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| 2664569434 | Paleolithic Era | 2.6 MYA - 10,000 BCE. A prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive of stone tools. |  | 0 |
| 2664569435 | Neolithic Revolution | 10,000 - 8,000 BCE. A wide-scale transition of many human cultures from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement, allowing the ability to support an increasingly large population. |  | 1 |
| 2664569436 | Bronze Age | 3,000 - 700 BCE. A time period characterized by the use of bronze, proto-writing, and other early features of urban civilization. Not universally synchronous. |  | 2 |
| 2664569437 | Civilization | Any complex state society characterized by urban development, social stratification, symbolic communication forms, and a perceived separation from and domination over the natural environment. |  | 3 |
| 2664569438 | Characteristics of Civilizations | Arts/architecture, cities, complex religions, food surplus, organized government, social stratification, specialization, trade, and written language. |  | 4 |
| 2664569439 | Mesopotamia | The name for the area of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, corresponding to modern-day Iraq. Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization. Included the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian empires. |  | 5 |
| 2664569440 | City-state | A sovereign city (meaning it makes its own laws and is not ruled by anyone else) that has adjoining lands that support it with agricultural goods. |  | 6 |
| 2664569441 | Empire | A geographically extensive group of diverse states and peoples (ethnic groups) united and ruled by a central authority. |  | 7 |
| 2664569442 | Ancient Egypt | A civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River. Its history occurred in a series of stable Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods: the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom. |  | 8 |
| 2664569443 | Kush | An ancient civilization in Africa. It is often referred to as Nubia and was similar to Ancient Egypt in many aspects including government, culture, and religion. In battle, Kush was famous for its archers. One of the most famous Kushite leaders was Piye who conquered Egypt and became pharaoh. |  | 9 |
| 2664569444 | Indus Valley | A civilization extending from what today is now Pakistan to northwest India and northeast Afghanistan. It flourished in the basins of the Indus River. At its peak it had a population of over five million. The Indus cities are noted for their urban planning, baked brick houses, elaborate drainage systems, water supply systems, and clusters of large non-residential buildings. |  | 10 |
| 2664569445 | Caste System | Introduced to India by the Aryans, people were divided into four varnas based on occupation and racial purity: Brahmins (scholars and priests) Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors) Vaishyas (merchants, farmers, craftsmen) Sudras (servants) |  | 11 |
| 2664569446 | Hinduism | The beliefs, values, and customs comprising the dominant religion of India, characterized by the worship of many gods, including Brahma as supreme being, a caste system, belief in dharma, karma, reincarnation, and samsara. |  | 12 |
| 2664569447 | Buddhism | A nontheistic religion that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs, and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha, "the awakened one". He shared his insights to help end human suffering through the elimination of ignorance and craving. This is accomplished through direct understanding of the Four Noble Truths. The ultimate goal is the attainment of Nirvana, reached by practicing the Eightfold Path. |  | 13 |
| 2664569448 | Shang | The dynasty that ruled the Yellow River civilization in China. Major archeological evidence used to prove the existence of the Shang dynasty was found in "oracle bones", which contained the earliest known body of Chinese writing. |  | 14 |
| 2664569449 | Zhou | Following the Shang dynasty, the Zhou lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history. Produced what many consider the zenith of Chinese bronze-ware making. The dynasty also spans the period in which the written script evolved into its modern form. |  | 15 |
| 2664569450 | Mandate of Heaven | An ancient Chinese belief and philosophical idea that heaven granted emperors the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly. If the emperor does not fulfill his obligations then he loses the Mandate and therefore the right to be emperor. The fact that a ruler was overthrown was taken by itself as an indication that the ruler had lost the Mandate of Heaven. |  | 16 |
| 2664569451 | Pre-Columbian America | An era that incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences. Many pre-Columbian civilizations established hallmarks that included permanent settlements, cities, agriculture, civic and monumental architecture, major earthworks, and complex societal hierarchies. A few, such as the Maya civilization, had their own written records. |  | 17 |
| 2664569452 | Olmecs | The first "major" civilization in Mexico. They lived in tropical lowlands and because of abundant rainfall there was no need to build extensive irrigation systems. They laid many of the foundations for the civilizations that followed. They appeared to practice ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies. |  | 18 |
| 2664569453 | Axial Age | A term coined by German philosopher Karl Jaspers to describe the period from 800 to 200 BCE, during which similar new ways of thinking appeared in Persia, India, China, and the Western world. |  | 19 |
| 2664569454 | Era of Warring States | 551 - 479 BCE. A time of constant fighting and disorder when no strong central government control existed in China. It is within this time that three important philosophies emerged: Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. |  | 20 |
| 2664569455 | Confucianism | A worldview, a social ethic, a political ideology, a scholarly tradition, and a way of life. An all-encompassing way of thinking and living that entails ancestor reverence and a profound human-centered religiousness. |  | 21 |
| 2664569456 | Five Key Relationships in Confucianism | 1. Ruler to subject 2. Father to son 3. Husband to wife 4. Older brother to younger brother 5. Friend to friend |  | 22 |
| 2664569457 | Daoism | A religio-philosophical tradition that has shaped Chinese life for more than 2,000 years. A Daoist attitude toward life can be seen in the accepting and yielding, the joyful and carefree sides of the Chinese character, an attitude that offsets and complements moral and duty-conscious, austere and purposeful character ascribed to Confucianism. |  | 23 |
| 2664569458 | Legalism | A philosophy that was based on the principle that people were inherently evil and needed strict laws and punishment to behave properly. Additionally, a strong central government with an absolute leader and heavy taxes would ensure a more stable society. |  | 24 |
| 2664569459 | Hebrews | A term synonymous with the Semitic Israelites, especially in the pre-monarchic period when they were still nomadic. |  | 25 |
| 2664569460 | Judaism | One of the oldest monotheistic religions, founded over 3,500 years ago in the Middle East. Jews believe that God appointed them to be his chosen people in order to set an example of holiness and ethical behavior to the world. |  | 26 |
| 2664569461 | Israel and Judah | Related Iron Age kingdoms of the ancient Levant. Israel emerged as an important local power by the 9th century BCE before falling to the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 722 BCE. Judah emerged in the 8th century and enjoyed a period of prosperity as a client-state of first Assyria and then Babylon before a revolt against the Neo-Babylonian Empire led to its destruction in 586 BCE. |  | 27 |
| 2664569462 | Diaspora | Refers to Jews who were exiled from Israel and Judah. Throughout much of Jewish history most Jews had lived in the Diaspora. |  | 28 |
| 2664569463 | Christianity | An Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and oral teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. |  | 29 |
| 2664569464 | Edict of Milan | 313 CE. An agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. |  | 30 |
| 2664569465 | Ancient Greece | A civilization that lasted from the 8th/6th century BCE to 600 AD. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine Era. Because of conquests by Alexander the Great of Macedonia, Hellenistic civilization flourished from Central Asia to the western end of the Mediterranean Sea. Classical Greek culture, especially philosophy, had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire, which carried a version of it to many parts of the Mediterranean Basin and Europe, for which Classical Greek is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the foundation of modern Western culture. |  | 31 |
| 2664569466 | Sparta and Athens | The two most famous Greek city-states. Sparta used military strength to impose order while Athens used democratic principles to negotiate order. |  | 32 |
| 2664569467 | Persian War | Greek city-states in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) resented what they viewed as the oppressive rule of the Persian Empire and revolted. Athenians sent their own troops for support. The alliance of the Greek city-states against the Persians led to the formation of the Delian League, of which Athens served as leader. |  | 33 |
| 2664569468 | Peloponnesian War | Athenian leadership soon caused resentment in other parts of the Greek world. The conflict came to a head during the Peloponnesian War. Sparta and Athens led the two conflicting camps and though Sparta was victorious the internal conflict weakened Greece and left it vulnerable to domination by Macedonia, a state north of the Greek peninsula. |  | 34 |
| 2664569469 | Maurya Empire | 322 - 185 BCE. An extensive Iron Age historical power in Ancient India. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya, he took advantage of the disruptions of local powers in the wake of the withdrawal westward by Alexander the Great's Hellenic armies. Internal and external trade, agriculture, and economic activities all thrived and expanded across India thanks to the creation of a single and efficient system of finance, administration, and security. After the Kalinga war the empire experienced nearly half a century of peace and security under Ashoka. Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious transformation, and expansion of the sciences. |  | 35 |
| 2664569470 | Difference Between Centralized and Decentralized Rule | Centralized rule means that the emperor rules directly through governors, military leaders, or scholars. Decentralized rule means that the emperor lets local rulers rule their own people, although they must collect and pay taxes and/or tribute to the emperor. Centralized rule is often more stable and resistant to outside invaders. |  | 36 |
| 2664569471 | Gupta Empire | 320 - 550 CE. An ancient Indian empire founded by Maharaja Sri Gupta. This period is called the Golden Age of India and was marked by extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology, engineering, art, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy that crystalized the elements of what is generally known as Hindu culture. Strong trade ties also made the region an important cultural center. |  | 37 |
| 2664569472 | The Silk Road | A network of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and East by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers from China and India to the Mediterranean Sea. |  | 38 |
| 2664569473 | Goods That Traveled East to West | Coral, cotton, ivory, pearls, silk, and spices. |  | 39 |
| 2664569474 | Goods That Traveled West to East | Glassware, gold and silver bullion, jewelry, olive oil, wool and linen. |  | 40 |
| 2664569475 | Han Dynasty | 206 BCE - 220 CE. Spanning over four centuries, the Han period is considered a golden age in Chinese history especially in arts, politics, and technology. All subsequent Chinese dynasties looked back to the Han period as an inspiring model of a united empire and self-perpetuating government. |  | 41 |
| 2664569476 | Ancient Rome | A civilization that began on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BCE. During its 12 centuries of existence Roman civilization shifted from a monarchy to a classical republic and then to an increasingly autocratic empire. Through conquest and assimilation it came to dominate Southern and Western Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa, and parts of Northern and Eastern Europe. Ancient Roman society has contributed to modern government, law, politics, engineering, art, literature, and society. It achieved impressive technological and architectural feats, such as the construction of an extensive system of aqueducts and roads, as well as large monuments, palaces, and public facilities. |  | 42 |
| 2664569477 | Roman Kingdom | 753 BCE - 509 BCE. A period of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a monarchical form of government of the city of Rome and its territories. Little is certain about the history of the kingdom as nearly no written records from that time survive. However, it began with the city's founding and ended with the overthrow of the kings and the establishment of the Roman Republic. |  | 43 |
| 2664569478 | Roman Republic | A period when Rome's control expanded from the city's immediate surroundings to hegemony over the entire Mediterranean world. It expanded through a combination of conquest and alliance. Eventually internal tensions led to a series of civil wars, climaxing with the assassination of Julius Caesar, which ended with the establishment of the Roman Empire. | | 44 |
| 2664569479 | Roman Empire | A period characterized by government headed by emperors and large territorial holdings around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Africa, and Asia. |  | 45 |
