Term | Definition |
equator | line of latitude at 0 degrees; divides Northern and Southern hemisphere |
prime meridian | line of longitude at 0 degrees; divides Eastern and Western hemispheres |
latitude | imaginary lines that run horizontally, measured N or S from equator; degrees; comes first in locations (latitude, longitude) |
longitude | imaginary lines that run vertically; measured E or W from prime meridian; degrees; comes second in location (latitude, longitude) |
archaeologist | a scientist who hunts for evidence buried in the ground where settlements might once have been; studies artifacts and looks for fossils |
artifact | a weapon, tool, or another thing made by humans |
fossil | a trace of a plant and/or animal that has been preserved in a rock |
anthropologist | a scientist who focus on human society, studies how human developed, and studies how humans related to one another |
nomad | people who regularly move from place to place; traveled in bands of 30 or more members because it was safer and made the search for food easier |
technology | and methods to help humans perform tasks; i.e. – fire, fishing tools, etc. |
domesticate | to tame animals and/or plants for human use |
Hammurabi | Babylonian ruler; conquered only city-states north and south, creating an empire; Code of Hammurabi written in 1750 B.C. |
irrigation | a way of watering crops; building dams and channels to control the seasonal floods; building walls, waterways, and ditches to bring water to fields; allowed farmers to grow plenty of food and support a large population |
city-state | a part of Sumer- one Sumerian city and the land around it; had its own government, (the government wasn’t part of any larger unit) |
artisan | a skilled worker who made metal products, cloth or pottery |
cuneiform | Sumerian writing; consisted of hundreds of wedge-shaped marks cut into damp clay tablets with a sharp-ended reed; developed to keep track of business deals and other events; written by scribes |
scribe | record keepers; few boys (males) from wealthy families learned to write; they held honored positions in society, often going on to become judges or political leaders |
empire | a group of many different lands under one ruler |
Sumer(ians) | 3500-1800 B.C. first formal civilization; no central government; frequent wars and disagreements;ziggurats;cuneiform writing;wheel; plow; sailboat;bronze tools;farming;government;writing;12 month calendar;conquered by Sargon of Akkadian |
Mesopotamia (ns) | Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, river valleys (fertile land); government – laws, armies, buildings, language, social groups; Fertile Crescent; present day Iraq; between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; floods; irrigation |
Babylon (ians) | 1800-1600 B.C. large center of trade; Hammurabi conquered city states north and south creating an empire, Code of Hammurabi 1750 B.C. |
Assyria (ns) | 900 – 612 B.C. conquered Babylonians; at peak of power controlled Mesopotamia, Fertile Crescent, Egypt; empire divided into provinces; warrior culture; cavalry, battering rams, and other tools |
Nebuchadnezzar | Chaldean King (Chaldeans 605-565 B.C.) rebuilt Babylon; hanging gardens; first to have 7 day week; defeated by the Persians in 539 B.C. |
Province | a political district; governed by officials who collected taxes and enforced the king’s laws (Assyrians) |
Nile River (Valley) | first settlers around 10,000 B.C.; flows south to north; starts in the mountains of East Africa; flows into the Mediterranean Sea creating the Nile Delta; fertile land; encouraged trade and cooperation between villages; |
Nile River | Where Egyptians’ got food (fish), cleaned, bathed, drank, transported |
Hieroglyphics | The Egyptian system of writing; made up of hundreds of picture symbols;stood for objects and ideas,others stood for sounds; carved on stone walls and monuments by scribes; a simplified version was made for everyday purposes and was written on papyrus |
Sahara | A vast desert to the west of the Nile; the largest hot desert in the world |
cataract | a wild rapid in the Nile River formed by narrow cliffs and boulders |
delta (Nile) | an area of fertile soil where branches of the Nile River fan out; Lower Egypt; near Mediterranean Sea |
papyrus | a reed plant that grew along the shores of the Nile; originally used to make baskets, sandals, and river rafts; later used for papermaking |
dynasty | a line of rulers from one family; when one died out, another took its place; a passing down from father to son to grandson….of ruling power |
King Khufu | Great Pyramid’s owner; Great Pyramid built 2540 B.C.; 10 miles from Cairo; standing in Giza, west bank of Nile; 500 feet tall; 9 football fields; 2 million 2.5 ton bricks |
Pharaoh | an Egyptian king; lived in a great palace with family; “great house; an all powerful ruler who guided Egypt’s every activity |
Rosetta Stone | unearthed in an old fort near Rosetta; discovered in AD 1799 by a French officer; 3 languages: Egyptian (hieroglyphics), Greek, demotic |
deity | a god or goddess |
embalming process | a process to preserve a dead pharaoh’s body organ removal, special salt application, drying, body filling with spices and perfumes, stitched closed, cleaning with oils, wrapped with long strips on linen tightly |
mummy | the result of embalming (a wrapped body); was put into several coffins, one fitting inside the other |
pyramid | a mountain-like tomb built entirely of stone for a pharaoh; size of several city blocks; protected bodies from floods, wild animals, grave robbers, held supplies |
religion | Polytheistic (many gods); an afterlife; the body was needed in order to reach the afterlife; mummies were made; possessions were buried. |
Egyptian gods | main god: Re (Ra), the sun god; Hapi, Nile River god; Isis, goddess of loyal wives and mothers; Osiris, god of the dead |
Thebes | city of Middle Kingdom, south of Memphis, large city |
Hatshepsut | First Egyptian female ruler; came to power as queen in 1473B.C.; ruled first as wife, then aunt, then pharaoh; avoided military conquests; focused on trade, economy, and wealth of Egypt; had a peaceful reign; rebuilt temples; built monuments |
Canaan | Most Israelites’ settlement; present-day countries: Lebanon, Israel, Jordan; after drought and famine in Mesopotamia, Bible said that Abraham led the Israelites to Canaan |
Moses | heard a voice: he believed that God was telling him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to freedom; Exodus; got help from God |
Monotheism | belief in one god – religion type |
Torah | the Israelites’ laws from God; first part of the Hebrew Bible (5/39 books of the Hebrew Bible); 10 Commandments are basic moral laws (beginning of Torah) |
David | originally, a shepherd; a king after Saul; chosen by God and anointed secretly; brace soldier; hidden until and returns after death of Saul; runs Philistines (strongest occupants of Canaan at the time) out of Canaan makes Jerusalem the capital |
Jerusalem | Canaan’s capital (by David’s order); David’s opinion: a fine temple in Jerusalem for storing sacred religious objects |
Judah | one of the two kingdoms that formed after Solomon’s death; smaller of the two; southern; capital was Jerusalem; its people were called Jews |
Solomon | David’s son; king following David; built a stone temple (symbol and center for Judaism) in Jerusalem; was known for his proverbs; taxed for his great buildings, not favored by many Israelites |
prophet | a person who claims to be instructed by God to share God’s words |
proverb | a wise saying |
Babylon | where Jews went during exile: Jews met on Sabbath, prayed in synagogue |
Diaspora | a Greek word that means “scattered”; the Jews that were living outside of Judah in 331 B.C. and forbidden from Judah |
Exile | a period of time in which people are forced to live in a foreign land; Israelite religion became Judaism during Jews’ exile |
Sabbath | the Jewish weekly day of worship and rest |
Synagogue | a Jewish house of worship; where Jewish religious meetings took place |
Zealot | Jews that wanted to fight the Romans for their freedom; revolted in 66 A.D. drove them out of Jerusalem; Romans retook Jerusalem 4 years later |
Bedouin | desert herder in early Arabia; traveled from oasis to oasis; lived in tents; ate dried nuts, berries, little meat |
Muhammad | prophet, wealthy merchant, unhappy with society; growing poverty, unfair businessmen, family neglect; begins to spread Allah’s (God’s) message; preaches equality and charity; followers of Islam are called Muslims |
Quran | holy book of Islam containing God’s written word, rules of life, and moral teachings |
Shiites | minority of Muslims; believe that all caliphs should be descendants of Ali |
Sunnis | majority of Muslims; accepted Umayyad dynasty, not concerned with descendants of Ali |
Shiites and Sunnis | formed after a split |
mosque | Muslim house of worship; served as a school, court, and center of learning; a major part of Muslim cities |
Jesus | preaches/travels from 30-33 AD; 12 close followers-disciples; considered himself and told Christians to consider him as the son of God; told people that a relationship with God is more important than following religious laws; was crucified by the Romans |
messiah | a deliverer |
Roman view of Jesus | a person who could spark strong reactions; a threat to Roman law and order |
persecute | to mistreat; Roman government did this to Christians in 64 A.D. |
crucify | to hang somebody from a cross until their death (Rome’s way of punishing political rebels and lower-class criminals); Jesus’ death |
clergy | leaders of the church |
New Testament | a group of writings to guide Christians; tells about the life and death of Jesus; tells teachings of Jesus |
Old Testament | Hebrew Bible; also part of Christian Bible, not just Jewish |
Roman Catholic Church | formed of Latin-speaking Christians who accepted “pope” as head of church in 600 A.D. (bishop of Rome became pope); Western Roman Empire (Rome) |
Eastern Orthodox Church | formed by the Byzantine Empire; based on Greek heritage; church and government work closely together (emperor represents Jesus, emperors chooses leading church officials; Eastern Roman Empire (Constantinople) |
Dark Ages | a period of time in the Greek history in which earthquakes and wars destroy forts, trade slows, poverty takes over, people stopped writing and crafting; population shifts occurred and culture spread; positive and negative |
Colony | settlement in a new territory that keeps close ties to its homeland; helped spread Greek culture |
Polis | a tiny independent country; no close ties to its homeland; example – a Greek city-state |
Agora | an open area below an acropolis that was both a market and a place where people could meet and debate issues |
Sparta | a military based Greek city-state; conquered and enslaved neighboring people; all males were trained for war at age seven; focus on physical strength and military led to a decline in trade; government: oligarchy |
Athens | a Greek city-state; boys attended school until age 18; girls were taught at home (running household; wealthy girls: reading, writing, lyre-playing); government: democracy;matters were discussed, debated and voted on; non-citizens not included |
Delian League | united all Greeks, except Sparta against Persians |
direct democracy | the Athenians’ democratic system in which people gather at mass meetings to decide on government matters |
Representative democracy | a democracy in which citizens choose smaller groups to make decisions on their behalf |
Solon | a noble who canceled farmers’ debts and freed enslaved people of Athens, allowed all male citizens to participate in assembly (to pass laws) |
Peisistratus | won support of poor by dividing wealthy people’s land and giving it to landless farmers, loaned money to them, gave them work (Cleisthenes came after) |
oligarchy | the Spartans’ type of government in which a few people hold power |
helot | a captive worker of the Spartans; “capture |
Persia | present day southwestern Iran; warriors and nomads were united by Cyrus; Darius (20 provinces, ruled by a satrap; paid full-time soldiers; large army); religion – Zoroastrianism (monotheistic); fought Persian Wars against Greece; empire falls |
Cyrus the Great | united Persians, 559-530 B.C. – Built large empire |
Darius | came to power in 521 B.C.; reorganized government for better quality; 20 provinces (satrapies) and rulers (satraps); led Persians to loss at the battle of Marathon, but wanted to lead them to victory |
Xerxes | Darius’ son; Persian king from 486 B.C.; vowed revenge; invade Greece again; led Persians to victory at battle of Thermopylae; burned Athens; retreated to Asia Minor after battle of Plataea |
satrapies | the 20 provinces of the Persian Empire (each led by a satrap) |
Pericles | ruler of Athens from 461-429 B.C.; dominated Delian League(promised to defend against Persians; headquarters on Delos); lower class could run for office (paid) rebuilt cities after Persian Wars; supported architects, writers, and philosophers |
Philosopher | a thinker who ponders questions about life |
religion | Deities shape events and lives; 12 main gods (and goddess) live on Mount Olympus; all powerful; *most Greeks are Christians today – Eastern Orthodox or Greek Orthodox |
Gods and goddesses | Zeus: king of deities (sky god); Poseidon: god of the sea; Hades: god of the underworld |
myth | a traditional story about deities and heroes; Greek myths expressed Greeks; religious beliefs |
drama | a story told by actors who pretend to be characters in the story; speak, show emotion, and imitate the actions of the characters they represent (tragedies and comedies) |
Plato | Greek philosopher: rejected democracy; believed that philosopher-king should rule; his “Republic” tells about his ideal government; introduced the idea of a fair and just government |
Pythagoras | Greek mathematician; established the principles of geometry first; “The universe should be governed with the same law as as math and music” – philosopher |
Socrates | Greek philosopher; criticized the Sophists; believed in absolute right and wrong; Socratic method: pointed questions force pupils to use reasoning and thinking; teachers use his methods today |
Aristotle | Greek philosopher; “golden mean”: people should do nothing in excess; observation and comparison are used to gain |
Herodotus | Greek historian; wrote history of Persian Wars; considered “father of history”; history includes reference to gods and goddess in connection with events; separated fact from legend |
Philip II | Macedonian king 359 B.C.; wants to unite with Greece and defeat Persia; joined with Greek city-states both peacefully and aggressively; murdered |
Alexander the Great | Philip II’s son; Macedonian king (age 20); “Iliad” was inspiration; treated army well; great military leader; spread empire through most of today’s Middle East; sp |
Alexander the Great's accomplishments | in 334 B.C. invades Asia Minor, frees from Persia; took Syria and Egypt; built city of Alexandria as trade center;read Greek art, ideas, language, etc. widely; led into Hellenistic Era (a time when Greek ideas spread) |
Legacy | what a person leaves behind when he or she dies |
Himalayas | huge mountains that make India a subcontinent; the highest mountains in the world |
Indus River Valley | the area around the Indus River; in India; fertile land; water of Indus River needs to be controlled |
Monsoon | strong wind that blows one direction in winter (cold, dry air) opposite direction in summer (wet, warm air); brings different climates |
Sanskrit | the written Indian language |
raja | the leader of an Aryan tribe; ran a small kingdom |
guru | a teacher of a boy in a wealthy family |
caste | the system of having social groups that someone is born into and cannot change; “jati”; dictates your occupation, spouse and social partners |
Hinduism | one of the largest and oldest religions today; was founded in early India; accepted caste system; began with Aryans; changed as ideas were borrowed from elsewhere; polytheistic; search for universal spirit; karma |
Buddhism | founded by Siddhartha Gautama ( questioned the suffering of other people); understand the world by giving up desires; nirvana; Four Noble Truths; two groups because of disagreements: Theravada and Mahayana |
karma | the consequences of how a person lives; Hinduism (many lives lead to the Brahman; reincarnation; dharma) |
reincarnation | the idea of passing through lives to reach the Brahman (in Hinduism); influenced Hindus |
theocracy | a government in which religious leaders head a government; rulers were called lamas |
Mauryan Dynasty | Chandragupta Maurya; conquered an area in northern India left by Alexander the Great; dynasty founded in 321 B.C.; centralized government from Pataliputra (strong army, spy system, postal sysem); Asoka |
Asoka | ruled from 273-232 B.C.; first great Buddhist king; dedicated life to peace; built hospitals for people and animals, roads, stupas; tolerated other religions; died in 232 B.C.; poor leadership follows, ending the Mauryan Empire |
Gupta Empire | reunited India; 320 A.D. Prince Chandragupta grows powerful; empire prospered from trade; art and science begin; Mahabharata (longest poem) and Ramayana-still famous epics; Aryabhata: best mathematician; zero; infinity; advanced in astronomy and medicine |
pilgrim | a person who uses a trade route to travel to a religious shrine or site |
Shang Dynasty | Anyang-first capital (in Huang He Valley); social groups: royalty (warlords and royal officials), aristocrats, farmers; offerings to spirits and ancestors; oracle bones; silk clothes; white clay-china; ivory and jade statues; bronze items;bad emperors |
Chinese language | 3500 years old, pictographs and ideograph, most characters represent whole words |
Zhou Dynasty | Wu Wang started it in 1045 B.C.; warring states led to creation of sword, spears, crossbow, saddles, stirrups; bureaucracy under king; aristocrats controlled land; irrigation systems; flood control systems;more crops, food, bigger population, trade increa |
Qin Dynasty | Emperor Shinhuangdi;contolled neighboring states one by one; followed Legalism; strong central government (province and county rulers were chosen by king); unified China;Great Wall (kept out Xiongnu); civil war; terracotta warriors |
Han Dynasty | Liu Bang takes over (harsh policies); tests for positions; rich/smart people favored); population growth (small farms, lack of food, land to aristocrats); inventions; Silk Road; Buddhism |
Mandate of Heaven | an order stating that the king was chosen by heavenly order because of his talent and virtue; king is not god; king was expected to rule the proper way – DAO; people were given the right to overthrow a king if a natural disaster occurred during his rule |
Daoism | a Chinese philosophy that promotes a peaceful society; Taoism (nature) |
Laozi | basis for Daoism; told people how to behave and be peaceful: give up all worldly possessions, seek inner peace and look for harmony with nature |
Hanfeizi | developed teachings for Legalism; wanted laws; believed humans were evil and needed harsh laws |
Confucius | first great thinker and teacher; “people need sense of duty” – Confucianism; if all did their duty, society would do well: “golden rule”; tried to convince rulers for support |
Legalism | “School of Law”; the idea that honorable men in government could bring peace to society; people are not good, so strict laws are needed; people need to be controlled and trained |
Silk Road | transportation of goods; silk trading provides a lot of revenue (government income); travel along the Silk Road allows for plenty of trade (4000 miles from western to southwest China; covers numerous territories; reached Byzantine Empire when empire grew |
Romulus and Remus | “Made Rome”; abandoned near Tiber River; wolf saves boys; Romulus kills Remus; Rome named after Romulus |
Twelve Tables | first written laws; allowed for fair and equal interpretation of law for all citizens (especially plebeians) |
Etruscans | came from north of Rome; moved south after 650 B.C.; shared metal-working and architecture; laid out streets, temples, buildings; showed new style of dress; displayed model of army; ruled Rome for over a century (Tarquins) |
republic | a form of government in which the leader is not a king of queen, but someone put in office by citizens with the right to vote; the citizens have the power; Roman Republic formed when Romans overthrew the Tarquins |
legion | a small group of soldiers that cut through enemies; better than marching in lines; 6,000 soldiers |
Carthage | enemy of Rome during Punic Wars; richest city in West Mediterranean |
Hadrian’s Wall | a wall built by Hadrian (a “Good Emperor” of the Pax Romana) across northern Britain to keep out Pics and Scots: warlike people from northern Britain |
Punic Wars | 1st – fight for Scicily; naval battle; Rome’s victory; 2nd – Hannibal (officer) sent to attack Rome; fought via Spain into Italy; Scipio invades Carthage; Carthage loses Spain, navy and money to Rome; 3rd – Rome destroys Carthage |
Hannibal | sent to attack Rome during second Punic War; Carthage’s greatest general; army of men, horses, elephants |
patrician | made up upper class of Rome, a wealthy landowner; made up Rome’s ruling class; Roman citizen |
plebeian | made up of Roman lower class; artisans, shop keepers, and owners of small farms; Roman citizen; could not serve in government; could not marry a patrician |
consul | patrician; chosen every year; top government official; headed the army and ran the government |
Julius Caesar | killed on March 15th (“Ides of March”); Julian calendar; part of the first triumvirate; filled senate with loyal members |
Julius Caesar's accomplishments | |
Octavian | part of second triumvirate; Lepidus retires, Antony dies (marries Cleopatra; gets war declared, Antony and Cleopatra VII die); starts Roman Empire; restores republic, (follows ideas of Cicero; changed name to Augustus) |
Octavian's accomplishments | |
Pax Romana | “Roman Peace”; a long era of Roman peace (of Mediterranean region) that began with Augustus as emperor and lasted until 180 A.D. |
Aqueduct | a human made channel for carrying water long distances (across valleys or hillsides) using gravity, aboveground stone arches, and underground (stone or clay) pipes |
Ptolemy | important astronomer of the Roman Empire; lived in Alexandria Egypt; mapped over 1,000 different stars; studied and created rules about the movements of planets and starts; created an accepted idea for centuries: Earth was center of universe |
plague | a disease that spreads widely; took its toll during Rome’s decline; in Rome took the lives of one in every ten people |
mosaic | a picture made from many bits of colored glass or stone; an important type of art in the Byzantine Empire; showed mainly figures of saints |
Theodosius | emperor after Constantine; decided to divide empire after death; in 395 A.D., Roman Empire split; Western Roman Empire (capital: Rome) and Eastern Roman Empire (capital: Constantinople) |
The Byzantine Empire adopted this form of Christianity? | Eastern Orthodox |
Empress Theodora | Emperor Justinain’s wife; helped Justinian rule; chose officials’, passed laws, increased women’s rights (wives could own land); strong willed and intelligent; saved Justinian’s throne in 532 A.D. |
Huang He Valley | site of first Chinese civilization |
Oracle Bones | used to contact spirits |
Forum | open space for market place in the middle of Rome |
Cicero | Rome’s greatest public speaker |
Julian Calendar | had 12 months, 365 days, and a leap year |
Thucydides | recorded history without referring to mythology or deities |
Aristocrats | nobles whose wealth came from the land they owned |
Bureaucracy | officials are appointed for government positions |
Tenant farmers | people who pay their rent by giving the landlord a portion of their crops |
Merchants/skilled workers | prosper during Roman Empire. Farmers, unskilled worker slaves do not benefit from this time |
Currency | helped Roman trade |
Odoacer | taking control marks the fall of Western Roman Empire |
3 Sumerian inventions | wheel, sailboat, and plow |
Chaldean King who rebuilt Babylon and created the hanging gardens | King Neb. |
This is the faith of the Israleites | Judaism |