| A | B |
|---|
| Hinduism | Oldest religion founded in India, it features many different versions of the same god or universal spirit |
| Vedas and Upanishads | The sacred texts of Hinduism |
| Caste System | A rigid social structure in India, in which society is dicided into four seperate classes and there is no social mobility |
| Dharma | this was the duty in life that Hindus were supposed to follow if they wanted to accumulate good Karma. |
| Kharma | According to Hindus this was accumulated by following one's Dharma and would determine what one's next life would be. |
| Reincarnation | the belief in a cycle of life where one's spirit is reborn when they die into another form |
| Zoroastrianism | A religion founded in Persia that depicted life as a struggle between good and evil. It may have influenced Christianity and Judaism |
| The Four Noble Truths | The basic principles or philosophy of Buddhism. |
| The Eightfold Path | Part of the Four Noble Truths, this was what Buddhists were supposed to follow if they wanted to end their desires and reach nirvana. |
| The Gupta Empire | It was during this time period that India entered its Golden Age and made great contributions in art, literature and education. |
| The Aryans | An early group that dominated the Indus River valley established dominance, and our credited with creating the Vedas and contributing to the establishment of the caste system |
| Ahimsa | Hindu belief to show non-violence to all living things. |
| Siddhartha Guatama | Founder of Buddhism, He was the Buddha or the "enlightened" one |
| Nirvana | According to Buddhists this was the state where you would eliminate your desires and end suffering. |
| Royal Road | This was built in Persia to help connect the vast Persian Empire and increase communication |
| Darius | This was the Persian Emperor who divided the Persian Empire into provinces, so that it would be easier to govern |
| Pariahs | the "untouchables" who were outside of the Indian caste system and were to perform tasks that others considered to be unclean |
| Cyrus | Persian Emperor who was known for being a tolerant ruler rather than trying to force Persian culture on the people he conquered |
| Asoka | Leader in India who sent out missionaries to try and spread Buddhism to other parts of Asia |
| Buddhism | Major religion that developed in India but spread to Asia and focused on ending suffering by ending one's desires. |
| The mandate from heaven | used by chinese rulers to justify why they held power. They said their authority to rule came from the gods. |
| Qin Shihuangdi | Chinese ruler who built the great wall |
| The silk road | built by the Chinese to increase trade and communication with the west (rome) |
| Confucius | founder of the philosophy of Confucianism |
| Filial Piety | respect for one's family, it was an important part of confucianism |
| The Analects | collection of writings that describe confucianism |
| Laozi (lao-tzu) | the "old master" and founder of taoism |
| The Yin and the Yang | chinese philosophy that suggests that there are opposite forces in all things that create a balance in life |
| The Tao | means "the way" and was supposed to guide the actions of those who believe in taoism |
| Sanskrit | sacred Hindu writing contributed by the Aryans |
| The Huange He river | earliest river valley settled by the Chinese |
| The Indus River | early river valley for the civilizations in India |
| Dynasty | when all rulers come from the same family |
