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AP World History Period 1: Important terms Flashcards

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10642957975MesopotamiaFertile floodplain between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East. Home of the first civilization, Sumer. Modern day Iraq and Kuwait.0
10642957976Fertile CrescentFertile region encompassing Mesopotamia, the Egyptian Nile River delta, and modern day Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Site of the earliest evidence of agriculture.1
10642957977SumerThe first urban civilization in Mesopotamia. Emerged circa (meaning around) 3000 BCE.2
10642957978City-StatesCities that have their own independent government. Usually control some surrounding territory as well.3
10642957979PolytheisticBelieving in many deities. Religions in many early civilizations were originally this way.4
10642957980ZigguratLarge pyramid structures that were common in Sumerian cities. Probably used for religious ritual purposes.5
10642957981CuneiformThe first known writing system in the world. Developed in Sumer by 3000 BCE, and became a standard writing system in Mesopotamia for centuries.6
10642957982Ideographic WritingWriting system, like cuneiform and early Chinese, in which symbols represent whole words or ideas rather than individual sounds.7
10642957983ScribesA class of people skilled in writing and literacy. Usually were high status in early civilizations.8
10642957984Epic of GilgameshThe first epic story in human history, from the 3rd millennium BCE. Tells the story of a legendary Sumerian king from the city of Uruk.9
10642957985Babylonian EmpireEmpire, based in the Mesopotamian city of Babylon, that conquered Mesopotamia in the 2nd millennium BCE. Famous for the Code of Hammurabi.10
10642957986Code of HammurabiThe first known example of a codified system of law. From the Babylonian Empire, Ca. 1750 BCE.11
10642957987Codified LawWhen a government establishes a single system of standard laws for the entire territory it controls.12
10642957988PatriarchalWhen men in a society enjoy higher status and greater power and privileges than women.13
10642957989PhoeniciansA group of people, based in present-day Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, who created the first alphabet and colonized the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. They were skilled sailors and traders. They invented one of the world's first alphabetic writing systems.14
10642957990AlphabetA writing system in which symbols represent individual sounds that can be combined to create words. The first example of this was the Phoenician writing system. Our English writing system is also an example.15
10642957991HebrewsAlso known as Israelites and/or Jews. The first group in the Middle East to develop a monotheistic religious tradition.16
10642957992Nile RiverThe river system that flowed through ancient Egyptian and Nubian civilizations, emptying into the Mediterranean Sea.17
10642957993IrrigationTechnologies that are used to control and direct the flow of freshwater for use in agriculture.18
10642957994PharaohKings of ancient Egyptian civilization; believed to be incarnation of god in their own lifetime who would become another god upon their death. The ultimate authority in Egypt19
10642957995TheocracyGovernment ruled by religious leaders based on religious ideology.20
10642957996HieroglyphicsEgyptian ideographic (meaning it used pictures) writing system.21
10642957997NubiaCivilization just south of Egypt along the Nile River. Developed alongside Egypt, often sending or receiving technological and other cultural ideas.22
10642957998Indus River ValleyHome of the first civilization in South Asia, Ca. 2500 BCE23
10642957999Harappa and Mohenjo-DaroMajor cities built by the Indus Valley civilization before 2000 BCE. Known for complex urban planning, building technology, and water management and sewage systems.24
10642958000DravidiansIndigenous peoples of the Indian subcontinent of South Asia. Builders of Indus Valley Civilization.25
10642958001Yellow and Yangtze RiversThe major river systems of northern and southern China that were home to early Chinese civilizations. Also known as the Huang He and Chiang Jiang Rivers.26
10642958002DynastyA series of rulers, usually from the same family, who pass power down from generation to generation.27
10642958003Xia DynastyEarliest known dynasty in Chinese history.28
10642958004Shang DynastyTook power in the Yellow River valley Ca. 1750 BCE and ruled until Ca. 1050 BCE.29
10642958005ArtisansSomeone who works as a skilled craftsmen producing goods.30
10642958006Oracle bonesEarliest examples of writing in the Shang Dynasty. Turtle shells or animal bones that were used for divination (understanding the will of the gods).31
10642958007Ancestor venerationReverence for and worship of one's ancestors (the generations of ones family that have died). Important in early Chinese religion.32
10642958008Zhou DynastyRulers of China from Ca. 1050 BCE to Ca. 500 BCE.33
10642958009Mandate of HeavenChinese concept of the divine right to rule. According to this principle, a new dynasty received the mandate - or authority - from the gods to rule China justly and for the good of the people. If the dynasty becomes corrupt, incompetent, or unjust then the mandate will transfer to a new dynasty who will overthrow them and rule China.34
10642958010Centralized governmentA political system in which a single center of power, such as a king or parliament, makes decisions for the whole state. Lower ranking government officials carry out the laws of the central authority but are not free to act independently.35
10642958011Decentralized governmentA political system in which power is distributed among several centers of power. The USA is an example of this, in which the federal government in Washington DC has some powers, but state governments also have some unique powers. A feudal system is also an example of this.36
10642958012PeasantsSmall, poor farmers. Sometimes might own some land, but might also work as laborers on the land of a larger landowner.37
10642958013UrbanizationThe process of change in which the proportion of people who live in cities or towns rather than small villages rises. Usually caused by an increasing demand for goods and trade.38
10642958014RuralAreas in the countryside, where there is a large of amount of agricultural land and low population density.39
10642958015MaizeCorn. The crop that was most important in Mesoamerica and elsewhere in American civilizations.40
10642958016ChavinThe earliest civilization in Peru and the Andes Mountains of South America. Ca. 1000 to 200 BCE.41
10642958017OlmecThe earliest civilization in Mesoamerica, Ca. 1200 to 400 BCE. Built the giant stone heads.42
10642958018Monumental BuildingExtremely large-scale buildings that are built for a primarily ritual or symbolic purpose. Examples include the Egyptian pyramids, the Sumerian ziggurats, the Olmec giant heads, and others.43
10642958019Public WorksLarge-scale engineering and construction projects undertaken by a government that are intended to serve a useful purpose for society. Examples may include roads, canals, irrigation systems, bridges, defensive walls, farming terraces, sewage systems, and aqueducts.44
10642958020"Out of Africa"Between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago, human beings began migrating out of Africa and eventually inhabited all continents except Antarctica.45
10642958021Homo SapiensHuman beings.46
10642958022PaleolithicOld Stone Age. Characterized by nomadic hunting-foraging.47
10642958023NeolithicNew Stone Age. Began about 10,000 years ago. Characterized by the development of agriculture and pastoralism.48
10642958024Hunting-ForagingObtaining food and materials by hunting wild animals and collecting wild plants. Usually nomadic. Characteristic of the Paleolithic Era.49
10642958025NomadicMoving periodically to follow the availability of food sources.50
10642958026AnimismThe belief that objects in nature (rivers, mountains, animals, trees, etc.) are inhabited by divine spirits.51
10642958027ShamanA person in animistic religious traditions who is thought to have special powers to heal, tell the future, or communicate with spirits.52
10642958028DeityA god or divinity in a religious tradition.53
10642958029"Broad Spectrum Diet"A diet characterized by a wide variety of plants and animals, by which humans obtain all necessary nutrients and do not become too dependent on a small number of foods.54
10642958030EgalitarianIn a group: when there is little or no difference in wealth, status, and power between members of the group.55
10642958031Sedentary (as in "sedentism")Settled in one location. The opposite of nomadic.56
10642958032AgricultureObtaining food and materials by planting and raising domesticated crops. Farming. Agrarianism.57
10642958033CultivationThe process of planting and raising crops.58
10642958034DomesticationThe process of taming a wild species of animal (or plant), breeding it for specific traits, and bringing it under human control.59
10642958035PastoralismNomads who live primarily on the food and materials obtained from domesticated herds of animals.60
10642958036Cultural DiffusionThe spread of ideas, technology, art, religion and other aspects of culture from their place of origin into new places. This process can occur peacefully or violently.61
10642958037Job SpecializationWhen some people in a society are able to specialize in types of work besides food production. Was enabled by a surplus of food, allowing people to do other work. Became a characteristic of agricultural societies during the Neolithic era and beyond.62
10642958038MetallurgyThe purification and application of metal for useful purposes, such as tools, jewelry, or weapons. was invented during the Neolithic era.63
10642958039TextilesItems made from cloth or woven fabric. These can be made from plants (cotton), animals (wool, silk), or synthetic materials (polyester, nylon).64
10642958040IrrigationMan-made systems for moving fresh water and distributing it to farmland to help the growth of crops.65
10642958041Kinship GroupA group of related families that served as the basic organizing unit of Paleolithic (and some pastoral and agricultural) societies. Decisions were usually made through discussion and consensus among family leaders.66
10642958042Neolithic Revolutionthe adoption of agriculture by humans, who had been hunter-gatherers. This is the split between the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and Neolithic (New Stone Age)67
10642958043Tigris and Euphratesthe major rivers of Mesopotamia; they're reason Greeks named it "land between the rivers." Irregular flooding led Mesopotamians to believe the gods were fickle and unfriendly to humans68
10642958044Nilemajor river of Egypt; owing to its importance in providing rich soil and water for irrigation, Greek historian Herodotus called Egypt "the gift of the _________" Regular flooding and easy agriculture led Egyptians to have a more positive worldview than Mesopotamians69
10642958045Patriarchymale control of women, facilitated by male desire to know their children were actually theirs and by agriculture replacing female gathering of wild plant foods with male-centric heavy farmwork.70
10642958046Sumeriansthe founders of the oldest civilization in Mesopotamia71
10642958047Harappanamesake city of the river-valley civilization centered on the Indus River in India; one of two major cities72
10642958048Monotheismbelief in one god73
10642958049Pyramidgigantic tombs of Egyptian pharaohs; construction took decades and required well-organized labor force74
10642958050Llamathe only large domesticated animal of the Americas75
10642958051Foragersanother term for hunter-gatherers; earliest human lifestyle, before agriculture76
10642958052Mandate of HeavenChinese belief invented by the Zhou that taught a ruler had the blessing of God/the gods so long as they ruled justly; used to justify their overthrow of the Shang Dynasty77
10642958053Mohenjo-Daroone of the two major cities of the Harappan civilization; known for huge water-storage facility "The Great Bath" (NOT "The Pool That Ruled")78
10642958054Family relationshipsThe basis for Confucius's ideas of social organization--the relationship between the father and son, for example, is the basis for the relationship between the Emperor and his people.79
10642958055Pastoralismalternative to agriculture; lifestyle of mobile herding of livestock. Nomadic peoples like the Mongols, Turks, etc. practice this lifestyle80
10642958056Gilgameshlegendary Mesopotamian ruler who built the wall of Uruk; fought and befriended the wild man Enkidu and sought immortality81
10642958057Xia Dynastylegendary first dynasty of China; might not have actually existed82
10642958058Shang Dynastyfirst historical dynasty of China; written records exist in form of "oracle bones"83
10642958059Zhou DynastySecond historical dynasty of China; invented "Mandate of Heaven" to justify their takeover and had decentralized feudal government84
10642958060Laws of Manuearly document describing the Hindu caste system, used to regulate Indian society85
10642958061Chariothorse-drawn wheeled war machine originating in Central Asia; used by Hyksos to conquer Egypt. Also used by Shang and Zhou warrior-aristocrats86
10642958062writingthe use of signs or symbols to record communication; allows for retention of knowledge across generations, record-keeping, etc.87
10642958063HammurabiBabylonian king known for his law code88
10642958064Indus Valleysite of the Harappan civilization, which consisted of the cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa89
10642958065Huang HeYellow River in China; site of the Xia (maybe), Shang, and Zhou90
10642958066Stratificationorganization of society into social classes or ranks--the Code of Hammurabi divides the Babylonians into three ranks, for example91

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