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

AP World History AMSCO Period 1 Vocab Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
10777646327overfarmingwhen agricultural land loses its fertility when used repeatedly0
10777646328overgrazingthe continual eating of grasses or their roots1
10777646329artifactsobjects made by people in the past2
10777646330homo sapiens sapiensmodern humans3
10777646331Paleolithic Periodearly years of human history; began 2.5 million years ago, ended 10,000 years ago -known for stone tools and weapons4
10777646332Neolithic Revolutiona set of dramatic changes in how people lived based on the development of agriculture5
10777646333monotheismworshiping only one deity6
10777646334Bronze Agebetween 3300-2300 B.C.E.; new metal was such an advance that it gave the era a new name7
10777646335civilizationa large society with cities and powerful states8
10777646336core 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
10777646337Jerichoone of humankind's first cities; built on the west bank of the Jordan River10
10777646338Catal Huyukanother ancient city that has well-preserved remains which help historians understand life back then11
10777646339textilesitems made of cloth12
10777646340specialization of laborthe process of allowing people to focus on limited tasks13
10777646341coppermetal found as a pure state in the ground; allowed for the making of bronze14
10777646342bronzemixture of tin and copper; creating a stronger mixture, huge advance15
10777646343hunter-forager(hunter-gatherers) people who survived by hunting animals and foraging for seeds, buts, fruit, and edible roots16
10777646344agriculturethe practice of raising crops or livestock on a continual and controlled basis17
10777646345surplusmore than what a civilization needs for themselves18
10777646346domesticationprocess of taming wild animals so that they could be brought to live with humans19
10777646347nomadic pastoralisma lifestyle based on people moving herds of animals from pasture to pasture20
10777646348kinship groupseveral hunter-forager families that moved together in search of food21
10777646349clana larger group of multiple kinship groups22
10777646350tribemultiple clans combined into a larger group23
10777646351patriarchal societya society dominated by men24
10777646352artisanspeople who made objects people needed (ex: clothing, pottery)25
10777646353merchantspeople who buy and sell goods for a living26
10777646354social stratificationthe system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy27
10777646355preistsmen who supervised religious ceremonies, and explained how ruler's behavior and rulings were based on religious doctrine28
10777646356priestesseswomen who supervised religious ceremonies, and explained how ruler's behavior and rulings were based on religious doctrine29
10777646357Tigris and Euphratesrivers that flow through modern Turkey through Iraq into the Persian Gulf30
10777646358Mesopotamiaarea between the Tigris and Euphrates31
10777646359Fertile Crescentregion that includes parts of Egypt and all of Mesopotamia32
10777646360Carthagea Phoenician colony on the coast of North Africa33
10777646361Saharadesert zone in northern Africa34
10777646362Kalaharidesert zone in southern Africa35
10777646363Nile Riverbegins in the interior of Africa and flows north to empty into the Meditteranean Sea36
10777646364desertificationthe creation of desert-like conditions37
10777646365Indus River Valleyriver valley in India38
10777646366environmental degradationmass deforestation and soil erosion39
10777646367deforestationremoval of large numbers of trees40
10777646368Huang HeYellow River; connects China's northern interior to the Yellow Sea41
10777646369Chiang JiangYangtze River; stretches almost 4,000 miles across Central China42
10777646370loessa type of fertile soil that is yellow in color43
10777646371MesoamericaCentral America and Mexico44
10777646372maizecorn45
10777646373Oceania and Polynesiathe region in the Pacific Ocean; New Guinea, Australia, and other islands46
10777646374division of laborother civilizations beginning to work in areas other than producing food47
10777646375barterthe direct exchange of goods without involving money48
10777646376polytheisticworshiping many gods49
10777646377zigguratslarge stepped pyramids50
10777646378astronomythe study of objects outside Earth's atmosphere51
10777646379astrologythe predicting the future by studying movements of stars and planets52
10777646380Hebrews (Israelites, Jews)lived in the region of Canaan (present-day Isreal, Palestine, and Lebanon)53
10777646381Abrahamfounder of Caanan who left Mesopotamia to settle there; Christians, Jews, and Muslims trace their roots to him54
10777646382Mosesthe man who led the Hebrews out of captivity to Canaan, and also introduced the 10 Commandments55
10777646383Ten Commandmentsa code of conduct that was influential in areas dominated by Christianity56
10777646384Jewish Diasporathe spreading of the Jews throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East57
10777646385theocratsrulers holding both religious and political power58
10777646386Atenthe sun god that Ahkenaton ordered Egypt to worship exclusively59
10777646387mummificationthe removing of the body's internal organs, drying the body with salts and packing its insides and wrapping it with chemically treated cloth60
10777646388AryansIndo-European speaking peoples from Central Asia (Persia)61
10777646389Hindioriginated from Sanskrit (India's sacred language), still widely spoken62
10777646390Vedascollection of Aryan religious hymns, poems, and songs63
10777646391Vedic Ageage of Aryans growing awareness of Dravidian beliefs64
10777646392brahminIndian priest65
10777646393brahmaa universal soul that connects all creatures on Earth66
10777646394dharmarighteous duties and deeds67
10777646395karmafate in the next life68
10777646396mokshaeternal peace or unity with brahma69
10777646397ancestor venerationthe belief that since the spirits of ancestors could speak to gods for them, making offerings to them to win their favor70
10777646398Golden Agea period in society of relative prosperity, peace, and innovation71
10777646399scribesa separate class of people who were skilled at reading and writing a certain language72
10777646400The Epic of Gilgameshthe oldest story on the Earth, written in cuneiform73
10777646401cuneiformworld's first writing system from the Sumerians74
10777646402alphabetic scripta system of symbols/letters that represent the sounds of speech; Phoenicians had a 22 letter alphabet75
10777646403hieroglyphicspicture writing used by the Ancient Egyptians76
10777646404papyrusa type of plant that grew along the Nile River that was used to make a type of paper77
10777646405Book of the Deada paper book that Egyptians put inside the coffins of the dead pharaohs that told the story of the dead person78
10777646406Indo-Europeana set of languages that involved Sanskrit and Latin79
10777646407Sanskritthe sacred language of the Aryans80
10777646408Rig-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
10777646409Upanishadsa foundational text for the set of beliefs that later became known as Hinduism82
10777646410pictographs/glyphsAncient Chinese graphic symbols that represented an an idea, concept or object83
10777646411Austronesian speakersOceanic peoples from southern China who moved from the Philippines and Taiwan84
10777646412feudalismlocal rulers governing as they wished, who paid taxes to the king and provided soldiers for the kings army85
10777646413Sumer and Sumeriansa group of nomadic pastoralists who migrated into Mesopotamia, settling alongiside people already living there86
10777646414Urukthe largest city-state in Sumer with a population of roughly 50,00087
10777646415city-statesa city and the land it controlled; several hundred square miles88
10777646416king and kingdomSumerian military rulers who ruled over a territory89
10777646417BabyloniansPersian invaders that controlled Mesopotamia and built a new capital city called Babylon, thus being known as Babylonians90
10777646418empirethe controlling of a large empire that included diverse cultural groups91
10777646419Phoenicianspeoples who occupied parts of Lebanon, Isreal and Jordan; most commonly known for their strong ships and vast trade network92
10777646420Old 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
10777646421Middle 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
10777646422New 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
10777646423Hyksosa group of pastoral nomadic people from Syria that invaded Egypt during the Middle Kingdom and were defeated before the New Kingdom96
10777646424Hittitiesa group of people who used iron rools and weapons, who eventually took over areas in Egypt after the fall of Ramses97
10777646425Kushancient kingdom south of Egypt that were mostly dependent on Egypt, controlled Egypt shortly before overthrown by the Assyrians98
10777646426Axumcivilization in present Ethiopia that had an agricultural and trading based economy, had many people converted to Christianity and some to Islam99
10777646427Dravidiansindigenous people of the Indian subcontinent100
10777646428Harappa and Mohenjo-Darotwo centers in the Indus River Valley; had advanced labor systems, a social heriarchy, and sewage systems101
10777646429Chavin 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
10777646430Olmecthe 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
10777646431Easter Islanda place in Oceania where settlers were divided into clans that had a chief and one head chief as a ruler of all clans104
10777646432aboriginalshunter-foragers in Australia that were not fazed by the new agricultural ways of the Austronesian people; kept their nomadic ways105
10777646433Hammurabia 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
10777646434King MenesEgyptian king who unified Upper and Lower Egypt before the formation of the old, middle, and new kingdoms107
10777646435pharaohthe king or queen that led the Egyptian government108
10777646436Akhenatona pharaoh of the New Kingdom who tried to make Egypt a monotheistic region that followed the sun god Aten; ultimately failed109
10777646437Ramses the Greata powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom that expanded the Egyptian empire into Southwest Asia110
10777646438Xia Dynastythe first Chinese dynasty; had no writing system so little is known111
10777646439Shang Dynastythe second Chinese dynasty; Shang rulers conquered neighboring peoples and established a larger empire112
10777646440Mandate 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
10777646441Zhou 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!