| A | B |
|---|
| 38th Parallel | Line of latitude which divided North and South Korea. |
| 95 Theses | Document written by Martin Luther detailing what he believed to be |
| Abbassid Dynasty | (750 - 1258) Ruling family of the Islamic Empire during its
golden age. This dynasty is responsible for many achievements. |
| Abraham | The first patriarch in the Bible. Abraham was asked by God to
sacrifice his son, Isaac, and was rewarded for being prepared to do
so. He is considered by Jewish people as the father of the Israelites
through his son Isaac, and by Muslims as the father of Arab peoples
through his son Ishmael. |
| absolute monarchy | A political system in which a country is ruled by a
monarch, who has absolute control. |
| absolutism | political system in which the monarch has supreme power and
control over the lives of the people in their country |
| acid rain | Rain that contains pollutants due to the burning of fossil fuels. It is
damaging to the environment. |
| acropolis | highest and most fortified point within a Greek city-state |
| acupuncture | Chinese method of treating disorders by inserting needles into the
skin. This is to help with the flow of energy that is thought to be
blocked. |
| adaptation | A change made to survive an environment or to overcome a
disadvantage. |
| African National Congress | A group formed in protest of the policy of
Apartheid in South Africa. It was eventually
outlawed due to their violent tactics, and Nelson
Mandela, one of its leaders, was imprisoned for
over thirty years. |
| African Trading Kingdoms | Three African kingdoms, Ghana, Mali, and
Songhai that were important in the trans-Sahara
trade of gold form the west coast of Africa to
North Africa and the Middle East. Their trade
provided enough wealth to create the conditions
necessary for cultural and intellectual
achievement. |
| Afrikaners | Dutch descended colonist living in South Africa. Also called
Boers. |
| Age of Exploration | Time period during the 15th and 16th centuries when
Europeans searched for new sources of wealth and for
easier trade routes to China and India. Resulted in the
discovery of North and South America by the Europeans |
| Age of Reason | Term given to describe the Enlightenment. |
| Age of Transition | Term given to describe the Renaissance. |
| agrarian | pertaining to land and the agricultural interests of farmers |
| Agrarian Revolution | A change in farming methods that allowed for a greater
production of food. This revolution was fueled by the
use of new farming technology such as the seed drill and
improved fertilizers. The result of this revolution was a
population explosion due to the higher availability of
food. It was one of the causes of the Industrial
Revolution. |
| agriculture | The cultivating of land, producing of crops, and raising of
livestock for human consumption. |
| agronomist | a person who studies soil management and field crop production |
| Ahimsa | In Hinduism, it is the principal of non-violence against all living
things. |
| AIDS | Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A disease of the human
immune system caused by the HIV retrovirus. |
| Akbar the Great | (1542-1605) Emperor of the Mughal Empire in India. He is
considered to be their greatest ruler. He is responsible for the
expansion of his empire, the stability his administration gave
to it, and the increasing of trade and cultural diffusion. |
| Alexander the Great | (356 BCE-323 BCE) He conquered most of the ancient
world from Asia Minor to Egypt and India, which began
the Hellenistic culture which was a blending of Greek,
Persian, Indian, and Egyptian influences. |
| algebra | A branch of mathematics pioneered by Islamic mathematician
al-Khwarizimi in which letters are used to represent unknown numbers
to generalize arithmetic. |
