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| 4779689435 | Paleolithic Age | The stone age ending in 12,000 B.C.E.; typified by use of crude stone tools and hunting and gathering for subsistence. | 0 | |
| 4779695502 | Homo sapiens sapiens | The humanoid species that emerged as most successful at the end of the Paleolithic period. | 1 | |
| 4779702324 | Neolithic Age | The new stone age between 8000 and 5000B.C.E.; period in which adaptation of sedentary agriculture occurred; domestication of plants and animals accomplished. | 2 | |
| 4779709296 | Neolithic revolution | The succession of technological changes in human organization that led to the development of agriculture, 8500-3500B.C.E. | 3 | |
| 4779712987 | Hunting and Gathering | The original human economy, ultimately eclipsed by agriculture; groups hunt for meat and forage for grains, nuts, and berries. | 4 | |
| 4779718684 | Catal Huyuk | Early urban culture based on sedentary agriculture; located in modern southern Turkey; was larger in population than Jericho, had greater degree of social stratification. | 5 | |
| 4779724723 | Bronze Age | From about 4000 B.C.E., when bronze tools were first introduced in the middle east, to about 1500 B.C.E., when iron began to replace it. | 6 | |
| 4779728378 | Nomads | Cattle- and sheep-herding societies normally founded on the fringes of civilized societies; commonly referred to as "barbarian" by civilized societies. | 7 | |
| 4779733379 | Mesopotamia | Literally "between the rivers"; the civilizations that arose in the alluvial plain of the Tigris and the Euphrates river valleys. | 8 | |
| 4779736154 | Sumerians | People who migrated into Mesopotamia c. 4000 B.C.E.; created first civilization within region; organized area into city-states. | 9 | |
| 4779739949 | Cuneiform | A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge-shaped stylus and clay tablets. | 10 | |
| 4779744412 | Ziggurats | Massive towers usually associated with Mesopotamia temple complexes. | 11 | |
| 4779747003 | City-state | A form of political organization typical of Mesopotamia civilizations; consisted of agricultural hinterlands ruled by an urban-based king. | 12 | |
| 4780316515 | Babylonians | Unified all of Mesopotamia c. 1800 B.C.E.; empire collapsed due to foreign invasion c. 1600 B.C.E. | 13 | |
| 4780321235 | Hammurabi | The most important ruler of the Babylonian empire; responsible for codification of law. | 14 | |
| 4780325232 | Pharaoh | Title of kings of ancient Egypt. | 15 | |
| 4780328061 | Pyramids | Monumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as burial sights for pharaohs. | 16 | |
| 4780333309 | Kush | An African state that developed along the upper reaches of the Nile c. 1000 B.C.E.; conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries. | 17 | |
| 4780341091 | Indus River | River sources in Himalayas to mouth in Arabian Sea; location of Harappan civilization. | 18 | |
| 4780344629 | Harappa | Along with Mohenjodaro, major urban complex of the Harappan civilization; laid out on planned grid pattern. | 19 | |
| 4780349236 | Aryans | Indo-European nomadic pastoralists who replaced Harappan civilization; militarized society. | 20 | |
| 4780354021 | Vedas | Aryan hymns originally transmitted orally but written down in sacred books from the 6th century B.C.E. | 21 | |
| 4780359651 | Mahabharata | Indian epic of war, princely honor, love, and social duty; written down in the last centuries B.C.E.; previously handed down in oral form. | 22 | |
| 4780369924 | Ramayana | One of the great epic tales from classical India; traces adventures of king Rama and his wife, Sita; written 4th to 2nd centuries B.C.E. | 23 | |
| 4780375405 | Upanishads | Later books of the Vedas; contained sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas; utilized by Brahmans to restore religious authority. | 24 | |
| 4780382860 | Yellow River | Also known as the Huanghe; site of development of sedentary agriculture in China. | 25 | |
| 4780387380 | Ideographs | Pictographic characters grouped together to create new concepts; typical of Chinese writing. | 26 | |
| 4780392419 | Shang | First Chinese dynasty fro which archeological evidence exists; capital located in Ordos bulge of the Huanghe; flourished 1600 to 1046 B.C.E. | 27 | |
| 4780397795 | Olmecs | People of a cultural tradition that arose at San Lorenzo and La Venta in Mexico c. 1200 B.C.E.; featured irrigation agriculture, urbanism, elaborate religion, beginnings of calendrical and writing systems. | 28 | |
| 4780405558 | Chavin de Huantar | Chavin culture appeared in highlands of Andes between 1800 and 1200 B.C.E.; typified by ceremonial centers with large stone buildings; greatest ceremonial center was Chavin de Hauntar; characterized by artistic motifs. | 29 | |
| 4780415949 | Pheonicians | Seafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean; established colonies throughout the Mediterranean. | 30 | |
| 4780419801 | Monotheism | The exclusive worship of a single god; introduced by the Jews into western civilization. | 31 | |
| 4915099106 | Shi Huangdi | Founder of the brief Qin Dynasty in 221B.C.E. | 32 | |
| 4915107017 | Qin | Dynasty established in 221B.C.E. at the end of the Warring states period following the decline of the Zhou dynasty; fell in 207B.C.E. | 33 | |
| 4915131135 | Han | Chinese dynasty that succeeded the Qin in 202B.C.E.; ruled for next 400 years | 34 | |
| 4915146937 | Zhou | Originally a vassal family of Shang china; possible Turkic in origin; overthrew the Shang and established second historical Chinese dynasty that flourished 1122 to 256B.C.E. | 35 | |
| 4915162150 | Great Wall | Chinese defensive fortification intended to keep out the nomadic invaders from the north; initiated during the Qin dynasty and reign of Shi Huangdi | 36 | |
| 4915192189 | Confucius | Also known as Kong Fuzi; major Chinese philosopher born in 6th century B.C.E.; author of analects; philosophy based on need for restoration on order through advice of superior men to be found among the shi. | 37 | |
| 4915228398 | Buddha | Creator of a major indian and asain religion; born in 6th century B.C.E. as son of local ruler among Aryan tribes located near Himalayas; became an ascetic; found enlightment under bo tree; taught that enlightment could be achieved only by abandoning desires for all earthly things | 38 | |
| 4915329661 | Alexander the great | Successor of Philip II; successfully conquered Persian empire prior to his death in 323B.C.E.; attempted to combine Greek and Persian cultures | 39 | |
| 4915374273 | Himalayas | Mountain region marking the northern border of the Indian subcontinent; site of the Aryan settlements that formed small kingdoms or warrior republics | 40 | |
| 4915387509 | Monsoons | Seasonal winds crossing Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia; during summer bring rains | 41 | |
| 4915395783 | Sanskrit | The sacred and classical Indian language | 42 | |
| 4915405341 | Varnas | Clusters of caste groups in Aryan society; four social castes- brahmans(priests), warriors, merchants, and peasants; beneath four Aryan castes was the group of socially untouchable Dasas | 43 | |
| 4915449212 | Untouchables | Low social caste in Hindu culture; performed tasks that were considered polluting- street sweeping, removal of human waste, and tanning | 44 | |
| 4915497233 | Indra | Chief deity of the Aryans; depicted as a colossal, hard-drinking warrior | 45 | |
| 4915542771 | Chandragupta Maurya | Founder of Maurya dynasty; established first empire in Indian subcontinent; first centralized government since Harappan civilization | 46 | |
| 4915583399 | Mauryan | Dynasty established in Indian subcontinent in 4th century B.C.E. following invasion by Alexander the Great | 47 | |
| 4915683822 | Ashoka | Grandson of Chandragupta Maurya; completed conquests of Indian subcontinent; converted to Buddhism and sponsored spread of new religion throughout his empire | 48 | |
| 4915708892 | Dharma | The caste position and career determined by a person's birth; Hindu culture required that one accept one's social position and perform occupation to the best of one's ability in order to have a better situation in the next life. | 49 | |
| 4915774490 | Guptas | Dynasty that succeeded the Kushans in the 3rd century C.E.; built empire that extended to all but the southern regions of Indian subcontinent; less centralized than Mauryan empire | 50 | |
| 4915844923 | Kautilya | Political advisor to Chandragupta Mauryan; one of the authors of Arthashastra; believed in scientific application of warfare | 51 | |
| 4915870694 | Gurus | Originally referred to as brahmans who served as teachers for the princes of the imperial court of the Guptas | 52 | |
| 4915882706 | Vishnu | The brahman, later Hindu, god of sacrifice; widely worshipped | 53 | |
| 4915920974 | Shiva | Hindu, god of destruction and reproduction; worshipped as the personification of cosmic forces of change | 54 | |
| 4915977953 | Reincarnation | The successive attachment of the soul to some animate form according to merits earned in previous lives | 55 | |
| 4915985956 | Nirvana | The Buddhist state of enlightenment, a state of tranquility | 56 | |
| 4958258629 | Kamasutra | Written by Vatsayana during Gupta era; offered instructions on all aspects of life for high caste males, including grooming, hygiene, etiquette, selection of wives, and lovemaking | 57 | |
| 4958279264 | Stupas | Stone shrines built to house pieces of bone or hair and personal possessions said to be relics of the Buddha; preserved Buddhist architecture tectural forms. | 58 | |
| 4958299738 | Scholar-gentry | Chinese class created by the material linkage of the local land-holding aristocracy with the office-holding shi; superseded shi as governors of China | 59 | |
| 4958319108 | Cyrus the Great | Established massive Persian empire by 550 B.C.E.; successor state to Mesopotamian empires | 60 | |
| 4958330569 | Zoroastrianism | Animist religion that saw material existence as battle between forces of good and evil; stressed the importance of moral choice; righteous lived on after death in "house of song"; chief religion of Persian empire | 61 | |
| 4958349173 | Olympic games | One of the Pan-Hellenic rituals observed by all Greek city-states; involved athletic completions and ritual celebrations | 62 | |
| 4958359062 | Pericles | Athenian political leader during 5th century B.C.E.; guided development of Athenian empire; died during early stages of Peloponnesian war | 63 | |
| 4958374815 | Peloponnesian War | Wars from 431 to 404B.C.E. between Athens and Sparta fro dominance in southern Greece; resulted in Sparta victory but failure to achieve political unification of Greece | 64 | |
| 4958391391 | Phillip of Macedonia | Ruled Macedonia from 359 to 336 B.C.E.; founder of centralized kingdom; later conquered rest of Greece, which was subjected to Macedonian authority | 65 | |
| 4958401245 | Hellenistic | That culture associated with the spread of Greek influence as a result of Macedonian conquests; often seen as the combination of Greek culture with eastern political forms | 66 | |
| 4958415285 | Roman Republic | The balanced constitution of Rome from c. 510 to 47 B.C.E.; featured an aristocratic Senate, a panel of magistrares, and several popular assemblies | 67 | |
| 4958425666 | Punic Wars | Fought between Rome and Carthage to establish dominance in the western Mediterranean; won by Rome after three separate comflicts | 68 | |
| 4958434116 | Carthage | Originally a Phoenician colony in northern Africa; became a major port and commercial power in the western Mediterranean | 69 | |
| 4958442824 | Hannibal | Great Carthaginian general during Second Punic War; successfully invaded Italy but failed to conquer Rome; finally defeated at Battle of Zama | 70 | |
| 4958454058 | Caesar, Julius | Roman general responsible for conquest of Gaul; brought army back to Rome and overthrew republic; assassinated in 44B.C.E. by conservative senators | 71 | |
| 4958466408 | Caesar, Augustus | Name given to Octavian following his defeat of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra; first emperor of Rome | 72 | |
| 4958475940 | Diocletian | Roman emperor from 284 to 305 C.E.; restored later empire by improved administration and tax collection | 73 | |
| 4958490533 | Constantine | Roman emperor from 312 to 337 C.E.; establish second capital at Constantinople; attempted to use religious force of Christianity to unify empire spiritually | 74 | |
| 4958503210 | Polis | City-state form of government; typical of Greek political organization from 800 to 400 B.C.E. | 75 | |
| 4958509334 | Direct democracy | Where people participate directly in assemblies that make laws and select leaders, rather than electing representatives | 76 | |
| 4958522406 | Senate | Assembly of Roman aristocrats; advised on policy within the republic; one of the early elements of the Roman constitution | 77 | |
| 4958530483 | Consuls | Two chief executives or magistrates of the Roman republic; elected by an annual assembly dominated by aristocracy | 78 | |
| 4958543728 | Aristotle | Greek philosopher; teacher of Alexander the Great; knowledge based on observation of phenomena in material world | 79 | |
| 4958551813 | Cicero | Conservative Roman senator; Stoic philosopher; one of great orators of his day; killed in reaction to assassination of Julius Caesar | 80 | |
| 4958564543 | Stoics | Hellenistic group of philosophers; emphasized inner moral independence cultivated by strict discipline of the body and personal bravery | 81 | |
| 4958576824 | Socrates | Athenian philosopher of later 5th century B.C.E.; tutor of Plato; urged rational reflection of moral decisions; condemned to death for corrupting minds of Athenian young | 82 | |
| 4958600948 | Sophocles | Greek writer of tragedies; author of Oedipus Rex | 83 | |
| 4958606556 | Iliad | Greek epic poem attributed to Homer but possibly the work of many authors; defined gods and human nature that shaped Greek mythos | 84 | |
| 4958615372 | Odyssey | Greek epic poem attributed to Homer but possibly the work of many authors; defined gods and human nature that shaped Greek mythos | 85 | |
| 4958626176 | Doric | Along with Ionian and Corinthian, distinct style of Hellenistic architecture; the least ornate of the three styles | 86 | |
| 4958644179 | Ionic | Along with Doric and Corinthian, distinct style of Hellenistic architecture; more ornate than Doric but less than Corinthian | 87 | |
| 4958657355 | Corinthian | Along with Doric and Ionian, distinct style of Hellenistic architecture; the most ornate of the three styles | 88 | |
| 4958670436 | Axum | Kingdom located in Ethiopian Highlands; replaced Meroe in first century C.E.; received strong influence from Arabian peninsula; eventually converted to Christianity | 89 | |
| 4958685252 | Ethiopia | A Christian kingdom that developed in the highlands of eastern Africa under the dynasty of King Lalibela; retained Christianity in the face of Muslim expansion elsewhere in Africa | 90 | |
| 4958698054 | Sahara | Desert running across northern Africa; separates the Mediterranean coast from southern Africa | 91 | |
| 4960065433 | Shintoism | Religion of early Japanese culture; devotees worshipped numerous gods and sprits associated with the natural world; offers for food and prayers made to gods and nature spirits | 92 | |
| 4960083771 | Teotihuacan | Site of classical culture in central Mexico; urban center with important religious functions; supported by intensive agriculture in surrounding regions; population of as much as 200,00 | 93 | |
| 4960104673 | Maya | classical culture emerging in southern Mexico and Central America contemporary with Teotihuacan; extended over broad region; featured monumental architecture, written language, calendrical and mathematical systems, highly developed religion | 94 | |
| 4960123273 | Inca | Group of clans centered at Cuzco that were able to create empire incorporating various Andean cultures; term also used for leader of empire | 95 | |
| 4960135773 | Polynesia | Islands contained in a rough triangle whose points lie in Hawaii, New Zealand, and Easter Island | 96 | |
| 4960149851 | Yellow Turbans | Chinese Daoists who launched a revolt in 184 C.E. in China promising a golden age to be brought about by divine magic | 97 | |
| 4960175465 | Sui | Dynasty that succeeded the Han in China; emerged from strong rulers in northern China; united all of China and reconquered southern China | 98 | |
| 4960187044 | Tang | Dynasty that succeeded the sui in 618C.E.; more stable than the previous dynasty | 99 | |
| 4960194651 | Harsha | Ruler who followed Guptas In India; briefly constructed a loose empire in northern India between 616 and 657 C.E. | 100 | |
| 4960242805 | Rajput | Regional princes in western India; emphasized military control of their groups | 101 | |
| 4960249501 | Devi | Mother goddess within Hinduism; widely spread following collapse of Guptas; encouraged new emotionalism in religious ritual | 102 | |
| 4960266957 | Islam | Major world religion having its origins in 610 C.E. in the Arabian peninsula; meaning literally submission; based on prophecy of Muhammad | 103 | |
| 4969592092 | Byzantine empire | Eastern half of Roman Empire following collapse of western half of old empire; retained Mediterranean culture, particularly Greek; later lost Palestine, Syria, and Egypt to Islam; capital at Constantinople | 104 | |
| 4969622408 | Augustine (saint) | Influential church father and theologian; born in Africa and ultimately bishop of Hippo in Africa; champion of Christian doctrine against various heresies and very important in long-term development of Christian thought on such issues as predestination | 105 | |
| 4969648132 | Coptic | Christian sect in Egypt, later tolerated after Islamic takeover | 106 | |
| 4969656687 | Mahayana | Chinese version of Buddhism; placed considerable emphasis on Buddha as god or savior | 107 | |
| 4969661149 | Bodhisattvas | Buddhist holy men and women; built up spiritual merits during their lifetimes; prayers even after death could aid people to achieve reflected holiness | 108 | |
| 4969674335 | Jesus of Nazareth | Prophet and teacher among Jews; believed by Christians to be the Messiah; executed c. 30 C.E. | 109 | |
| 4969694451 | Paul | One of the first Christian missionaries; moved away from insistence that adherents of the new religion follow Jewish law; use of Greek as language of Church | 110 | |
| 4969725167 | Pope | Bishop of Rome; head of the Christian Church in western Europe | 111 | |
| 4969734146 | Council of Nicaea | Christina council that met in 325 C.E. to determine orthodoxy with respect to the Trinity; insisted on divinity of all persons of the Trinity | 112 | |
| 4969747351 | Benedict of Nursia | Founder of monasticism in what had been the western half of the Roman Empire; established Benedictine Rule in the 6th century; paralleled development of Basil's rules in Byzantine empire | 113 |
