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WCDS AP World History Period 2 Flashcards

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8392076709Alexander the GreatAlexander III of Macedon (356-323 B.C.E.), conqueror of the Persian Empire and part of northwest India.0
8392076710AryansIndo-European pastoralists who moved into India about the time of the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization; their role in causing this collapse is still debated by historians.1
8392076711AshokaThe most famous ruler of the Mauryan Empire (r. 268-232 B.C.E.), who converted to Buddhism and tried to rule peacefully and with tolerance.2
8392076712Athenian democracyA radical form of direct democracy in which much of the free male population of Athens had the franchise and officeholders were chosen by lot.3
8392076713Caesar AugustusThe great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar who emerged as sole ruler of the Roman state at the end of an extended period of civil war (r. 31 B.C.E.-14 C.E.).4
8392076714Cyrus (the Great)Founder of the Persian Empire (r. 557-530 B.C.E.); a ruler noted for his conquests, religious tolerance, and political moderation.5
8392076715Darius IGreat king of Persia (r. 522-486 B.C.E.) following the upheavals after Cyrus's death; completed the establishment of the Persian Empire.6
8392076716Greco-Persian WarsTwo major Persian invasions of Greece, in 490 B.C.E. and 480 B.C.E., in which the Persians were defeated on both land and sea.7
8392076717Gupta EmpireAn empire of India (320-550 C.E.).8
8392076718Han dynastyDynasty that ruled China from 206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E., creating a durable state based on Shihuangdi's state-building achievement.9
8392076719Hellenistic eraThe period from 323 to 30 B.C.E. in which Greek culture spread widely in Eurasia in the kingdoms ruled by Alexander's political successors.10
8392076720HerodotusGreek historian known as the "father of history" (ca. 484-ca. 425 B.C.E.). His Histories enunciated the Greek view of a fundamental divide between East and West, culminating in the Greco-Persian Wars of 490-480 B.C.E.11
8392076721hopliteA heavily armed Greek infantryman. Over time, the ability to afford a hoplite panoply and to fight for the city came to define Greek citizenship.12
8392076723Mandate of HeavenThe ideological underpinning of Chinese emperors, this was the belief that a ruler held authority by command of divine force as long as he ruled morally and benevolently.13
8392076725Mauryan EmpireA major empire (322-185 B.C.E.) that encompassed most of India.14
8392076726Olympic GamesGreek religious festival and athletic competition in honor of Zeus; founded in 776B.C.E. and celebrated every four years.15
8392076727PatriciansWealthy, privileged Romans who dominated early Roman society.16
8392076728Pax RomanaThe "Roman peace," a term typically used to denote the stability and prosperity of the early Roman Empire, especially in the first and second centuries C.E.17
8392076729Peloponnesian WarGreat war between Athens (and allies) and Sparta (and allies), lasting from 431 to 404 B.C.E. The conflict ended in the defeat of Athens and the closing of Athens's Golden Age.18
8392076730PersepolisThe capital and greatest palace-city of the Persian Empire, destroyed by Alexander the Great.19
8392076731Persian EmpireA major empire that expanded from the Iranian plateau to incorporate the Middle East from Egypt to India; flourished from around 550 to 330 B.C.E.20
8392076732PlebiansPoorer, less privileged Romans who gradually won a role in Roman politics.21
8392076733Punic WarsThree major wars between Rome and Carthage in North Africa, fought between 264 and 146 B.C.E., that culminated in Roman victory and control of the western Mediterranean.22
8392076734Qin DynastyA short-lived (221-206 B.C.E.) but highly influential Chinese dynasty that succeeded in reuniting China at the end of the Warring States period.23
8392076737WudiHan emperor (r. 141-86 B.C.E.) who began the Chinese civil service system by establishing an academy to train imperial bureaucrats.24
8392076738XiongnuNomadic peoples to the north of the Great Wall of China who were a frequent threat to the stability of the Chinese state.25
8392076739Yellow Turban RebellionA major Chinese peasant revolt that began in 184 C.E. and helped cause the fall of the Han dynasty.26
8392076741AristotleA Greek polymath philosopher (384-322 B.C.E.); student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.27
8392076744Bhagavad GitaA great Hindu epic text, part of the much larger Mahabharata, which affirms the performance of caste duties as a path to religious liberation.28
8392076745bhakti movementAn immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.29
8392076746BrahmanThe "World Soul" or final reality in upanishadic Hindu belief.30
8392076747BrahminsThe priestly caste of India.31
8392076748BuddhismThe cultural/religious tradition first enunciated by Siddhartha Gautama32
8392076749ConfucianismThe Chinese philosophy first enunciated by Confucius, advocating the moral example of superiors as the key element of social order.33
8392076750ConfuciusThe founder of Confucianism (551-479 B.C.E.); an aristocrat of northern China who proved to be the greatest influence on Chinese culture in its history.34
8392076751ConstantineRoman emperor (r. 306-337 C.E.) whose conversion to Christianity paved the way for the triumph of Christianity in Europe.35
8392076753DaoismA Chinese philosophy/popular religion that advocates simplicity and understanding of the world of nature, founded by the legendary figure Laozi.36
8392076754Filial pietyThe honoring of one's ancestors and parents, a key element of Confucianism.37
8392076755Greek rationalismA secularizing system of scientific and philosophic thought that developed in classical Greece in the period 600 to 300 B.C.E.; it emphasized the power of education and human reason to understand the world in nonreligious terms.38
8392076756HinduismA word derived from outsiders to describe the vast diversity of indigenous Indian religious traditions.39
8392076757HippocratesA very influential Greek medical theorist (ca. 460-ca. 370 B.C.E.); regarded as the father of medicine.40
8392076759Jesus of NazarethThe prophet/god of Christianity(ca. 4 B.C.E.-ca. 30 C.E.).41
8392076761KarmaIn Hinduism, the determining factor of the level at which the individual is reincarnated, based on purity of action and fulfillment of duty in the prior existence.42
8392076762LaoziA legendary Chinese philosopher of the sixth century B.C.E.; regarded as the founder of Daoism.43
8392076763LegalismA Chinese philosophy distinguished by an adherence to clear laws with vigorous punishments.44
8392076767PlatoA disciple of Socrates whose Dialogues convey the teachings of his master while going beyond them to express Plato's own philosophy; lived from 429 to 348 B.C.E.45
8392076769Saint PaulThe first great popularizer of Christianity (10-65 C.E.).46
8392076770Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)The Indian prince turned ascetic (ca. 566-ca. 486 B.C.E.) who founded Buddhism.47
8392076771SocratesThe first great Greek philosopher to turn rationalism toward questions of human existence (469-399 B.C.E.).48
8392076774UpanishadsIndian mystical and philosophical works, written between 800 and 400 B.C.E.49
8392076775VedasThe earliest religious texts of India, a collection of ancient poems, hymns, and rituals that were transmitted orally before being written down ca. 600 B.C.E.50
8392076776Warring States PeriodPeriod in China from 403 to 221 B.C.E. that was typified by disorder and political chaos.51
8392076777Yin and YangExpression of the Chinese belief in the unity of opposites.52
8392076779ZoroastrianismPersian monotheistic religion founded by the prophet Zarathustra.53
8392076780caste as varna and jatiThe system of social organization in India that has evolved over millennia; it is based on an original division of the populace into four inherited classes, with the addition of thousands of social distinctions based on occupation, which became the main cell of social life in India.54
8392076781dharmaIn Indian belief, performance of the duties appropriate to an individual's caste; good performance will lead to rebirth in a higher caste.55
8392076782helotsThe dependent, semi-enslaved class of ancient Sparta whose social discontent prompted the militarization of Spartan society.56
8392076783karmaIn Indian belief, the force generated by one's behavior in a previous life that decides the level at which an individual will be reborn.57
8392076785latifundiaHuge estates operated by slave labor that flourished in parts of the Roman Empire58
8392076787"ritual purity" in Indian social practiceIn India, the idea that members of higher castes must adhere to strict regulations limiting or forbidding their contact with objects and members of lower castes to preserve their own caste standing and their relationship with the gods.59
8392076788scholar-gentry classA term used to describe members of China's landowning families, reflecting their wealth from the land and the privilege that they derived as government officials.60
8392076791UntouchablesAn Indian social class that emerged below the Sudras and whose members performed the most unclean and polluting work.61
8392076794Empress WuThe only female "emperor" in Chinese history (r. 690-705 C.E.); patronized scholarship, worked to elevate the position of women, and provoked a backlash of Confucian misogynist invective.62
8392076796AxumClassical-era kingdom of East Africa, in present-day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia; flourished from 100 to 600 C.E.63
8392076797Bantu expansionGradual migration of peoples from their homeland in what is now southern Nigeria and the Cameroons into most of eastern and southern Africa, a process that began around 3000 B.C.E. and continued for several millennia. The agricultural techniques and ironworking technology of thesefarmers gave them an advantage over the gathering and hunting peoples they encountered.64
8392076801ChavinAndean town that was the center of a large Peruvian religious movement from around 900 to 200 B.C.E.65
8392076802Coptic ChristianityThe Egyptian variety of Christianity, distinctive in its belief that Christ has only a single, divine nature.66
8392076805MayaThe major classical civilization of Mesoamerica; flourished from 250 to 900 C.E.67
8392076806MocheAn important regional civilization of Peru, governed by warrior-priests; flourished from around 100 to 800 C.E.68
8392076812TeotihuacánThe largest city of pre-Columbian America, with a population between 100,000 and 200,000; seemingly built to a plan in the Valley of Mexico, flourished between 300 and 600 C.E., during which time it governed or influenced much of the surrounding region. The name is an Aztec term meaning "city of the gods."69
8392076814Golden AgeA combination of wealth and a time of relative peace often leads to cultural achievement in math, science, arts, and technology.70
8392076815Pax Sinica"Chinese peace"; under the Han Dynasty, China experienced 400 years of prosperity and stability71

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