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AP World History Period 2 Flashcards

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5215418192Ahura MazdaIn Zoroastrianism, the good god who rules the world.0
5215418193Alexander the GreatAlexander III of Macedon (356-323 B.C.E.), conqueror of the Persian Empire and part of northwest India.1
5215418194AryansIndo-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
5215418195AshokaThe 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
5215418196Athenian democracyA radical form of direct democracy in which much of the free male population of Athens had the franchise and officeholders were chosen by lot.4
5215418197Caesar 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.).5
5215418198Cyrus (the Great)Founder of the Persian Empire (r. 557-530 B.C.E.); a ruler noted for his conquests, religious tolerance, and political moderation.6
5215418199Darius IGreat king of Persia (r. 522-486 B.C.E.) following the upheavals after Cyrus's death; completed the establishment of the Persian Empire.7
5215418200Greco-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.8
5215418201Gupta EmpireAn empire of India (320-550 C.E.).9
5215418202Han dynastyDynasty that ruled China from 206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E., creating a durable state based on Shihuangdi's state-building achievement.10
5215418203Hellenistic 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.11
5215418204HerodotusGreek 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.12
5215418205hopliteA heavily armed Greek infantryman. Over time, the ability to afford a hoplite panoply and to fight for the city came to define Greek citizenship.13
5215418206IoniaThe territory of Greek settlements on the coast of Anatolia; the main bone of contention between the Greeks and the Persian Empire.14
5215418207Mandate 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.15
5215418208Battle of MarathonAthenian victory over a Persian invasion in 490 B.C.E.16
5215418209Mauryan EmpireA major empire (322-185 B.C.E.) that encompassed most of India.17
5215418210Olympic GamesGreek religious festival and athletic competition in honor of Zeus; founded in 776B.C.E. and celebrated every four years.18
5215418211PatriciansWealthy, privileged Romans who dominated early Roman society.19
5215418212Pax 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.20
5215418213Peloponnesian 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.21
5215418214PersepolisThe capital and greatest palace-city of the Persian Empire, destroyed by Alexander the Great.22
5215418215Persian 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.23
5215418216PlebiansPoorer, less privileged Romans who gradually won a role in Roman politics.24
5215418217Punic 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.25
5215418218Qin 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.26
5215418219Qin ShihuangdiLiterally "first emperor" (r. 221-210 B.C.E.) forcibly reunited China and established a strong and repressive state.27
5215418220SolonAthenian statesman and lawmaker (fl. 594-560 B.C.E.) whose reforms led the Athenians toward democracy.28
5215418221WudiHan emperor (r. 141-86 B.C.E.) who began the Chinese civil service system by establishing an academy to train imperial bureaucrats.29
5215418222XiongnuNomadic peoples to the north of the Great Wall of China who were a frequent threat to the stability of the Chinese state.30
5215418223Yellow Turban RebellionA major Chinese peasant revolt that began in 184 C.E. and helped cause the fall of the Han dynasty.31
5215418224Angra MainyuIn Zoroastrianism, the evil god, engaged in a cosmic struggle with Ahura Mazda.32
5215418225AristotleA Greek polymath philosopher (384-322 B.C.E.); student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.33
5215418226AtmanThe human soul, which in classic Hindu belief seeks union with Brahman.34
5215418227Ban ZhaoA major female Confucian author of Han dynasty China (45-116 C.E.) whose works give insight into the implication of Confucian thinking for women.35
5215418228Bhagavad GitaA great Hindu epic text, part of the much larger Mahabharata, which affirms the performance of caste duties as a path to religious liberation.36
5215418229bhakti movementAn immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.37
5215418230BrahmanThe "World Soul" or final reality in upanishadic Hindu belief.38
5215418231BrahminsThe priestly caste of India.39
5215418232BuddhismThe cultural/religious tradition first enunciated by Siddhartha Gautama40
5215418233ConfucianismThe Chinese philosophy first enunciated by Confucius, advocating the moral example of superiors as the key element of social order.41
5215418234ConfuciusThe 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.42
5215418235ConstantineRoman emperor (r. 306-337 C.E.) whose conversion to Christianity paved the way for the triumph of Christianity in Europe.43
5215418236DaodejingThe central text of Daoism; translated as The Way and Its Power.44
5215418237DaoismA Chinese philosophy/popular religion that advocates simplicity and understanding of the world of nature, founded by the legendary figure Laozi.45
5215418238Filial pietyThe honoring of one's ancestors and parents, a key element of Confucianism.46
5215418239Greek 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.47
5215418240HinduismA word derived from outsiders to describe the vast diversity of indigenous Indian religious traditions.48
5215418241HippocratesA very influential Greek medical theorist (ca. 460-ca. 370 B.C.E.); regarded as the father of medicine.49
5215418242IsiaihOne of the most important prophets of Judaism, whose teachings show the transformation of the religion in favor of compassion and social justice (eighth century B.C.E.).50
5215418243Jesus of NazarethThe prophet/god of Christianity(ca. 4 B.C.E.-ca. 30 C.E.).51
5215418244YahwehThe monotheistic religion developed by the Hebrews, emphasizing a sole personal god (Yahweh) with concerns for social justice.52
5215418245KarmaIn 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.53
5215418246LaoziA legendary Chinese philosopher of the sixth century B.C.E.; regarded as the founder of Daoism.54
5215418247LegalismA Chinese philosophy distinguished by an adherence to clear laws with vigorous punishments.55
5215418248Mahayana"Great Vehicle," the popular development of Buddhism in the early centuries of the Common Era, which gives a much greater role to supernatural beings and proved to be more popular than original (Theravada) Buddhism.56
5215418249MokshaIn Hindu belief, liberation from separate existence and union with Brahman.57
5215418250NirvanaThe end goal of Buddhism, in which individual identity is "extinguished" into a state of serenity and great compassion.58
5215418251PlatoA 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.59
5215418252PythagorasA major Greek philosopher (ca. 560-ca. 480 B.C.E.) who believed that an unchanging mathematical order underlies the apparent chaos of the world.60
5215418253Saint PaulThe first great popularizer of Christianity (10-65 C.E.).61
5215418254Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)The Indian prince turned ascetic (ca. 566-ca. 486 B.C.E.) who founded Buddhism.62
5215418255SocratesThe first great Greek philosopher to turn rationalism toward questions of human existence (469-399 B.C.E.).63
5215418256TheodosiusRoman emperor (r. 379-395 C.E.) who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman state, banning all polytheistic rituals.64
5215418257Theravada"The Teaching of the Elders," the early form of Buddhism according to which the Buddha as a wise teacher but not divine and which emphasizes practices rather than beliefs.65
5215418258UpanishadsIndian mystical and philosophical works, written between 800 and 400 B.C.E.66
5215418259VedasThe 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.67
5215418260Warring States PeriodPeriod in China from 403 to 221 B.C.E. that was typified by disorder and political chaos.68
5215418261Yin and YangExpression of the Chinese belief in the unity of opposites.69
5215418262ZarathustraA Persian prophet, traditionally dated to the sixth or seventh century B.C.E. (but perhaps much older), who founded Zoroastrianism.70
5215418263ZoroastrianismPersian monotheistic religion founded by the prophet Zarathustra.71
5215418264caste 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.72
5215418265dharmaIn Indian belief, performance of the duties appropriate to an individual's caste; good performance will lead to rebirth in a higher caste.73
5215418266helotsThe dependent, semi-enslaved class of ancient Sparta whose social discontent prompted the militarization of Spartan society.74
5215418267karmaIn Indian belief, the force generated by one's behavior in a previous life that decides the level at which an individual will be reborn.75
5215418268KsatriyaThe Indian social class of warriors and rulers.76
5215418269latifundiaHuge estates operated by slave labor that flourished in parts of the Roman Empire77
5215418270PericlesA prominent and influential statesman of ancient Athens (ca. 495-429 B.C.E.); presided over Athens's Golden Age.78
5215418271"ritual purity" in Indian social practiceIn India, the idea that members of higher castes must adhere to strict regulations limiting or forbidding their contact with objects and members of lower castes to preserve their own caste standing and their relationship with the gods.79
5215418272scholar-gentry classA term used to describe members of China's landowning families, reflecting their wealth from the land and the privilege that they derived as government officials.80
5215418273SudraThe lowest Indian social class of varna; regarded as servants of their social betters; eventually included peasant farmers81
5215418274the "three obediences"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.82
5215418275UntouchablesAn Indian social class that emerged below the Sudras and whose members performed the most unclean and polluting work.83
5215418276VaisyaThe Indian social class that was originally defined as farmers but eventually comprised merchants.84
5215418277Wang MangA Han court official who usurped the throne and ruled from 8 C.E. to 23 C.E.; noted for his reform movement that included the breakup of large estates.85
5215418278Empress WuThe only female "emperor" in Chinese history (r. 690-705 C.E.); patronized scholarship, worked to elevate the position of women, and provoked a backlash of Confucian misogynist invective.86
5215418279Ancestral PuebloFormerly known as the Anasazi, this people established a mixed agricultural and gathering/hunting society in the southwestern part of North America.87
5215418280AxumClassical-era kingdom of East Africa, in present-day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia; flourished from 100 to 600 C.E.88
5215418281Bantu expansionGradual migration of peoples from their homeland in what is now southern Nigeria and the Cameroons into most of eastern and southern Africa, a process that began around 3000 B.C.E. and continued for several millennia. The agricultural techniques and ironworking technology of thesefarmers gave them an advantage over the gathering and hunting peoples they encountered.89
5215418282BatwaForest-dwelling people of Central Africa who adopted some of the ways of their Bantu neighbors while retaining distinctive features of their own culture; also known as "Pygmies."90
5215418283CahokiaThe dominant center of an important Mississippi valley mound-building culture, located near present-day St. Louis, Missouri; flourished from about 900 to 1250 C.E.91
5215418284Chaco PhenomenonName given to a major process of settlement and societal organization that occurred in the period 860-1130 C.E. among the peoples of Chaco canyon, in what is now northwestern New Mexico; the society formed is notable for its settlement in large pueblos and for the building of hundreds of miles of roads (the purpose of which is not known).92
5215418285ChavinAndean town that was the center of a large Peruvian religious movement from around 900 to 200 B.C.E.93
5215418286Coptic ChristianityThe Egyptian variety of Christianity, distinctive in its belief that Christ has only a single, divine nature.94
5215418287Hopewell CultureNamed from its most important site (in present-day Ohio), this is the most elaborate and widespread of the North American mound building cultures; flourished from 200 B.C.E. to 400 C.E.95
5215418288Jenne-jenoLargest and most fully studied of the cities of the Niger Valley civilization96
5215418289MayaThe major classical civilization of Mesoamerica; flourished from 250 to 900 C.E.97
5215418290MocheAn important regional civilization of Peru, governed by warrior-priests; flourished from around 100 to 800 C.E.98
5215418291Mound BuildersMembers of any of a number of cultures that developed east of the Mississippi River in what is now the United States and that are distinguished by their large earthen mounds, built during the period 2000 B.C.E.-1250 C.E.99
5215418292NazcaA civilization of southern coastal Peru, the Nazca became famous for their underground irrigation channels and their gigantic and mysterious lines in the desert in the form of monkeys, birds, spiders, and other designs.100
5215418293Niger Valley CivilizationDistinctive city-based civilization that flourished from about 300 B.C.E. to about 900 C.E. in the floodplain of the middle Niger and that included major cities like Jenne-jeno; the Niger Valley civilization is particularly noteworthy for its apparent lack of centralized state structures, having been organized instead in clusters of economically specialized settlements.101
5215418294Pueblo"Great house" of the Ancestral Pueblo people; a large, apartment building-like structure that could house hundreds of people.102
5215418295Semi-sedentaryTerm frequently used to describe the peoples of the eastern woodlands of the United States, Central America, the Amazon basin, and the Caribbean islands who combined partial reliance on agriculture with gathering and hunting.103
5215418296TeotihuacánThe largest city of pre-Columbian America, with a population between 100,000 and 200,000; seemingly built to a plan in the Valley of Mexico, flourished between 300 and 600 C.E., during which time it governed or influenced much of the surrounding region. The name is an Aztec term meaning "city of the gods."104
5215418297TikalMajor Maya city, with a population of perhaps 50,000 people.105

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