WH1 Vocab. Unit 1 (Mesopotamia/Olmec/China) Flashcards
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Political Legitimacy
In political science, legitimacy is the popular acceptance of a governing law or régime as an authority
Surplus
Extra, excess, More than Enough (1 of 7 components for a civilization).
Mesopotamia
Valley between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers
An ancient region of southwestern Asia in present-day Iraq.
Quipu
Norte Chico. A quipu was a length of string onto which other strings were tied. Purpose has yet to be determined. Some believe number system…
Sumerians
Group who lived in Southern Mesopotamia and created city-states around 3500 BCE
Hydraulic society
based on the centralized control of irrigation and flood management by government
The Epic of Gilgamesh
.
Monarchy
a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch.
Chieftainship
The leader or head of a group, especially of a clan or tribe.
Division of labor
The action of separating jobs into parts (3 of 7 components for a civilization).
Class
The system of ordering a society in which people are split into sets based on perceived social or economic status. (Social Hierarchy being 3 of 7 components for a civilization).
Hierarchy
A system where people or groups are ranked above one another according on authority and/or status
Ur
A Mesopotamian (Sumerian) city-state along the Euphrates watched over by Nannar, the moon god.
Nannar
Mesopotamian Moon God, known for watching over the city-state Ur
Uruk
An ancient city-state of Mesopotamia (Sumer). Usually referred to Gilgamesh.
An
a Mesopotamian/Sumerian sky god who watched over the city-state Uruk
Sippar
A Mesopotamian (Sumerian) city-state watched over by the sun god Utu
Utu
A Mesopotmian/Sumerian god of the sun who watched over the city-state Sippar
Eridu
A Mesopotamian (Sumerian) city-state watched over by the earth god Enki
Enki
A Mesopotamian/Sumerian earth god who watched over the city-state Eridu
Nippur
A Mesopotamian/Sumerian city-state that was watched over by the wing god Enlil
Enlil
A Mesopotamian/Sumerian god of the wind who watched over the city-state Nippur
Ziggurat
A Mesopotamian (Sumerian) place of worship.
Shows evidence of religion
Pictographic Writing
A pictogram, also called a pictogramme or pictograph, is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. (Writing being 6 of 7 components for a civilization).
Ideograms
“Concept Writing”. written character symbolizing the idea of a thing without indicating the sounds used to say it
Lunar Calendar
A calendar based on the positions and cycles of the moon
Sexagesimal
Of or relating to sixtitieths
Decimal
The decimal numeral system (also called base ten or occasionally denary) has ten as its base.
Abstract Mathematics
is mathematics which studies entirely abstract concepts.
Flood Myth
A flood myth or deluge myth is a symbolic narrative in which a great flood is sent by a deity, or deities, to destroy civilization in an act of divine retribution.
Law
the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decision.
Akkadians
Relating to the Akkad of ancient Babylonia
Semites
A member of any on who spoke Semitic language (Hebrews, Arabs, Assyrians, Babylonians).
a name used to designate a group of Asiatic and African languages, some living and some dead,
Semitic Language
Edited from sumerian cuneiform
Sargon
Great Akkadian military leader of 2340 BCE. He conquered Sumer and created the Akkadians (largest capital humans had ever seen until it later became Babylon. Stretched his civilization all the way out to modern day Lebanon.
Amorites
A group of semi-nomadic people who took over the regions of Mesopotamia in 1900 BCE. They are known for centralized government. Capitol resided in Babylon sometimes called “the Old Babylonians”
Babylon
N ancient Mesopotamian city, was for some time a Capitol of Mesopotamian civilizations. Built along the Euhrates
Old Babylonans
The Amorites were sometimes called “the Old Babylonians” hence their civilization having one one of thefirst capitols in the city of Babylon (Mesopotamia)
Old Babylonian Period
The period where the Old Babylonians/Amorites ruled over Mesopotamia. 1900 - 1600BCE
Centralization
The concentrate the control of a activity or organization under 1 rule. This was a big change from the Akkadians to the Amorites; the Akkadians had individually ruled city-states until the Amorites centralized their power in Babylon
Hammurabi
The great military leader of the Amorites (circa. 1792-1750). Most well known for his refinements of Amorites law, “the Code of Hammurabi”
The Code of Hammurabi
A famous set of laws written by military leader Hammurabi. These laws are remembered because of their few links to laws today and because most of the laws resulted in death
Peking Man
One of the most famous examples of Homo Erectus.
he was discovered in 1923, homo Erectus inhabited Before the Xia dynasty
Neolithic
Relating to the Stone Age.
Pan Gu
Pan Gu was the basis of the Chinese’s creation myth of the world. Pan Gu hatched from a universal egg and as he grew he split the top half of the egg (sky) from the bottom half (earth). He then decomposed as parts of the earth.
Oral History
Is where events of the past are kept often in the means of stories where one makes their child memorize the story in a hereditary way. This can be great but flaws because of the many interpretation, embellishment, and occasional lack of physical evidence
Most of Chinese history was an oral history.
Three August Ones
Earliest three emperors.
“18,000 years of Pan Gu were followed by the reigns of three emperors, whose names link them with the process of creation…”
Symbolized the most important things to them (human, earth, heaven)
After them came the Five Emperors
the Five Emperors
Came after three August Ones.
Each developed some sort of technology or culture.
Yellow Emperor was most revered, supposedly ancestor of all Chinese people
Three Soveriegns
Three emperors that
They tell us about their early mythology of government
Earliest three emperors.
“18,000 years of Pan Gu were followed by the reigns of three emperors, whose names link them with the process of creation…”
Symbolized the most important things to them (human, earth, heaven)
After them came the Five Emperors
Shang Dynasty
The dynasty that occupied China in the second millennium.
The earliest dynasty we have concrete period of, Powerful dynasty,
Aristocrats
Members of the higher class of society
Bureaucratic
Relating to running an organization or government
Shang dynasty kings had to be both bureaucratic and religious
Logographic
A series of symbols and characters that make up words and phrases.
Shows us how they communicated
Oracle Bones
Old Animal bones used for divination and telling the future. Supposedly dragon bones
Calligraphy
Decorative handwriting with a pen or brush.
Chinese symbols are drawn using Calligraphy, shows us how they wrote. Top to bottom, right to left, and in columns
Hanzi
Chinese for CHINESE CHARACTERS
Still used today in China, originally more than 5000 (a cause of illiteracy)
Vernacular
The way we speak, common younger (eg. Yo… Swag… Y’all); without structure without plan
Warring States Period
480-221 BCE, where China was in political chaos due to invasions of the Zhou dynasty
Mandate of Heaven
Ruler was son of heaven, granted supreme god of heaven. If he did not rule virtuously, mandate would be repealed, king dethroned
Explains the demise of both Xia and Shang dynasties
Vassal
A holder of land or subordinate to another
Zhou made many people vassals of land, possession was by patriarchs, because of such enormous land
Fief
An estate of land based on feudal service (see vassal to obtain an idea of feudal)
Zhou was split into fiefs because of such vastness
Feudalism
system that connects political power and wealth to control over agricultural lands. Middle Age Feudalism was where they became rich became vassals and held vassals instead of going to military
Zhou system of feifs was similar to feudalism
One Hundred Schools of Thought
These were the philosophical and religious belief schools that emerged during the Warring States Period
Confucianism
Founded by Confucius,
the belief that human beings are teachable, improvable and perfectible through personal and communal endeavour especially including self-cultivation and self-creation. Confucianism focuses on the cultivation of virtue and maintenance of ethics… Confucianism holds that one should give up one’s life, if necessary, either passively or actively, for the sake of upholding the cardinal moral values
Part of the 100 schools of thought
Legalism
Legalism was a utilitarian political philosophy that did not address higher questions like the nature and purpose of life whose founder was Han Fei Zi.
Legalism rose with the 100 Schools of Thoughts during the Warring States Period
Taoism (Daoism)
Taoism emphasizes ideas such as “purposive ideas should be abandoned in favor of Wu-Wei [letting things take their natural course]”, “inner contemplation”, and “mystical union with nature, wisdom, learning,…”. The founder of Taoism was Lao Zi.
Taoism rose with the 100 Schools of Thoughts during the Warring States Period
Shi Huangdi
King of the Qin dynasty, unified the seven Warring States through military force.
Shi
Translates into knight. Went from empire to empire offering services (fighting, strategizing, bureaucrats, scholars;maristocrats) not related to the king
Shang Yang
Political philosopher from the state of Wei. Known for ideas he brought to the Qin.
Known for making the rudiments of legalism
Ying Zhang
Became Qin king at age 13, 246 BCE. Consolidated his power and centralized his control over china in 221 BCE.
Li Si
Li Si was the advisor of Qin king, Shi Huangdi. He is credited for the burning of Confucius scripts, the killing of 400 Confucius scholars who’s ideas conflicted with Shi Huangdi, and persecuting scholars whose ideas didn’t match the king (Confuciusts were persecuted)
Xiongnu
ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the Qin. Often fought against the Qin for land.
Great Wall
Shi Huangdi’s
Shi Huangdi tasked Meng Tian with defending China. Built this wall to keep out the Xiongnu instead of keep fighting. Big public work; 100,000 troops to watch over wall and 30,000 peasants had to move out and farm to produce a surplus of agriculture for the workers and troops.
Huangdi died first but the wall was finished by other dynasties
