| A | B |
|---|
| reincarnation | belief that the soul is reborn |
| Vedas | sacred literature of the Aryans |
| ethnocentrism | believing one's culture or ethnic group is superior to others |
| prophet | religious teachers considered messengers of God |
| autocracy | government in which the ruler has unlimited power and uses it in an arbitrary manner |
| Torah | first five books of the Hebrew bible -- the most sacred writings in Jewish tradition |
| steppe | dry grass--covered plain |
| monotheism | belief in a single god |
| tribute | payment made by aweaker power to obtain an assurance of peace and security |
| migration | act of moving from one place to settle in another |
| Nirvana | Buddha's word for release from selfishness and pain |
| moksha | a state of perfect understanding of all things |
| satrap | governor who ruled locally --> a governor of a providence in the Persian empire |
| covenant | mutual promise between god and the Hebrews |
| Filial Piety | children's respect of their parents and elders |
| karma | good and bad deeds performed by a person |
| Enlightenment | a state of perfect wisdom in which one understands basic truths about the universe |
| bureaucracy | organization of government into agencies and departments |
| Ethical Monotheism | belief in one god and to follow the laws of that god |
| caste | one of the four classes of people in the social system of the Aryans who settled in India |
