Vocab - Chapter 1-7 World History

Chandragupta

(Chandragupta Maurya), died 297 B.c., king of northern India 321-297 b.c.: founder of the Maurya dynasty; credited with saving country from maladministration and freeing it from foreign domination; later fasted to death in sorrow for his famine-stricken people

Ptolemy

110-160 AD; lived in Egypt; mapped 1,000 different stars; studied the sky; believed earth was center of the universe

Julius Caesar

1st century BCE. Roman general and statesman. Critical to gradual transformation of Roman Republic into Roman Empire. Assassinated 15 March. Reforms tended to elevate Italians at the expense of old Roman families, most of whom were political enemies

Punic Wars

264-146 BC, 3 wars that Rome fought in against Carthage, Africa; Rome won

Sumerians

3800-3500 B.C.E.; first civilization; first writings; city states; gods human writ large and natural forces

Warring States Era

402-221 BCE; China in civil war (Shang, Xia, Zhou); During last centuries of Zhou dynasty, Military innovations, mass infantry army, cavalry, and chariots; People developed new thoughts leading to confucianism, daoism, and legalism; End Quin Shihuangdi

Analects

A collection of written quotations of Confucious; His followers recorded his sayings in this book

Dynasty

A sequence of rulers from the fame family, stock, or group: the Ming dynasty

Sophocles

Ancient Greek playwright; introduced 3rd actor; did not act in his own plays because he had a soft voice; emphasized individual characters and reduced the importance and size of chorus; 7 of his works survive including the Oedipus Trilogy (Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Thebes, Antigone, Electra)

Sunzi

Author of The Art of War; argued that war was an extension of statecraft and should be fought according to scientific principles

Athens

Best known polis of ancient Greece; Rich contribution to political, philosophical, artistic and literary traditions of Western Civilization; First democracy in the ancient world; All in response to tyranny and Persian aggression

Homer

Blind poet and author of Iliad and Odyssey

Stupas

Buddhist commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics associated with the Buddha or other saintly persons; the hemispherical form of the stupa appears to have derived from pre-Buddhist burial mounds in India; as most characteristically seen at Sanchi in the Great Stupa (2nd-1st century BC), the monument consists of a circular base supporting a massive solid dome (the anda, "egg," or garbha, "womb") from which projects an umbrella; the whole of the Great Stupa is encircled by a railing and four gateways, which are richly decorated with relief sculpture depicting Jataka tales, events in the life of the Buddha, and popular mythological figures

Middle Kingdom

China referred to itself as such because it believed it was the center of the world

Daoism

Chinese Religion rejecting society and looking at the world through nature's eyes; establish harmony with the mechanism of everything that exists

Han

Chinese dynasty that succeeded the Qin in 202 BCE ruled for next 400 years

Polis

City-state made of Sparta and Athens

Peloponnesian Wars

Civil war in Greece, mainly fought between Athens and Sparta; 431-404 bce; Poleis allied with either Athens or Sparta; Athens was forced to surrender, Sparta continued to battle other poleis

Cuneiform

Denoting or relating to the wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia, Persia, and Ugarit, surviving mainly impressed on clay tablets

Shang

First Chinese dynasty (after Xia) from 1500-1050 BCE; irrigation, first to have Chinese writing, bronze ritual vessels, horse-drawn chariots/trade vehicles, large armies->walled cities->political organization

Constantine

First Christian emperor of Rome paved the way for the establishment of Christianity as legal religion in Roman empire and began practice of calling Ecumenical councils to resolve urgent issues affecting the church

Iliad

First homeric epic, is set during attack on greek city, emphasizes the aristocratic value in war but warns readers of brutality and violence in war

Hannibal

General of Carthage who marched his army from Spain to Rome in the Second Punic War

Demos

Greek: people

Hellenistic

Greeks conquered Persia; 323-30 BCE; Spread of Greek Science, language, philosophy, architecture, etc. throughout the Hellenistic kingdoms (Persian Empire) MIddle East & Asia

Calligraphy

Handwriting or penmanship, especially elegant writing as a decorative art

Hammurabi

He gained control of Sumer and Akkad thus creating a new Mesopotamian kingdom

Hwanghe (Yellow)

Huang He/China's Sorrow; North; where ancient China first developed; Loess=glacial soil - yellow/tan color, light texture, easy agriculture, easily blown away; wheat/millet=principle grain

Ziggurats

In Mesopotamia, a tall stepped pyramidal structure of earthen materials, often supporting a shrine

Scribes

In ancient civilizations, a person specially trained to read, write, and keep records

Crete

Island off of Greece

Shintoism

Japan's prominent religion, ______, provided for worship of political rulers and the spirits of nature

Nile

Located in Egypt; flooded annually; fertilized the soil; helped the Egyptians with trade bc it was their source of agriculture

Odyssey

Long series of wandering often filled with notable experiences

Sparta

Military; think they are prototype for being Greek; Landlocked city state; 725 BCE expanded militarily, lots of slaves (helots); polis focuses on military; 2 kings - military and religious live with bare necessities

Paleolithic

Old Stone Age when people made tools from stones and were hunters and gatherers

Mesopotamia

Region within the Fertile Crescent that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Twelve Tables

Roman Law; Adapted to diverse populations under Roman Rule; Innocent until proven guilty; Right to challenge accusers in court

Philip of Macedon

Ruler of Macedon; made a military machine that allowed him to take over the traditional clans; 359-336 BCE; Moved into Greece and annexed them, eventually brought Greece under his control; Father of Alexander the Great

Legalism

Rulers should use legal system to force people to obey laws - believers felt that the strong government would end China's disorder; Implemented by Shang Yang in the Qin Dynasty; very strict; meritocracy during his reign, soldier could move through the ranks if he succeeded in battle; GOVERN BY VERY STRICT LAWS; EVEN A MINOR BROKEN LAW COULD LEAD TO DEATH; FEAR WAS THEIR MAIN MOTIVE

Buddah

Siddartha Gautama; the man who founded the religion of Buddhism, attained enlightenment

Harrappa

Site of one of the great cities of the Indus Valley civilization of the 3rd millennium BCE. It was located on the northwest frontier of the zone of cultivation (in modern Pakistan)

Veda

Sometimes Vedas; the entire body of Hindu sacred writings, chief among which are four books, the Rig-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda, and the Yajur-Veda

Macedonia (Macedon)

The Empire that Philip and then Alexander riled over. It expanded and grew under both of their reigns

Neolithic

The New Stone Age, which began between 10,000 and 11,500 years ago with the transition to simple farming

Jews

The people of Rome who believed in God, but they believed that Jesus was not the Messiah. They were also persecuted by the Romans

Alexander the Great

This Macedonian military conqueror and leader conquered lands extending as far east as India by the time of his death in 323 B.C.E. His vast Hellenistic Empire was then divided into three parts by his three top generals. MArched until his army refused to go any farther; fought just to prove his strength

Mandate of heaven

WHO/WHY: Zhou kings sought approval: Right to rule not based on dynasty led to an idea of Mandate Heaven, WHAT: idea that good rulers have had the god's favor became part of culture; troubles meant Mandate has withdrawn and it was time for a new leader, WHEN: Zou Dynasty 1122-256

Confucius

WHO: Chinese thinker and teacher, WHEN: 551-479 bc, WHAT Founder of Confucianism-emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity, WHY: Teachings became basis for religious and moral life in China, and served as a code of conduct for government officials, involved in politics but leaves to be a wandering teacher

Carthage

What: city located in present-day Tunisia founded by Phoenecians c. 800 BCE; major commercial center and naval power in w. Mediterranean until its defeat by Rome in the 3rd century BCE; When: 9th century BC; Where: NOrth Africa; Why/RELEVANCE TO SOURCES: After the defeat of Carthage, the Romans began to fight amongst themselves -- leads to Roman Revolution

Pericles

Who: Athenian general/leader; When 400's bc; Where: Athens; Sig: 1st citizen, father of democracy, Ordered construction, led to Peloponnesian wars

Socrates

a Greek philosopher who questioned everyday things and was considered by government a threat to traditions; Created the Socratic method (Asking questions) Says "the unexamined life is not worth living" and "know thyself"

Kama-Sutra

a Hindu religious treatise written c. 400, that deals with pleasure, love, and sexuality and marriage in accordance with Hindu, Sanskrit

Civilization

a culture that has developed systems of specialization, religion, learning and government

Patriarchal

a family structure in which the husband dominates the wife

Republic

a form of government in which power is in the hands of representatives and leaders elected by the people

Phidias

a greek sculptor and architect and painter; 5th century BC; designed statues w/ hands; bronze statues Athena most beautiful

Tamils

a member of a people of Dravidian stock of S India and Sri Lanka; the Dravidian language of the Tamils, spoken in India principally in Tamil Nadu state and in Sri Lanka on the N and E coasts

Aryan

a member or descendant of the prehistoric people who spoke Indo-European; "the noble ones;" migrated from ancestral home near the Caucasus mountains, north of the Black Sea in Central Asia and entered the Indus Valley through the fabled Khyber Pass which cuts through the Hindu Kush Mountain in Pakistan; nomads who lived in simple homes grouped in clans; herded sheep and goats; ruled by warrior chiefs called rajas

Zoroastianism

a monotheistic pre-Islamic religion of ancient Persia

Laozi

a mystic philosopher of ancient China, and is a central figure in Taoism (also spelled "Daoism"); Laozi literally means "old masterA"

Lydians

a native or inhabitant of the ancient region of Lydia in western Asia Minor; the Anatolian language of the Lydians, of which some inscriptions and other texts have survived in a version of the Greek alphabet

Pelloponesian

a peninsula forming the S part of Greece: seat of the early Mycenaean civilization and the powerful city-states of Argos, Sparta, etc. 8356 sq. mi. (21,640 sq. km)

Gupta Empire

a period in Indian history in which Chandragupta I (320-335 CE) ruled & led rapid expansion of India; The Golden Age of India; lead to many advancements in science and math, specifically in medicine and health care

Hindu

a person, especially of northern India, who adheres to Hinduism; originated in the Indus Valley civilization; many sacred texts in Sanskrit

Guru

a preceptor giving personal religious instruction; spiritual teacher

Caste

a rigid social hierarchy centered in India that was introduced by the Aryans; influenced religion and entire social interactions between people; Dalits, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras

Ganges

a river flowing SE from the Himalayas in N India into the Bay of Bengal: sacred to Hindus. 1550 miles (2495 km) long

Indus

a river in S Asia, flowing from W Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. 1900 miles (3060 km) long

homo sapiens

all humans in the world today are descendants, originated about 120,000 years ago, also in Africa

Sanskrit

an Indo-European, Indic language, in use since c1200 b.c. as the religious and classical literary language of India. Abbreviation: Skt

Kush

by about 1000 BCE the kingdom of ______ existed along the Nile river, possessed a form of writing from hieroglyphics, and mastered the use of iron

Phoenicians

coasts of modern lebanon on the med. Sea; not expansionistic, good at trade though; agriculture vs. the sea, sold all over med; navigation; 22 character system sounds with symbols; set up colony of carthage

Ashoka

grandson of Chandragupta; Completed conquests across India and converted the empire to Buddhism, spreading it

Brahmins

highest ranking of the four varnas, or social classes, in Hindu India; priests

Mycenae

huge sea traders; cities were heavily fortified (huge treasury, gold); Trojan Horse; Cities are abandoned 1100-800 BC; Greeks lose much of their technology

Pyramids

huge, stone tombs with four triangle-shaped sides that met in a point on top

Mesolithic

hunters and fishermen wore garments made of fur and hides 8,000 - 3,000 bc

Tyrants

is a ruler of a cruel and oppressive character who is an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution, or one who has usurped sovereignty

Wudi

known as the "martial emperor;" this is because he expanded through warfare and he expanded the boundaries; He emphasized confucianism and embraced education; Education Was important because you had to be smart for jobs; He encouraged the blend of cultures; Almost doubled China in size; Enriched China economically and culturally through trade opportunities; Developed Silk Road which would later connect China with Mediterranean culture

Catal Huyuk

largest and earliest neolithic age city discovered; doesn't fit the typical model; began with trade. Then cities. When they outgrew the surrounding cities they had to start sustenance agriculture. Traded obsidian - volcanic glass

Culture

learned behaviors, traditions, values, lifestyles; symbols of expression used to make sense of life and to articulate your values

Rig-Veda

one of the Vedas, a collection of 1028 hymns grouped into 10 "circles" (mandalas), dating from not later than the second millennium b.c.; oldest sacred book of Hinduism, composed in ancient form of Sanskrit about 1500 BCE, in what is now Punjab region of India and Pakistan; preserved orally before written down about 300 BCE

Ban Zhao

one of the most famous women in society; Zhou challenged patriarchy; Zhou disagreed with Confucianism; historian, astronomer, and mathematician

Stoics

people that believed that you cannot control anything that happens. All you can do is control your attitude and emotions; Life = pain → get up and go on; truth = duty

Sophists

professional teachers that taught that sense perception was the source of all knowledge and that there could only be particular truths valid for the individual knower

The Five Classics

put together during Han dynasty; Five ancient Chinese books associated with Confucius; They were compiled during the Han dynasty and invoked as authorities on Chinese society, government, literature, and religion

Polytheism

recognition and worship of more than one god; conceives sacred power as being manifested in diverse forms

Upanishads

religious texts of Hinduism (also known as Sanatan Dharma meaning "Eternal Order" or "Eternal Path") which develop and explain the fundamental tenets of the religion; names translates to "sit down closely" as one would to listen attentively to instruction by a teacher or other authority figure; also interpreted to mean "secret teaching" or "revealing underlying truth;" truths expressed in the Vedas

Mauryan Empire

state centered at Pataliputra (later Patna) near the junction of the Son and Ganges (Ganga) rivers; lasted from about 321 to 185 BCE and was the first empire to encompass most of the Indian subcontinent; empire was an efficient and highly organized autocracy; unified the Indian subcontinent

Pantheon

temple dedicated to all the greek gods

Proselytizing

the action of attempting to convert someone from one religion, belief, or opinion to another

Syncretism

the development of a new form of, for this example, religion or music, through the fusion of distinctive parental elements

Deccan

the entire peninsula of India S of the M=Narmada River; a plateau region in S India between the Narmada and Krishna rivers

Dharma

the eternal and inherent nature of reality, regarded in Hinduism as a cosmic law underlying right behavior and social order; the nature of reality regarded as a universal truth taught by the Buddha; the teaching of Buddhism; aspect of truth or reality

Nirvana

the final goal for the end of Buddhism; was something that Buddhists strive to achieve; a state in which there is no suffering, desire, or sense of self, and you are released from the cycle of death and rebirth

Yin and yang

the harmony of opposites

Mandarin

the official language of China; most spoken language

Himalayas

the, a mountain range extending about 1500 miles (2400 km

Monotheism

worship of one god