Unit 1 Study Guide Flashcards
1
Q
Prerequisites for Civilization
A
No culture can be considered civilized unless it has the following 6 characteristics:
- Organized Religion
- Domestication of Plants and Animals
- Use of Textiles
- Widespread Trade
- Use of Metals
- Writing
2
Q
Cuneiform
A
Meaning “wedge-shaped”, because it was made by a writing implement in the triangular shape of a wedge pressed into clay.
3
Q
Gathas
A
- Little known about Zarathustra’s doctrines
- Priests, (Magi,) passed them down orally
- Eventually compiled into a holy book called the Avesta
- The teachings known as the Gathas
4
Q
Darius the Great
A
- Darius ruled from 522-486 BC
- Expanded the Persian Empire
- Became involved in a war with mainland Greece
- Defeated in the Battle of Marathon
5
Q
Zarathustra
A
- Founder of Zoroastrianism
- Lived between 7th and 6th Centuries BC
- Believed in a supreme God: Ahura Mazda, the wise lord
6
Q
Cyrus the Great
A
- Unified the Persians
- Conquered the Medes in 550 BC
- Made the Medes kingdom the first Persian Satrapy
- Satrapy: a state
- Satrapy ruled by a Satrap (governor)
7
Q
Rosetta Stone
A
- Rediscovered in 1789 AD when Napoleon invaded Egypt
- Over the centuries, the ability to read Egyptian died out
- French discovered black slab with identical writings in Greek and Hieroglyphics
8
Q
Ra
A
- The Sun God
- Provided warmth for crops to grow
- Osiris and Isis son
9
Q
Isis
A
- Earth Goddess
- Wife/Sister of Osiris
- When the Nile overflowed, Osiris impregnated Isis
10
Q
Osiris
A
- God of vegetation, the nile & death
- Each year he was resurrected as the Nile overflowed
- Most important God
11
Q
Hieroglyphics
A
- Picture writing
- Sacred/Holy writing
- Often on temple or tomb walls
12
Q
Demotic
A
- For everyday use
- Use for trade, commerce, etc.
13
Q
Pharaoh
A
God-King
14
Q
Hittites
A
- War weakened both
- Egyptian conquered by Assyrians
- Egypt not an independent again until 1952
- Hittite Empire in Asia Minor grew tired of Egyptian Imperialism
15
Q
Assyrians
A
- Capitol of Ninevah
- Militaristic people who conquered Sumerians
- Worshiped militaristic God Ashur
- King was embodiment of Ashur on earth
- Best army in ancient world
- First army to use iron weapons
- Exterminated or resettled enemies
- Conquered by the Medes in 612 BC
16
Q
Talmud
A
- Book of Jewish law, ethics, customs and legends
- Based on Rabbinic discussion
- Fundamental source of legislation, customs, case histories and morality
17
Q
Torah
A
- Compiled between 1000 and 400 BC
- Same as the first 5 books of Christian Bible
- Story of punishment or reward from God, based on observation of his commandments
18
Q
Abraham
A
- Originally from Sumerian city of Ur
- Migrated to Palestine around 1850 BC
- Made a covenant with Yahweh
- Taught Monotheism
19
Q
Moses
A
- Born in Egypt
- Freed Israelites from Egyptian Slavery
Received the 10 Commandments from Yahweh at Mt.Sinai
20
Q
Ahura Mazda
A
Supreme Deity (is the highest spirit worshipped in Zoroastrianism)
21
Q
Zoroastrianism
A
A monotheistic pre-Islamic religion of ancient Persia founded by Zoroaster in the 6th century BC
22
Q
Amorites
A
- Conquered the Sumerians around 2,000 BC
- Created the Amorite Kingdom
- 300 laws, dealth with all aspects of society
- Code just but very harsh
23
Q
Hammurabi
A
- Most famous King
- Hammurabi’s code: most complete early law code
24
Q
Sumerians
A
- Sumerian Civ founded about 7,000 years ago
- Organized into city states
- Each city state ruled by an Ensi
- He was a “God-king”
- Sumerians never unified into a nation
25
Q
Karma
A
- Deeds
- Accounts for specific incarnations or lives
- Fits into the caste system
- Any rebirth leads to suffering
26
Q
Brahmins
A
Unified soul (priests)
27
Q
The Caste System
A
- A well defined social order
- Based on hereditary distinctions
28
Q
Aryans
A
- Lighter skinned
29
Q
Vaishyas
A
- Farmers, merchants
30
Q
Untouchables
A
- Dirty people
31
Q
Shudra
A
- Landless peasants
32
Q
Kshatriyas
A
- Warriors and aristocrats
33
Q
Upanishads
A
- Sitting in front of
- They teach appearances are deceiving, individuals are not separate, each person is a small part of a universal soul, physical world is an illusion, and belief in a interconnectedness.
34
Q
Monism
A
- Belief in a interconnectedness
35
Q
The Four Noble Truths
A
- All life is suffering
- Desire is the cause of suffering
- Elimination of desire brings an end to suffering
- The Noble Eightfold path eliminates desire
36
Q
Ashoka Maurya
A
- Ruler of Indian Empire
- State Sponsorship
- Sent missionaries throughout Asia
37
Q
Ensi
A
- A Sumerian title designating the ruler or prince of a city-state.
38
Q
Yahweh
A
- The national god of the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel (Samaria) and Judah.
39
Q
Menes
A
- A pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt credited by classical tradition with having united Upper and Lower Egypt and as the founder of the First Dynasty.
40
Q
Hyksos
A
- People of diverse origins, possibly from Western Asia, who settled in the eastern Nile Delta some time before 1650 BC.
41
Q
Cambyses
A
- The king of Persia who conquered Egypt.
42
Q
King Assurbanipal
A
- The King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 668 BC to c. 627 BC
43
Q
Avesta
A
- A library, containing different sacred texts which were written during a very long period in different languages.
44
Q
Nirvana
A
- The highest state that someone can attain, a state of enlightenment, meaning a person’s individual desires and suffering go away.
45
Q
Asceticism
A
- A lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals.
46
Q
Persepolis
A
- The Greek name for the ancient city of Parsa, located seventy miles northeast of Shiraz in present-day Iran.
47
Q
Prakrit
A
- Any of the vernacular Indo-Aryan languages of the ancient and medieval periods,
48
Q
Sanskirt
A
- An ancient Indo-European language of India, in which the Hindu scriptures and classical Indian epic poems are written and from which many northern Indian (Indic) languages are derived.
49
Q
Siddhartha Gautama
A
- The leader and founder of a sect of wanderer ascetics (Sramanas), one of many sects which existed at that time all over India.
50
Q
Magi
A
- Magi denotes followers of Zoroastrianism or Zoroaster. The earliest known use of the word magi is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius the Great, known as the Behistun Inscription. Old Persian texts, predating the Hellenistic period, refer to a magus as a Zurvanic, and presumably Zoroastrian, priest.
