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

AP World Period 1 Vocab Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
10738402201overfarmingwhen agricultural land loses its fertility when used repeatedly0
10738402202overgrazingthe continual eating of grasses or their roots1
10738402203artifactsobjects made by people in the past2
10738402204homo sapiens sapiensmodern humans3
10738402205Paleolithic Periodearly years of human history; began 2.5 million years ago, ended 10,000 years ago -known for stone tools and weapons4
10738402206Neolithic Revolutiona set of dramatic changes in how people lived based on the development of agriculture5
10738402207monotheismworshiping only one deity6
10738402208Bronze Agebetween 3300-2300 B.C.E.; new metal was such an advance that it gave the era a new name7
10738402209civilizationa large society with cities and powerful states8
10738402210core and foundational civilizatonsthe main 6 river valley civilizations (Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indian, Chinese, and American civilizations) that developed ways of life such as language, religious beliefs, and economic practices that influenced successor civilizations in those regions9
10738402211Jerichoone of humankind's first cities; built on the west bank of the Jordan River10
10738402212Catal Huyukanother ancient city that has well-preserved remains which help historians understand life back then11
10738402213textilesitems made of cloth12
10738402214specialization of laborthe process of allowing people to focus on limited tasks13
10738402215coppermetal found as a pure state in the ground; allowed for the making of bronze14
10738402216bronzemixture of tin and copper; creating a stronger mixture, huge advance15
10738402217hunter-forager(hunter-gatherers) people who survived by hunting animals and foraging for seeds, buts, fruit, and edible roots16
10738402218agriculturethe practice of raising crops or livestock on a continual and controlled basis17
10738402219surplusmore than what a civilization needs for themselves18
10738402220domesticationprocess of taming wild animals so that they could be brought to live with humans19
10738402221nomadic pastoralisma lifestyle based on people moving herds of animals from pasture to pasture20
10738402222kinship groupseveral hunter-forager families that moved together in search of food21
10738402223clana larger group of multiple kinship groups22
10738402224tribemultiple clans combined into a larger group23
10738402225patriarchal societya society dominated by men24
10738402226artisanspeople who made objects people needed (ex: clothing, pottery)25
10738402227merchantspeople who buy and sell goods for a living26
10738402228social stratificationthe system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy27
10738402229preistsmen who supervised religious ceremonies, and explained how ruler's behavior and rulings were based on religious doctrine28
10738402230priestesseswomen who supervised religious ceremonies, and explained how ruler's behavior and rulings were based on religious doctrine29
10738402231Tigris and Euphratesrivers that flow through modern Turkey through Iraq into the Persian Gulf30
10738402232Mesopotamiaarea between the Tigris and Euphrates31
10738402233Fertile Crescentregion that includes parts of Egypt and all of Mesopotamia32
10738402234Carthagea Phoenician colony on the coast of North Africa33
10738402235Saharadesert zone in northern Africa34
10738402236Kalaharidesert zone in southern Africa35
10738402237Nile Riverbegins in the interior of Africa and flows north to empty into the Meditteranean Sea36
10738402238desertificationthe creation of desert-like conditions37
10738402239Indus River Valleyriver valley in India38
10738402240environmental degradationmass deforestation and soil erosion39
10738402241deforestationremoval of large numbers of trees40
10738402242Huang HeYellow River; connects China's northern interior to the Yellow Sea41
10738402243Chiang JiangYangtze River; stretches almost 4,000 miles across Central China42
10738402244loessa type of fertile soil that is yellow in color43
10738402245MesoamericaCentral America and Mexico44
10738402246maizecorn45
10738402247Oceania and Polynesiathe region in the Pacific Ocean; New Guinea, Australia, and other islands46
10738402248division of laborother civilizations beginning to work in areas other than producing food47
10738402249barterthe direct exchange of goods without involving money48
10738402250polytheisticworshiping many gods49
10738402251zigguratslarge stepped pyramids50
10738402252astronomythe study of objects outside Earth's atmosphere51
10738402253astrologythe predicting the future by studying movements of stars and planets52
10738402254Hebrews (Israelites, Jews)lived in the region of Canaan (present-day Isreal, Palestine, and Lebanon)53
10738402255Abrahamfounder of Caanan who left Mesopotamia to settle there; Christians, Jews, and Muslims trace their roots to him54
10738402256Mosesthe man who led the Hebrews out of captivity to Canaan, and also introduced the 10 Commandments55
10738402257Ten Commandmentsa code of conduct that was influential in areas dominated by Christianity56
10738402258Jewish Diasporathe spreading of the Jews throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East57
10738402259theocratsrulers holding both religious and political power58
10738402260Atenthe sun god that Ahkenaton ordered Egypt to worship exclusively59
10738402261mummificationthe removing of the body's internal organs, drying the body with salts and packing its insides and wrapping it with chemically treated cloth60
10738402262AryansIndo-European speaking peoples from Central Asia (Persia)61
10738402263Hindioriginated from Sanskrit (India's sacred language), still widely spoken62
10738402264Vedascollection of Aryan religious hymns, poems, and songs63
10738402265Vedic Ageage of Aryans growing awareness of Dravidian beliefs64
10738402266brahminIndian priest65
10738402267brahmaa universal soul that connects all creatures on Earth66
10738402268dharmarighteous duties and deeds67
10738402269karmafate in the next life68
10738402270mokshaeternal peace or unity with brahma69
10738402271ancestor venerationthe belief that since the spirits of ancestors could speak to gods for them, making offerings to them to win their favor70
10738402272Golden Agea period in society of relative prosperity, peace, and innovation71
10738402273scribesa separate class of people who were skilled at reading and writing a certain language72
10738402274The Epic of Gilgameshthe oldest story on the Earth, written in cuneiform73
10738402275cuneiformworld's first writing system from the Sumerians74
10738402276alphabetic scripta system of symbols/letters that represent the sounds of speech; Phoenicians had a 22 letter alphabet75
10738402277hieroglyphicspicture writing used by the Ancient Egyptians76
10738402278papyrusa type of plant that grew along the Nile River that was used to make a type of paper77
10738402279Book of the Deada paper book that Egyptians put inside the coffins of the dead pharaohs that told the story of the dead person78
10738402280Indo-Europeana set of languages that involved Sanskrit and Latin79
10738402281Sanskritthe sacred language of the Aryans80
10738402282Rig-Vedaa section of the Veda that sheds light on ancient Indian society and their conflicts between Dravidian and Aryan societies, and outlined proper brahmin behavior81
10738402283Upanishadsa foundational text for the set of beliefs that later became known as Hinduism82
10738402284pictographs/glyphsAncient Chinese graphic symbols that represented an an idea, concept or object83
10738402285Austronesian speakersOceanic peoples from southern China who moved from the Philippines and Taiwan84
10738402286feudalismlocal rulers governing as they wished, who paid taxes to the king and provided soldiers for the kings army85
10738402287Sumer and Sumeriansa group of nomadic pastoralists who migrated into Mesopotamia, settling alongiside people already living there86
10738402288Urukthe largest city-state in Sumer with a population of roughly 50,00087
10738402289city-statesa city and the land it controlled; several hundred square miles88
10738402290king and kingdomSumerian military rulers who ruled over a territory89
10738402291BabyloniansPersian invaders that controlled Mesopotamia and built a new capital city called Babylon, thus being known as Babylonians90
10738402292empirethe controlling of a large empire that included diverse cultural groups91
10738402293Phoenicianspeoples who occupied parts of Lebanon, Isreal and Jordan; most commonly known for their strong ships and vast trade network92
10738402294Old Kingdoma period of stability in Egypt in which kings and queens ruled as theocrats, and wielded considerable authority in public life; all land belonged to the pharaoh and were descended from gods; collapsed due to drought, which led to famine93
10738402295Middle Kingdoma period of Egyptian stability in which Mentuhotep II took power, and reunited Egypt under a central government and diminished the power of provincial governors; placed an emphasis on statues/art of the pharaoh that depicted them as wise; built numerous temples and irrigation projects; ended due to invasions from the Hyksos from Syria94
10738402296New Kingdoma period of Egyptian stability in which after the defeat of the Hyksos, pharoahs used their powerful army to expand into Mesopotamia and Nubia; collapsed due to internal chaos and failed defense against aggressive neighbors95
10738402297Hyksosa group of pastoral nomadic people from Syria that invaded Egypt during the Middle Kingdom and were defeated before the New Kingdom96
10738402298Hittitiesa group of people who used iron rools and weapons, who eventually took over areas in Egypt after the fall of Ramses97
10738402299Kushancient kingdom south of Egypt that were mostly dependent on Egypt, controlled Egypt shortly before overthrown by the Assyrians98
10738402300Axumcivilization in present Ethiopia that had an agricultural and trading based economy, had many people converted to Christianity and some to Islam99
10738402301Dravidiansindigenous people of the Indian subcontinent100
10738402302Harappa and Mohenjo-Darotwo centers in the Indus River Valley; had advanced labor systems, a social heriarchy, and sewage systems101
10738402303Chavin civilizationthe civilization that existed in modern Peru centered at Chavin de Huantar; traded, lived in valleys, used llamas for transportation, developed irrigation systems, potter; dissolved into regional groups because had weak political structure102
10738402304Olmecthe civilization that flourished in the east and central Mexico, agricultural, traded with countries many miles away, carved human head statues and constructed massive pyramids, developed a calendar and a number system, used glyphs103
10738402305Easter Islanda place in Oceania where settlers were divided into clans that had a chief and one head chief as a ruler of all clans104
10738402306aboriginalshunter-foragers in Australia that were not fazed by the new agricultural ways of the Austronesian people; kept their nomadic ways105
10738402307Hammurabia Babylonian king who had established control over all of Mesopotamia; also created a law called the Code of Hammurabi (eye for an eye punishment)106
10738402308King MenesEgyptian king who unified Upper and Lower Egypt before the formation of the old, middle, and new kingdoms107
10738402309pharaohthe king or queen that led the Egyptian government108
10738402310Akhenatona pharaoh of the New Kingdom who tried to make Egypt a monotheistic region that followed the sun god Aten; ultimately failed109
10738402311Ramses the Greata powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom that expanded the Egyptian empire into Southwest Asia110
10738402312Xia Dynastythe first Chinese dynasty; had no writing system so little is known111
10738402313Shang Dynastythe second Chinese dynasty; Shang rulers conquered neighboring peoples and established a larger empire112
10738402314Mandate of Heaventhe ancient Chinese idea that a just ruler's power was bestowed by the gods; were referred to as sons of heaven; invasions or natural disasters were signs that a ruler no longer had a Mandate of Heaven113
10738402315Zhou Dynastythe third Chinese dynasty; the longest dynasty of all time; had a Golden Age; expanded into a larger territory and centralized power114

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!