Part II Terms Flashcards
(88 cards)
Syncretism
The combination of cultural elements.
Shi Huangdi
The founder of the brief Qin dynasty in 221 BC.
Qin
Dynasty established in 221 BC at the end of the Warring States period following the decline of the Zhou dynasty; fell in 207 BC.
Han
Dynasty that succeeded the Qin in 202 BC; ruled for the next 400 years.
Zhou
Originally a vassal family of Shang China; possibly Turkic in origin; overthrew the Shang and established the second historical Chinese Dynasty that flourished 1122 to 256 BC.
Shi
Scholar-administrators.
Great Wall
Chinese defensive fortification intended to keep out the nomadic invaders from the north; initiated during Qin dynasty and the reign of Shi Huangdi.
Confucius
Also known as Kong Fuzi; the first major Chinese philosopher born in the sixth century BC (551 to 478); author of the Analects; philosophy based on the need for restoration of order through advice of superior men to be found among the shi.
China’s economy featured…
extensive internal trade and important technological innovations.
China’s family system stressed…
a rigid patriarchy.
Chinese civilization coordinated…
many aspects of politics, culture, and even family life, a key reason that emperors ultimately encouraged Confucianism.
Buddha
The creator of a major Indian and Asian religion born in 563 BC (died 483) as the son of a local ruler among Aryan tribes, located near the Himalayas; became an ascetic, found enlightenment under bo tree; taught others that enlightenment can be achieved only by abandoning desires for all earthly things.
Alexander the Great
Successor of Phillip II; successfully conquered Persian Empire prior to his death in 323 BC; attempted to combine Greek and Persian cultures.
Himalayas
Mountain region marking the northern border of the Indian subcontinent; site of the Aryan settlements that formed small kingdoms or warrior republics.
Monsoons
Seasonal winds crossing the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia, bringing rains during the summer.
Sanskrit
The sacred and classical Indian language.
Varnas
Clusters of caste groups in Indian society; four social castes: brahmans (priests), warriors, merchants, and peasants; beneath the Aryan castes was a group of socially untouchable Dasas.
Untouchables
Low social caste in Hindi culture; performed tasks that were considered polluting: street sweeping, removal of human waste, transporting the dead, and tanning.
Indra
The chief deity of the Aryans; depicted as a colossal, hard-drinking warrior. God of thunder and strength.
Chandragupta Maurya
(322-298 BC) The founder of the Mauryan dynasty; established first empire in Indian subcontinent; first centralized government since Harrapan civilizaton.
Mauryan
Dynasty established in Indian subcontinent in 4th century BC, following invasion by Alexander the Great.
Ashoka
(273-232 BC) Grandson of Chandragupta Maurya; completed conquests of Indian subcontinent; converted to Buddhism and sponsored the spread of the new religion throughout his empire.
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.
Kush
An African state that developed along the upper reaches of the Nile, below Egypt around 1000 BC; conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries.