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73 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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ziggurat
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Large temple or tower built in ancient Mesopotamia
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cuneiform
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one of the earliest known systems of writing-Mesopotamia
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epic poems
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detailed and lengthy poem subject to heroic deeds and events significant to the culture
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pharoah
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ruler in ancient Egypt
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polytheism
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the worship or belief in multiple deities
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"Book of the Dead"
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an Egyptian manuscript containing Egyptians beliefs about death and the afterlife written to help guide the dead through difficulties on the way to the underworld
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hieroglyphs
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Egyptian ideograms and symbols used phonetically
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Indo-European language family
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Spoken by Hittites
a large family, a large family of languages that includes English, most languages of modern Europe, Greek, Latin, etc. suggests that their ancestors originated in central Asia--home of indo-european languages |
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Phoenicians
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people of city-states in (Lebanon) who dominated trade and spread the letter alphabet through Mediterranean
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Yahweh
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all-powerful God of Hebrew people
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Zorastrianism
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The religion based on teachings of Zoroaster
choice between good and evil emphasized |
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Harappan
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First Indian Civilization (Indus Valley Civilization)
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Aryans
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Dominant people in North India after decline of the Indus Valley civilization
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Rigveda
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The earliest collection of Indian hymns, ritual texts, and philosophical treatises
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Brahmins
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Priests of the Aryans; they supported the growth of royal power in return for royal confirmation of their own religious rights, power, and status
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caste system
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Indian system dividing society into hereditary groups whose members interacted primarily within the group, and especially married within the group
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samsara
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transmigration of souls by a continual process of rebirth
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karma
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tally of good and bad deeds that determines the status of an individuals next life
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brahman
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the unchanging ultimate reality, according to the Upanishads
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Four Nobel Truths
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Buddha's message that pain and suffering are inescapable parts of life; suffering and anxiety are caused by human desires and attachments; people can understand and triumph over these weaknesses; and the triumph is made possible by following a simple code of conduct
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eightfold path
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the code of conduct set forth by the Buddha in his first sermon, beginning with "right conduct" and ending with "right contemplation".
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nirvanna
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a state of blissful nothingness and freedom from reincarnation
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sutras
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written teachings of the Buddha first transcribed in the second or first century BCE
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Mahayana
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Great Vehicle, a tradition of Buddhism that aspires to be more inclusive
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bodhisattvas
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Buddhas-to-be who stayed in the world after enlightenment to help others on the path to salvation
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dharma
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the sanskrit word for moral law, central both to Buddhist and Hindu teachings
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Code of Manu
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codification of early Indian law that lays down family, caste, and commercial law
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loess
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soil deposited by wind; it is fertile and easy to work
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Anyang
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one of shang dynasty capitals
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taotie
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stylized animal face commonly seen in Chinese bronzes.
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logographic
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system of writing in which each word is represented by a single symbol, such as the Chinese script.
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Book of Documents
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one of earliest Chinese books, containing documents, speeches, and historical accounts about early Zhou rule.
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Mandate of Heaven
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theory that heaven gives the king a mandate to rule only as long as he rules in the interests of the people
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shi
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lower ranks of Chinese aristocracy; these men could serve in either military or civil capacities
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book of songs
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earliest collection of Chinese poetry; it provides glimpses of what life was like in the early Zhou Dynasty
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warring states period
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period in chinese history between 403 and 221 bce when states fought each other and one state after another was destroyed
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crossbow
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mechanical bow
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filial piety
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reverent attitude of children to their parents extolled by Confucius
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ren
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ultimate confucian virtue ; perfect goodness & nobility
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Dao
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the way, natural order in Daoist philosophy. Moral order
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legalists
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Political theorists who emphasized the need for rigorous laws and laid the basis for China's later bureaucratic government
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yin and yang
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concept of complementary poles, one of which represents feminine dark and receptive the other bright masculine asertive
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polis
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generally translated as city state it was basic political and institutional unit of ancient Greece
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hoplites
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heavily armed citizens who served as infantrymen and fought to defend the polis
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democracy
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type of greek governemnt by the people
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oligarchy
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a type of Greek government in which a small group of wealthy citizens not necessarily of aristocratic birth ruled
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tyranny
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rule by one man who took over an existing government generally by using his wealth to gain a political following
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Delian League
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a grand naval alliance created by the Athenians aimed at liberating Ionia from Persian rule
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mystery religions
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religious systems in the Hellenistic world that incorporated aspects of both Greek and Eastern religions; they were characterized by secret doctrines, rituals of initiation, and the promise of an afterlife
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Epiucreanism
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a greek system of philosophy founded on teachings of Epicurus viewed a life of contentment as good
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stoicism
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the most popular of Hellenistic philosophies, it considered nature an expression of divine will and held that people can be happy with nature
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consuls
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primary executives in the Roman republic, elected for one-year terms, who commanded the army in battle, administered state business supervised affairs
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patricians
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Roman aristocracy; wealthy landowners who held political power
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plebeians
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common people of rome
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senate
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assembly, main institution of government in Roman republic
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paterfamilias
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oldest dominant male of the family, who held nearly absolute power over the lives of family members
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manumission
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freeing of individual slaves by their master
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pax Romana
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a period of Roman security, order, harmony, flourishing culture, and expanding economy during the first and second centuries CE
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pagan
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non christian followers of Greco-Roman gods
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bishop
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a Christian church official with jurisdiction over a certain area and the power to determine the correct interpretation of Christian teachings
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heresy
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religious practice judged as unacceptable by church officials
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Great Wall
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rammed-earth fortification built along northern border of China during the reign of the First Emperor
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Confucian classics
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ancient texts recovered during Han Dynasty that Confucian scholars treated as sacred scriptures
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Records of Grand Historian
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A comprehensive history of China written by Sima Qian
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Silk Road
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trade route across Central Asia through which Chinese silk and other items were traded
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tributary system
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system first established during Han Dynasty to regulate contact with foreign powers. States and tribes beyond its borders sent envoys bearing gifts and received gifts in return
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eunuchs
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castrated males who were palace servants
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Age of Division
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the period after the fall of the Han Dynasty when China was politically divided
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Grand canal
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a canal, built during the Sui Dynasty tat connected the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers
strengthened Chinas economic development |
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Pure Land
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school of Buddhism that taught that by calling on the Buddha Amitabha and his chief helper
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Chan
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school of Buddhism that rejected the authority of the sutras
mind to mind transmission |
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Shinto
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Way of the Gods; it was the native religion espoused by the Yamato rulers in Japan
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Nara
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Japan's capital and first true city; it was established in 710 and modeled on the Tang capital of Chang'an
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