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| 752400905 | Hunter-Gatherers | Small nomadic groups of people, often related, that collected wild plants and hunted game together, using tools like bows and arrows, spears, and Clovis points (stone arrowheads), while often practicing a form of religion called animism. | |
| 752400906 | Neolithic Revolution | Time period, starting in the Middle East around 8000 BCE, when hunter-gatherers settled in regions with water supplies and good soil, and planted seeds, while also developing irrigation systems, creating permanent residences, and domesticating animals like dogs, horses, and cattle. | |
| 752400907 | River Valley Civilizations | Include Mesopotamia (Middle East), Egypt (Nile River/North Africa), Indus (South Asia), and Shang (Yellow River Valley in East Asia). Earliest places where agriculture was successfully practiced, and first places to build brick and stone structures, which eventually led to cities. | |
| 752400908 | Pastoralists | People who domesticated animals without developing agriculture, thus remaining nomadic. These people often spread information about other groups and about new technologies. These people emerged in parts of Africa, Europe and Asia around the time of the Neolithic Revolution. | |
| 752400909 | Urbanization | The growth of cities, first in River Valley Civilizations and later in other places. These cities often became centers of government, trade, and religion. Accompanying this process was the development of job specialization (scribes, merchants, etc.), social classes (slaves, elites, etc.), gender roles, counting and writing systems (cuneiform in Mesopotamia), and monumental buildings (often religious temples, like Ziggurats in Mesopotamia). Examples of early cities are Sumer in Mesopotamia, Catal Huyuk in Turkey, and Mohenjo Daro and Harappa in the Indus River Valley. | |
| 752400910 | Early Empires | The product of when cities were united in River Valley Civilizations under one ruler or king, who claimed divine right. And example of this was in Egypt. Often times, the uniting ruler used force and established one code of law. An example of a constant code of law was the Code of Hammurabi in Mesopotamia. | |
| 752400911 | Animism | The earliest known form of religion in which people worshipped things in nature (i.e. the sun). Usually practiced by hunter-gatherers. | |
| 752400912 | Polytheism | A religion in which there are different gods who have specific names and duties (i.e. Apollo, god of the sun). | |
| 752400913 | Monotheism | A religion in which there is only one god. The Hebrews were one of the first groups to practice this kind of religion, practicing Judaism. Zoroastrianism, from Persia, was another example of this kind of religion. | |
| 754883421 | Classical Era | The time period from 600 BCE to 600 CE, during which the Greek and Roman (Mediterranean), Han (East Asia), Maurya and Gupta (South Asia), Persian (Central Asia), and Mayan (Mesoamerica) empires all rose and fell in economic, political, and social power. | |
| 754883422 | Hinduism | The earliest known organized religion, with written codes of faith and religious leaders. Centered in South Asia, influenced by Indo-European groups who came to the region via the Caspian Sea. Supported the caste system which greatly influenced South Asia. | |
| 754883423 | Buddhism | A "reform" of Hinduism, started by Prince Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) around 500 BCE. This religion, unlike Hinduism, supported spiritual equality and missionary activity. It spread from its origins in South Asia into Southeast and East Asia via trade routes. | |
| 754883424 | Confucianism | Based on the teachings of Kong Fuzi (Confucius) in China, around 500 BCE. It clearly established codes of behavior, as well as family and gender roles and duties. More of a philosophy than a religion, although it did eventually merge with elements of Buddhism and Daoism to make Confucius into somewhat of a deity. | |
| 754883425 | Christianity | This religion was a reform of Judaism, based around the teachings of Jesus, who taught eternal salvation through the belief that he was the Jewish Messiah (savior from God). Over time, missionaries spread Jesus' gospel (good news) throughout the Roman Empire. The fact that Jesus chose a successor (Peter) illustrates a KEY difference between Christianity and Islam, which had no clear successor after its founding profits. | |
| 754883426 | Han Empire | This empire existed in East Asia around the same time as the Roman empire, was one of the largest of the Classical Era, and was technologically far superior to the other empires of the era. | |
| 754883427 | Mandate of Heaven | The belief that the emperor in China was granted his power from the gods, and he would stay in power as long as the heavens were satisfied with his rule. If the emperor was overthrown, it was a sign that the gods were no longer satisfied. Through the rise and fall of many Chinese dynasties, this concept provided continuity. | |
| 754883428 | Chinese Examination System | A political feature of Chinese empires, starting with the Han and lasting until the early 1900s, in which young Chinese scholars would take rigorous, state-sponsored exams in order to earn government positions as bureaucrats. This system allowed for some lower-class citizens to rise to political prominence, but this was rare. | |
| 754883429 | Mediterranean Civilizations | A term used in AP World History to collectively describe the classical Greek and Roman civilizations. The two can be combined conveniently because the Romans borrowed so much of their political, social, and economic culture from the Greeks. | |
| 754883430 | Hellenism | A culture that developed in the short-lived empire of Alexander the Great, around the 4th century BCE, that combined Greek styles with local styles through the empire, which stretched from India to Egypt and included the major acquisition of Persia in the 4th century BCE. | |
| 754883431 | Maurya Empire | Geographically extensive and powerful empire from 320 BCE to 185 BCE. Centered in South Asia. One of the few centrally powerful empires in South Asian history. South Asian history is mostly filled with political fragmentation. First truly powerful South Asian empire. | |
| 754883432 | Gupta Empire | Geographically extensive and powerful empire from 320 CE to 550 CE. Centered in South Asia. One of the few centrally powerful empires in South Asian history. South Asian history is mostly filled with political fragmentation. Second truly powerful South Asian empire. | |
| 754883433 | Bantu Migrations | Major sub-Saharan Classical Era event. Began in Central Africa, lasted from 1000 BCE to 500 CE, Bantu speaking peoples migrated south and east over many centuries. They spread a common language base and metal working technology. | |
| 754883434 | Silk Roads | MUST-KNOW trade route connecting East Asia to northern India, central Asia, and, indirectly, to Mediterranean, West Africa, and northern Europe. Silk, tea, spices, horses, technology were carried westward along this network of caravan and camel routes. Chinese goods made it to the rest of the world through these routes. | |
| 754883435 | Indian Ocean Trade Network | Importan aquatic trade route, connecting African, Arab, Jewish, Chinese, Muslim, and Christian people. Merchants carried religion (especially Buddhism and Islam), and exchanged goods like silver, cotton, spices, and more, over the Indian Ocean. | |
| 754883436 | Fall of Classical Empires | What happened to the Han Dynasty in China (c. 220 CE), the Roman Empire (476 CE) and the Gupta empire (c. 550 CE). For all three, was caused due to internal pressures like peasant revolts, and due to external pressures like invading nomads or imported diseases. | |
| 756689744 | Trans-Sahara Trade | The trade of goods, people, and faith across the Sahara desert in North Africa. This trade peaked from the 700s CE to the 1500s, using camels as its main mode of transport. The main items traded were gold, salt, animal hides, and slaves, among other items. Islam and camels were brought into North Africa during this time and spread rapidly. Djenne, Goa, and Timbuktu were important trade centers along these trade routes. | |
| 756689745 | Islam | A religion first preached in Arabia in the 600s CE by the prophet Muhammad, a merchant who preached monotheism. The religion united multiple Arab tribes which had previously been polytheistic. By the mid 700s, it had spread via trade routes to North Africa, Spain, Central Asia, and Southeast and East Asia. | |
| 756689746 | Caliphates | Regional Islamic states, which were each led by a caliph. These states were the result of political fragmentation after the death of Muhammad, since there was no clear successor to his leadership. On the AP, you will be asked more about the Abbasid than the Umayyad or Fatamid. | |
| 756689747 | Crusades | A series of "holy wars" between Christians and Muslims for the "holy land" in Southwest Asia and parts of the Byzantine Empire. These wars occurred sporadically from 1100-1300 CE. Although Christians failed to conquer much land, they did reacquire much of the cultural and scientific knowledge, which they had lost during the Middle Ages, through contact with Muslims. The reintroduction to Greek and Roman history sparked the European Renaissance. | |
| 756689748 | Dar-al Islam | The term used to collectively describe all of the area where Islam spread across Afro-Eurasia from c. 600-1450 CE. Literally "Everywhere Islam Is." Not a politically unified empire, but rather, a large region where Islam was the dominant faith and culture. Stretched from Spain and Northwest Africa to Southeast and South Asia. | |
| 756689749 | Diffusion of Religions | The process undergone by Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism from c. 600 CE to c. 1450 CE, as they spread to places far outside their origin. Christianity and Buddhism were spread by missionaries. Christianity and Islam were both spread through conquering and violent force. Both Islam and Buddhism were spread through trade routes. | |
| 756689750 | Byzantine Empire | The empire that succeeded the Roman empire, which was built around the Eastern Roman capital of Byzantium, renamed Constantinople. It lasted for about 1000 years after the fall of the Roman empire in 476 CE. The empire had major economic, social, and political influence over southern and eastern Europe, the East Mediterranean, and Southwest Asia. | |
| 756689751 | Tang and Song Dynasties | Consecutive Chinese dynasties in the era c. 600-1450, during which China had the world's largest population, most advanced technology, and most splendid cities. Two of the most famous dynasties in all of Chinese history. | |
| 756689752 | Sinification | The process of Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia adapting themselves to follow the political, social, and economic example of China. Essentially "Chinese-ification." | |
| 756689753 | Mongols | Nomadic forces which conquered the area from south China to Russia and Southwest Asia in the 1200s and 1300s, using brutal force in their conquest. After they conquered, they established an era of peace and trade throughout their territories, called the Pax Mongolica. | |
| 756689754 | Black Death | A deadly disease during the 1200s and 1300s, which spread throughout Eurasia, killing millions of people. Some believe it originated along trade routes near the Black Sea. In the mid 1300s, it wiped out 1/3 of Europe's population. | |
| 756689755 | Mayan States | An series of states which formed an important Mesoamerican civilization, centered in southern Mexico and parts of Central America. Similarly to Egypt, this civilization featured pyramids, large cities, written language, and complex soviety. Its height was from 250-900 CE, the American Classical Era. Tikal was an important city in this civilization. | |
| 756689756 | Coerced Labor | A term that includes slavery, serfdom, the corvee (government required labor on public works projects), and indentured servitude. Forms of this have existed in all civilizations throughout history. On the AP test, for the era c. 600-1450, European serfdom is a COMMON EXAMPLE of this term. | |
| 756689757 | Feudalism | A labor system used in western Europe and Japan during the time period c. 600-1450. Many people served as agricultural workers for landowners, who fought over land rights using local, private armies. Elite warriors in western Europe were called knights. In Japan, they were called samurai. | |
| 756689758 | Zheng He | A naval explorer for the Ming Dynasty of China, who led massive expeditions that included huge treasure ships and thousands of sailors. His voyages crossed the Indian Ocean and traveled to the Spice Islands of Southeast Asia in the early 1400s. |
