Primary source
text that tells a first-hand account of an even (letters, journals)
Secondary source
information gathered by someone who did not take part in or witness an event
Neolithic Revolution
the shift from hunting of animals and gathering of food to the keeping of animals and the growing of food on a regular basis around 8,000 BC
Agriculture
the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
artisan
a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
civilization
a society in an advanced state of social development with complex legal and political and religious organizations
cuneiform
an ancient wedge-shaped script used in Mesopotamia and Persia
ziggurat
a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians
scribe
someone employed to make written copies of documents and manuscripts
city-state
a city with political and economic control over the surrounding countryside
pharaoh
the title of the ancient Egyptian kings
hieroglyphics
an ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds
papyrus
paper made from the papyrus plant by cutting it in strips and pressing it flat
monarchy
A government ruled by a king or queen
theocracy
government run by religious leaders
dynasty
a sequence of powerful leaders in the same family
polytheistic
worshipping or believing in more than one god
patrician
a member of the noble families who controlled all power in the early years of the Roman Republic
plebeian
of the common people of ancient Rome
urban planning
determining and drawing up plans for the future physical arrangement and condition of a community
isolation (china)
Great Wall to the North, mountains, & deserts kept the Chinese separate (isolated) from the rest of the world. Species of plants & animals developed there that are found nowhere else in the world.
mandate of heaven (china)
claim by chinese kings of the Zhou dynasty that they had directed authority from heaven to rule and keep order in universe
pyramid
a massive memorial with a square base and four triangular sides
Hinduism
A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms
Buddhism
the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth
Confucianism
the teachings of Confucius emphasizing love for humanity
Judaism
A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Yahweh was responsible for the world and everything within it. They preserved their early history in the Old Testament.
Aryans
nomads from Europe and Asia who migrated to India and finally settled; vedas from this time suggest beginning of caste system
Aryan/Hindu Caste System
division of social classes
Brahmins
Priests, at the top of the caste system which the Aryans made
Kshatriyas
second level of the Hindu caste system; warriors
Vaishyas
peasants & traders in Hindu society; 3rd level of caste system
Shudras
laborers, craftworkers and servants in the Indian caste system
Torah
(Judaism) the scroll of parchment on which the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture is written
Monotheism
belief in a single God
Canaan
the ancient region lying between the Jordan, the Dead Sea, and the Mediterranean: the land promised by God to Abraham
Israel
an ancient kingdom of the Hebrew tribes at the southeastern end of the Mediterranean Sea
Judah
an ancient kingdom of southern Palestine with Jerusalem as its center
Bureaucracy
system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials
Autocracy
a political theory favoring unlimited authority by a single individual
Silk Roads
A system of ancient caravan routes across Central Asia, along which traders carried silk and other trade goods
civil service
the group of people whose job it is to carry out the work of the government
Polytheistic
worshipping or believing in more than one god
Karma
(Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation
Reincarnation
the Hindu or Buddhist doctrine that person may be reborn successively into one of five classes of living beings depending on the person's own actions
Siddartha Gautama (Buddha)
Founder of Buddhism
Enlightenment
(Hinduism and Buddhism) the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation
Eightfold Path
in buddhism a set of guidelines on how to escape suffering
Five Precepts
the basic moral requirements that are all binding of all Buddhists.
King Asoka
The leader of the Gupta Empire who is responsible for spreading Buddhism throughout India, China, and much of Asia
Confucius
Chinese philosopher (circa 551-478 BC)
Great Wall of China
a fortification 1,500 miles long built across northern China in the 3rd century BC
Zhou
Confucianism
Qin
autocracy, Great Wall
Han
Confucianism, bureaucracy
Maurya
King Asoka, Buddhism
Gupta
Hindusim
Oligarchy
a political system governed by a few people
Aristocracy
the most powerful members of a society
Democracy
a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
Parthenon
temple in Athens built to honor the goddess Athena
Phalanx
formation of warriors used by greek city states
Persian Wars
A series of wars between Greek city-states and the Persian Empire (5th century B.C.).
Pelopponesian War
War between Athens and Sparta, lasted 27 years. Sparta became allies with Persia - Sparta won.
Helots
peasants forced to stay on the land they worked
Pericles
Athenian statesman whose leadership contributed to Athen's political and cultural supremacy in Greece
Socrates
ancient Athenian philosopher
Plato
ancient Athenian philosopher
Aristotle
one of the greatest of the ancient Athenian philosophers
Homer
ancient Greek epic poet who is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey (circa 850 BC)
Epics
Long poems that tell the stories of heroes
Polis (city-state)
an ancient Greek city-state.
Phillip II of Macedonia
came to power in 359; built a powerful army and turned Macedonia into the chief power of the Greek World; wanted to unite all of Greece under Macedonia; father of Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
king of Macedon
republic
a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
Twelve Tables
the earliest written collection of Roman laws, drawn up by patricians about 450B.C., that became the foundation of Roman law
consuls
Two officials from the patrician class were appointed each year of the Roman Republic to supervise the government and command the armies
dictator
a ruler who has complete power over a country
tribunes
An officer of ancient Rome elected by the plebeians to protect their rights from arbitrary acts of the patrician magistrates.
Senate
In ancient Rome, the supreme governing body, originally made up only of aristocrats.
plebeians
common people
patricians
the wealthy class in Roman society; landowners
legions
the military units of the Roman Empire were organized into these.
Punic Wars
A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (264-146 B.C.); resulted in the destruction of Carthage and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean.
inflation
a general and progressive increase in prices
Pax Romana
the Roman peace
Islam
the religion of Muslims collectively which governs their civilization and way of life
Muslim
a believer or follower of Islam
Mecca
the holiest city of Islam; Muhammad's birthplace
Muhammad
the Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632)
Allah
Muslim name for the one and only God
mosque
a Muslim place of worship
Qur'an
the sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina
Five Pillars
beliefs that all Muslims needed to carry out: Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage
Ramadan
(Islam) a fast (held from sunrise to sunset) that is carried out during the Islamic month of Ramadan
Alms
money or goods given to the poor
hajj
a pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims
Caliph
the civil and religious leader of a Muslim state considered to be a representative of Allah on earth
Umayyads
A dynasty that ruled the Muslim Empire from 661 to 750 and later established a kingdom in al-Andalus.
Abbasids
A dynasty that ruled much of the Muslim Empire from 750 to about 1250.
Sunni
A branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad
Shi'a
the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge Ali and his descendants as the rightful successors of Muhammad
movable type
individual characters made of wood or metal that can be arranged to create a job for printing and then used over again
porcelain
ceramic ware made of a more or less translucent ceramic
Silk
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
Gunpowder
The formula, brought to China in the 400s or 500s, was first used to make fumigators to keep away insect pests and evil spirits. In later centuries it was used to make explosives and grenades and to propel cannonballs, shot, and bullets.
Magnetic compass
Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was north
Excommunication
the act of banishing a member of the Church from the communion of believers and the privileges of the Church
Interdict
an ecclesiastical censure by the Roman Catholic Church withdrawing certain sacraments and Christian burial from a person or all persons in a particular district
Canon law
the body of codified laws governing the affairs of a Christian church
Sacraments
the sacred rituals of the Church
church officials
clergy
knights
in the Middle Ages, lesser noble who served as a mounted warrior for a lord
serfs/peasants
Serfs were tied to the land, Peasants were able to leave.
manor
the landed estate of a lord (including the house on it)
fief
land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service
Reconquista
The effort by Christian leaders to drive the Muslims out of Spain, lasting from the 1100s until 1492.
Inquisition
a former tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church (1232-1820) created to discover and suppress heresy
humanism
the doctrine emphasizing a person's capacity for self-realization through reason
secular
worldly; not pertaining to church matters or religion; temporal
patron
person who financially supports the arts
perspective
the appearance of things relative to one another as determined by their distance from the viewer
vernacular
the everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language)
printing press
invented by Johann Gutenberg in 1454; machine used for printing
Johann Gutenberg
Man who created the printing press and changed the production and reading of books
Gutenberg Bible
A printed version of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible that was printed by Johannes Gutenberg, in Mainz, Germany in the fifteenth century.
Machiavelli
a statesman of Florence who advocated a strong central government (1469-1527)
Renaissance Man
a scholar during the Renaissance who (because knowledge was limited) could know almost everything about many topics
Individualism
a belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence
Leonardo da Vinci
Italian painter and sculptor and engineer and scientist and architect
Mona Lisa
A painting by Leonardo da Vinci of a woman. It is now of the most readily recognized paintings in the world.
Shakespeare
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
Medici Family
Ruled Florence during the Renaissance, became wealthy from banking, spent a lot of money on art
Magna Carta
the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215
Bubonic Plague/Black Death
disease carried in rats that killed 1/3 of western europe population and ended serfdom in western europe
Hundred Years' War
Series of campaigns over control of the throne of France, involving English and French royal families and French noble families.
devshirme
Ottoman policy of taking boys from Christian peoples to be trained as Muslim soldiers
janissaries
Christian boys taken from families, converted to Islam, and then rigorously trained to serve the sultan
Justinian Code
the legal code of ancient Rome
Cyrus
Persian king who defeated Babylonia and thereby freed the Jews
Cambyses
a persian king,named after his father cyrus,expanded the persian empire by conquering egypt.
Darius
Persian ruler who brought order to the Persian Empire. He also built roads; established a postal system; and standardized weights, measures, and coinage.
Royal Road
a road in the persian empire, stretching over 1,600 miles from susa in persia to sardis in anatolia
Zoroaster
a Persian prophet, lived around 600 B.C. taught that the earth is a battleground where a great struggle if fought between the spirit of good and the spirit of evil, founder of Zoroasterianism