AP World History Flashcards

14345889107	Sahara	Desert running across northern Africa; separates the Mediterranean coast from southern Africa	0
14345891048	Shinto	Religion of early Japanese culture; devotees worshipped numerous gods and spirits associated with the natural world; offers of food and prayers made to gods and nature spirits	1
14345891522	Olmec Culture	Cultural tradition that arose in Mexico c. 1200 b.c.e.; featured irrigated agriculture, urbanism, elaborate religion, and beginnings of calendrical and writing systems	2
14345893111	Teotihuacan	Site of classic culture in central Mexico; urban center with important religious functions; supported by intensive agriculture in surrounding regions; population of as much as 200,000	3
14345893776	Maya	Classic culture emerging in southern Mexico and Central America contemporary with Teotihuacan; extended over broad region; featured monumental architecture, written language, calendrical and mathematical systems, highly developed religion	4
14345894819	Inca	Group of clans centered at Cuzco that were able to create empire incorporating various Andean cultures; term also used for leader of empire	5
14345912287	Polynesia	Islands contained in a rough triangle whose points lie in Hawaii, New Zealand, and Easter Island	6
14345912801	Yellow Turbans	Chinese Daoists who launched a revolt in 184 CE in China promising a golden age to be brought about by divine magic	7
14345914441	Sui	Dynasty that succeeded the Han in China; emerged from strong rulers in northern China; united all of northern China and reconquered southern China.	8
14345914900	Tang	Dynasty that succeeded the Sui in 618 C.E.; more stable than previous dynasty.	9
14345915454	Rajput	Regional princes in western India; emphasized military control of their regions	10
14345916472	Devi	Mother goddess within Hinduism; widely spread following collapse of Guptas; encouraged new emotionalism in religious ritual	11
14345916846	Islam	Major world religion having its origins in 610 C.E. in the Arabian peninsula; meaning literally submission; based on prophecy of Muhammad.	12
14345917908	Allah	Supreme God in strictly monotheistic Islam	13
14345919734	Byzantine Empire	Eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived the fall of the Western half. Retained Mediterranean culture, particularly Greek; later lost Palestine, Syria, and Egypt to Islam; capital at Constantinople.	14
14345922540	Justinian	Early Byzantine emperor, responsible for major building in Constantinople and a codification of Roman law; his efforts to recapture some additional previously Roman territory ended in failure.	15
14345925470	Saint Augustine	Influential church father and theologian (354-430 C.E.); born in Africa and ultimately bishop of Hippo in Africa; champion of Christian doctrine against various heresies and very important in the long-term development of Christian thought on such issues as predestination.	16
14345926263	Coptic	Christian sect in Egypt, later tolerated after Islamic takeover	17
14345927594	Bodhisattvas	Buddhist holy men who accumulated spiritual merits during their lifetime; Buddhists prayed to them in order to receive some of their holiness	18
14345928295	Mahayana	Chinese version of Buddhism; placed considerable emphasis on Buddha as god or savior	19
14345931812	Benedict of Nursia	Founder of monasticism in what had been the western half of the Roman Empire; established Benedictine Rule in the 6th century; paralleled development of Basil's rules in Byzantine Empire.	20
14345932774	Animism	A religious outlook that sees gods in many aspects of nature and propitiates them to help control and explain nature; typical of Mesopotamian religions	21
14345934918	Feudalism	A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land	22
14345953050	Paleolithic age	The Old Stone Age ending in 12,000 B.C.E.; typified by use of crude stone tools and hunting and gathering for subsistence.	23
14345954991	Neolithic age	The New Stone Age between 8000 and 5000 B.C.E.; period in which adaptation of sedentary agriculture occurred; domestication of plants and animals accomplished	24
14345961068	Neolithic revolution	The succession of technological innovations and changes in human organization that led to the development of agriculture, 8500-3500 B.C.E.	25
14345963473	Bronze Age	From about 4000 B.C.E., when bronze tools were first introduced in the Middle East, to about 1500 B.C.E., when iron began to replace it.	26
14345965659	Band	a level of social organization normally consisting of 20 to 30 people; nomadic hunters and gatherers; labor divided on a gender basis	27
14345966322	Catal Huyuk	Early urban culture based on sedentary agriculture; located in modern southern Turkey; was larger in population than Jericho, had greater degree of social stratification.	28
14345970853	civilization	Societies distinguished by reliance on sedentary agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses, and existence of non-farming elites, as well as merchant and manufacturing groups.	29
14345972050	Cuneiform	A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge shaped stylus and clay tablets.	30
14345974325	Ziggurats	Massive towers usually associated with Mesopotamian temple complexes.	31
14345976499	city-state	A form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilizations; consisted of agricultural hinterlands ruled by an urban-based king.	32
14345977851	Babylonian Empire	Unified all of Mesopotamia circa 1800 B.C.E.; collapsed due to foreign invasion circa 1600 B.C.E.	33
14345981591	Hammurabi	The most important ruler of the Babylonian empire; responsible for codification of law.	34
14345986190	Kush	An African state that developed along the upper reaches of the Nile c. 100 B.C.E.; conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries.	35
14345987375	Harrapa	Along with Mohenjodaro, major urban complex of the Harappan civilization; laid out on planned grid pattern.	36
14345987622	Mohenjo-Daro	Along with Harappa, major urban complex of the Harappan civilization; laid out on planned grid pattern.	37
14345989148	Yellow River	Also known as the Huang-He. The second longest river in China. The majority of ancient Chinese civilizations originated in its valley.	38
14345990026	Shang	First Chinese dynasty for which archeological evidence exists; capital located in Ordos bulge of the Huanghe; flourished 1600 to 1046 B.C.E.	39
14345992030	Oracles	Shamans or priests in Chinese society who foretold the future through interpreting animal bones cracked by heat; inscriptions on bones led to Chinese writing	40
14345993188	Ideographs	Pictographic characters grouped together to create new concepts; typical of Chinese writing	41
14345994906	Phonecians	Seafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean; established colonies throughout the Mediterranean	42
14345998172	Shi Huangdi	Founder of the short-lived Qin dynasty	43
14345998663	Qin Dynasty	Established in 221 B.C.E. at the end of the Warring States period following the decline of the Zhou dynasty; fell in 207 B.C.E.	44
14345999030	Han Dynasty	Chinese dynasty that succeeded the Qin in 202 BCE; ruled for next 400 years	45
14346001409	Zhou	Originally a vassal family of Shang China; possibly Turkic in origin; overthrew the Shang and established second historical Chinese dynasty that flourished 1122 to 256 B.C.E.	46
14346005327	Scholar-gentry	Chinese class created by marital approach/linkage	47
14346009881	Jesuit	A member of a roman catholic religious order.	48
14346036412	Brahman	a member of the highest Hindu caste, that of the priesthood.	49
14346038243	Buddah	creator of a major Indian and Asian religion; born in the 6th century B.C.E.; taught that enlightenment could be achieved only by abandoning desires for earthly things.	50
14346039310	Alexander the Great	Successor of Philip II; successfully conquered Persian Empire prior to his death in 323 BCE; attempted to combine Greek and Persian cultures	51
14346040411	Himalayas	Mountain region marking the northern border of the Indian subcontinent; site of the Aryan settlements that formed small kingdoms or warrior republics	52
14346041178	Aryans	Indo-European nomadic pastoralists who replaced Harappan civilization; militarized society	53
14346041179	Sanskirt	The sacred and classical Indian language	54
14346041841	Vedas	Aryan hymns originally transmitted orally but written down in sacred books from the 6th century B.C.E.	55
14346042222	Mahabharata	Indian epic of war, princely honor, love, and social duty; written down in the last centuries BCE; previously handed down in oral form	56
14346043552	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.	57
14346044125	Upanishads	Later books of the Vedas; contained sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas; utilized by Brahmans to restore religious authority	58
14346044990	Varnas	clusters of caste groups in Aryan society; four social castes- Brahmans (priests), warriors, merchants, and peasants; beneath four Aryan castes was group of socially untouchable Dasas	59
14346047028	Untouchables	Low social caste in Hindu culture; performed tasks that were considered polluting- street sweeping, removal of human waste, and tanning	60
14346048852	Indra	Cheif deity of the Aryans; depicted as a colossal, hard-drinking warrior.	61
14346051500	Chandragupta Maurya	founder of Maurya dynasty; established first empire in Indian subcontinent; first centralized government since Harappan civilization	62
14346051935	Mauryan	Dynasty established in Indian subcontinent in 4th century BCE following invasion by Alexander the Great	63
14346052328	Ashoka	Grandson of Chandragupta Maurya; completed conquests of Indian subcontinent; converted to Buddhism and sponsored spread of new religion throughout his empire.	64
14346052930	Dharma	The caste position and career determined by a person's birth; Hindu culture required that one accept one's social position and perform occupation to the best of one's ability in order to have a better situation in the next life.	65
14346053425	Guptas	Dynasty that succeeded the Kushans in the 3rd century C.E.; built empire that extended to all but the southern regions of Indian sub-continent; less centralized than Mauryan Empire.	66
14346054092	Kautilya	Political advisor to Chandragupta Maurya; one of the authors of Arthashastra; believed in scientific application of warfare.	67
14346055240	Gurus	Originally referred to as Brahmans who served as teachers for the princes of the imperial court of the Guptas	68
14346056058	Vishnu	The Brahman, later Hindu, god of sacrifice; widely worshipped	69
14346058139	Shiva	Hindu, god of destruction and reproduction; worshipped as the personification of cosmic forces of change	70
14346059406	Reincarnation	The successive attachment of the soul to some animate form according to merits earned in previous lives.	71
14346062184	Nirvana	The Buddhist state of enlightenment, a state of tranquility	72
14346063327	Kamasutra	Written by Vatsayana during Gupta era; offered instructions on all aspects of life for higher-caste males, including grooming, hygiene, etiquette, selection of wives, and lovemaking	73
14346063749	Stupas	Stone shrines built to house pieces of bone or hair and personal possessions said to be relics of the Buddha; preserved Buddhist architectural forms	74
14346066628	Hittite	Ancient people who established a powerful empire in Asia minor and Syria.	75
14346067646	Zoroastrianism	system of religion founded in Persia in the 6th century BC by Zoroaster	76
14346068479	Cyrus the Great	Established massive Persian Empire by 550 B.C.E.; successor state to Mesopotamian empires.	77
14346069604	Pericles	Athenian political leader during 5th century BCE; guided development of Athenian Empire; died during early stages of Peloponnesian War	78
14346070419	Peloponnesian Wars	Wars from 431 to 404 BCE between Athens and Sparta for dominance in southern Greece; resulted in Spartan victory but failure to achieve political unification of Greece	79
14346071309	Phillip II	Ruled Macedon from 359 to 336 BCE; founder of centralized kingdom; later conquered rest of Greece, which was subjected to Macedonian authority	80
14346072104	Hellenistic Period	that culture associated with the spread of Greek influence as a result of Macedonian conquests; often seen as the combination of Greek culture with eastern political forms	81
14346073120	Alexandria, Egypt	One of the cities founded by and named for Alexander the Great; site of ancient Mediterranean's greatest library; center of literary studies	82
14346073988	Roman Republic	The balanced constitution of Rome from c. 510 to 47 B.C.E.; featured an aristocratic Senate, a panel of magistrates, and several popular assemblies.	83
14346074589	Punic Wars	Fought between Rome and Carthage to establish dominance in the western Mediterranean; won by Rome after three separate conflicts	84
14346077100	Carthage	Originally a Phoenician colony in northern Africa; became a major port and commercial power in the western Mediterranean; fought the Punic Wars with Rome for dominance of the western Mediterranean.	85
14346077465	Hannibal	Great Carthaginian general during Second Punic War; successfully invaded Italy but failed to conquer Rome; finally defeated at Battle of Zama	86
14346077956	Julius Caesar	Roman general responsible for conquest of Gaul; brought army back to Rome and overthrew republic; assassinated in 44 BCE by conservative senators	87
14346079569	Augustus Caesar	Name given to Octavian following his defeat of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra; first emperor of Rome.	88
14346081503	Diocletian	Roman emperor from 284 to 305 C.E.; restored later empire by improved administration and tax collection.	89
14346082306	Constantine	Roman emperor from 312 to 337 C.E.; established second capital at Constantinople; attempted to use religious force of Christianity to unify empire spiritually.	90
14346083489	Polis	A city-state in ancient Greece.	91