Chapters 1-22 Parts I-III Key Terms Glossary
Compiled by Sarah Scull
Chapter 1 Key Terms
Australopithecus / Catal Huyuk / Chinook / Cro-Magnon / HominidsHomo erectus / Homo sapiens / Homo sapiens sapiens / Jericho / Jomon
Natufians / Neanderthal / Paleolithic / Prehistory / Venus figurines
Australopithecus: "Southern ape," oldest known ancestor of humans; it lived from around four million down to around one million years ago, and it could walk on hind legs, freeing up hands for use of simple tools.
Catal Huyuk: Important Neolithic settlement in Anatolia (7250--6150 B.C.E.).
Chinook: Permanent Paleolithic settlement in the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
Cro-Magnon: Homo sapiens sapiens who appeared forty thousand years ago during the Paleolithic age and were the first human beings of the modern type.
Hominids: A creature belonging to the family Hominidae, which includes human and humanlike species.
Homo erectus: "Upright-walking human," which existed from 1.5 million to two hundred thousand years ago; Homo erectus used cleavers and hand axes and learned how to control fire.
Homo sapiens: "Consciously thinking human," which first appeared around two hundred fifty thousand years ago and used sophisticated tools.
Homo sapiens sapiens: First human being of the modern type, which appeared roughly one hundred thousand years ago; Cro-Magnon falls into this category.
Jericho: Earliest known Neolithic village.
Jomon: Paleolithic settlement located in central Japan.
Natufians: Permanent Paleolithic settlement in the eastern Mediterranean.
Neanderthal: Early humans (100,000 to 35,000 years ago) who were prevalent during the Paleolithic period.
Paleolithic: Old Stone Age, a long period of human development before the development of agriculture.
Prehistory: The period before the invention of writing.
Venus figurines: Small Paleolithic statues of women with exaggerated sexual features.
Chapter 2 Key Terms
Ancestor Worship / Aryans / Assyrians / BabylonBronze / City-state / Cuneiform / Gilgamesh
Hammurabi's Code / Hanging Gardens / Hittites / Indo-Europeans
Iron / Lex talionis / Mesopotamia / Monotheism
Patriarchy / Phoenicians / Sumerians / Ten Commandments
Torah / Urdu / Yahweh / Ziggurats
Ancestor Worship: Belief that dead ancestors can influence one's fortunes in life. Those who practice often conduct rituals and ceremonies to the memory or remains of their ancestors.
Aryans: European tribes who settled in India after 1500 B.C.E.; their union with indigenous Dravidians formed the basis of Hinduism.
Assyrians: Southwest Asian people who built an empire that reached its height during the eighth and seventh centuries B.C.E.; it was known for a powerful army and a well-structured state.
Babylon: Mesopotamian empire with a centralized bureaucracy and Law Code centered around its capital, Babylon.
Bronze: Material made from copper and tin used for weapons and agricultural tools.
City-state: Urban areas that controlled surrounding agricultural regions and that were often loosely connected in a broader political structure with other city-states.
Cuneiform: Written language of the Sumerians, probably the first written script in the world.
Gilgamesh: Legendary king of the Mesopotamian city-state of Uruk (ca. 3000 B.C.E.), subject of the Epic of Gilgamesh, world's oldest complete epic literary masterpiece.
Hammurabi’s Code: Sophisticated law code associated with the Babylonian king Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 B.C.E.).
Hanging Gardens: Gardens at the palace of the New Babylonian empire (600-550 B.C.E.) that showed off its great wealth and luxury.
Hittites: Group that settles in central Anatolia around 2000 B.C.E., establishes powerful kingdoms, conquers the Babylonian empire in 1595 B.C.E., and dissolves about 1200 B.C.E. Technological feats include iron metallurgy and light horse-drawn chariots.
Indo-Europeans: Series of tribes from southern Russia who, over a period of millennia, embarked on a series of migrations from India through western Europe; their greatest legacy was the broad distribution of Indo-European languages throughout Eurasia.
Iron: Material used for weapons and tools that became cheap and more widely available around 1000 B.C.E.
Lex talkionis: "Law of retaliation," laws in which offenders suffered punishments similar to their crimes; the most famous example is Hammurabi's Laws.
Mesopotamia: Term meaning "between the rivers," in this case the Tigris and Euphrates; Sumer and Akkad are two of the earliest societies.
Monotheism: Belief in only one god, a rare concept in the ancient world.
Patriarchy: System of social organization in which males dominate the family and where public institutions, descent, and succession are traced through the male line.
Phoenicians: A maritime civilization of the Mediterranean that developed extensive trade and communication networks as well as an early alphabetical script (1500 B.C.E).
Sumerians: Earliest Mesopotamian society.
Ten Commandments: Moral and ethical standards for followers of Moses.
Torah: Compilation of teachings that guide Judaism.
Urdu: A language that is predominant in Pakistan.
Yahweh: God of the monotheistic religion of Judaism that influenced later Christianity and Islam.
Ziggurats: Mesopotamian temples.
Chapter 3 Key Terms
Amosis / Amon-Re / Ancestor Worship / Aten / BantuBronze / Cult of Osiris / Hieroglyphics / Hykos / Iron
Kush / Nubia / Osiris / Patriarchy / Pharaohs
Amosis: Egyptian pharaoh (c. 1500 B.C.E.), founder of the New Kingdom.
Amon-Re: Egyptian god, combination of the sun god Re and the air god Amon.
Ancestor Worship: Belief that dead ancestors can influence one's fortunes in life. Those who practice often conduct rituals and ceremonies to the memory or remains of their ancestors.
Aten: Monotheistic god of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaton (r. 1353-1335 B.C.E.) and arguably the world's first example of monotheism.
Bantu: African peoples who originally lived in the area of present-day Nigeria; around 2000 B.C.E. they began a centuries-long migration that took them to most of sub-Saharan Africa; the Bantu were very influential, especially linguistically.
Bronze: Material made from copper and tin used for weapons and agricultural tools.
Cult of Osiris: Osiris becomes associated with the Nile, crops, mortality, and immortality after his wife, Isis, gathers his fallen body and allows the gods to restore him to life in the underworld.
Hieroglyphics: Ancient Egyptian written language.
Hykos: Invaders who seized the Nile delta and helped bring an end to the Egyptian Middle Kingdom.
Iron: Material used for weapons and tools that became cheap and more widely available around 1000 B.C.E.
Kush: Nubian African kingdom that conquered and controlled Egypt from 750 to 664 B.C.E.
Nubia: Area south of Egypt; the kingdom of Kush in Nubia invaded and dominated Egypt from 750 to 664 B.C.E.
Osiris: Ancient Egyptian god that represented the forces of nature.
Patriarchy: System of social organization in which males dominate the family and where public institutions, descent, and succession are traced through the male line.
Pharaohs: Egyptian kings considered to be gods on earth.
Chapter 4 Key Terms
Aryans / Brahmins / Dravidians / Harappan / Indra / Jati / KarmaKshatriyas / Lawbook of Manu / Moksha / Neolithic / Prakit / Samsara / Sanskrit
Sati / Shudras / Upanishads / Vaishyas / Varna / Varuna / Vedas
Aryans: European tribes who settled in India after 1500 B.C.E.; their union with indigenous Dravidians formed the basis of Hinduism.
Brahmins: Hindu caste of priests.
Dravidians: Peoples who produced the brilliant Harappan society in India, 3000-1500 B.C.E.
Harappan: Early brilliant Indian society centered around Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
Indra: Early Indian god associated with the Aryans; Indra was the king of the gods and was associated with warfare and thunderbolts.
Jati: Indian word for a Hindu subcaste.
Karma: Hindu concept that the sum of good and bad in a person's life will determine his or her status in the next life.
Kshatriyas: Hindu caste of warriors and aristocrats.
Lawbook of Manu: A moral code prepared in the first century B.C.E. in India dictating the role of women in Indian society.
Moksha: Hindu concept of the salvation of the soul.
Neolithic: New Stone Age (10,000-4000 B.C.E.), which was marked by the discovery and mastery of agriculture.
Prakit: Daily-use language of the early Aryans.
Samsara: Hindu term for the concept of transmigration, that is, the soul passing into a new incarnation.
Sanskrit: Sacred language of the early Aryans.
Sati: Also known as suttee, Indian practice of a widow throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her husband.
Shudras: Hindu caste of landless peasants and serfs.
Upanishads: Indian reflections and dialogues (800-400 B.C.E.) that reflected basic Hindu concepts.
Vaishyas: Hindu caste of cultivators, artisans, and merchants.
Varna: Hindu word for caste.
Varuna: Aryan god who watched over the behavior of mortals and preserved the cosmic order.
Vedas: "Wisdom," early collections of prayers and hymns that provide information about the Indo-European Aryans who migrated into India around 1500 B.C.E.; Rig Veda is most important collection.
Chapter 5 Key Terms
Ancestor Worship / Book of Changes / Book of History / Book of Rites / Book of SongsBronze / Indo-Europeans / Mandate of Heaven / Oracle Bones / Patriarchy
Shang dynasty / Tian / Xia / Xinjiang / Yangshao
Yangzi / Yellow River / Yu / Zhou
Ancestor Worship: Belief that dead ancestors can influence one's fortunes in life. Those who practice often conduct rituals and ceremonies to the memory or remains of their ancestors.
Book of Changes: Example of Zhou literature, this book serves as a manual of diviners.
Book of History: A book detailing the history of the Zhou dynasty.
Book of Rites: Zhou book explaining the rules of etiquette and rituals required of aristocrats in China under the Zhou dynasty.
Book of Songs: The most notable example of Zhou literature, this work is a collection of verses.
Bronze: Material made from copper and tin used for weapons and agricultural tools.
Indo-Europeans: Series of tribes from southern Russia who, over a period of millennia, embarked on a series of migrations from India through western Europe; their greatest legacy was the broad distribution of Indo-European languages throughout Eurasia.
Mandate of Heaven: Chinese belief that the emperors ruled through the mandate, or approval, of heaven contingent on their ability to look after the welfare of the population.
Oracle Bones: Chinese Shang dynasty (1766-1122 B.C.E.) means of foretelling the future.
Patriarchy: System of social organization in which males dominate the family and where public institutions, descent, and succession are traced through the male line.
Shang dynasty: Chinese kingdom (1766-1122 B.C.E.) in which agricultural surpluses supported large armies and a large network of walled towns.
Tian: Chinese term for heaven.
Xia: Chinese dynasty (2200-1766 B.C.E.) that is known mainly from legend.
Xinjiang: Western Chinese province.
Yangshao: Early Chinese society (2500-2200 B.C.E.).
Yangzi: River in central China.
Yellow River: Important river in ancient China named for the loess soil carried by the river. While "China's Sorrow" has flooded extensively, the loess provided rich soil to work.
Yu: Legendary founder of the Xia dynasty (ca. 2200 B.C.E.).
Zhou: Chinese dynasty (1122-256 B.C.E.) that was the foundation of Chinese thought formed during this period: Confucianism, Daoism, Zhou Classics.
Chapter 6 Key Terms
Ancestor Worship / Austronesians / Chavín cult / LapitaMaya / Mochica / Olmecs / Popol Vuh
Teotihuacan / Tikal / Venta, La / Yucatan
Ancestor Worship: Belief that dead ancestors can influence one's fortunes in life. Those who practice often conduct rituals and ceremonies to the memory or remains of their ancestors.
Austronesians: People who, by as early as 2000 B.C.E., began to explore and settle islands of the Pacific Ocean basin.
Chavín cult: Mysterious but very popular South American religion (1000--300 B.C.E.).
Lapita: Society from New Guinea to Tonga (1500-500 B.C.E.) with agricultural villages, networks of trade and communication, and hierarchical chiefdoms.
Maya: Brilliant Central American society (300-1100) known for math, astronomy, and a sophisticated written language.
Mochica: Pre-Incan South American society (300-700) known for their brilliant ceramics.
Olmecs: Early Central American society (1200-100 B.C.E.) that centered around sites at San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Tres Zapotes and that influenced later Maya.
Popol Vuh: Mayan creation epic.
Teotihuacan: Central American society (200 B.C.E.-750 C.E.); its Pyramid of the Sun was the largest structure in Mesoamerica.
Tikal: Maya political center from the fourth through the ninth centuries.
Venta, La: Early Olmec center (800-400 B.C.E.).
Yuctan: Peninsula in Central America, home of the Maya.
Chapter 7 Key Terms
Achaemenid empire / Ahura Mazda / Ancestor WorshipAvesta / Gathas / Indo-Europeans
Macedon / Magi / Medes
Parsis / Parthians / Perseopolis
Qanat / Sasanids / Satraps
Seleucids / Zarathustra / Zoroastrianism
Achaemenid empire: First great Persian empire (558-330 B.C.E.), which began under Cyrus and reached its peak under Darius.
Ahura Mazda: Main god of Zoroastrianism who represented truth and goodness and was perceived to be in an eternal struggle with the malign spirit Angra Mainyu.
Ancestor Worship: Belief that dead ancestors can influence one's fortunes in life. Those who practice often conduct rituals and ceremonies to the memory or remains of their ancestors.
Avesta: Book that contains the holy writings of Zoroastrianism.
Gathas: Zoroastrian works believed to be compositions by Zarathustra.
Indo-Europeans: Series of tribes from southern Russia who, over a period of millennia, embarked on a series of migrations from India through western Europe; their greatest legacy was the broad distribution of Indo-European languages throughout Eurasia.
Macedon: A frontier state north of the Greek peninsula.
Magi: Those who preserved the teachings of Zarathustra in writing.
Medes: Indo-European branch that settled in northern Persia and eventually fell to another branch, the Persians, in the sixth century.
Parsis: Indian Zoroastrians.
Parthians: Parthians Persian dynasty (247 B.C.E.-224 C.E.) that reached its peak under Mithradates I.
Perseopolis: New capital of the Persian Empire established under the reign of Darius in 520 B.C.E.
Qanat: Persian underground canal.
Sasanids: Later powerful Persian dynasty (224-651) that would reach its peak under Shapur I and later fall to Arabic expansion.
Satraps: Persian administrators, usually members of the royal family, who governed a satrapy.
Seleucids: Persian empire (323-83 B.C.E.) founded by Seleucus after the death of Alexander the Great.
Zarathustra: Persian prophet (ca. 628-551 B.C.E.) who founded Zoroastrianism.
Zoroastrianism: Persian religion based on the teaching of the sixth-century-B.C.E. prophet Zarathustra; its emphasis on the duality of good and evil and on the role of individuals in determining their own fate would influence later religions.