From Hunting and Gathering to Civilizations, 2.5 million-1000 B.C.E.: Origins
Terms : Hide Images
| 12256111912 | Hunting and Gathering | means of obtaining food by humans before the mastery of sedentary agriculture; politically organized by tribal bands, socially egalitarian. |  | 0 |
| 12256111913 | Paleolithic Era | term meaning "Old Stone Age" ending in 12,000 B.C.E.; typified by use of evolving stone tools and hunting and gathering for subsistence |  | 1 |
| 12256111914 | Neolithic Era | term meaning "New Stone Age" (8000 and 5000 B.C.E.); period in which adaptation of sedentary agriculture occurred; domestication of plants and animals accomplished |  | 2 |
| 12256111916 | Mesopotamia | early river civilization, meaning "between the rivers" the Tigris-Euphrates river valleys, including the city-states of Ur and Sumer. |  | 3 |
| 12256111921 | Monotheism | exclusive worship of a single god; examples include Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. |  | 4 |
| 14740657176 | Polytheism | belief in more than one god, goddess or deity |  | 5 |
| 12256111923 | Indus Valley | early river civilization, carefully planned, constructed of mud bricks, drainage, sewage and garbage system, well-organized government; cities include Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. |  | 6 |
| 12256111924 | Yellow River | early river civilization, near the Huang He River in China; may include the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. |  | 7 |
| 12256111929 | Patriarchy | form of social organization in which males are superior to females |  | 8 |
| 12256111931 | Ahura Mazda | god of Zoroastrianism who represents truth, goodness and was perceived to be in an eternal struggle with the malign spirit Angra Mainyu. | 9 | |
| 12256111932 | Alexander the Great | Macedonian ruler of unified Greece (356-323 B.C.E.), son of Philip II, conqueror of the Persian Empire and NW India; ushered in the Hellenistic Age. |  | 10 |
| 12256111933 | Ashoka the Great | The most famous (and last) ruler of the Mauryan Empire (r. 268-232 B.C.E.), converted to Buddhism, ruled peacefully with tolerance, publicized laws on Pillar Edicts. |  | 11 |
| 12256111940 | Han Dynasty | ruling family of imperial China (206 B.C.E. to 221 C.E.), expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy, based heavily on Confucianism. |  | 12 |
| 12256111941 | Hellenistic Era | time period (323-30 B.C.E.) in which Greek culture spread widely in Eurasia across the kingdoms ruled by Alexander's political successors. |  | 13 |
| 12256111942 | Mandate of Heaven | divine source of authority and the right to rule of China's early kings and emperors | 14 | |
| 12256111943 | Mauryan Empire | first centralized empire of India (321-185 BCE) founded by Chandragupta. |  | 15 |
| 12256111946 | Peloponnesian War | conflict between Greek city-states (431 to 404 B.C.E.); weakened Athenian authority and allowed for the conquest of Greece by Philip II of Macedon. |  | 16 |
| 12256111949 | Qin Dynasty | short-lived (221-206 B.C.E.) but highly influential imperial family that succeeded in reuniting China at the end of the "Warring States" period through the implementation of Legalism. |  | 17 |
| 12256111950 | Shi Huangdi | Qin ruler, literal translation for "first emperor" (r. 221-210 B.C.E.), forcibly reunited China and established a strong legalist state. | 18 | |
| 12256111956 | Aristotle | Greek philosopher (384-322 B.C.E.); student of Plato and personal teacher of Alexander the Great. | 19 | |
| 12256111959 | Buddhism | cultural/religious philosophy first articulated by Siddhartha Gautama; originated in India (500 B.C.E.); beliefs include the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. |  | 20 |
| 12256111960 | Confucianism | Chinese philosophy advocating the moral example of superiors as the key element of social order; emphasis on education and filial piety. |  | 21 |
| 14740887599 | Filial Piety | In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors. |  | 22 |
| 12256111963 | Daoism | Chinese philosophy/popular religion that advocates simplicity and understanding of the world of nature, founded by the legendary philosopher Laozi. |  | 23 |
| 12256111965 | Hinduism | religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation, strict social structure and a supreme being who takes many forms. |  | 24 |
| 12256111966 | Laozi | legendary Chinese philosopher of the sixth century B.C.E.; regarded as the founder of Daoism. |  | 25 |
| 12256111967 | Legalism | Chinese philosophy distinguished by an adherence to clear laws with vigorous punishments to legitimize state authority.. |  | 26 |
| 12256111969 | Plato | Greek Philosopher, disciple of Socrates, lived from 429 to 348 B.C.E. | 27 | |
| 12256111970 | Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) | Indian prince turned Hindu ascetic (ca. 566-ca. 486 B.C.E.) who first articulated the philosophy of Buddhism. | 28 | |
| 12256111971 | Socrates | Greek philosopher, regarded as the first to turn rationalism toward questions of human existence (469-399 B.C.E.). |  | 29 |
| 12256111973 | Upanishads | religious text written in Sanskrit, part of the Vedas, articulates the central philosophical concepts and ideas of Hinduism, shared with religious traditions like Buddhism and Jainism. |  | 30 |
| 12256111974 | Vedas | a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. |  | 31 |
| 12256111975 | "Warring States" Period | time of conflict between regional lords following the decline of the Zhou dynasty in the 8th century B.C.E., resulting in a decentralized China. | 32 | |
| 12256111976 | Zarathustra | founder and prophet of Zoroastrianism |  | 33 |
| 12256111977 | Zoroastrianism | Persian monotheistic religion based on the struggle between good and evil, founded by the prophet Zarathustra. |  | 34 |
| 14740356070 | Norte Chico | early river civilization, central coast of Peru (3000-1800 B.C.E.), major city of Caral was the largest of some twenty-five urban centers that emerged in the area at that time. |  | 35 |
| 14740363647 | Olmec | earliest-known Mesoamerican river civilization, flourished around 1200 B.C. and influenced later societies throughout the region (Maya, Aztec). |  | 36 |
| 14740368115 | Nile River Valley | early river civilizations in NE Africa, gave rise to the kingdoms of Egypt and Nubia. | 37 | |
| 14740380649 | Daodejing | central sacred text of Daoism; translated as "The Way and Its Power". | 38 | |
| 14741068478 | Analects | sacred writings that stresses the values and ideas of Confucianism. | 39 | |
| 14740382075 | Han Fei | founder of the Chinese philosophy of Legalism | 40 | |
| 14740386384 | Jesus of Nazareth | teacher and prophet whose life and teachings form the basis of Christianity, believed to be the son of God. | 41 | |
| 14740390846 | Samsara | the cycle of life and rebirth in Hinduism, also included in some branches of Buddhism. | 42 | |
| 14740394696 | Brahmin | the highest of the four classes of the Indian caste system, traditionally made up of priests/religious teachers. |  | 43 |
| 14740413653 | Greek Rationalism | secular belief system of scientific and philosophic thought that developed in SE Europe (600 to 300 B.C.E.); it emphasized the power of education and human reason to understand the world in non religious terms. |  | 44 |
| 14740426758 | Judaism | an ancient, monotheistic, Abrahamic religion with the Torah as its foundational text, worship of Yahweh; ethnic religion of the Hebrew people. |  | 45 |
| 14743062994 | Christianity | monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth; influenced by the practices of Judaism and the Abrahamic tradition. |  | 46 |
