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

AP World History Terms Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
3600840237Paleolithic (Old Stone) AgeThe Old Stone Age ending in 12,000 B.C.E; crude stone tool use, hunting/gathering0
3600840238Homo sapiens sapiensThe most successful humanoid species at end of Paleolithic Age; originated 240,000 years ago in Africa1
3600840239Mesolithic (Middle Stone) Age12,000-8,000 B.C.E.; better stone tools/weapons; larger populations- more war; domesticated animals - improved food supply2
3600840240Neolithic (New Stone) Age8,000-5,000 B.C.E.; sedentary agriculture developed; fully domesticated animals3
3600840241Neolithic Revolution8,500-3,500 B.C.E. - New technology and human organization led to sedentary agriculture4
3600840242Hunting and GatheringThe original human economy; groups hunt for meat and forage for grains, nuts, and berries5
3600840243Homo erectusA less ape like, not completely human species existing from 750,000 to 500,000 years ago in Africa, spread to Asia and Europe6
3600840244Bronze Age4,000-1,500 B.C.E - Bronze tools used, first introduced in the Middle East, ended with the introduction of iron7
3600840245Slash and Burn AgricultureA method where nomadic agricultural people burn forest floors, deplete the soil with farming, and leave, returning in 20-30 years8
3600840246Tribal Bands40-60 nomadic hunters and gatherers; labor divide by gender9
3600840247CivilizationSociety that relies on sedentary agriculture, is able to produce food surpluses, has non farming elites, and merchant and manufacturing groups10
3600840248CuneiformEarliest writing system developed in the Middle East by the Sumerians around 3,500 B.C.E. using a wedge-shaped stylus and clay tablets11
3600840249NomadsCattle- and sheep-herding societies normally found on the fringes of civilized societies; barbarians12
3600840250ZigguratsMassive towers in Mesopotamia, specifically Sumer, used as temples by professional priests13
3600840251City-statesAgricultural villages with ruled by a local king14
3600840252PharaohThe king of Ancient Egypt15
3600840253PyramidsTriangular burial sites for Ancient Egyptian kings developed in 2,700 B.C.E.16
3600840254Ideographic SymbolsChinese writing made up of pictographic characters grouped together to create new concepts17
3600840255OraclesChinese shamans or priests who foretold the future through interpretations of animal bones cracked by heat18
3600840257MonotheismThe belief in one God, introduced by the Jews19
3600840258Great WallA Chinese defense against northern invaders constructed during the Qin dynasty20
3601732573Vassal RetainersSubordinate leaders serving and bound by personal ties to the king and great lords; recruited from former ruling families and aristocratic classes; depended on the produce and labor of the commoners to support their families and military forces21
3638500881Mandate of HeavenThe claim that heaven had transferred its mandate to rule to a ruler22
3638684813Ancestor worshipThe veneration of one's ancestors23
3638962282Silk Road24
3600840261Feudal States25
3600840265Five Classics26
3600840266Classic of Songs27
3600840267MonsoonSeasonal winds crossing Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia; during summer bring rains28
3600840268SanskritThe first literary language of India29
3600840269VedasAryan hymns and epics originally transmitted orally but written down in sacred books during the 6th century30
3600840270Rig-VedaThe first Aryan epic; attributed the rise of the caste system to the gods31
3600840271MahabharataIndian epic of war, princely honor, love, and social duty32
3600840272RamayanaAn epic Indian tale that traces adventures of King Rama and his wife, Sita33
3600840273UpanishadsLater books of the Vedas with sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas; utilized by brahmans to restore religious authority; stressed shallowness of worldy concerns in favor of contemplation of the divine spirit34
3600840274VarnasAryan social classes35
3648182341KshatriyasThe warrior/governing class of India36
3648185601VaisyasTraders and farmers of India37
3648187235SudrasCommon laborers of India38
3600840275UntouchablesLow social class in India/Hindu culture that performed undesirable tasks39
3600840277DharmaThe law of moral consequences; stresses inner study, meditation and following the career and caste position determined at birth; "moral path"40
3600840280NirvanaThe Buddhist state of enlightenment and tranquility41
3600840281GurusHindu mystics42
3600840282ReincarnationThe belief in life after death as another being43
3600840283Karma44
3600840284Brahman45
3662293904BrahmanismEarly Hinduism46
3662304588BrahmaThe basic Hindu holy essence that forms everything in this world47
3600840285Dynasty48
3600840286Yin YangThe Chinese belief in nature's harmony49
3600840287Regionalism50
3600840288JatiThe smaller divisions of the Indian caste system51
3600840289Yoga52
3600840290Bhagavad GitaA sacred Hindu hymn that urged people to carry out the duties that come with one's caste53
3600840291KamasutraAn Indian book on relationships between man and women, written by Vatsayana during Gutpa era54
3600840292PanchatantraAn Indian story collection55
3662272565ArthaPolitical and economic goals encouraged by Hinduism56
3662364690StupasSpherical stone shrines to Buddha57
3662449390Scholar-gentryChinese class created by the marital linkage of the local land-holding aristocracy with the office-holding shi58
3662508676MagiThe priestly followers of Zoroaster59
3662526900Olympic GamesOne of the pan-Hellenistic rituals observed by all Greek city-states; involved athletic competitions and celebrations60
3662527821Roman RepublicWhere people elect representatives to represent them in the government61
3662573577PolisCity-state form of government, typical of Greece62
3662573578Direct DemocracyWhere people participate directly in assemblies that make laws and select leaders, rather than electing representatives63
3662590074SenateAssembly of Roman aristocrats who advised on policy within the republic64
3662590075ConsulsTwo chief executives or magistrates of the Roman republic; elected by an annual assembly dominated by aristocracy65
3662607046Twelve TablesThe first Roman code of law66
3662679523IliadGreek epic poem written by Homer, or many authors, that defined gods and human nature and shaped Greek mythos67
3662679524OdysseyGreek epic poem written by Homer, or many authors, that defined the gods and human nature and shaped Greek mythos68
3662679525DoricLeast ornate district style of Hellenistic architecture69
3662679892IonicMedium ornate district style of Hellenistic architecture70
3662697869CorinthianMost ornate istrict style of Hellenistic architecture71
3668069765RajputRegional princes of western India72
3603254848Tsar73
3603257446BoyarRussian aristocratic landlord74
3603258487CossackPeasants recruited to migrate to newly seized lands in Russia, particularly in the south; combined agriculture with military conquests; spurred additional frontier conquests and settlements75
3605837119Cossack ColonyA group of independent peasant fighting men76
3603259375Old BelieversRussians who refused to accept the ecclesiastical reforms of Alexis Romanov; many exiled to Siberia or southern Russia77
3603260505Time of TroublesFollowing death of Ivan IV, boyars attempted to reestablish their authority; ended with selection of Michael Romanov as tsar78
3605680622Pugachev RebellionRebellion led by cossack Emelian Pugachev pretending to be the tsar79
3605684912Partition of PolandDivision of Polish territory among Russia, Prussia, and Austria in 1772, 1793, and 1795; eliminated Poland as independent state80
3613191779Amur River AgreementSet new frontiers between Russia and China81
3646869116MitaLabor extracted for lands assigned to the state and the religion in the Inca empire82
3646883153EncomiendaA grant allowing an individual conqueror to demand tribute and labor83
3654217136EncomenderoThe holder of an encomienda84
3646953893HaciendaRural estates in Spanish colonies in the New World; produced agricultural products for American consumers85
3646970643ConsuladoMerchant guild of Seville that enjoyed monopoly rights over goods shipped to America and handled much of the silver received in return86
3646977817GalleonLarge, heavily armed ships used to carry silver from New World colonies to Spain87
3646980665LetradosUniversity-trained lawyers from Spain in the New World; judicial core of Spanish colonial bureaucracy88
3646981957ViceroyaltiesMajor divisions of Spanish colonies in the New World that directly represented the king, one in Lima, one in Mexico City89
3646982193ViceroysHigh-ranking nobles who were direct representatives of the king90
3646982220AudienciaJudicial divisions controlled by superior courts staffed by professional royal magistrates who helped to make law and apply it91
3652848948RecopilaciónBody of laws codified into the basis for government in the Spanish colonies92
3653135106CapitainciesStrips of land along Brazilian coast granted to minor Portuguese nobles for development93
3653379771PaulistasBackwoodsmen from Sao Paolo in Brazil who explored the interior of Brazil, captured Indians and searched for precious metals94
3653512355MestizosThe mixed population of Europeans and Indians95
3653541821MulattosThe mixed population of Europeans and Africans96
3653526901Sociedad de CastasAmerican social system based on racial origins with white Europeans at the top, Africans and Indians at the bottom, and mixed in the middle97
3653550447CastasPeople of mixed origins98
3653599443PeninsularesPeople living in the New World Spanish colonies but born in Spain99
3653603124CreolesPeople born in the New World100
3653662647Amigos del PaisClubs and associations dedicated to material improvements and reform, rather than political, in Spanish colonies101
3653915610CorregidoresLocal Spanish magistrates102
3820464184CaravelsSlender, long-hulled Portuguese ships103
3824458737MercantilistEconomic theorists that stressed government's promotion of limitation of imports from other nations and internal economies in order to improve tax revenues, popular during the 17th and 18th centuries104
3829366405FactoriesEuropean warehouses where spices and other products could be stored until they could be shipped to Europe of elsewhere in Asia105

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!