Unit 2 Terms - Empires Flashcards
Aqueduct
a pipe/passage used for carrying water from a distance
Aristocracy
gov. by best individuals/small privileged class (social authority)
Ex: Greece, India , Rome
Bureaucracy
body of non-elected gov. officials
Ex: Egypt, Persians, Romans
Caste system
class structure that is determined by birth
Ex: Maurya & Gupta
Centralized Government
gov. body where leader has ultimate power to make decisions w/out public approval/input
Ex: Mauryan, Indian, Han China
Citizen
individual owes allegiance/entitled to its protection by a state
Consul
either of two chief officials of the ancient Roman republic who were elected each year
Democracy
political /decision-making system which all members have an equal share of power.
Ex: Greeks?
Dynastic cycle
a pattern rise & fall of dynasties in China
Empire
an aggregate of many separate states or territories under a supreme ruler or oligarchy
Epic (writing style)
long narrative that retells heroic journey of an individual/group
Filial piety
attitude of respect for parents/ancestors in societies
Ex: Han & Qing
Hellenism
speak Greek/identify w/ Greeks
Legacy
something that is handed down from one period of time to another period of time
Legalism
human beings are compelled to do wrong than right b/c selfishness (require strict laws to control impulse)
Ex: Qin
Mandate of Heaven
belief that Chinese emperor had divine rule given by god or divine force known as Heaven or Sky
Nirvana
what can be reached if the correct life is lived
(this is a buddhist term)
Oligarchy
government by the few (political authorities)
Ex: Greeks, Roman Republic
Patrician
elite aristocrats (usually male)
Philosophy
consideration of reality and human existence and experience
Ex: Romans
Plebian
all free Roman citizens who were not members of the patrician, senatorial or equestrian classes
Polis
community structure of ancient Greece
Power vacuum
someone has lost control of something and no one has replaced them
Reincarnation
religious/philosophical belief that after death, begins a new life in a new body depending on moral quality of previous life’s actions
Republic
form of gov in where state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body
Ex: Roomans
Satraps
governor of a division of ancient Persia
Senate
representative of the Roman people and the repository of Roman sovereignty
Could pass laws & controlled state budget
Tolerance
refraining from taking severe action against a person or a group of people pursuing different religious values
Tribune
someone in the government of ancient Rome who looked out for ordinary people
Triumvirate
a board of three officials
Ex: Romans
