History Flashcards
Ziggurat
Temple in the form of step-pyramid build in the center of Mesopotamian city to honor the gods.
Cuneiform
The wedge-shaped writing system that developed in Sumer, the 1st writing system in the world. 1st just pictures of object, then symbols-ideograms
Indo-European language family
A large family of lang.s includes English, most of the lang.s of modern Europe, greek, latin, Persian, hindi, Bengali & Sanskrit, the sacred tongue of ancient india
Phoenicians
People of the prosperous city-states in what is now Lebanon who dominated throughout the Mediterranean and spread the letter alphabet
Yahweh
All-powerful god of the Hebrew people & the basis for the enduring religious traditions of Judaism.
Aryans
The dominant people in North India after the decline of the Indus valley civilization; they spoke an early form of Sanskrit
Rigveda
The earliest collection of Indian hymns, rituals texts, and philosophical treatises; it’s the central source of information on early Aryans
Caste System
The Indian system of dividing society into hereditary groups whose members interacted primarily within the group, and especially married within the group
Samsara
The transmigration of souls by a continual process of rebirth
Karma
The tally of good and bad deeds that determines the status of an individual’s next life
Nirvana
A state of blissful nothingness and freedom from reincarnation
mahayana
The “great Vehicle” a tradition of Buddhism that aspires to be more inclusive
Bodhisattvas
Buddhas-to-be who stayed in the world after enlightenment to help others on the path to salvation
Logographic
A system of writing in which each word is presented by a single symbol, such as the Chinese script
Mandate of heaven
the theory that Heaven gives the king a mandate to rule only as long as he rules in the interest of people
Warring states period
The period of Chinese history between 403 & 221 bce when states fought each other and one state after another was destroyed.
Filial Piety
Reverent attitude of children to their parens extolled by Confucius
Dao
The way the whole natural order in Daoist philosophy. In Confucianism it means the moral order
Legalist
Political theorists who emphasized the need for rigorous laws and laud the basis for China’s ;ater bureaucratic government
yin and yang
A concept of complementary poles, one of which represents the femininem dark and receptive, and the other masculine, bright and assertive
hoplites
Heavily armed citizens who served as infantrymen and fought to defend the polis
Tyranny
Rule by one man who took over an existing government, generally by using his wealth to gain a political following
Delian League
A grand naval alliance created by the Athenians aimed at liberating Ionia from persian rule
consuls
Primary executives in the Roman republic, elected for one-year terms, who commanded the army in battle, administered state business, and supervised financial affairs, originally the office was limited to patricians.
patricians
The Roman aristocracy; wealthy landowners who held political power
Plebeians
The common people of Rome, who had few of the patricians” advantages
Senate
The assembly that was the main instruction of government in the Roman republic. It grew out of an earlier council of advisers to the king
manumission
The feeling of individual slaves by their masters
pax Romana
A period of Roman security, order, harmony, flourishing culture, and expending economy during the first and second centuries
Confucian classics
The ancient tets recovered during the Han Dynasty that Confucian scholars treated as sacred scriptures
Records of the Grand Historian
A comprehensive history of China written by Sima Qian
Tributary system
A system first established during the Han Dynasty to regulate contact with foreign powers. States and tribes beyond its borders sent envoys bearing gifts and received gifts in return
Age of Division
The period after the fall of the Han Dynasty, when China was politically divided
Grand Canal
A canal build during the Sui Dynasty, that connected the Yellow and yangzi Rivers, notable for strengthening China’s internal cohesion and economic development
Pure land
A school of Buddhism that taught that by calling on the Buddha Amitabha and his chief helper, one could achieve rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land paradise.
Chan
A school of Buddhism ( known in Japan as Zen) that rejected the authority of the sutras and claimed the superiority of Buddhist truths.
Shinto
The way of the Gods; it was the native religion espoused by the Yamato rulers in Japan
Corpus Juris Civilis
The body of civil law it’s composed of the Code, the Digest, and the Institutes
Arianism
A theological belief, originating wiht Arius, a priest of Alexandria, that denied that Christ was co-eternal with God the Father.
iconoclastic controversy
the conflict over the veneration of religious images in the Byzantine Empire
Wergeld
Compensatory payment for death or injury set in many barbarian law codes
Merovingian
A dynasty founded in 481 by the Frankish chieftain Clovis in what is now France. Merovingian derives from Merovech, the name of the semi-legendary leader from whom Clovis claimed descent.
Carolingians
A dynasty of rulers that took over the Frankish kingdom from the Merovingians in the seventh century; Carolinigians derivers from the latin word for Charles, the name of several members of this dynasty
Treaty of Verdun
A traty ratified in 843 that divided Charlemagne’s territories among his 3 surviving grandsons; their kingdoms set the pattern for the modern states of France, Italy and Germany
