History Final

Front 1

Sharia

Back 1

Literally, "the way"; now used to indicate the philosophy and rulings of Islamic law.

Front 2

Eunuchs

Back 2

Loyal and well-paid men who were surgically castrated in their youths and remained in service to the caliph or emperor. Both Abbasid and Tang rulers relied for protection on a cadre of eunuchs.

Front 3

Imperial University

Back 3

University founded in 136 BCE by Emperor Wu, where important discoveries such as rational diagnosis of the body's functions, the magnetic compass, and high-quality paper were developed; significant as a mechanism by which the Han state inculcated Confucian thought into the elite.

Front 4

Pax Romana

Back 4

Latin for "Roman Peace"; refers to the period between 25 BCE and 235 CE during which conditions in the Roman Empire were settled and peaceful.

Front 5

Pax Sinica

Back 5

Period of peace (149-87 BCE) during which agriculture, commerce, and industry flourished in east Asia under the rule of the Han.

Front 6

Res Publica

Back 6

Literally "public thing"; this referred to the Roman republic, in which policy and rules of behavior were determined by the Senate and by popular assemblies of the citizens.

Front 7

Shi Huangdi

Back 7

King Zheng (of the Qin era) who defeated what was left of the Warring States between 230 and 221 BCE. He assumed the mandate of heaven from the Zhou and declared himself Shi Huangdi (First August Emperor), to distinguish himself from other kings.

Front 8

Emperor Wu

Back 8

Also known as Han Wudi, he brought prosperity and the expansion of the empire to Han China. Was often called the "Martial Emperor" because of the state's many military campaigns. Despite this, he rarely sent his military into battle.

Front 9

Empress Wu

Back 9

One of the many powerful women from the Tang State. The mother of the future emperor, she enjoyed heightened political power. She elevated Buddhism over Daoism as the favored religion, ordered scholars to write biographies of famous women, and expanded the military.

Front 10

Paul of Tarsus

Back 10

Between 40 and 60 CE, preached that Jesus was the Messiah and is accredited with the increase in spread of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean during this time period.

Front 11

Nicene Creed

Back 11

Formal statement of faith or expression of a belief system. A Christian creed or “credo” was formulated by the Council of Nicaea. The Nicene Creedbalanced three separate divine entities—God “the father,” “the son,” and “the holy spirit”—as facets of one supreme being.

Front 12

Goths

Back 12

People who resided north of the Romans, who were considered "barbarians" by the Romans. This basically meant that they did not speack Roman. The Romans used them as slaves, and eventually, many of them became soldiers and even commanding officers in the Roman Army.

Front 13

Justinian

Back 13

Became emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 527 CE. He was responsible for reforming many laws. Within six years a commission of lawyers had created the Digest, a massive condensation and organization of the preexisting body of Roman law.

Front 14

Sanskrit

Back 14

An ancient Indic language of India, in which the Hindu scriptures and classical Indian epic poems are written and from which many northern Indian languages are derived.

Front 15

Hinayana Buddhism

Back 15

Also known as the "lesser vehicle" school of Buddhism, was one of the two major schools of Buddhism during the Gupta period, and had acquired universalizing features that were different from what the Buddha had preached centuries earlier.

Front 16

Code of Manu

Back 16

Part of the handiwork of Brahman priests; a representative code of law that incorporated social sanctions and practices and provided guidance for living within the caste system.

Front 17

Teotihuacán

Back 17

In the heart of the fertile valley of central Mexico, became the largest center of the Americas before the Aztecs almost 500 years later. Teotihuacán was a powerful city-state that flexed its military muscle to overtake its rivals. By 300 CE, Teotihuacán controlled the entire basin of the Valley of Mexico.

Front 18

Mayans

Back 18

In the Caribbean region of the Yucatán and its interior, the Mayan people flourished from about 250 CE to their zenith in the eighth century. Mayan Villages were linked by a shared Mayan language and through tribute payments, chiefly from lesser settlements to sacred towns.

Front 19

Grand Canal

Back 19

Started by the short lived Sui Dynasty and finished by the Tang Dynasty, it was a way to connect North and South China. They also worked on the Yangzee River to connect East to West China.

Front 20

Caliphate

Back 20

Institution that arose as the successor to Muhammad’s leadership and became both the political and religious head of the Islamic community. Although the caliphs exercised political authority over the Muslim community and were the head of the religious community, the ummah, they did not inherit Muhammad’s prophetic powers and were not authorities in religious doctrine.

Front 21

Quran

Back 21

The biblical texts of Islam, Accepted as the word of God, the Quran’s verses were understood to have flowed flawlessly through God’s perfect instrument, the Prophet Muhammad.

Front 22

Charlemagne

Back 22

Far removed from the old centers of high culture, Charlemagne (r. 768–814 CE), ruler of the Franks, expanded his western European kingdom through constant warfare and plunder.

Front 23

Madhyamika Buddhism

Back 23

Also known as the "higher vehicle" school of Buddhism, a Chinese branch of Mahayana Buddhism established by Kumarajiva (344–413 CE) that used irony and paradox to show that reason was limited.