AP World Modern Prologue Vocab (AMSCO)

Domination by males in social society

c. 8000 BCE; due to the warming from the last Ice Age, Earth became warm enough for humans to plant crops and raise livestock. This allowed humans to control their food supply, leading to specialization and major changes to human life.

The first civilization was formed in this region; around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (modern Iraq).

an independent state made up of a city and its surrounding territory. All city-states were usually highly patriarchal, built monumental architecture (such as ziggurats: religious temples), and engaged in long-distance trade. Many people were polytheistic.

Believing in many gods

The first written language; created by the people of Sumer (Mesopotamian city-state) to organize trade, taxes, and laws.

Located in the Nile River Valley; highly centralized under one ruler: a pharaoh. Developed their own writing system: hieroglyphics and a mathematics system. Built monumental structures called pyramids to show the pharaoh’s power. Egyptian women had more rights than other societies of the time (own property, recognized as equal to men in court)

Was very sophisticated according to archaeological remains; Cities (Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro) engaged in trade w/ Mesopotamia. Practiced polytheism, developed tech. (indoor plumbing, planned layouts of urban areas.)

Along the Huang He River (northern China) was a highly patriarchal and centralized system. Distinctive feature: the special honor the people gave to their ancestors.

Two in the Americas: Olmec (Mesoamerica) and Chavin (Andes); participated in trade

religion based on a reverence for deities associated with features of nature (animals, mountains, rivers)

Believing in one god

Polytheistic (monotheistic?) religion; About 3500 years ago, people called the Aryans came from the north of the Himalayan Mountains to the south of it to modern-day Pakistan and India. They spoke an Indo-European language and brought scriptures called the Vedas, which taught that a soul would continuously reincarnate until it spiritually advances from the cycle. The Vedas also taught people should be organized into a caste system (sharply defined classes)

Monotheistic religion; developed in Persia. Followers focus on human free will and the eternal battle between the forces of good and evil.

Monotheistic religion; traces back 4000 years ago, from when Abraham lived. Believe they have entered a covenant w/ their God, called Yahweh. In return, Yahweh would consider them his chosen people. Have Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).

Time period between c. 600 BCE-c. 600 CE. Several empires arose during this time, trade routes were used, and other religions developed.

Monotheistic; c. 530 BCE: Siddhartha Gautama, who was the later founder of Buddhism, was born into a wealthy Hindu family. To understand people’s suffering, he left his family and went to live a life of poverty and meditation. According to Buddhist traditions, he was meditating under a bodhi tree when he figured out how to end the suffering. He named himself the Buddha ('“enlightened one”) and the knowledge was summarized in the Four Noble Truths. By following the Eightfold Path, an individual would meditate and eventually achieve nirvana and escape the cycle of reincarnation. Universalizing faith.

322 BCE - 187 BCE; the first period of unity in South Asia. The highest point was under the rule of Ashoka. Promoted prosperity and spread knowledge of the law through pillars in the empire. Was one of the few rulers that converted faiths (Hinduism-Buddhism). Helped spread Buddhism in South Asia. Empire fell down after his rule.

c. 320 CE - c. 550 CE; second period of unity in South Asia, was the Golden Age of India. Centralized gov’nt based in Pataliputra (city in northwestern India). Intellectual and cultural life flourished (Medicine, mathematics). Social structure was patriarchal. The Gupta strongly supported Hinduism (unified the empire).

After the Zhou Dynasty (1076 BCE-256 BCE) fell, China experienced a time of instability and decentralization.

a legacy from the Zhou Dynasty; the idea that some universal force provided the justification for an emperor to rule China. If the ruler was corrupt, “heaven” would show displeasure by sending natural disasters. This showed that the ruler had lost the mandate of heaven.

c. 551 BCE: philosopher K’ung Fu-tzu (Confucius) was born. His teachings were written down by his followers in the Analects, which taught how people should behave. Rather than focus on a deity, Confucianism focused on education, benevolence, virtue, respect for that w / authority, and a patriarchal society structure. Emphasized filial piety: the duty of people to honor their ancestors.