AP World History Chapter 2 Flashcards

5023706650	civilization	Societies distinguished by reliance on sedentary agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses, and existence of nonfarming elites, as well as merchant and manufacturing groups.	0
5023706651	Mesopotamia	Literally "between the rivers"; the civilizations that arose in the alluvial plain of the Tigris and Euphrates river valley.	1
5023706652	Sumerians	People who migrated into Mesopotamia c. 4000 B.C.E.; created first civilization within region; organized area into city-states.	2
5023706653	cuneiform	A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge-shaped stylus and clay tablets.	3
5023706654	ziggurats	Massive towers usually associated with Mesopotamian temple complexes.	4
5023706655	city-state	A form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilizations; consisted of agricultural hinterlands ruled by an urban-based king.	5
5023706656	Babylonians	Unified all of Mesopotamia c. 1800 B.C.E.; empire collapsed due to foreign invasion c. 1600 B.C.E.	6
5023706657	Hammurabi	The most important ruler of the Babylonian empire; responsible for codification of law.	7
5023706658	pharaoh	Title of kings of ancient Egypt.	8
5023706659	pyramids	Monumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as burial sites for pharaohs.	9
5023706660	Kush	An African state that developed along the upper reaches of the Nile c. 1000 B.C.E.; conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries.	10
5023706661	Indus River	River sources in Himalayas to mouth in Arabian Sea; location of Harappan civilization.	11
5023706662	Harappa	Along with Mohenjodaro, major urban complex of the Harappan civilization; laid out on planned grid pattern.	12
5023706663	Aryans	Indo-European nomadic pastoralists who replaced Harappan civilization; militarized society.	13
5023706664	Vedas	Aryan hymns originally transmitted orally but written down in sacred books from the 6th century B.C.E.	14
5023706665	Mahabharata	Indian epic of war, princely honor, love, and social duty; written down in the last centuries B.C.E.; previously handed down in oral form.	15
5023706666	Ramayana	One of the great epic tales from classical India; traces adventures of King Rama and his wife, Sita; written 4th to 2nd centuries B.C.E.	16
5023706667	Upanishads	Later books of the Vedas; contained sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas; utilized by Brahmans to restore religious authority.	17
5023706668	Yellow River	Also known as the Huanghe; site of development of sedentary agriculture in China.	18
5023706669	ideographs	Pictographic characters grouped together to create new concepts; typical of Chinese writing.	19
5023706670	Shang	First Chinese dynasty for which archeological evidence exists; capital located in Ordos bulge of the Huanghe; flourished 1600 to 1046 B.C.E.	20
5023706671	Olmecs	People of a cultural tradition that arose at San Lorenzo and La Venta in Mexico c. 1200 B.C.E.; featured irrigated agriculture, urbanism, elaborate religion, beginnings of calendrical and writing systems.	21
5023706672	Chavin de Huantar	Chavin culture appeared in highlands of Andes between 1800 and 1200 B.C.E.; typified by ceremonial centers with large stone buildings; greatest ceremonial center was Chavin de Huantar; characterized by artistic motifs.	22
5023706673	Phoenicians	Seafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean; established colonies throughout the Mediterranean.	23
5023706674	monotheism	The exclusive worship of a single god; introduced by the Jews into Western civilization.	24