| A | B |
|---|
| Civilization | societies with reliance on sedentary agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses, and existence of nonfarming elites, along with merchants and manufacturing groups. |
| Paleolithic | the Old Stone Age ending in 12,000 B.C.E.: Typified by use of evolving stone tools and hunting and gathering for subsistence. |
| Neolithic | the New Stone Age between 8,000 and 5,000 B.C.E.: period in which adaptation of sedentary agriculture occurred; domestication of plants and animals accomplished |
| Nomads | cattle and sheep-herding societies normally found on the fringes of civilized societies; commonly referred to as “barbarian” by civilized societies |
| Culture | combinations of ideas, objects and patterns of behavior that result from human social interaction |
| Agrarian Revolution | occurred between 8,000 and 5,000 B.C.E.; transition from hunting and gathering to sedentary agriculture |
| Pastoralism | a nomadic agricultural lifestyle based on herding domesticated animals: tended to produce independent people capable of challenging sedentary agricultural societies |
| Bronze Age | from 4,000 to 3,000 B.C.E.; increased use of plow, metal working; development of wheeled vehicles, writing |
| Cuneiform | a form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge-shaped sylus and clay tablets |
| City State | a form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilization; consisted of agricultural hinterlands ruled by an urban-based king |
| Ziggurats | massive towers usually associated with Mesopotamian temple connections |
| Phoenicians | seafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean; established colonies throughout the Mediterranean |
| Aryans | Indo-European nomadic, warlike, pastoralists who replaced Harappan civilization |
| Mandate of Heaven | the divine source of political legitimacy in China; established under Zhou to justify overthrow of Shang. |
| Shi Huangdi | first emperor of China; founder of Qin dynasty. |
| Confucius | major Chinese philosopher born in 6th century B.C.E.; saying collected in Analects; philosophy based on the need for restoration of social order through the role of superior men |
| Daoism | philosophy associated with Laozi; individual should seek alignment with Dao or cosmic force. |
| Legalism | Chinese school of political philosophy; stressed the need for the absolute power of the emperor enforced through strict application of laws |
| Untouchable | lowest Caste in Indian society; performed tasks that were considered polluting (street sweeping, removal of human waste, tanning). |
| Karma | the sum of merits accumulated by an individual; determined the caste one would be born into in the next life. |
| Reincarnation | the successive rebirth of the soul according to merits earned in previous lives |
| Buddha | creator of a major Indian and Asian religion; born in the 6th century B.C.E.; taught that enlightenment could be achieved only by abandoning desires for earthly things. |
| Nirvana | – the Buddhist state of enlightenment; a state of tranquility |
| Zoroastrianism | Persian religion that saw material existence as a battle between the forces of good and evil; stressed the importance of moral choice; a last judgement decided the eternal fate of each person. |
| Hellenism | culture derived from the Greek civilization that flourished between 800 and 400 B.C.E. |
| Polis | city-state form of government typical of Greek political organization from 800-400 B.C.E. |
| Direct Democracy | literally, rule of the people – in Athens it meant all free male citizen; all decisions emanated from the popular assembly without intermediation of elected representatives |
| Alexander the Great | son and successor of Philip II; conquered Persian Empire and advanced to borders of India; attempted to combine Greek and Persian Cultures |
| Republic | the balanced political system of Rome from circa 510 to 47 B.C.E.; featured an aristocratic senate, a panel of magistrates, and popular assemblies |
| Shinto | religion of the early Japanese court; included the worship of numerous gods and spirits associated with the natural world |
| Olmec | cultural tradition that arose at San Lorenzo and La Venta in Mexico circa 1200 B.C.E.; featured irrigated agriculture, urbanism, elaborate religion, beginnings of calendrical and writing systems. |
