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HIstory of Civilizations 1
From the beginning of time to ??
31
History
Undergraduate 2
02/28/2012

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Term

Sumer

 

Definition
  • Artificial irrigation led to increased food supplies, which in turn supported a rapidly increasing human population while also attracting migrants from other regions.
  • the Sumerians were constructing elaborate irrigation networks that helped them realize abundant agricultural harvests.
  • the population of Sumer was approaching one hundred thousand and the Sumerians were the dominant people of Mesopotamia. They often intermarried with the Sumerians, and they largely adapted to Sumerian ways. as human numbers increased in southern Mesopotamia, the Sumerians built the world's first cities.
  • Unlike the earlier settlements, the Sumerian cities were centers of political and military authority, and jurisdiction extended into  surrounding regions.
  • Sumerian City-States For almost a millennium, from 3200 to 2350 b.
  • Palaces, temples, and defensive walls dominated all Sumerian cities, and all were the work of laborers recruited and coordinated by government authorities such as Gilgamesh, whom legendary accounts credit with the building of city walls and temples at Uruk.
Term
Sargon
Definition

ancient Mesopotamian ruler (reigned c. 2334-2279 BC), one of the earliest of the world's great empire builders, conquering all of southern Mesopotamia as well as parts of Syria, Anatolia, and Elam. He established the region's first Semitic dynasty and was considered the founder of the Mesopotamian military tradition.

 

Term
Hammurabi
Definition
Mesopotamian; 1795-1750 B.C.; First complete preserved law code; King of Babylon who promoted welfare of the people to cause justice to prevail to destroy evil so the strong will oppress the weak; Code- had harsh punishments, rules for court of law, regulated property rights, regulated duties of family members; Babylonian King in 2200, received the law from Marduk
Term
Pharaoh
Definition

Ruler of Egypt-immense power; Worshipped as a god; Peace, Unity, Prosperity; Buried in pyramids with the slaves; Ma’at; King Tut; (in OK 3000-2200 BC)

 

Term
Pyramids
Definition

 

The most enduring symbols of their authority and divine status are the massive pyramids constructed during the Old Kingdom as royal tombs, most of them during the century from 2600 to 2500 b. Apart from the laborers, hundreds of architects, engineers, craftsmen, and artists also contributed to the construction of the pyramids. Pharaohs of the New Kingdom did not build enormous pyramids as did their predecessors of the Old Kingdom, but they erected numerous temples, palaces, and monumental statues to advertise their power and authority

Term
Old Kingdom
Definition

Egypt; Built pyramids; 2700-2180 B.C.; Social structure like pyramid: Pharaoh at apex- divine, Priests and Scribes, people are cattle of gods; didn’t expand outside Nile Valley-Middle Kingdom(2050-1786 BC)-Pharaoh shares power, expands outside of Nile Valley, conquered by Hyksos (sea peoples); New Kingdom(1570-1087 BC)-Influences entire Middle East; Imperialist

 

Term
Harappa
Definition

Fell because of massive floods, invasions by Indo-Europeans; Indus River-2500 BC; houses had running water, toilets connected to city-wide drainage system; Had trading contacts with Mesopotamia but developed their own alphabet, palaces, public baths, governments stored food for festivals and famines; lots of trade with China, priests had a lot of power; used bronze but not a whole lot of tools like Mesopotamia-no swords, only bronze tipped arrows; Mystery-started being discovered in 19th Century

 

Term
Mahayana
Definition
From its earliest days Buddhism attracted merchants, artisans, and others of low rank in the traditional Indian social order. The Spread of Buddhism Because these innovations opened the road to salvation for large numbers of people, their proponents called their faith the Mahayana (“the greater vehicle,” which could carry more people to salvation), as opposed to the Hinayana (“lesser vehicle”), a pejorative term for the earlier and stricter doctrine known also as Theravada Buddhism.   spread rapidly throughout India and attracted many converts from lay and wealthy classes. In later centuries   became established also in central Asia, China, Japan, and Korea.
Term
Shang dynasty
Definition

 

1766-1122 B.C.; silk manufacturing, ancestor worship, strong expansionist state; Fought on horseback and chariots, used conquered people as foot soldiers, directed important rituals for fertility; fell to the Zhou by 1100 BC; during famine/drought- dancers would dance and be buried alive

 

Term
Zhou Dynasty
Definition
1122-256 B.C.; 403-221 B.C.-Warring States Period; 1029-258 BC; overtook Shang Dynasty in 1100 BC; Turkic people used Kinsmen to rule particular regions-feudal system that decentralized political power; improvements in agriculture, use of iron, culture changes and expanded; there is no leader- depended on loyalties of family and alliances with nobles; Mandate of Heaven
Term
Silk road
Definition

Classical period (206-220 AD)- groups in different regions; series of overland routes developed from Western China through Central Asia into India and the Middle East; Merchants used them to carry Chinese silk Westward to return with gold, exotic animals, precious metals; connected trade routes across the Mediterranean world that enabled the transport of goods and luxuries; received its name from the Chinese silk trade; began during the Han Dynasty

 

Term
Qin Dynasty
Definition

221-206 B.C.;Qin Shihuangdi was the first emperor; Qin was one of the poorest, smallest, and most remote of the Zhou dependencies; Unified Northern China; Policies: institutionalized Legalism, executed all who criticized government policies, drafted forced laborers, built much of the great wall; A politically unified China; brutal ruler- effective given internal disorder-legalist ideas; organized China into large providences- led by bureaucrats he appointed; completely against aristocrats-didn’t want others to have individual power; powerful armies-extended South to Hong-Kong influencing Northern Vietnam; National Census for tax revenue and labor; government-standardized coins, weights and measures-roads; written language by educated Chinese immigration and silk manufacturing; against Confucian ideas-burned books-discouraged individual thinking

Term
Confucius
Definition

479 B.C.; Dominant thinker in Chinese tradition, encouraged a traditional hierarchical society, concerned with society: Not a religion, little concern with supernatural or spiritual; Filial Piety(Xiao)- his basic ethic-respect for those superior to you; opposite of Daoism; Ren-qualities of a good leader- kind benevolent, and loyal; Li- courtesss- respect for traditions

 

Term
Daoism
Definition
Way of Nature”; Opposite of Confucianism: Mystical, Otherworldly, emphasizes passivity, negation, individuals, Encourages aesthetic expression: Painting, poetry; appealed to upper classes-traditional Chinese beliefs; furthered by Laozi-secret rituals and own ethics; true human understanding comes from withdrawing from the world and contemplative life force; humility and frugal living- no political activity or learning; eventually added loyalty to rulers in temple; many ceremonies to promote harmony and mysterious life force
Term
Han Dynasty
Definition
3rd Classical Dynasty in 206 B.C.-220 A.D.; Wudi-famais emperor- enforced peace, made shrines for gods; lasted more than 400 years-formed after Qin died-revolters took over; rounded out China’s political and intellectual structure; rulers retained centralized administration of Qin but reduced brutal repression; expanded to Korea, Indo-China and Central Asia- encouraged trade with Rome and Parthian Empire on the Silk Road; state bureaucracy improved- encouraged Confucian philosophy; 2 centuries and quality decreased- ended by nomads from the Nath Xicngnu; well established political structures and cultural values- survived years of chaos
Term
Mandate of Heaven
Definition

Justified Zhou conquest of Shang, Legitimacy is conferred by heaven, Emperor isSon of Heaven,” Basis for legitimacy of emperor until 1911 A.D., Could even justify foreign rulers: Mongols, Manchus

 

Term
Aryans
Definition
India cared about family like China; Vedic religion was a major contribution to them; Migration into India-1750 B.C.; Achievements: Medical Science, Math- zero, our numbers- technology: steel; Nomadic herding people from central Asia originally; Extended agriculture in their own way from Indus river Valley to Ganges (move fertile) Valley using iron tools to clear away vegetation; Oral tradition the Sanskrit-first literary language of new culture; encouraged tight levels of village organization-still are and regulated property relationships among families
Term
Caste
Definition
Brahmans: the Veda assigned teaching and studying, sacrificing their own benefits, giving and accepting of alms. Kshatriya: commanded to protect the people, bestow gifts, offer sacrifices, study the Veda, and to abstain from the attaching himself to sensual pleasures. Vaishya: tend to cattle, bestow gifts, offer sacrifices, study the Veda, trade, lend money, and cultivate land. Sudra: To serve meekly the other three castes. Below these were “Untouchable.” They all believed to be reincarnated into something higher up- One of origins of Hinduism.
Term
Dharma
Definition

duty, works w/in caste system, do what's expected of your caste, not universal standard of good/evil

 

Term
Mycenaean
Definition
greek mainland, Mycenaean Society Beginning about 2200 b. the Mycenaeans expanded their influence beyond peninsular Greece. Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of clay tablets in Linear B that came from the archives of Mycenaean rulers in Crete as well as peninsular Greece. The Mycenaeans also established settlements in Anatolia, Sicily, and southern Italy. The Lion Gate at Mycenae illustrates the heavy fortifications built by Mycenaeans to protect their settlements. the Mycenaeans engaged in a conflict with the city of Troy in Anatolia.This Trojan war, which Homer recalled from a Greek perspective in his Iliad, coincided with invasions of foreign mariners in the Mycenaean homeland.
Term
Alexander the Great
Definition
356-323 B.C.; King of Macedon (336-323 B.C.); his father (Philip) didn’t conquer Sparta but prepared to invade Persian Empire then dies; Invades Persian Empire as fast as you can march; had charisma, taught by Aristotle, became Pharaoh in Egypt; Not a unified empire left governing styles in places he conquered; Greek culture spread a lot- India-Greek Buddha; wanted to fuse Greeks, Persians & others into a larger Middle East; Some Greek companions called him a Persian Empire
Term
Athens
Definition
Greek city-state 800-600 BC; created Athenian League to protect them from Persia; democracy, athletic competitions; diverse commercial state-slaves; artistic and intellectual-Pericles (aristocrat) dominated the politics; Peloponnesian Wars (431-404) Sparta- citizens had to serve in the army; lived communally; No private property; helots-agricultural slaves; Laconians-free- no power; first communist; greatest military style (which the Greeks preferred)
Term
Socrates
Definition

470-399 B.C. from Athens; Studied human behavior, searched for truth, Socratic method- question conventional wisdom and rational inquiry by means of questioning; taught Plato

 

Term
Paterfamilias
Definition

 

Head of family, Oldest male, Power of life or death, honor of the family), Roman law gave the paterfamilias the authority to arrange marriages for his children, determine the work or duties they would perform, and punish them for offenses as he saw fit. Although legally endowed with extraordinary powers, the Roman paterfamilias rarely ruled tyranically over his charges., in spite of the authority legally vested in the paterfamilias, many women supervised the financial affairs of family businesses and wealthy estates.

 

Term
Patrician
Definition

in/under Roman Senate; like lawyers who took cases for free because you now have to be hisfriend”;Aristocracy in Rome; To be Patrician is to view the Senate as your birthright

 

Term
Punic Wars
Definition
The Romans clashed first with Carthage. Between 264 and 146 b.c.e., they fought three devastating conflicts known as the Punic Wars with the Carthaginians. Friction first arose from economic competition, particularly over Sicily, the most important source of grain in the western Mediterranean. Later on, Romans and Carthaginians struggled for supremacy in the region. The rivalry ended after Roman forces subjected Carthage to a long siege, conquered the city, burned much of it to the ground, and forced some fifty thousand survivors into slavery. With their victory over Carthage, Romans became the dominant power brokers in the western Mediterranean region. Moreover, they annexed Carthaginian possessions in north Africa and Iberia—rich in grain, oil, wine, silver, and gold—and used those resources to finance continued imperial expansion.
Term
Plebeian
Definition

working class of Ancient Rome. Conflicts between Patricians and Plebeians During the early fifth century b., relations between the classes became so strained that the plebeians threatened to secede from Rome and establish a rival settlement., To maintain the integrity of the Roman state, the patricians granted plebeians the right to elect officials, known as tribunes, who represented their interests in the Roman government. Although the tribunes provided a voice in government for the plebeians, the patricians continued to dominate Rome. , plebeians became eligible to hold almost all state offices and gained the right to have one of the consuls come from their ranks. By the early third century, plebeian-dominated assemblies won the power to make decisions binding on all of Rome.

Term
Augustus
Definition

63 BC-14 AD; Came to power in 27 BC; Imperator-first name (conquering general); Caesar- family name; Augustus-Newbranch (worthy of honor); Princeps-first citizen, title; Religious leader(Pater Patrae); established basic structure of Roman Empire; many statues of him

 

Term
Constantine
Definition

312-324 AD; 312-337 was his rule; Legalizes Christianity to unite the empire in new ways; moved capital to Constantinople (previously Byzantium) (made 2nd capital to regulate eastern half); His actions didn’t revive the empire as a whole; He attempted to regulate economy, reduced economic initiative and lowered production- tax revenue declined and army deteriorated; 4th Century-new buildings and churches; conversion brought Church/State problems

Term
Diocletian
Definition

284-305 A.D.; Asian-Style emperor, institutes the tetrarchy, economic and social reforms- price controls and persecutions; tried to improve tax collection; wanted emperors to be worshipped as gods; persecuted Christians

 

Term
Germanic People (tribes)
Definition

Germanic invasions and the fall of the western Roman empire, 450–476 c., Germanic Migrations Germanic peoples had migrated from their homelands in northern Europe and lived on the eastern and northern borders of the Roman empire since the second century c., Over time, the mingling of Roman and Germanic traditions led to the emergence of an altogether new society—medieval Europe.

 

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