AP World History Period 1 (edited and improved)

nomadic societies

Groups of people who continually move from one location to another in order for their animals to graze and to find additional sources of food

Mesopotamia

Literally "between the rivers"; the civilization that arose in the alluvial plain of the Tigris-Euphrates river valleys

Harappa and Mohenjo Daro

Major urban complexes along the Indus River Valley; laid out on planned grid pattern

hunting and gathering

Means of obtaining subsistence (staying alive) by humans before the mastery of sedentary (staying in one spot) agriculture; normally a tribal social organization

agrarian revolution

Occurred between 8000 and 5000 B.C.E.; transition from hunting and gathering to sedentary (settled) farming

weapons

Pastoralists (nomadic groups) were often the developers and disseminators of ____ and forms of transportation that transformed warfare in agrarian civilizations

Sumerians

People who migrated into Mesopotamia circa 4000 B.C.E.; created the first civilization within the region; organized area into city-states

civilization

Societies with reliance on sedentary (in one place) agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses (extra food!), and existence of non-farming elites, along with merchant (sales) and groups that manufacturing (make stuff)

neolithic

The New Stone Age between 8000 and 5000 B.C.E.; period in which agriculture was invented; domestication (control by humans) of plants and animals accomplished

Hammurabi

The most important Babylonian ruler; responsible for codification (making it official) of the law []The code of Hammurabi helped establish order but also reinforced (strengthened) inequality and social stratification by treating different groups with unequal penalties under the law

Paleolithic

The period that ended about 3,000 years after the end of the last Ice Age, it lasted until about 10,000 years ago. (Old Stone Age) The period of the Stone Age associated with the evolution of humans. It predates (before) the Neolithic period.

Neolithic Revolution

[]leads to permanent settlements []leads to social stratification []period of change from hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agricultural lifestyles associated with domestication of animals, farming, and settlement

ziggurat

[]often built as a display of power by a king/ruler []a massive building usually associated with Mesopotamian temples

hieroglyphs

[]probably invented originally to keep records on trade, land ownership and taxes []eventually developed as a way to tell stories, religious ideas, and establish laws Form of writing developed in ancient Egypt; more pictorial (images) than Mesopotamian cuneiform

Pharaoh

[]use of spiritual/divine influence to establish power as a "god-king" in ancient Egypt

record-keeping systems

[]used to manage and control large settlements/civilizations []these political and economic strategies arose independently in all early civilization and subsequently diffused through trade and migration

egalitarian

equality among people (no social levels)

patriarchy

father based/male dominated society (controlled by men)

horses

major mode of transportation used and developed by pastoralists []dramatically transforms warfare and trade

Human migration during Paleolithic era

movement of humans OUT OF Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas

culture

Combination of ideas, art, "norms", and patterns of behavior that result from human social interaction

Catal Huyuk

Early urban culture/civiization based on sedentary agriculture; located in modern southern Turkey; larger in population than Jericho, had greater degree of social stratification (hierarchy)

Bronze Age

From 4000 to 3000 B.C.E.; increased use of plow, metalworking; development of wheeled vehicles, writing develops

city-state

A form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilization; consisted of a city that controlled surrounding farmland

pastoralism

A nomadic agricultural lifestyle based on herding domesticated animals; often created independent tribes capable of challenging sedentary agricultural societies

potter's wheel

A technological advance in pottery making; invented circa 6000 B.C.E.; improves food/material storage and transport

Babylonian Empire

Unified all of Mesopotamia circa 1800 B.C.E.; collapsed due to foreign invasion circa 1600 B.C.E.

Kush

African state that developed along the upper reaches of the Nile circa 1000 B.C.E.; conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries

Tigris River

[]Cause Mesopotamians to think of their gods as violent, need priests to help make them happy []floods were UNPREDICTABLE and impacted the development of the Mesopotamian civilization.

Phoenicians

[]Maintained power more through trade than military conquest []Seafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean; established colonies throughout the Mediterranean through advance ship design and well organized trade/business relationships

Indo-Aryan Migration

[]Nomadic groups that, over time slowly moved from Central Asia into Northern India []led to the development of the Hindu caste system the []Spread Indo-Aryan language "tree" which led to many of the languages spoken in that region today []replaced the Harappan civilization in the Indus Valley

cuneiform

[]Originally developed to keep records on taxes and trade []A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge-shaped stylus and clay tablets

Oracles

[]Religious figures in early civilizations that were thought to have divine wisdom (make predictions about future) []Shamans or priests in Chinese society who foretold the future through interpreting animal bones cracked by heat; inscriptions on bones led to Chinese writing

Huanghe (Yellow) River Basin

[]Site of the development of sedentary (settled) agriculture in China []This is were the earliest large Chinese civilizations developed

Nile River

[]Tame river which led Egyptians to believe the gods/afterlife were peaceful [] flooded regularly which became extremely important for agriculture in the early Egyptian civilizations.

ideographic writing

[]This is DIFFERENT from the English alphabet in which each letter carried a sound []Pictograph characters grouped together to create new concepts; typical of Chinese writing

pyramids

[]built to show power and reinforce the idea that the Egyptian rulers were divine []demanded complex organization, mathematical knowledge, and enormous number of cheap/slave labor []monumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as burial sites for pharaohs

Shang

1st Chinese dynasty (after the legendary Xia)

monotheism

The exclusive worship of one god; introduced by Jews into Middle Eastern civilization, unique because most religions at the time were polytheistic []also practiced by the religion - Zoroastrianism

art

This cultural phenomenon was usually promoted (encouraged) by the wealthiest and most powerful members of society (kings, priests, etc.)