egyptian religion, and later her worship spread throughout the Roman Empire and the greater Greco-Roman world.

dynastic cycle

In China, a political philosophy that emphasized the unruliness of human nature and justified state coercion and control. The Qin rulers and early Han rulers invoked it to validate the authoritarian nature of their regime. Not as popular as Confucianism, and did not seek popular approval anyway.

Darius I

King of Persia (521-486) who expanded the empire, organized a highly efficient administrative system, and invaded Greece, only to be defeated at the Battle of Marathon in 490.

Cyrus the Great

King of Persia 558-529 BCE; founder of the Persian empire.

Nebuchadnezzar II

Nebuchadnezzar II was a Chaldean king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, who reigned c. 605 BC - c. 562 BC. Both the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem's temple are ascribed to him.

Neoltithic

New Stone Age that began around 10,000 years ago in the Middle East and later in other parts of the world. It is characterized by the beginning of farming, the domestication of animals, the development of crafts such as pottery and weaving, and the making of polished stone tools.

Nubia

Nubia is a region along the Nile river located in what is today northern Sudan and southern Egypt. It was one of the earliest civilizations of ancient Africa.

Paleolithic

Old Stone Age that began about 2.5 to 2 million years ago, marked by the earliest use of tools made of chipped stone. The Paleolithic Period ended at different times in different parts of the world, generally around 10,000 years ago

Minoans

Original inhabitants of the Greek peninsula; Excavating at Knossos from 1900 to 1905 CE, Evans discovered extensive ruins which confirmed the ancient accounts, both literary and mythological, of a sophisticated Cretan culture and possible site of the legendary labyrinth and palace of King Minos.

Nile River

Originating in central Africa and flowing north to the Mediterranean Sea, with its delta in Egypt. It is formed by the joining of the Blue branch, which flows from Ethiopia, and the White branch, which flows from Lake Victoria.

Pastoralists

People who ranged over wide areas and kept herds of livestock that they depended on for food and other items.

New Kingdom

Period beginning after the driving out of the Hyksos. The New Kingdom began with the reign of Ahmose, in 1539. Art flourished, as did building projects. Most of the famous pharaohs ruled during this period, including Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV), King Tut, Thutmose II, and Ramses II.

Xerxes

Persian king who was the son of Darius, and took up his father's campaign in Greece seeking revenge.

Daoism

Philosophical system developed by Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events.

oracle bones

Pieces of ox scapula or turtle plastron, which were used for pyromancy - a form of divination - in ancient China, mainly during the late Shang dynasty.

phalanx

Rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar weapons.

moksha

Release from the cycle of rebirth impelled by the law of karma.

Phoenicians

Semitic people who prospered from trade and manufacturing until the capital, Tyre, was sacked by Alexander the Great in 332 BC.

cataracts

Shallow lengths (or white water rapids) between Aswan and Khartoum, where the surface of the water is broken by many small boulders and stones jutting out of the river bed, as well as many rocky islets.

Buddha

Siddhārtha Gautama, Indian prince who left his princely life to search for the meaning of life--his teachings became the center a religion based on the truth of suffering.

culture

Social structure, language, law, politics, religion, magic, art, and technology.

Neolithic Revolution

Sometimes called the Agricultural Revolution, was the wide-scale transition of many human cultures from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement, making possible an increasingly larger population.

Four Noble Truths

Suffering; Cause; End; Path of Freedom

castes

System of social stratification in Ancient India made up of 4 major castes: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras.

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese philosophical concept of the circumstances under which a ruler is allowed to rule. Good rulers would be allowed to rule, and despotic, unjust rulers would have it revoked.

Osiris

The Egyptian god of the underworld and husband and brother of Isis.

civil service

The administrative system of the traditional Chinese government, the members of which were selected by a competitive examination.

monotheism

The belief in a single all-powerful god, as opposed to religions that believe in multiple gods. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are widely practiced forms.

polytheism

The belief in or worship of more than one god.

samsara

The cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.

River Valley Civilizations

The earliest civilizations that developed around rivers for the fresh water supply and the fertile land ex-: Tigris-Euphrates (Mesopotamia), Nile (Egypt), Indus (India), Huang He or Yellow River, and the Chang Jiang River (China)

Middle Way

The eightfold path of Buddhism between indulgence and asceticism.

Qin

The first dynasty of Imperial China, lasting from 221 to 206 BC. Gave China its name "China."

Abraham

The first of the great Biblical patriarchs, father of Isaac, and traditional founder of the ancient Hebrew nation: considered by Muslims an ancestor of the Arab peoples through his son Ishmael.

Moses

The great leader, lawgiver, and prophet of the ancient Israelites (Hebrews). According to the Old Testament, he was born in Egypt, where the Hebrews were living as slaves. When he was an infant, the Egyptian ruler, or pharaoh, ordered all the male children of the Hebrews slain.

Eightfold Path

The heart of the middle way, which turns from extremes, and encourages us to seek the simple approach--Right Understanding, Right Intent, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

Torah

The law of God as revealed to Moses and recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures (the Pentateuch).

civilization

The process by which a society or place reaches an advanced stage of social development and organization that includes developed cities, organized government, formalized religion, specialized labor, social classes, record keeping, and art.

Fertile Crescent

The region in the Middle East which curves, like a quarter-moon shape, from the Persian Gulf, through modern-day southern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and northern Egypt.

Judaism

The religion of the Israelites of the Bible and of the Jews of today, based on the teachings of the Torah, and belief in one god.

Han

The second imperial dynasty of China. Founded in 206 BC when the rebel leader Liu Bang successfully ended the Qin Dynasty, Lasted for four centuries and is considered a golden age in Chinese history.

cultural diffusion

The spread of beliefs and social activities from one group to another. The mixing of world cultures through different ethnicities, religions and nationalities has increased with advanced communication, transportation and technology.

Zeus

The supreme deity of the ancient Greeks, a son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Poseidon, and father of a number of gods, demigods, and mortals; the god of the heavens, identified by the Romans with Jupiter.

Confucianism

The system of ethics, education, and statesmanship stressings love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct.

cunieform

The wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia,

Ramses the Great

Third king of the 19th dynasty (1292-1190 bce) of ancient Egypt, whose reign (1279-13 bce) was the second longest in Egyptian history. In addition to his wars with the Hittites and Libyans, he is known for his extensive building programs and for the many colossal statues of him found all over Egypt.

pharaoh

Title of the kings of ancient Egypt

domestication

To convert (animals, plants, etc.) to domestic uses; tame. ... to tame (an animal), especially by generations of breeding, to live in close association with human beings as a pet or work animal and usually creating a dependency so that the animal loses its ability to live in the wild.

pyramids

Tombs for the pharaohs and their queens.

Middle Kingdom

Two-dynasty period in which foreign trade and building projects rapidly increased. The 11th Dynasty (1986-1937) and the 12th Dynasty (1937-1759) make up this period, which ended with the conquest of Egypt by the Hyksos.

Indo-Europeans

a large, widespread family of (peoples) languages, the surviving branches of which include Italic, Slavic, Baltic, Hellenic, Celtic, Germanic, and Indo-Iranian, spoken by about half the world's population

papyrus

a material prepared in ancient Egypt from the pithy stem of a water plant, used in sheets throughout the ancient Mediterranean world for writing or painting on and also for making rope, sandals, and boats.

monsoons

a seasonal prevailing wind in the region of South and Southeast Asia, blowing from the southwest between May and September and bringing rain, or from the northeast between October and April.

reincarnation

the belief that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another body or form--rebirth of the soul in a new body

Zhou

was the longest-lasting of China's dynasties. It followed the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE) and it finished when the army of the state of Qin captured the city of Chengzhou in 256 BCE.