| A | B |
|---|
| civilization | A society that has a high level of culture and social organization including organized government, job specialization, and a organized belief system. |
| commerce | The large scale buying of goods and/or services. |
| Confucianism | Confucius lived in China during the Chou Dynasty, when there was mass disorder and confusion and degrading moral standards. Confucius was appalled by what appeared to be the fracturing of Chinese society. He believed that the only cure was to stress a sense of social order and mutual respect, a philosophy that later became known as Confucianism. Confucianism teaches that there is a natural social order to society which can best be explained through the Five Relationships. |
| Copernicus, Nicolaus | (1473-1543) Polish astronomer who wrote On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres. Theorized that the Earth orbited the Sun (heliocentric system) and laid the foundations of modern astronomy. |
| cultural diffusion | The spreading of ideas through contact such as trade or war. |
| culture | The shared beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a particular nation or people |
| Da Vinci, Leonardo | (1452-1519) An Italian painter, sculptor, engineer, and inventor. Famous works include paintings Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Also left a variety of sketches showing flying machines and underwater boats centuries before the invention of planes and submarines. |
| Dante | (1265-1321) Italian poet and Renaissance writer. His greatest work is The Divine Comedy. |
| de Cervantes, Miguel | (1547-1616) Spanish Renaissance writer. His greatest work is the comedic tale Don Quixote. |
| decimal system | Numeric system based on ten. Created by mathematicians during the Gupta golden age in India. |
| democracy | A system of government in which the citizens hold the legislative, judicial, and executive power, based on majority rule. |
| Descartes, Rene | (1596-1650) French intellectual who challenged traditional ideas. He said that human reason was capable of discovering and explaining the laws of nature and man. The idea of human reason being superior to tradition led to the beginning of the Enlightenment, a time of political awakening that became revolution. |
| divine | Godlike, or coming from, or having to do with a god. |
| Divine Comedy, The | An epic poem written by Dante during the Renaissance. |
| divine right | The justification of monarchy through the word of God. |
| dome | A hemispherical roof. |
| Dome of the Rock | First Islamic religious shrine. It was built in 687 C.E., and is located in present day Jerusalem, Israel. |
| Don Quixote | A comedic book written by Miguel de Cervantes during the Renaissance. The title character is now used to refer to idealists that champion hopeless or fanciful causes. |
| dynastic cycle | In China, a dynasty would remain in power only as long as it was providing good government. When a dynasty went into decline, and began to abuse its power, it was said to lose the Mandate of Heaven, or the favor of the gods. A strong leader would usually emerge to claim the Mandate, and establish a new dynasty. The dynastic cycle would then begin again. |
| dynasty | A succession of rulers of a country from the same family. |
