AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP World History Foundations Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
5068818959The Paleolithic Agerefers to about 12,000 BC. During this time people were nomadic.0
5068818960The Neolithic Agerefers to the age from about 12,000 BC to about 8000 BC. It is during this time that people settled in communities and civilization began to emerge.1
5068818961River Valley Civilizationsrefers to about 3500 to 1500 BC. Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, Shang China2
5068818962Classical Civilizationsrefers to about 1000 BC to 600 CE. The major civilizations to emerge were Zhou and Han China, Greece and Rome, and the Gupta Empire.3
5068818963Culture: MesopotamiaCuneiform;Extensive trade with Egypt and the Indus Valley Epic of Gilgamesh Early use of bronze tools, chariots Advanced astronomy; math based on 60 Pessimistic view of world, perhaps due to irregular, unpredictable flooding of the rivers Polytheism - gods powerful and often cruel Kings powerful, but not divine4
5068818964Politics: MesopotamiaCity-states and warrior kings Hammurabi's Code Competition among city states as well as frequent invasions led to less political stability than in Egypt5
5068818965Social: MesopotamiaJob specialization - farmers, metallurgist, merchants, craftsmen, political administrators, priests; Social classes; Marriage contracts, veils for women; women of upper classes less equal than lower class counterparts6
5068818966Culture:EgyptConcerned with decorative arts, shipbuilding, some medical knowledge Less advanced in math and astronomy than Mesopotamians Less extensive trade, especially in earlier eras Polytheism, with pharaoh as a god Optimistic view of life7
5068818967Politics: EgyptDivine kingship - the pharaoh; highly centralized, authoritarian government Generally stable government throughout the 3 kingdoms Extensive bureaucracy; pharaoh's power channeled through regional governors8
5068818968Social: EgyptSmaller nobility than Mesopotamia; fewer merchants Some social mobility through the bureaucracy Priests have high status (only ones who understand the complex hieroglyphic written language) Women - probably higher status than in Mesopotamia; love poetry indicates some importance placed on male/female relationships9
5068818969Culture: Indus ValleyWriting system only recently decipherable Soapstone seals that indicate trade with both Mesopotamians and China pottery making with bulls and long-horned cattle a frequent motif Small figurines of women Cruder weapons than Mesopotamians - stone arrowheads, no swords Polytheism - naked man with horns the primary god; fertility goddesses Two cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Dara10
5068818970Politics: Indus ValleyAssumed to be complex and thought to be centralized Limited information, but large granaries near the cities indicate centralized control11
5068818971Social : Indus ValleyPriests have highest status, based on position as intermediaries between gods and people Differences in house sizes indicate strong class distinctions Statues reflects reverence for female reproductive function12
5068818972Culture: Shang ChinaOracles bones used to communicate with ancestors Pattern on bones formed basis for writing system; writing highly valued, complex pictorial language with 3000 characters by end of dynasty Uniform written language became bond among people who spoke many different languages Bronze weapons and tools, horse-drawn chariots Geographical separation from other civilizations, though probably traded with the Indus Valley13
5068818973Politics: Shang ChinaCentralized government, power in the hands of the emperor Government preoccupied with flood control of the rivers Job specialization - bureaucrats, farmers, slaves14
5068818974Social: Shang ChinaSocial classes - warrior aristocrats, bureaucrats, farmers, slaves Patriarchal society; women as wives and concubines; women were sometimes shamans15
5068818975Culture: Meso & South americaOlmecs in Mesoamerica: Highly developed astronomy; used to predict agricultural cycles and please the gods Polytheism; religious rituals important, shamans as healers Ritual ballgames Irrigation and drainage canals Giant carved stone heads; probably with religious significance16
5068818976Politics:Meso & South americaOlmecs: apparently not united politically; unusual for ancient civilizations Chavin: probably political unification; public works operated by reciprocal labor obligations; had a capital city17
5068818977Social: Meso & South americaOlmec: craft specializations; priests have highest status; most people were farmers Chavin: Priests have highest status; capital city dominated the hinterlands; most people were farmers18
5068818978Agricultural societies8,000 BCE cultivate crops; domestication of plants and animals iron tools writing systems constant development19
5068818979Pastoral societies8,000 BCE domesticated animals; domestication of horses and camels20
5068818980Foraging societies35,000 BCE hunting and gathering;baskets for gathering and storing and hunting tools21
5068818981Classical CivilizationsGreece, Rome, Han China , India22
5068818982Silk RoadThis overland route extended from western China, across Central Asia, and finally to the Mediterranean area.23
5068818983The Indian Ocean TradeThis important set of water routes became even more important in later eras, but the Indian Ocean Trade was actively in place during the classical era. The trade had three legs: one connected eastern Africa and the Middle East with India; another connected India to Southeast Asia; and the final one linked Southeast Asia to the Chinese port of Canton.24
5068818984Saharan TradeThis route connected people that lived south of the Sahara to the Mediterranean and the Middle East25
5068818985Sub-Saharan TradeThis trade connected to the Indian Ocean trade along the eastern coast of Africa, which in turn connected the people of sub-Saharan Africa to trade centers in Cairo and India26
5068818986The HunsThe Huns were a nomadic people of Asia that began to migrate south and west during this time period.27
5068818987PhoeniciansBy about 2000 BCE this small group of seafaring people from a coastal area of the eastern Mediterranean Sea had set up colonies in North Africa and southern Europe.28
5068818988AryansThese herding peoples originated in the Caucasus area, but they began migrating in many directions about the mid 2nd millennium BCE. Waves of Aryan migrants invaded the Indian subcontinent, decimating the cities of the Indus Valley.29
5068818989Germanic Peoplesfound from the Black Sea to the Rhine. In 476, Odoacer, a Visigoth, officially became the leader of Rome.30
5068818990Polytheismbelief in a number of deities that can be anthromorphic or related to the non-human world31
5068818991ConfucianismFive Relationships Mandate of Heaven32
5068818992DaoismYin-Yang, Dualism in Nature, People part of the balance in Nature33
5068818993HellenismGreek philosophy; trade and common culture throughout Mediterranean science and technology developments at Alexandria -- Library34
5068818994Hinduismcaste system multiple expressions of deities emphasis on ritual prayer sacred texts35
5068818995BuddhismFour Noble Truths Eight-Fold Path36
5068818996Judaismmonotheistic, emphasis on daily prayer, sacred text -- Torah37
5068818997Islammonotheistic Mohammad as prophet Qu'ran, Sufi emphasis on saints Sunni, Sh'ia split38

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!