Flashcards: History Z Block Exam
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Created by:
rajar14 on December 16, 2010
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History Z Block Review (McDermott)
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Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Civilization | a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations) |
| Urbanization | the social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban |
| City-State | a small independent state consisting of an urban center and the surrounding agricultural territory. A characterisitc political form in early Mesopotamia, Archaic and Classical Greece, PHoenicia, and early Italy. |
| Patriarchal | relating to a society in which men hold the greatest legal and moral authority |
| Matriarchal | relating to a social system in which the mother is head of the family |
| Tigris and Euphrates | two rivers in the Fertile Crescent |
| Gilgamesh | a legendary Sumerian king who was the hero of an epic collection of mythic stories |
| Ziggurat | a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians |
| Hammurabi's Code | a set of laws put together by babylon's most powerful king |
| Sumer | an area in the southern region of Babylonia in present-day Iraq |
| Sargon the Great | unified Sumer and Akkad to form Babylonia around 2215 B.C. |
| Cuneiform | an ancient wedge-shaped script used in Mesopotamia and Persia |
| Nile River | the world's longest river (4180 miles) |
| Narmer | king who united upper and lower Egypt |
| Old Kingdom | a period in Egyptian history that lasted from about 2700 bc to 2200 bc |
| Pyramids | monumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as burial sites for pharaohs. |
| Hieroglyphics | an ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds |
| Eastern vs. Western hemisphere | the East-West movement, and relitave contact between people caused development to proceeded a swifter rate in the East than in the North-South west. |
| Monsoon | rainy season in southern Asia when the southwestern winds blows, bringing heavy rains |
| Yellow River | a major river of Asia in northern China |
| Shang | the imperial dynasty ruling China from about the 18th to the 12th centuries BC |
| Zhou | the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC |
| Feudalism | the social system that developed in Europe in the 8th C |
| Period of Warring States | 400-220BCE, time period when all of the Chinese states were fighting to determine the next dynasty |
| Daoism | philosophical system developed by of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events |
| Laozi | founder of Daoism |
| Confucianism | the teachings of Confucius emphasizing love for humanity |
| Mencius | spread Confucius's ideas |
| Filial Piety | in Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors |
| Legalism | strict conformity to the letter of the law rather than its spirit |
| Oracle Bones | animal bones carved with written characters which were used for telling the future |
| Role of Family | central aspect of Confucian life and teachings. |
| Mandate of Heaven | a political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source |
| Nubia | an ancient region of northeastern Africa (southern Egypt and northern Sudan) on the Nile |
| Chavin | First major urban civilization in South America. Capital is de Huantar, was located in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Has 2 distinct ecological zones, the Peruvian Costal Plain and the Andean Foothills. |
| Olmec | a member of an early Mesoamerican civilization contered around Veracruz that flourished between 1300 and 400 BC |
| Maize | tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties |
| Manioc | cassava with long tuberous edible roots and soft brittle stems |
| Bronze Age | (archeology) a period between the Stone and Iron ages, characterized by the manufacture and use of bronze tools and weapons |
| Babylonia | an ancient kingdom in southern Mesopotamia |
| Assyrians | They are the next group to take over the Fertile Crescent after the Sargon. Their king was king Ashurbanipal. They were defeated by the Medes and the Chaldeans. |
| Hittites | An Indo-European people who settled in Anatolia around 2000 B.C. |
| Middle Kingdom | 2050 BC. - 1800 BC.: A new dynasty reunited Egypt. Moved the capital to Thebes. Built irrigation projects and canal between NIle and Red Sea so Egytian ships could trade along coasts of Arabian Penninsula and East Africa. Expanded Egyptian territory:Nubia, Syria. |
| Hyksos | the people who invaded Egypt thus beginning the second Intermediate period during which the these people ( a word meaning "foreigner) ruled as pharaohs in Lower Egypt and exacted tribute from the royal families in Thebes. |
| New Kingdom | the period during which Egypt reached the height of its power and glory |
| Hatshepsut | Queen of Egypt (1473-1458 B.C.E.). Dispatched a naval expedition down the Red Sea to Punt (possibly Somalia), the faraway source of myrrh. There is evidence of opposition to a woman as ruler, and after her death her name was frequently expunged. |
| Punt | an ancient Egyptian name for an area of Africa south of Egypt |
| Akhenaten | early ruler of Egypt who rejected the old gods and replaced them with sun worship (died in 1358 BC) |
| Ramesses II | king of Egypt between 1304 and 1237 BC who built many monuments |
| Minoan Crete | the earliest civilization in the aegean region; dissapered; had pluming |
| Mycenaean Greece | rivals of Minoans |
| Linear B | a syllabic script used in Greece in the 13th century B.C. |
| Dark Age | Greek cultural decline; very few records from this period |
| Neo-Assyrian Empire | New rulers of the Fertile Crescent who brought huge power with cruelty and warfare. |
| Terror Tactics | Using terror to inspire fear and gain the compliance of subjects. |
| Propaganda | information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause |
| Library of Ashurbanipal | A large collection of writings drawn from the ancient literary, religious, and scientific traditions of Mesopotamia. It was assembled by the sixth century B.C.E. Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal. |
| Israelites | the ethnic group claiming descent from Abraham and Isaac (especially from Isaac's son Jacob) |
| Hebrew Bible | A collection of sacred books containing diverse materials concerning the origins, experiences, beliefs, and practices of the Israelites. Most of the extant text was compiled by members of the priestly class in the fifth century B.C.E. |
| Solomon | (Old Testament) son of David and king of Israel noted for his wisdom (10th century BC) |
| Phoenicians | Sailing and trading people who had many colonies on the Mediterranean coast |
| Carthage | an ancient city state on the north African coast near modern Tunis |
| Neo-Babylonian Kingdom | New Kingdom of Babylon that continued rule in the fertile crescent. |
| Cosmopolitan | composed of people from or at home in many parts of the world |
| Iron Age | (archeology) the period following the Bronze Age |
| Satraps | The governor of a province in the ancient Persian Empire |
| Cyrus the Great | king of Persia and founder of the Persian empire (circa 600-529 BC) |
| Darius I | king of Persia who expanded the empire and invaded Greece but was defeated at the Battle of Marathon (550-486 BC) |
| Zoroastrianism | system of religion founded in Persia in the 6th century BC by Zoroaster |
| Polis | Greek city-state |
| Limited Democracy | Government that includes voting but does not allow everyone to vote (in 18th century generally only white, land-owning males could vote) |
| Oligarchy | a political system governed by a few people |
| Hoplites | heavily armed Greek infantrymen who marched and fought in close ranks; most of the recruits were middle-class citizens |
| Herodotus | the ancient Greek known as the father of history |
| Persian Wars | Battles between Persia and Greece that resulted in Persia being driven from Greece. |
| Athens | the largest city of Greece, rival to Sparta |
| Sparta | an ancient Greek city famous for military prowess |
| Peloponnesian War | a war in which Athens and its allies were defeated by the league centered on Sparta |
| Solon | Ruler of Athens given a large amount of power |
| Sappho | the Greek lyric poet of Lesbos |
| Plato | ancient Athenian philosopher |
| Sophocles | one of the great tragedians of ancient Greece (496-406 BC) |
| Pericles | Athenian statesman whose leadership contributed to Athen's political and cultural supremacy in Greece |
| Gold Age of Athens | Democracy, made possible by Pericles |
| Macedonia | the ancient kingdom of Philip II and Alexander the Great in the southeastern Balkans that is now divided among modern Macedonia and Greece and Bulgaria |
| Alexander the Great | king of Macedon |
| Hellenistic Age | Greek culture spread across western Asia and northeastern Africa after the conquests of Alexander the Great. The period ended with the fall of the last major Hellenistic kingdom to Rome, but Greek cultural influence persisted until spread of Islam. |
| Selucids | a regional dynasty after the death of Alexander; ruled in Persia |
| Ptolemaic Dynasty | an ancient dynasty of Macedonian kings who ruled Egypt from 323 BC to 30 BC |
| Antigonids | one of the regional dynasties that followed the death of Alexander the Great; founded in Macedonia and Greece |
| Monarchy | an autocracy governed by a monarch who usually inherits the authority |
| Roman Republic | the ancient Roman state from 509 BC until Augustus assumed power in 27 BC |
| Senate | In ancient Rome, the supreme governing body, originally made up only of aristocrats. |
| Consul | one of two officials who led the government in the ancient Roman republic |
| Patrician | of the hereditary aristocracy or ruling class of ancient Rome or medieval Europe |
| Plebeian | of the common people of ancient Rome |
| Latifundia | Huge estates owned by wealthy families |
| Roman Principate | A term used to characterize Roman government in the first three centuries C.E., based on the ambiguous title princeps ('first citizen') adopted by Augustus to conceal his military dictatorship. |
| Augustus Caesar (Octavian) | The first empreror of Rome, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, help Rome come into Pax Romana, or the Age of Roman Peace |
| Roman Empire | an empire established by Augustus in 27 BC and divided in AD 395 into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern or Byzantine Empire |
| Julius Caesar | Roman general and dictator. He was murdered by a group of senators and his former friend Brutus who hoped to restore the normal running of the republic. |
| equites | Class of business people and landowners in ancient Rome who had wealth and power |
| Pax Romana | the Roman peace |
| Romanization | The process by which the Latin language and Roman culture became dominant in the western provinces of the Roman Empire. Romans did not seek to Romanize them, but the subjugated people pursued it. (155) |
| Aqueduct | artificial channel for conducting water over a distance |
| Third century crisis | political, military, and economic turmoil that beset the Roman Empire during much of the third century C.E.: frequent changes of ruler, civil wars, barbarian invasions, decline of urban centers, and near-destruction of long-distance commerce. |
| Constantine | Emperor of Rome who adopted the Christian faith and stopped the persecution of Christians (280-337) |
| Constantinople | Previously known as Byzantium, Constantine changed the name of the city and moved the capitol of the Roman Empire here from Rome. |
| Diocletian | Roman emperor who was faced with military problems, when that happend he decided to divide the empire between himself in the east and maximian in the west. he did the last persecution of the Christians |
| Mercenaries | hired foreign soldiers |
| Byzantine Empire | a continuation of the Roman Empire in the Middle East after its division in 395 |
| Justinian | Byzantine emperor in the 6th century A.D. who reconquered much of the territory previously ruler by Rome, initiated an ambitious building program , including Hagia Sofia, as well as a new legal code |
| Warring States Period | time of warfare between regional lords following the decline of the Zhou dynasty in the 8th century B.C.E. |
| Qin Shi Huangdi | First Emperor; only emperor of Qin Dynasty; legalist; abolished feudalism and established a bureaucracy; anti-religion; building of Great Wall and other public works; Legalism |
| Liu Bang | helped overthrow Qin dynasty, 1st emperor of the Han dynasty, was born a peasant and worked way up to emperor |
| Emperor Wu | seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty, ruling from 141 BC to 87 BC. he is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under his reign, as well as the strong and centralized Confucian state he organized. created elite imperial academy that taught scholars/bureaucrats Confuscianism |
| Gentry | the most powerful members of a society |
| Canals | human-made waterways |
| Silk Road | an ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean (4,000 miles) |
| Hinduism | a body of religious and philosophical beliefs and cultural practices native to India and characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme beingof many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a |
| Buddhism | a religion represented by the many groups (especially in Asia) that profess various forms of the Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddha |
| Jainism | religion founded in the 6th century BC as a revolt against Hinduism |
| Zoroastrianism | system of religion founded in Persia in the 6th century BC by Zoroaster |
| Upanishads | commentaries on the Vedas that are considered sacred texts in the Hindu religion |
| Bhagavad Gita | The most important work of Indian sacred literature, a dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna on duty and the fate of the spirit |
| Dharma | basic principles of the cosmos |
| Reincarnation | the Hindu or Buddhist doctrine that person may be reborn successively into one of five classes of living beings (god or human or animal or hungry ghost or denizen of hell) depending on the person's own actions |
| Monsoon | rainy season in southern Asia when the southwestern monsoon blows, bringing heavy rains |
| Ganges River | A river of South Asia that flows southeast from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal |
| Indus River | A river in South Asia that flows from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea |
| Vedas | Ancient Sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism |
| Aryas | light-skinned, spoke Indo-European, warfare w/dasas, pushed dasas south into central and southern India |
| Dasas | Aryan name for indigenous people of Indus valley region; regarded as socially inferior to Aryans |
| Varna | (Hinduism) the name for the original social division of Vedic people into four groups (which are subdivided into thousands of jatis) |
| Jati | (Hinduism) a Hindu caste or distinctive social group of which there are thousands throughout India |
| Brahmin | the highest of the four varnas: the priestly or sacerdotal category |
| Kshatriya | a member of the royal or warrior Hindu caste |
| Vaishya | The third of the four classes of the caste system, made up of producers, such as farmers, merchants, and artisans |
| Shudra | the lowest of the four varnas: the servants and workers of low status |
| Untouchable | belongs to lowest social and ritual class in India |
| Ahimsa | a Buddhist and Hindu and especially Jainist doctrine holding that all forms of life are sacred and urging the avoidance of violence |
| Karma | (Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation |
| Sanskrit | (Hinduism) an ancient language of India (the language of the Vedas and of Hinduism) |
| Moksha | The Hindu concept of the spirit's 'liberation' from the endless cycle of rebirths |
| Mahavira | founder of Jainism |
| Buddha | founder of Buddhism |
| Ascetic | practices self denial as spiritual discipline |
| Middle Path | Buddhist path of moderation, avoidance of extremes of vulgar materialism or a life of self-torture |
| Noble Truths | Life involves suffering, suffering originates in our desires, suffering stops if all desires stop, this state is achieved by the Eight Fold Path |
| Eightfold Path | Principal teaching of Buddha. Code of behavior. Provides the answer to alleviating the suffering of all humankind and leads to Nirvana |
| Nirvana | (Hinduism and Buddhism) the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation |
| Boddhisattva | In Mahayana Buddhism, one who has attained enlightenment but holds back from final nirvana in order to help other sentient beings attain liberation |
| Mahayana | one of two great schools of Buddhist doctrine emphasizing a common search for universal salvation especially through faith alone |
| Theravada | one of two great schools of Buddhist doctrine emphasizing personal salvation through your own efforts |
| Stirrups | metal or leather loops that hang from a saddle and hold a rider's feet |
| Alexander the Great | king of Macedon |
| Lateen Sails | Triangular sail on a short mast |
| Sahara Desert | the world's largest desert (3,500,000 square miles) in northern Africa |
| Camels | Pack animals that made cross-Sahara caravans possible |
| Iron Metallurgy | allowed for cheaper stronger production of weapons and tools. More abundant than tin and copper. |