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AP World History - Period 2 Flashcards

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11462915683Ahura MazdaIn Zoroastrianism, the good god who rules the world.0
11462915684Alexander the GreatAlexander III of Macedon (356-323 B.C.E.), conqueror of the Persian Empire and part of northwest India.1
11462915685AryansIndo-European pastoralists who moved into India about the time of the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization; their role in causing this collapse is still debated by historians.2
11462915686AshokaThe most famous ruler of the Mauryan Empire (r. 268-232 B.C.E.), who converted to Buddhism and tried to rule peacefully and with tolerance.3
11462915687Caesar AugustusThe great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar who emerged as sole ruler of the Roman state at the end of an extended period of civil war (r. 31 B.C.E.-14 C.E.).4
11462915688Cyrus (the Great)Founder of the Persian Empire (r. 557-530 B.C.E.); a ruler noted for his conquests, religious tolerance, and political moderation.5
11462915689Darius IGreat king of Persia (r. 522-486 B.C.E.) following the upheavals after Cyrus's death; completed the establishment of the Persian Empire.6
11462915690Greco-Persian WarsTwo major Persian invasions of Greece, in 490 B.C.E. and 480 B.C.E., in which the Persians were defeated on both land and sea.7
11462915691Gupta EmpireAn empire of India (320-550 C.E.).8
11462915692Han dynastyChinese dynasty that restored unity in China softened legalist policies. Begun in 202 B.C. by Liu Bang, the dynasty ruled China for more than 400 years.9
11462915693Hellenistic eraThe period from 323 to 30 B.C.E. in which Greek culture spread widely in Eurasia in the kingdoms ruled by Alexander's political successors.10
11462915694HerodotusGreek historian known as the "father of history" (ca. 484-ca. 425 B.C.E.). His Histories enunciated the Greek view of a fundamental divide between East and West, culminating in the Greco-Persian Wars of 490-480 B.C.E.11
11462915695hopliteA heavily armed Greek infantryman. Over time, the ability to afford a military wares and to fight for the city came to define Greek citizenship.12
11462915696IoniaThe territory of Greek settlements on the coast of Anatolia; the main bone of contention between the Greeks and the Persian Empire.13
11462915697Mandate of HeavenThe ideological underpinning of Chinese emperors, this was the belief that a ruler held authority by command of divine force as long as he ruled morally and benevolently.14
11462915698Battle of MarathonAthenian victory over a Persian invasion in 490 B.C.E.15
11462915699Mauryan EmpireA major empire (322-185 B.C.E.) that encompassed most of India.16
11462915700PatriciansWealthy, privileged Romans who dominated early Roman society.17
11462915701Pax RomanaThe "Roman peace," a term typically used to denote the stability and prosperity of the early Roman Empire, especially in the first and second centuries C.E.18
11462915702Peloponnesian WarGreat war between Athens (and allies) and Sparta (and allies), lasting from 431 to 404 B.C.E. The conflict ended in the defeat of Athens and the closing of Athens's Golden Age.19
11462915703PersepolisThe capital and greatest palace-city of the Persian Empire, destroyed by Alexander the Great.20
11462915704Persian EmpireA major empire that expanded from the Iranian plateau to incorporate the Middle East from Egypt to India; flourished from around 550 to 330 B.C.E.21
11462915705PlebiansPoorer, less privileged Romans who gradually won a role in Roman politics.22
11462915706Punic WarsThree major wars between Rome and Carthage in North Africa, fought between 264 and 146 B.C.E., that culminated in Roman victory and control of the western Mediterranean.23
11462915707Qin DynastyA short-lived (221-206 B.C.E.) but highly influential Chinese dynasty that succeeded in reuniting China at the end of the Warring States period.24
11462915708Qin ShihuangdiLiterally "first emperor" (r. 221-210 B.C.E.) forcibly reunited China and established a strong and repressive state.25
11462915709SolonAthenian statesman and lawmaker (fl. 594-560 B.C.E.) whose reforms led the Athenians toward democracy.26
11462915710WudiHan emperor (r. 141-86 B.C.E.) who began the Chinese civil service system by establishing an academy to train imperial bureaucrats.27
11462915711XiongnuNomadic peoples to the north of the Great Wall of China who were a frequent threat to the stability of the Chinese state.28
11462915712AristotleA Greek polymath philosopher (384-322 B.C.E.); student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.29
11462915713Bhagavad GitaA great Hindu epic text, part of the much larger Mahabharata, which affirms the performance of caste duties as a path to religious liberation.30
11462915714BrahmanThe "World Soul" or final reality in upanishadic Hindu belief.31
11462915715BrahminsThe priestly caste of India.32
11462915716BuddhismThe cultural/religious tradition first enunciated by Siddhartha Gautama33
11462915717ConfucianismThe Chinese philosophy first enunciated by Confucius, advocating the moral example of superiors as the key element of social order.34
11462915718ConfuciusThe founder of Confucianism (551-479 B.C.E.); an aristocrat of northern China who proved to be the greatest influence on Chinese culture in its history.35
11462915719ConstantineRoman emperor (r. 306-337 C.E.) whose conversion to Christianity paved the way for the triumph of Christianity in Europe.36
11462915720DaoismA Chinese philosophy/popular religion that advocates simplicity and understanding of the world of nature, founded by the legendary figure Laozi.37
11462915721Filial pietyThe honoring of one's ancestors and parents, a key element of Confucianism.38
11462915722Greek rationalismA secularizing system of scientific and philosophic thought that developed in classical Greece in the period 600 to 300 B.C.E.; it emphasized the power of education and human reason to understand the world in nonreligious terms.39
11462915723HinduismA word derived from outsiders to describe the vast diversity of indigenous Indian religious traditions.40
11462915724HippocratesA very influential Greek medical theorist (ca. 460-ca. 370 B.C.E.); regarded as the father of medicine.41
11462915725Jesus of NazarethThe prophet/god of Christianity(ca. 4 B.C.E.-ca. 30 C.E.).42
11462915726YahwehA form of the Hebrew name of God used in the Bible. The monotheistic religion developed by the Hebrews, emphasizing a sole personal god with concerns for social justice.43
11462915727KarmaIn Hinduism, the determining factor of the level at which the individual is reincarnated, based on purity of action and fulfillment of duty in the prior existence.44
11462915728LaoziA legendary Chinese philosopher of the sixth century B.C.E.; regarded as the founder of Daoism.45
11462915729LegalismA Chinese philosophy distinguished by an adherence to clear laws with vigorous punishments.46
11462915730MokshaIn Hindu belief, liberation from separate existence and union with Brahman.47
11462915731NirvanaThe end goal of Buddhism, in which individual identity is "extinguished" into a state of serenity and great compassion.48
11462915732PlatoA disciple of Socrates whose Dialogues convey the teachings of his master while going beyond them to express Plato's own philosophy; lived from 429 to 348 B.C.E.49
11462915733PythagorasA major Greek philosopher (ca. 560-ca. 480 B.C.E.) who believed that an unchanging mathematical order underlies the apparent chaos of the world.50
11462915734Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)The Indian prince (ca. 566-ca. 486 B.C.E.) who founded Buddhism.51
11462915735SocratesThe first great Greek philosopher to turn rationalism toward questions of human existence (469-399 B.C.E.).52
11462915736UpanishadsIndian mystical and philosophical works, written between 800 and 400 B.C.E.53
11462915737VedasThe earliest religious texts of India, a collection of ancient poems, hymns, and rituals that were transmitted orally before being written down ca. 600 B.C.E.54
11462915738Warring States PeriodPeriod in China from 403 to 221 B.C.E. that was typified by disorder and political chaos.55
11462915739Yin and YangExpression of the Chinese belief in the unity of opposites.56
11462915740ZoroastrianismPersian monotheistic religion founded by the prophet Zarathustra.57
11462915741caste as varna and jatiThe system of social organization in India that has evolved over millennia; it is based on an original division of the populace into four inherited classes, with the addition of thousands of social distinctions based on occupation, which became the main cell of social life in India.58
11462915742dharmaIn Indian belief, performance of the duties appropriate to an individual's caste; good performance will lead to rebirth in a higher caste.59
11462915743helotsThe dependent, semi-enslaved class of ancient Sparta whose social discontent prompted the militarization of Spartan society.60
11462915744KshatriyaThe Indian social class of warriors and rulers.61
11462915745latifundiaHuge estates operated by slave labor that flourished in parts of the Roman Empire62
11462915746PericlesA prominent and influential statesman of ancient Athens (ca. 495-429 B.C.E.); presided over Athens's Golden Age.63
11462915747SudraThe lowest Indian social class of varna; regarded as servants of their social betters; eventually included peasant farmers64
11462915748the "three submissions"In Chinese Confucian thought, the notion that a woman is permanently subordinate to male control: first that of her father, then of her husband, and finally of her son.65
11462915749UntouchablesAn Indian social class that emerged below the Sudras and whose members performed the most unclean and polluting work.66
11462915750VaisyaThe Indian social class that was originally defined as farmers but eventually comprised merchants.67
11462915751Silk RoadTrade route stretching from China into Europe.68

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