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AP World History Flashcards

Terms and definitions of all of the bolded words in the 2009 AP World History Exam Review Book (By: The Princeton Review).

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4836820995cultural diffusionchange in a society pased on interaction with another culture0
4836820996foraging societieshunter-gatherer clans; small groups of people who traveled based on plants, animals, and weather1
4836820997pastoral societiesknown for domestication of animals; used small agriculture to supplement diet; extended family; women had few rights; social class based on size of herd; didn't settle2
4836820998Neolithic Revolution8000 BCE to 3000 BCE; move from nomadic lifestyles to agricultural lifestyles and town and city life; small communities; specialization of labor3
4836820999Bronze Agelatter Neolithic Era; bronze used in tools and weapons; created from copper and tin; stronger metal4
4836821000city-stateurban center and agricultural land around it under its control; loosely connected with others by cultural characteristics, but was independent and competed5
4836821001Mesopotamia"land between the rivers" (Tigris and Euphrates); sight of many ancient civilizations6
4836821002Sumerian Civilizationsouthern Mesopotamia; calendar, math, geometry; polytheistic; city-states (Ur, Erech, Kish); overthrown in 1700 BCE7
4836821003CuneiformSumerian form of writing; used in laws, treaties, and social/religious documents; spread through trade8
4836821004polytheismworship of more than one god9
4836821005ZigguratsSumerian temples; used to appease gods10
4836821006Akkadcity north of Sumer; rose to dominate the region; first known code of laws; 1700 BCE overthrown by Babylon11
4836821007Babylonreplaced Akkad in 1700 BCE; King Hammurabi; Code of Hammurabi12
4836821008Code of Hammurabiby King Hammurabi of Babylon; code of laws that dealt with every part of life; distinguished between major and minor offenses; applied laws to nearly everyone; "rule of law"13
4836821009Hittitesinvaded and destroyed Babylon by 1500 BCE; used iron in weapons; military superpower14
4836821010Assyrianslearned to use iron from Hittites within 100 years; empire covered Fertile Crescent; uprisings resolved by exiles; cruel army; defeated by Medes and Chaldeans15
4836821011NinevehAssyrian capital16
4836821012NebuchadnezzarChaldean king; rebuilt Babylon for architecture and culture; empire covered Fertile Crescent; new Babylon fell to Persian Empire17
4836821013Persian Empiredefeated new Babylon; huge empire (Egypt to Afghanistan)18
4836821014Great Royal Roadlongest Persian road; 600 miles; from Persian Gulf to Aegean Sea19
4836821015Lydianscame of with concept of coined money (instead of barter system) so that people could save money20
4836821016Phoenicianspowerful naval city-states along the Mediterranean; 22 letter alphabet that morphed into English alphabet (through Greeks)21
4836821017Hebrewsfirst Jews; monotheistic; established Israel in Palestine (1000 BCE); believed they were God's chosen people22
4836821018EgyptianNile River; good agriculture/soil; Nile floods predictably; three kingdoms (Old, Middle, New); polytheistic; women had many rights23
4836821019King Menesunified Nile river valley; built capital at Memphis; managed floodwaters; built drainage and irrigation systems24
4836821020PharaohsEgyptian rulers; directed construction of obelists and pyramids, enormous tombs for their afterlife25
4836821021HieroglyphicsEgyptian writing system; system of pictures that represented letters and words26
4836821022Queen Hatshepsutfirst female ruler in history; Egyptian ruler for 22 years during New Kingdom; expanded trade; gave women many rights27
4836821023Indus ValleyIndus River Valley from 2500 to 1500 BCE; cut off from world by northwest mountains; northwest India; strong central government led by priest-king; polytheistic; made COTTON28
4836821024Khyber Passthrough Hindu Kush Mountains; used by Indus Valley merchants for trade; allowed invading forces into the land29
4836821025Harappa and Mohenjo-Darotwo major Indus Valley cities; more than 100,000 people; master-planned, uniformly constructed, and had wastewater systems30
4836821026Aryansnomadic tribes from north of Caucasus Mountains; horses and weapons; defeated and settled in Indus Valley; polytheists who believed in reincarnation (led to Hinduism)31
4836821027Hinduismevolved from early Aryan beliefs of polytheism and reincarnation32
4836821028Caste SystemHindu social structure based on Aryan social structure33
4836821029Zhou Dynastyled by Wu Wang and replaced Shang in 1100 BCE; longer dynasty (900 years); feudal system; ended in 256 BCE34
4836821030Mandate of Heavenheaven would grant the Zhou Dynasty power only as long as its rulers governed justly and wisely35
4836821031Bureaucracyway of organizing government tasks by department or bureau36
4836821032Bantulanguages from Niger and Benue River Valleys in Africa37
4836821033Bantu migrationsmigrations of farmers from Niger and Benue River Valleys in north Africa to south and east; started in 1500 BCE and continued for 2000 years; due to weather38
4836821034Brahmansupper class in India; priests; considered closer to the gods39
4836821035Jenne-Jenofirst city in sub-Saharan Africa; upper Niger River valley; started in 280 BCE; urban, but not hierarchically organized; collection of individual communities40
4836821036OlmecMexico; from 1400 to 1200 BCE; corn, beans, squash, irrigation, and large buildings; polytheistic; writing and calendar systems41
4836821037ChavinAndes; from 900 to 300 BCE; polytheistic; agricultural with access to the coast; llamas; metals in tools and weapons42
4836821038Patriarchalled by the eldest male (ex. Shang China)43
4836821039Shang Chinain Hwang Ho (Yellow) River Valley; 1600 to 1100 BCE; strong military; walls around towns; limited outside contract; ethnocentric; bronze, horse-drawn chariots, spoked wheel, pottery, and silk; decimal system, calendar44
4836821040Tikalmost important Mayan political center; more than 100,000 people45
4836821041Chichen ItzaMayan tiered temple46
4836821042Mauryan EmpireIndia; 321 to 180 BCE; largest empire in India; powerful and wealthy from trade (of elephants, cotton, and silk); strong military47
4836821043Chandragupta Mauryafounded Mauryan Empire by unifying small Aryan kingdoms48
4836821044Ashoka Mauryagrandson of Chandragupta; converted to Buddhism; preached nonviolence and moderation49
4836821045Rock and Pillar Edictsby Ashoka to remind Mauryans to be generous and righteous50
4836821046Chandra Guptarevived Mauryan Empire between 375 and 415 CE as the Gupta Empire51
4836821047Gupta Empirereplaced Mauryan Empire in India from 320 to 550 CE; decentralized and smaller; peaceful; advances in arts and science (pi and zero); Hindu; defeated by the White Huns52
4836821048Arabic Numeralsdecimal system of numerals 1 through 9 created by Gupta Empire and diffused to the Arabs53
4836821049Qin DynastyChina; 221 to 200 BCE; organized, centralized, and territorial; patriarchal; legalism; overthrown by peasants54
4836821050Great Wall of Chinaconnection of separate fortification walls under the Qin Dynasty55
4836821051Qin Shihuangdifirst emperor of Qin Dynasty; recentralized feudal kingdoms; standardized writing, laws, currencies, weights, etc.; refused to tolerate dissent56
4836821052Legalismdominant belief system of the Qin rulers57
4836821053Han DynastyChina; 200 BCE to 200 CE; created civil service system based on Confucian teachings; invented paper, sundials, calendars, and use of metals58
4836821054Hunslarge nomadic group from northen Asia that invaded areas from China to Eastern Europe59
4836821055Wu Ti"Warrior Emperor"; enlarged the Han Empire to central Asia60
4836821056Ancient Greecepeninsula between Aegean and Mediterranean Seas; mountainous; not much land for agricultural developments; trade was popular, exchanged wine and olive products for grain; polytheistic, gods had human failings61
4836821057PolisGreek city-state; people comprised of citizens (adult males), free people with no political rights, and noncitizens (slaves)62
4836821058Athensmain Greek city-state; political, commercial, and cultural center63
4836821059Spartamain Greek city-state; agricultural and highly militaristic; all boys (and some girls) received military training64
4836821060Draco and Solonaristocrats who worked to create the democracy in Athens to ensure fair, equal, and open participation65
4836821061Persian Warsunietd all Greek city-states against their mutural enemy, Persia66
4836821062Golden Age of Periclesage of peace and prosperity in Greece after Persian Wars67
4836821063Periclesleader who made Atherns a cultural powerhouse; established a democracy for all adult males; established Delian League68
4836821064Delian Leaguealliance between Athens and other city-states against aggression from its common enemies69
4836821065Socrates, Plato, and Aristotlethree great Greek philosophers; truth discerned through rational thought; virtue and quest for goodness leads to internal peace and happiness70
4836821066HomerGreek writer; wrote the epic poems The Illiad and The Odyssey71
4836821067Peloponnesian War431 BCE; started by trade dispute over Corinth between Athens and Sparta; Sparta won; Athens greatly weakened by the war and vulnerable to outside aggression72
4836821068Mecedoniansconquered Athens under rule of Philip of Macedon (359 to 336 BCE); restored Greek culture73
4836821069Alexander the Greatgrandson of Philip of Macedon; taught by Aristotle; created largest empire of the time by conquering Persian Empire and moving into India; divided it into three empires- Antigonid (Greece and Macedon), Ptolemaic (Egypt, and Seleucid (Bactria and Anatolia)74
4836821070Hellenismculture, ideals, and pattern of life of Classica Greece75
4836821071PatriciansRoman land-owning noblemen76
4836821072Plebeiansall other free men in Rome (not Patricians)77
4836821073Twelve Tables of Romecodified Roman laws; included concept of "innocent until proven guilty"78
4836821074Carthagecity-state in North Africa; first enemy of Rome79
4836821075Punic Warswars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 to 146 BCE80
4836821076HannibalCarthagian general who led second Punic War (218 BCE); great military genius; nearly destroyed Rome81
4836821077First TriumviratePompey, Crassus, and Julius Caesar; received the power of the Senate in Rome82
4836821078Caesar"emperor for life"; given power over southern Gaul (France) and other parts of Europe; took power away from Pompey and Crassus; assassinated by fellow senators in 44 BCE83
4836821079Second TriumvirateOctavius, Marc Anthony, and Lepidus; made upon death of Julius Caesar84
4836821080Octaviusrose to power in Rome; "Augustus Caesar"; ended Roman Republic (became Empire); period of Pax Romana85
4836821081Paganismstate religion of early Roman Republic and Empire; required to make sacrifices to tradtional Roman gods86
4836821082ConstantineRoman emperor; issued Edict of Milan87
4836821083Edict of Milanissued by Constantine in 313 CE to end persecution of Christians in Rome88
4836821084DiocletianRoman Emperor in 284 CE; divided empire into two regions run by co-emperors89
4836821085ConstantineRoman Emperor in 322 CE; built Constantinople90
4836821086Constantinoplecity built by Constantine at the site of the Greek city of Byzantium; part of eastern Rome (which thrived)91
4836821087VisigothsGermanic peoples placed by Roman authorities on the borders; sacked Rome in 410 CE92
4836821088Attilaled Huns in invasion of Rome in the early fifth century93
4836821089Silk Roadland trade route from China to the Roman Empire94
4836821090Islammonotheistic; based in the Middle East95
4836821091Muslimsfollowers of Islam96
4836821092Mohammadprophet who transmits Allah's (God) words to the faithful97
4836821093Qu'ranbook in which followers recorded Allah's words through Mohammad98
4836821094Five Pillars of Islamways to win salvation through submission to the will of God; include confession of faith, prayer five times per day, charity to the needy, fasting during the month-long Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during one's lifetime99
4836821095jihad"to struggle"; Islamic concept; the struggle to be a better Muslim and the struggle against non-believers100
4836821096Medinacity where Mohammad and his followers fled in 622 CE101
4836821097hijra622 CE; the year Mohammad and his followers fled to Medina; year 1 on the Muslim calendar102
4836821098Abu Bakrbecame caliph in 632 when Mohammad died; head of state and religious leader103
4836821099caliphhead of state, military commander, chief judge, and religious leader in the Islamic empire104
4836821100theocracya government ruled by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as being divinely guided105
4836821101Umayyad Dynastyexpanded the Islamic Empire; intensified conflict with the Byzantine and Persian Empires; capital at Damascus; non-Muslims forced to pay a tax106
4836821102Charles Martel(688-741 CE) Frankish leader; stopped the Muslim advance towards Paris107
4836821103Dome of the Rockbuilt on Temple Mount in Jerusalem under the Umayyad Dynasty108
4836821104Shiite (Shia) Islamholds that Mohammad's son-in-law, Ali, was the rightful heir to the empire109
4836821105Sunnisheld Ali in high esteem, but do not believe that he and his hereditary line are the chosen successors; believe that the leaders of the empire should be drawn from a broad base of the people110
4836821106Abbasid Dynasty750 to 1258 (until the Islamic Empire was defeated by the Mongols); merchants introduced the ideas of credit, receipts, and bills; steel produced; learned how to make paper from the Chinese111
4836821107BaghdadAbbasid capital known as a cultural center112
4836821108Mohammad al-Razipublished a medical encyclopedia (during the Abbasid Dynasty)113
4836821109Levantpresent-day Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon; battled for control of it by Christians and Muslims114
4836821110SufisIslamic mystics; most effective missionaries; stressed a personal relationship with Allah115
4836821111mamluksTurkish slaves; revolted against the Islamic Caliphate; established a new capital at Samarra116
4836821112Mongolsdefeated the Abbasid Dynasty in 1258; destroyed Baghdad117
4836821113Ottoman Turksreunited Egypt, Syria, and Arabia in a new Islamic state until 1918118
4836821114Middle Agesthe period after the fall of the Roman Empire and before the Renaissance119
4836821115Orthodox Christianityseparate branch of Christianity practiced in the Byzantine Empire120
4836821116Justinian(527 to 565); ruler of the Byzantine Empire; restored glory and unity of the Roman Empire in Constantinople121
4836821117Justinian Codecodification of Roman law that kept ancient Roman legal principles alive under Justinian of the Byzantine Empire122
4836821118Hagia Sophiacathedral built under Justinian of the Byzantine Empire123
4836821119Poperegarded by the Roman Catholics emperors of the West as the leader of Byzantium's church124
4836821120St. CyrilOrthodox Christian who used the Greek alphabet to create a Slavic alphabet; converted Slavic peoples of southeastern Europre and Russia to Christianity125
4836821121Vladimira Russian prince from Kiev; converted to Christianity126
4836821122Franksa Germanic tribe127
4836821123King Clovisunited the Franks in the late fifth century; built an empire from Germany to France; capital at Paris; empire divided among his sons after his death128
4836821124Charles Martelled the revolt against the advancing Muslim armies and in 732 defeated them at the Battle of Tours; founded the Carolingian Dynasty129
4836821125Battle of Toursbattle (near Paris) where Charles Martel defeated advancing Muslim armies in 732130
4836821126Carolingian Dynastyfounded by Charles Martel131
4836821127Pepinson of Charles Martel; had his succession certified by the pope132
4836821128Charlemagne(747-814 CE) "Charles the Great"; son of Pepin; crowned by the pope in 800; emphasized the arts and education with a religious bent133
4836821129Holy Roman Empireempire built by Charlemagne; feudalism134
4836821130Otto the Greatgave the Holy Roman Empire its name upson his coronation in 962135
4836821131Treaty of Verdun843 CE; treaty in which the Holy Roman Empire was split up among the grandsons of Charlemagne136
4836821132Vikingsgroup of people from Scandinavia who invaded western Europe137
4836821133Magyarsgroup of people from Hungary who invaded western Europe138
4836821134Feudalismthe European social, economic, and political system of the Middle Ages that had a strict hierarchy139
4836821135Noblespeople who were granted power over sections of the kingdom in exchange for military service and loyalty to the king140
4836821136Vassalslesser lords under nobles; controlled small sections of land141
4836821137Peasantspeople below the vassals who worked the land142
4836821138fiefsthe estates that were granted to the vassals143
4836821139manorslater term for fiefs (estates granted to the vassals)144
4836821140three-field systemthe rotation of three fields: one for the fall harvest, one for the spring harvest, and one not-seeded fallow harvest (allowing the land to replenish its nutrients)145
4836821141code of chivalryhonor system among feudal lords that strongly condemned betrayal and promoted mutual respect146
4836821142primogenituresystem in which land was passed down to the eldest son147
4836821143serfspeasants in the feudal system148
4836821144burghersmiddle-class merchants149
4836821145Hanseatic Leaguean alliance that controlled trade throughout much of northern Europe150
4836821146Crusadesmilitary campaigns undertaken by European Christians of the eleventh through fourteenth centuries to take over the Holy Land and convert Muslims and other non-Christians to Christianity151
4836821147heresiesreligious practices or beliefs that do not conform to the traditional church doctrine152
4836821148scholasticismrelying on reason rather than faith; introduced through the scientific ideas of Ancient Greeks through contacts with the Islamic and Byzantine Empires153
4836821149Pope Innocent IIIpope who persecuted heretics and Jews and attempted a fourth unsuccessful Crusade154
4836821150Inquisitiona formalized interrogation and persecution process of heretics; led by Pope Gregory IX155
4836821151Universal Church (Church Militant)the name given to the Church during the Inquisition due to its pervasiveness and its ultimate power156
4836821152Thomas Aquinas(1225-1274 CE) famous Christian realist; wrote Summa Theologica; thought that faith and reason are not in conflict, but both are gifts from God and each can be used to enhance the other157
4836821153interregnuma time between the kings158
4836821154William the Conquerorled England in a tradition of a strong monarchy159
4836821155Magna Carta(1215 CE) King John of England was forced to sign it by nobles; reinstated the feudal rights of the nobles and extended the rule of law to other people in the country, such as the burgher class; helped establish the Parliament160
4836821156King Hugh Capetin 987, he ruled only a small area around Paris161
4836821157Joan of Arcfarm girl; claimed to have heard voices that told her to liberate France from the hands of the English; forced the British to retreat from Orleans; captured by the French, tried by the English, and burned at the stake by the French162
4836821158Hundred Years' War(1337-1453); war between England and France which resulted in England's withdrawal from France163
4836821159Bourbonsseries of French monarchs who unified France after the Hundred Years' War164
4836821160Queen Isabellaruler of Castille; united Spain by marrying Ferdinand (king of Aragon) in 1469165
4836821161Spanish Inquisitionthe event which non-Christians were forced to convert to Christianity or leave the country (Spain) marked the beginning of166
4836821162Tatarsa group of Mongols from the east; took over Russia in 1242167
4836821163czarthe Russian word for emperor or Caesar168
4836821164Ivan the Terrible"House of Rurik"; had centralized power over the entire Russian sphere by the mid-1500s169
4836821165T'ang DynastyChinese dynasty (618-907 CE); collapsed as local warlords gained power170
4836821166Emperor Xuanzongemperor during the T'ang Dynasty in China; expanded Chinese territory into parts of Manchuria, Mongolia, TIbet, and Korea171
4836821167Song DynastyChinese dynasty (960-1279 CE); fell to the Jurchens and then to the Mongols until the Yuan Dynasty was extavlioshed172
4836821168moveable typeinvented in China; resulted in an increase in literacy and bureaucrats among the lower classes173
4836821169Wu Zhaofirst and only empress of China at the death of her husband, Emperor Gaozong, during the T'ang Dynasty174
4836821170foot bindingmethod use in China during the Song Dynasty to keep women's feet small175
4836821171Shinto"the way of the gods"; Japanese religion; goal is to become part of the kami (forces of nature) through following certain rituals and customs176
4836821172Yamato clanemerged as the rulers of Japan in the fifth century; first and only dynasty to rule it177
4836821173Taika Reforms(645 CE); reforms by Prince Shotoku modeled on the successes of the T'ang Dynasty178
4836821174Prince ShotokuJapanese prince who created the Taika Reforms179
4836821175Fujiwarapowerful Japanese family that intermarried with the emperor's family and began to run the affairs of the country180
4836821176shogunJapanese title of chief general181
4836821177daimyohuge landowners in Japan182
4836821178Code of Bushidocode followed by the samurai; similar to the code of chivalry in Europe183
4836821179Delhi SultanateIslamic kingdom in Delhi under the rule of the sultan184
4836821180Genghis Khanunified the Mongol tribes and later created the largest empire the world has seen185
4836821181The Mongol Empireempire that spanned from the Pacific Ocean to Eastern Europe186
4836821182hordessmall, independent empires187
4836821183Golden Hordehorde of the Mongol Empire that conquered most of modern-day Russia188
4836821184Kublai KhanMongol ruler in China189
4836821185Timur Lang (Tamerlane)Mongol leader who conquered India, killed thousands, and destroyed the sultanate190
4836821186AxumAfrican empire in modern-day Ethiopia that converted to Christianity in the fourth century and to Islam in the seventh century191
4836821187Mansa MusaMali ruler that built a capital at Timbuktu and expanded the kingdom beyond Ghana; 1307, made a world-famous pilgrimage to Mecca192
4836821188Beninculture near present-day Nigeria that mastered a bronze sculpting technique193
4836821189TenochtitlanAztec capital at modern-day Mexico city194
4836821190quipuIncan set of knotted strings used to keep records and for accounting195
4836821191Temple of the SunIncan temple in Cuzco196
4836821192Machu PicchuIncan temples197
4836821193Bubonic Plague (Black Death)started in Asia in the fourteenth century and killed nearly one-third of Europe's population198
4836821194First Crusadeinitiated by Pope Urban in 1096 CE in response to the success of the Seljuk Turks, who took control of the Holy Land; done in an attempt to gain Jerusalem and to unite the Roman Catholic Church with the Eastern Orthodox Church199
4836821195humanismthe focus on human endeavors200
4836821196Medicifamily in Florence that ruled the city and turned it into a showcase of architecture and art201
4836821197Machiavellipublished The Prince in 1517; suggested that a monarchy should be distinct from the church and that a leader should act purely in self-interest of the state rather that morally202
4836821198Erasmuscounceled kings and popes; wrote In Praise of Folly203
4836821199Sir Thomas MoreEnglish; wrote Utopia about an ideal society204
4836821200William Shakespeareconsidered one of the most famous European writers from this time; his works exemplified humanism and classicism205
4836821201indulgencea piece of paper the faithful could purchase to reduce time in purgatory206
4836821202Martin Luthera German monk that nailed 95 theses to a church door in 1517, outlining his frustrations with the current Church practices207
4836821203Pope Leo Xpope who ordered Luther to recant his theses208
4836821204LutheransLuther's followers who began to separate themselves from the Catholic Church209
4836821205John Calvinfrom France; led a Protestant group by preaching an ideology of predestination210
4836821206King Henry VIIIdeclared himself the head of religious affairs in England when the pope denied an annulment of his marriage211
4836821207Church of England (Anglican Church)church founded by Henry VIIi212
4836821208Catholic Reformation (couter-reformation)reformation of the Catholic church against the Protestant Reformation213
4836821209Ignatius LoyolaSpanish soldier and intellectual who founded the society of Jesuits214
4836821210Jesuitspracticed self-control and moderation, believing that prayer and good works led to salvation215
4836821211Council of Trenta group of church officials that presided over the counter-reformation, dictating and defining the Catholic interpretation of religious doctrine216
4836821212Nicolaus Copernicusdeveloped a mathematical theory that asserted that the Earth and other celestial bodies revolved around the sun217
4836821213The Indexa list of banned heretical works218
4836821214Galileoasserted that the Earth revolved around the sun219

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