| A | B |
|---|
| natural rights | Concept of John Locke’s that states all people have the right to life, liberty, and property. |
| Nô theatre | Feudal Japanese theater where men wore decorative mask and performed on stage, while a chorus sang the lines. Nô theatre reflected Buddhist ideas such as resisting selfish behavior. |
| Olmecs | A Mesoamerican civilization that flourished around 1200 C.E.. Achievements include irrigation, a simple calendar and writing system, and small cities. |
| oracle bones | In ancient China, they were pieces of bone or turtle shell used by Shang priests to tell the future. They would write a question addressed to either one of the gods, or an ancestor on the bone, then heat it until it cracked. They believed that by studying the pattern of cracks, one could learn the answer to the question. Oracle bones are the oldest example of Chinese writing. |
| pagoda | A multistoried building with the corners of the roof curved up that were used as a temple. |
| Pantheon | A domed temple in Rome that was completed in 27 BCE, and still stands today. |
| Parthenon | A large temple dedicated to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was built in the 5th century BCE, during the Athenian golden age. |
| partnership | The cooperative relationship between two or more people who are involved in the same activity. |
| patrician | A member of the upper class of ancient Roman society. |
| Pax Romana | A 200 hundred year period of relative peace throughout the Roman Empire. Occurs during the first two centuries C.E.. |
| peasantry | Members of the lowest class in some social class systems. |
| Pericles | (495? BCE-429? BCE) Athenian statesman. He was the central ruler of Athens during its golden age. He was the central patron behind many of their achievements. He was also a very skilled speaker. Athens City-State of Ancient Greece and center of Greek golden age that occurred in the 5th century BCE. |
| philosopher | A person who seeks to understand and explain the nature of things around them. A scholar of philosophy. |
| philosophy | A system of thought devoted to the examination of ideas such as truth, existence, reality, causality, religion, and freedom |
| pictographs | Writing system that uses drawings of objects. |
| plebeian | A member of the lower class of ancient Roman society. |
| porcelain | A hard, fine ceramic material used to make a variety of products. |
| Prince, The | A book of political advice written by Niccolo Machiavelli during the Renaissance in which he describes the methods that a prince should use to acquire and maintain political power. This book was used to defend policies of despotism and tyranny. Machiavelli wrote that a ruler should take any action to remain in power, or that “the ends justifies the means.” |
| property | Something of value that is owned by a person. |
| Ptolemy | (100?-170 CE) Greek astronomer, mathematician, and geographer. His geocentric model of the universe lasted until the 16th century. |
