an ancient Chinese belief and philosophical idea that tiān (heaven) granted emperors the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly.
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State
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a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.
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Greek Columns
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Roman Empire
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Existed from 27 BCE to about 400 CE. Conquiered entire Mediterranean coast and most of Europe. Trade flourished and contributed to the spread of Roman culture. Eventually oversaw the rise and spread of Christianity.
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Buddhism
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the teaching of Buddha that emphasizes that life is filled with suffering caused by desire and that suffering ceases when desire ceases. Through right conduct, wisdom and meditation one can end the cycle of rebirth and reach Enlightenment.
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Colosseum
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Emperor Constantine
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Founded Constantinople; best known for being the first Christian Roman Emperor; issued the Edit of Milan in 313, granting religious toleration throughout the empire.
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Persian Empire
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A major empire that expanded from Egypt to India; flourished from around 550 to 330 B.C.E. under Zoroastrian rulers and a strong bureaucracy (satraps). Fell to Alexander the Great
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Reincarnation
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the rebirth of a soul in a new body.
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Daoism
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philosophical system advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events (the Tao)
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Alexander the Great
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Between 334 and 323 B.C.E. he conquered the Persian Empire, reached the Indus Valley, founded many Greek-style cities, and spread Greek culture across the Middle East.
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Hellenistic
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Of or influenced by the Greek Empire. A type of culture typically referred to after the conquests of Alexander the Great.
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Silk Roads
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trade routes stretching from China to the Mediterranean, which allowed for the exchange of goods and ideas from China to the Roman Empire
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ancestor veneration
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Veneration of the dead or ancestors is based on the beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living
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Cahokia
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an ancient settlement of American Indians, located near present day St. Louis, along the Mississippi River, it served as a trading center for 40,000 at its peak in A.D. 1200.
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Persepolis
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A complex of palaces, reception halls, and treasury buildings erected by the Persian kings Darius I and Xerxes in the Persian homeland. It is believed that the New Year's festival was celebrated here, as well as the coronations, weddings, and funerals of the Persian kings, who were buried in cliff-tombs nearby.
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Constantinople
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A large and wealthy city that was the imperial capital of the Byzantine empire and later the Ottoman empire, now known as Istanbul
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Trans-Saharan Caravan Route
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Trade linking North Africa to West Africa was conducted by caravans of camels. Gold and salt were key goods.
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tribute system
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payment made by one nation to another in acknowledgment of submission, notably used by Chinese dynasties
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Teotihuacan
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A large central city in the Mesoamerican region. Located about 25 miles Northeast of present day Mexico City. Exhibited city planning and unprecedented size for its time. Reached its peak around the year 450 CE.
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Gupta Empire
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(320-550 CE) The decentralized empire that emerged after the Mauryan Empire, and whose founder Chandra Gupta, ruled as a theater-state
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Greco-Roman Philosophy
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Ideas that emphasized logic, empirical observation, and nature of political power and hierarchy.
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Legalism
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Chinese philosophy that taught humans are naturally evil and therefore need to be ruled by harsh laws
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corvee labor
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unpaid forced labor usually by lower classes, forced upon them by the government (conscription)
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Carthage
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City located in present-day Tunisia, founded by Phoenicians ca. 800 B.C.E. It became a major commercial center and naval power in the western Mediterranean until defeated by the expanding Roman Republic in the third century B.C.E.
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Indian Ocean Maritime System
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A network of seaports, trade routes, and maritime culture linking countries on the rim of the Indian Ocean from Africa to Indonesia
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Pataliputra
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The captial of both Muryan and Gupta empires
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Qin Dynasty
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(221-207 BCE) The first centralized dynasty of China that used Legalism as its base of belief.
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Xiongnu
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A confederation of nomadic peoples living beyond the northwest frontier of ancient China. Chinese rulers tried a variety of defenses and stratagems to ward off these 'barbarians,' as they called them, and dispersed them in 1st Century.
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Han Dynasty
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This empire discarded the harsh policies of the Qin dynasty and adopted Confucian principles; rulers chose officials who passed the civil service exams rather than birth; it was a time of prosperity and trade along the Silk Road flourished
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Ashoka
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Leader of the Mauryan dynasty of India who conquered most of India but eventually gave up violence and converted to Buddhism.
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Caste System
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a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation, but also his or her position in society
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Phoenicia
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Semitic-speaking people living on the Mediterranean coast in the first millennium B.C.E. Famous for developing the first alphabet, which was adopted by the Greeks.
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Bantu Migration
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The movement of the Bantu peoples southward throughout Africa, spreading their language, iron metallurgy, and agricultural techniques from around 500 b.c. to around A.D 1000
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Mediterranean Sea Lanes
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Trade routes that connected the Mediterranean civilizations together. The need for a sea rout for trade in the region. Trade increased and diffusion of cultures occurred
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Eightfold Path
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In Buddhism, the path to nirvana. Comprises eight aspects in which an aspirant must become practiced: right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.
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Qin Dynasty
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the Chinese dynasty (from 246 BC to 206 BC) that established the first centralized imperial government and built much of the Great Wall
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Confucianism
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A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It shows the way to ensure a stable government and an orderly society and stresses a moral code of conduct.
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Athens
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A democratic Greek polis who accomplished many cultural achievements, and who were constantly at war with Sparta.
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Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
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Means "Enlightened One." He is said to have renounced his worldly possessions and taught of a way to overcome suffering.
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Christianity
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A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament, emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.
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Aqueduct
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A raised channel used to carry water from mountains into cities
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Qanat System
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a traditional system of gravity-fed irrigation that uses gently sloping tunnels to capture groundwater and direct it to low-lying fields
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Chang'an
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Capital of Tang dynasty; population of 2 million, larger than any other city in the world at that time.
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Chaco
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An urban center established by Anasazi located in southern New Mexico. There, they built a walled city with dozens of three-story adobe houses with timbered roofs. Community religious functions were carried out in two large circular chambers called kivas.
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Moche
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civilization of north coast of Peru (200-700 C.E.). An important Andean civilization that built extensive irrigation networks as well as impressive urban centers dominated by brick temples.
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syncretic religion
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Combines two religious traditions into something distinctly new, while containing traits of both
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Mauryan Empire
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(321-185 BCE) This was the first centralized empire of India whose founder was Chandragupta Maurya.
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Sanskrit Scriptures
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An ancient Indic language of India, in which the Hindu scriptures and classical Indian epic poems are written and from which many northern Indian languages are derived.
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filial piety
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In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.
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Section 2
(9 cards)
commercial exchange
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the buying and selling of goods
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Quipu
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An arrangement of knotted strings on a cord, used by the Inca to record numerical information.
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epidemic
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A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.
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Secularization
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The process through which religion's influence on institutions diminishes. (Things become more secular.)
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linguistic
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pertaining to language
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Missionaries
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people who work to spread their religious beliefs
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Bureaucracy
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A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials
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monsoon winds
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These seasonal winds carried ships on the Indian Ocean between India and Africa
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Pagan
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A follower of a polytheistic religion in ancient times.