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AP World History Unit #1 Vocabulary #1 Flashcards

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120031851Agricultural RevolutionThe transition from foraging to the cultivation of food occurring about 8000-2000 B.C.E; also known as the Neolithic Revolution0
120031852ArtifactAn object made by human hands1
120031853Alexander the GreatKing of Macedon (336-323), the son of Philip II. He was a pupil of Aristotle. After his succession he invaded Persia, liberating the Greek cities in Asia Minor, and then defeating the Persians in Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia. While in Egypt he founded Alexandria (332 BC), his first and best-known city2
120031854AristocracyRule by a privileged hereditary class or nobility3
120031855AristotleGreek philosopher and scientist. A pupil of Plato and tutor to Alexander the Great, in 335 BC he founded a school and library (the Lyceum) outside Athens. His surviving written works constitute a vast system of analysis, including logic, physical science, zoology, psychology, metaphysics, ethics, politics, and rhetoric. He established the inductive method of reasoning and proposed a system for the classification of plants and animals.4
120031856artisana craftsman5
120031857CivilizationA cultural group with advanced cities, complex institutions, skilled workers, advanced technology, and a system of recordkeeping6
120031858climateThe pattern of temperature and precipitation over a period of time7
120031859Cultural DiffusionThe transmission of ideas and products from one culture to another8
120031860CuneiformA system of writing originating in Mesopotamia in which a wedge-shaped stylus was used to press symbols into clay tablets9
120031861DemocracyA political system in which the people rule10
120031862DynastyA series of rulers from the same family11
120031863ForagingA term for hunting and gathering12
120031864Geocentric TheoryThe belief held by many before the Scientific Revolution that the earth is the center of the universe13
120031865HieroglyphicsA system of picture writing used in Egypt14
120031866Hellenistic AgeThe era (c. 323-30 B.C.E) in which Greek culture blended with Persian and other Eastern influences spread throughout the former empire of Alexander the Great15
120031867Independent InventionThe development of innovation or technology independent of cultural diffusion16
120031868Indo-EuropeansA group pf semi-nomadic peoples who, around 2000 B.C.E., began to migrate from central Asia to India, Europe, and the Middle East17
120031869JatiOne of the many sub-castes in the Hindu caste system18
120031870MonsoonA seasonal wind19
120031871Mandate of HeavenThe concept developed by the Zhou dynasty that the deity granted a dynasty the right to rule and took away that right if the dynasty did not rule wisely20
120031872MatrilinealReferring to a social system in which descent and inheritance are traced through their mother21
120031873Mystery ReligionDuring the Hellenistic Age, religions that promised their faithful followers eternity in a state of bliss22
120031874Neolithic AgeFinal stage of technological development or cultural evolution among prehistoric humans. It is characterized by the use of stone tools shaped by polishing or grinding, the domestication of plants or animals, the establishment of permanent villages, and the practice of such crafts as pottery and weaving.23
120031875Neolithic RevolutionThe discovery of farming and the domestication of animals brought an end to the slow development of the hunting societies of the PALAEOLITHIC and MESOLITHIC periods and initiated a time of rapid change that soon produced metal-working, cities, states, and empires.24
120031876Oracle BonesAnimal bones or shells used by the Chinese priests to receive messages from the gods25
120031877PatriarchalPertaining to a social system in which the father is the head of the family26
120031878PharaohAn Egyptian monarch27
120031879PolytheismThe belief in many gods28
120031880Pax RomanaThe Roman Peace; the period of prosperity and stability throughout the Roman Empire in the first two centuries C.E.29
120031881Paterfamiliasthe head of Roman family life; the oldest living male who looked after the family's business affairs and property and could perform religious rites on their behalf; he had absolute rule over his household and children. If they angered him, he had the legal right to disown his children, sell them into slavery or even kill them.30
120031882SteppeA dry grassland31
120031883Slash and Burn AgricultureA agricultural method in which farmers clear fields by cutting and burning trees, then use the ashes as fertilizer32
120031884Specialization of LaborThe division of labor that aids the development of skills in a particular type of work33
120031885ZigguratA multilayered pyramid constructed by Mesopotamians34

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