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

AP World History Unit 1 Flashcards

From Hunting and Gathering to Civilizations, 2.5 million-1000 B.C.E.: Origins

Terms : Hide Images
12189437049Hunting and GatheringMeans of obtaining subsistence by humans before the mastery of sedentary agriculture; normally typical of tribal social organization0
12189437050NeolithicThe New Stone Age between 8000 and 5000 B.C.E.; period in which adaptation of sedentary agriculture occurred; domestication of plants and animals accomplished1
12189437051NomadsCattle- and sheep-herding societies normally found on the fringes of civilized societies; commonly referred to as "barbarian" by civilized societies2
12189437052CultureCombination of ideas, objects, and patterns of behavior that result from human social interaction3
12189437053Neolithic/Agricultural/Agrarian revolutionOccurred between 8000 and 5000 B.C.E.; transition from hunting and gathering to sedentary agriculture4
12189437054PastoralismA nomadic agricultural lifestyle based on herding domesticated animals; tended to produce independent people capable of challenging sedentary agricultural societies5
12189437055MesopotamiaLiterally "between the rivers"; the civilization that arose in the alluvial plain of the Tigris-Euphrates river valleys6
12189437056SumeriansPeople who migrated into Mesopotamia circa 4000 B.C.E.; created the first civilization within the region; organized area into city-states7
12189437057City-stateA form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilization; consisted of agricultural hinterlands ruled by an urban-based king8
12189437058ZigguratsMassive towers usually associated with Mesopotamian temple connections9
12189437059Babylonian EmpireUnified all of Mesopotamia circa 1800 B.C.E.; collapsed due to foreign invasion circa 1600 B.C.E.10
12189437060PharaohThe term used to denote the kings of ancient Egypt; considered a god as well as a political and military leader. The term, "great house" refers to the palace of the pharaohs11
12189437061PyramidsMonumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as burial sites for pharaohs12
12189437062HieroglyphsForm of writing developed in ancient Egypt; more pictorial than Mesopotamian cuneiform13
12189437063MonotheismThe exclusive worship of one god; introduced by Jews into Middle Eastern civilization14
12189437064PhoeniciansSeafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean; established colonies throughout the Mediterranean; extensive trade, communication networks, early alphabetical script15
12189437065Huang he (Yellow) River BasinSite of the development of sedentary agriculture in China16
12189437066Shang1st Chinese dynasty17
12189437067PaleolithicThe period that ended about 3,000 years after the end of the last Ice Age, it lasted until about 10,000 years ago. (Old Stone Age) The period of the Stone Age associated with the evolution of humans. It predates the Neolithic period.18
12189437068Path of migration for humans during Paleolithic eraFrom Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas19
12189437069EgalitarianBelieving in the equality of all peoples20
12189437070Pastoralists were often the developers and disseminators of ____ and ___ that transformed warfare in agrarian civilizationsnew weapons modes of transportation21
12189437072Mediterranean SeaSea connecting Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and N. Africa22
12189437073PolytheismBelief in more than one god23
12189437074Nile RiverPrincipal water source of water flowing through North Africa (site of sophisticated cultural development); flooded regularly and enriched the soil in the process24
12189437075city-stateA sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate surrounding area25
12189437076Babylonan ancient city of Mesopotamia known for its wealth, luxury, and vice.26
12189437077HammurabiBabylonian king who codified the laws of Sumer and Mesopotamia (died 1750 BCE)27
12189437078scribea person who copies or writes out documents; often a record keeper28
12189437079cuneiformA form of writing developed by the Sumerians (Mesopotamia) using a wedge shaped stylus and clay tablets.29
12189437080paleolithicstone age period when human used stone tools and survived by hunting and foraging30
12189437081pastoralismthe process of domestication, raising, and herding of animals31
12189437082specialization of laborpeople in civilizations could be assigned different jobs and statuses in society due to having a surplus of food32
12189437083patriarchythe idea that males have a right to rule and reign over states and families33
12189437084civilizationlarge scale communities that had certain characteristics in common such as: recordkeeping, complex institutions (government, economy, organized religion), cities, specialization of labor, long-distance trade, technology34
12189437085Euphrates and Tigristwo principle Mesopotamian rivers35
12189437086Sumerearliest Mesopotamian city state36
12189437087Hammurabi's Codefirst law code in the world, of Babylonia, dealt with legal contracts and responsibility for wrong doing37
12189437088wheelround object used to move heavy weights and to create vehicles first in Sumer38
12189437089Epic of Gilgameshepic Mesopotamian poem that highlights the stresses of civilization39
12189437090Egypta founding civilization along the Nile in Northeastern Africa40
12189437091HieroglyphicsEgyptian writing (pictographs & symbols representing sounds+ideas)41
12189437092Indus RiverRiver in Northern India on which the first Indian civilizations were built; flooded twice a year in a predictable manner42
12189437093Chinaearliest civilization in Asia43
12189437094Shang DynastyThe dominant people in the earliest Chinese dynasty for which we have written records (ca. 1750-1027 B.C.E.). Ancestor worship, divination by means of oracle bones, and the use of bronze vessels for ritual purposes were major elements of this culture.44
12189437095HinduismTerm for a wide variety of beliefs and ritual practices that have developed in the Indian subcontinent since antiquity. It has roots in ancient Vedic, Buddhist, and south Indian religious concepts and practices.45
12189437096ZoroastrianismFounded by Zoroaster; taught that humans had the freedom to choose between right and wrong, and that goodness would triumph in the end. Marked by dualism between God = Good and the Evil. Influenced Christianity. Was one of the first monotheistic religions.46
12189437097JudaismMonotheistic (belief in one god), founded by Abraham, code of law found in the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible), led to the development of two other Abrahamic religions: Christianity and Islam.47
12189437098ConfucianismThe system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct.48
12189437099Mandate of HeavenA political theory of ancient China in which the emperor is given the power to rule by a divine sources. This tie could be severed by ineffectual rule49
12189437100Oracle bonesbones on which the ruling class in China wrote questions and had them divined by the priestly class50
12189437101irrigation systemsreplacement or supplementation of rainfall with water from another source in order to grow crops51
12189437102Indus River Valley Civilizationan ancient civilization thriving along the Indus River in what is now Pakistan and western India. This civilization is also sometimes referred to as the Harappan or Harappa-Mohenjodaro Civilization of the Indus Valley, in reference to the excavated cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro52
12189437103Alexander the GreatUnited Ancient Greece; Hellenistic Age, conquered a large empire.53
12189437104Socrates and PlatoGreek philosopher and his student54

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!