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AP World History Unit 2 Vocabulary Flashcards

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470612606Cyrus the Great(c. 576 or 590-529 B.C.E.); founded Persian Empire by 550 B.C.E.; successor state to Mesopotamian empires; died in Egypt; people are free to worship their own god as long as they recognize him as emperor0
470612607ZoroastrianismPersian religion that saw material existence as a battle between the forces of good and evil; stressed the importance of moral choice; a last judgment decided the eternal fate of each person; Zoroaster → the prophet; good = light, bad = darkness;1
470612608Hellenismculture derived from the Greek civilization that flourished between 800 and 400 B.C.E.2
470612609Hellenistic cultureculture associated with the spread of Greek influence and intermixture with other cultures as a result of Macedonian conquests.3
470612610Iliad and OdysseyGreek epic poems attributed to Homer; defined relations of gods and humans that shaped Greek mythology4
470612611Poliscity-state form of government typical of Greek political organization from 800 to 400 B.C.E.; means city5
470612612SocratesAthenian philosopher of late 5th century B.C.E.; condemned to death for "corrupting" minds of Athenian young; usually seen as the father of western philosophy; people should teach by asking questions; did not approve of democracy (Athens was a democracy); took poisoned hemlock as suicide6
470612613Direct democracyliterally, rule of the people—in Athens it meant all free male citizens; all decisions emanated from the popular assembly without intermediation of elected representatives: "demos" means people; "cratos" means power; republic is a type of government where you vote for leaders/desicions7
470612614PericlesAthenian political leader during 5th century B.C.E.; guided development of Athenian Empire; made funeral oration; great democratic thinker (would have opposed Socrates)8
470612615Olympic gamesone of the pan-Hellenic rituals observed by all Greek city states; involved athletic competitions and ritual celebrations; only for men (in honor of Zeus)9
470612616Persian Wars5th century B.C.E. wars between the Persian Empire and Greek city-states; Greek victories allowed Greek civilization to define identity.10
470612617Peloponnesian Warwar from 431 to 404 B.C.E. between Athens and Sparta for domination in Greece; the Spartans won but failed to achieve political unification in Greece.11
470612618Macedonkingdom of northern Greece; originally loosely organized under kings; became centralized under Philip II; conquered Greek city-states.12
470612619Philip IIruled Macedon from 359 to 336 B.C.E.; founder of centralized kingdom; conquered Greece; assassinated by his wife (she issued an order)13
470612620Alexander the Great(r. 336-323 B.C.E.); son and successor of Philip II; conquered Persian Empire and advanced to borders of India; attempted to combine Greek and Persian culture; taught by Aristotle14
470612621AlexandriaEgyptian city; founded 334 B.C.E. by Alexander the Great15
470612622AristotleGreek philosopher; teacher of Alexander; taught that knowledge was based upon observation of phenomena in material world.16
470612623StoicsHellenistic philosophers; they emphasized inner moral independence cultivated by strict discipline of the body and personal bravery; Stoicism - name of the philosophy17
470612624SophoclesGreek writer of tragedies; author of Oedipus Rex; "rex" means king18
470612625Doric, Ionic, Corinthianthree distinct styles of Hellenic architecture; listed in order of increasing ornate quality; Greeks preferred Doric while Romans preferred Corinthian19
470612626Consulstwo chief executives (co-presidents) of the Roman republic; elected annually by the assembly dominated by the aristocracy.20
470612627Carthagefounded by the Phoenicians in Tunisia; became a major empire in the western Mediterranean; fought the Punic wars with Rome for Mediterranean dominance; defeated and destroyed by the Romans.21
470612628Punic Warsthree wars (264-146 B.C.E.) between Rome and the Carthaginians; saw the transformation of Rome from a land to a sea power.22
470612629HannibalCarthaginian general during the second Punic War; invaded Italy but failed to conquer Rome.23
470612630Republicthe balanced political system of Rome from circa 510 to 47 B.C.E.; featured an aristocratic senate, a panel of magistrates, and popular assemblies.24
470612631Julius Caesargeneral responsible for the conquest of Gaul; brought army back to Rome and overthrew republic; assassinated in B.C.E.by conservative senators.25
470612632Octavianlater took name of Augustus; Julius Caesar's grandnephew and adopted son; defeated conservative senators after Caesar's assassination; became first Roman emperor.26
470612633Ciceroconservative senator and Stoic philosopher; one of the great orators of his day.27
470612634Vergila great Roman epic poet during the Golden Age of Latin literature; author of the Aeneid.28
470612635Axuma state in the Ethiopian highlands; received influences from the Arabian peninsula; converted to Christianity; later part of Ethiopia29
470612636Shintoreligion of the early Japanese court; included the worship of numerous gods and spirits associated with the natural world.30
470612637Pastoral nomadsany of the many peoples, from the steppes of Asia that herded animals; migrants (Mongols); use of gunpowder ended them31
470612638Celtsearly migrants into western Europe; organized into small regional kingdoms; had mixed agricultural and hunting economies.32
470612639Germanspeoples from beyond the northern borders of the Roman Empire; had mixed agricultural and pastoral economies; moved into the Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th centuries C.E.33
470612640SlavsIndo-European peoples who ultimately dominated much of eastern Europe; formed regional kingdoms by the 5th century C.E.34
470612641Olmeccultural tradition that arose at San Lorenzo and La Venta in Mexico circa 1200 B.C.E.; featured irrigated agriculture, urbanism, elaborate religion, beginnings of calendrical and writing systems.35
470612642Polynesiaislands contained in a rough triangle with its points at Hawaii, New Zealand, and Easter Island.36
470612643Yellow TurbansChinese Daoists who launched a revolt in 184 C.E, promising a golden age to be brought about by divine magic.37
470612644Suidynasty succeeding the Han; grew from strong rulers in northern China; reunited China.38
470612645Tangdynasty succeeding the Sui in 618 C.E39
470612646Rajputregional military princes in India following the collapse of the Gupta Empire.40
470612647Devimother goddess within Hinduism; devotion to her spread widely after the collapse of the Gupta and encouraged new emotionalism in religious ritual.41
470612648DiocletianRoman emperor (284-305 C.E); restored later empire by improved administration and tax collection.42
470612649ConstantineRoman emperor (321-337 C.E); established his capital at Constantinople; used Christianity to unify the empire.43
470612650Byzantine Empireeastern half of the Roman Empire; survived until 1453; retained Mediterranean, especially Hellenistic culture.44
470612651Mahayanaversion of Buddhism popular in China; emphasized Buddha's role as a savior.45
470612652BodhisattvasBuddhist holy men who refused advance toward nirvana to receive prayers of the living to help them reach holiness.46
470612653Saintsholy men and women in Christianity; their merit could be tapped by ordinary Christians.47
470612654PopeBishop of Rome; head of the Catholic church in western Europe.48
470612655AugustineNorth African Christian theologian; made major contributions in incorporating elements of classical philosophy into Christianity.49
470612656Benedictfounder of monasticism in the former western half of the Roman Empire; established the Benedictine rule in the 6th century.50
470612657Bedouinnomadic pastoralists of the Arabian peninsula with a culture based on herding camels and goats; most valuable animals were horses, camels, and goats51
470612658Shaykhsleaders of tribes and clans within bedouin society; usually possessed large herds, several wives, and many children; today, they would be multi-millionaires52
470612659MeccaArabian commercial center; dominated by the Quraysh; the home of Muhammad and the future religious center of Islam53
470612660Medinatown northeast of Mecca; asked Muhammad to resolve its intergroup differences; Muhammad's flight to this town is called the hijra, in 622 AD, began the Muslim calendar; means "town"54
470612661Umayyadclan/tribe that dominated Mecca; later an Islamic dynasty (first Muslim dynasty)55
470612662Muhammad(570-632); prophet of Allah; originally a merchant of the Quraysh; "the seal of the prophets"56
470612663Khadijahthe wife of Muhammad; first Muslim, or disciple of Muhammad57
470612664Ka'barevered pre-Islamic shrine in Mecca; incorporated into Muslim worship; most holy place in Islam; Muslims believed that Abraham built it; "Black Box"58
470612665Qur'anthe word of god as revealed through Muhammad; made into the holy book of Islam; "recitations of God"59
470612666Ummacommunity of the faithful within Islam60
470612667Zakattax for charity obligatory for all Muslims; like "tithe"61
470612668Five pillarsthe obligatory religious duties for all Muslims: confession of faith, prayer (five times a day), fasting during Ramadan, zakat, and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)62
470612669Caliphthe successor to Muhammad as head of the Islamic community; religious king63
470612670Alicousin and son-in-law of Muhammad; one of the orthodox caliphs; focus for the development of shi'ism (branch of Islam)64
470612671Abu Bakrsucceeded Muhammad as the first caliph65
470612672JihadIslamic holy war66
470612673Siffinbattle fought in 657 between Ali and the Umayyads; led to negotiations that fragmented Ali's party67
470612674Copts, NestoriansChristian sects of Egypt and Syria; gave their support to the Arabic Muslims68
470612675Sunnisfollowers of the majority interpretation within Islam; included the Umayyads69
470612676Shi'afollowers of Ali's interpretation of Islam; 10% live in Iraq and Iran70
470612677Mawalinon-Arab converts to Islam71
470612678Jizyahead tax paid by all non-Muslims in Islamic lands (Christians, Jews, etc.)72
470612679Dhimmis"the people of the book," Jews, Christians; later extended to Zoroastrians and Hindus73
470612680Abbasidsdynasty that succeeded the Umayyads in 750; their capital was at Baghdad74
470612681Hadiths"traditions" of the prophet Muhammad; added to the Qur'an, form the essential writings of Islam; not as important as the Qur'an75
470612682BaghdadAbbasid capital, close to the old Persian capital of Ctesiphon76
470612683Wazirchief administrative official under the Abbasids; Vizier → like prime minister of England, but in Muslim culture77
470612684DhowsArab sailing vessels; equipped with lateen sails; used by Arab merchants; Columbus uses this design later in his ships78

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