World History Study Guide to 1648

This is the growing list of study terms for World history, from creation to 1648 (the same midpoint used by the CLEP exams).

This should grow from 315 to 500 terms -- about half basic and half honors -- and every term should be described in the table. An examination on this material will be given in November 2011.

Basic terms

Term	Definition
Abraham	Aprx. 2000 BC. Father of Jewish people; God made a covenant with him to make his descendants great in number. Arabs claim descendance from Abraham's son Ishmael.
Acropolis	Portion of a town or city that is built on a hilltop for easy defense. Best known Acropolis is in Athens, where the democratic assembly met. Most Greek city-states had an Acropolis.
Aesop	Ethiopian slave in 600s BC in Greece. Famous for Aesop's Fables, such as "The Fox and the Grapes" and "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
Alexander the Great	356 BC - 323 BC. Born to Philip II of Macedon and tutored by Aristotle. Conquered Greece, Egypt, Persia, and more, but turned back at India. Alexander's conquests spread Greek culture and language and helped the future spread of Christianity.
Analects	The analects are a record of the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, written and compiled by his disciples circa 400-300 B.C.
Ancient world	Civilized world before the fall of the Roman Empire in AD 476.
Anselm	A Christian philosopher, founder of scholasticism, and archbishop of Canterbury
Archimedes	287 BC – 212 BC. Greek mathematician and engineer. Discovered Archimedes' Principle, invented "Archimedes' screw," and built defenses against the Romans for his city of Syracuse; killed by the Romans.
Aristocracy	"Rule by the best": aristocrats generally wealthy and privileged. European feudal government resembled aristocracy, and some governments in ancient Greece were aristocracies.
Aristotle	384 to 322 BC. Greek philosopher, student of Plato and tutor to Alexander the Great. Focused on experience with the physical world; studied biology and founded a school, the Lyceum, resembling a university with specimens and a library.
Assyrian Empire	1400-605 BC. First dependent on Babylonia, then became an independent state, and finally an empire. Known for cruelty, especially to the Hebrews. Captured northern Kingdom of Israel in 722, but destroyed by Medians in the 600s.
Athens	Greek city-state. Democracy begun by Pericles in 5th century BC. Previously ruled by aristocrats. First democracy in the world and a great naval power. Rival with Persia but united to defeat invading Persians.
Attila the Hun	Last and greatest ruler of the Huns. Fought against the eastern Roman Empire and then fought the western Roman Empire throughout the mid AD 400s. Almost defeated, but then almost sacked Rome; turned away by Pope Leo I.
Augustus Caesar	63 B.C. - A.D. 14. Succeeded Julius Caesar and became first Roman Emperor. Ruler during the birth of Christ. Defeated Mark Antony for rule of Rome.
Babylon	The major Mesopotamian city in the ancient Middle East. Greatest ruler was Hammurabi. Developed Cuneiform, used base-60 numbers, and defeated ancient Sumer about 2000 BC. Later cruel to Hebrews.
Babylonia	State and Empire created by Babylon. First empire existed from 1900-1600 BC. Resurged as the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 625-538 BC. Imposed Babylonian Exile on Hebrews.
Bible	Collection of Hebrew (Old Testament) and Christian (New Testament) Scriptures. Foretells the coming of a Messiah for the Hebrews, and recounts ancient history including the Tower of Babel and the Great Flood.
Brahman	The ultimate god or existence in Hinduism, of which all existence is somehow a part, or from which all comes.
Brahmin	The highest level in the Hindu caste system
Bronze Age	It is the age referred to during which time bronze was the common metal used in people's everyday lives. It was used for jewelry, tools, utensils, weapons, and it helped enable the introduction of the plough.
Buddhism	It is a belief system which teaches that desire causes suffering and if desire is eliminated, enlightenment and Nirvana are attained.
Byzantine Empire	It was the eastern part of the Roman Empire that split away. It outlasted the Western half by 1000 years due to its greater financial resources.
Carthage	A city off the coast of Africa whose rivalry with Rome led to the three Punic Wars at the end of which Carthage was destroyed and decreed never to be rebuilt.
Caste	It is a social rank in Hinduism. Brahmans are priests and scholars, Kshatriya are rulers, Vaishya are peasants, and Shudra are serfs. Good karma enables one to improve his caste in the next life.
Celts	A people who had lived and had controlled parts of Europe including Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales since the early Iron Age
Chaldeans	The ancient Babylonians
China	The world's oldest major civilization
city-states	small nations consisting of only a single city each; common in ancient Greece. Examples included Sparta, Athens and Corinth. They fought each other, but also banned together to defeat the Persians when that great empire sought to absorb Greece.
Civilization	A group of people who live in an area. They have agriculture, currency, a government and laws, and an economy.
Classical Civilizations	Ancient Mediterranean civilizations that were generally pre-Christian, such as Rome, Greece, and Egypt
Classicism	A Renaissance movement in the arts, looking back to ancient Rome and Greece for inspiration
Code of Manu	Hindu law containing rules and codes of conduct.
Colosseum	A massive stadium in Rome that was used to hold gladiatorial contests, chariot racing and killing Christians for entertainment.
Comedy	In a classical sense, a play with a happy ending
Confucius	A very famous Chinese philosopher who came up with many ideas about ethics and social conduct
Constantine	The first Christian emperor of Rome who legalized Christianity and ended the persecution of Christians
Constantinople	Modern day Istanbul, it was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire from 330 AD. Also known as Byzantium.
Council of Nicaea	A council of bishops called by Constantine to obtain agreement on various aspects of Christianity such as the doctrine of the Trinity and the role of the Roman Bishop (the Pope).
cuneiform	The earliest known form of writing.
David	Second king of Israel and a descendant of Jesus Christ. He was chosen by God to replace Saul and he expands the kingdom of Israel greatly.
Dharma	The laws of religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism
Diaspora	The migration or scattering of a people away from their ancestral home.
Direct Democracy	laws are made by votes of the citizens, rather than by elected officials. Athens of ancient Greece was the first direct democracy.
Early agriculture	Crops such as grain being grown in places such as Egypt
Edict of Milan	a political proclamation that fully legalized Christianity (and all other religions) throughout the Roman Empire. This edict was issued by Constantine I in 313 AD, shortly after the end of the Diocletian persecutions against Christians.
Egypt	One of the oldest civilizations in recorded history, going back over 5,000 years
Eightfold Path	The Buddhist path to reach the end of suffering
Enlightened One	A translation of the name Buddha
Epic of Gilgamesh	A Sumerian poem preserved on stone tablets with a story bearing great resemblance to Noah's ark
Euclid	A Greek mathematician and the father of geometry
Fertile Crescent	An area of land in the Middle East area where it was easier to grow crops
Four Noble Truths	Important principles in Buddhism
Gentiles	The term for people who are not of Israeli descent.
Gracchi brothers	Two tribunes of ancient Rome who wanted to help the poor by redistributing land from the rich
Great Wall of China	A large wall created in Ancient China to keep invaders out of the country
Greek drama	Theatrical tradition of ancient Greece between 600 and 400 B.C. with two main types: comedies (good ending) and tragedies (bad ending)
Greek empire	An important empire that produced some of the first works of literature and mythology that has impacted culture today
Gupta empire	An empire that covered much of modern India and Pakistan that came up with algebra, the concepts of zero and infinity, and the numbers 1-9
Hammurabi	King of Babylon who came up with the Code of Hammurabi, based on the concept of an eye for an eye
Hannibal	Military commander who planned attacks against Rome and Spain
Hebrews	God's chosen people and the ancestors of the Israelites
heliocentric	A theory where the Sun is the center of the universe.
Hellenistic	Meaning either of or from the Greeks.
hieroglyphics	A form of pictographic writing developed by the ancient Egyptians.
Hinduism	A major religion. It is polytheistic and is practiced in many places, most notably India.
Hippocrates	"The father of medicine", developed the Hippocratic Oath which all medical students worldwide take as a condition of graduation.
Homer	An early Greek poet, famous for lengthy sagas such as Iliad and The Odyssey.
Huns	A tribe of people who fought with the Romans in what is now the Ukraine. They were considered by many Romans to be the most ferocious of enemies
Ideograms	A graphic symbol representing a concept or an idea
India	A country that was home to the Indus Valley civilization and dates back over 3,000 years
Indus River Valley	A fertile valley that was home to an ancient civilization and is modern Pakistan and northwestern India
Iron Age	An era where tools and weapons were made primarily out of iron
Isaac	The promised son born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. The father of the Israeli people.
Ishmael	Bastard son born to Abraham and Sarah's servant, Hagar.
Israel	The chosen nation of God and place where most events of the Bible took place
Jainism	A Dharmic religion that stresses non-violence
Jesus	The Holy Messiah of the Christian faith and the only son of God who was promised to save all humanity.
Joan of Arc	17 year old girl who heard God calling her to lead the French army against the English in the 15th Century. Was later canonized by the Catholic Church
Judah, Kingdom of	the southern kingdom of a divided Israel
Julius Caesar	A political leader who laid out the groundwork for the future Roman Empire, and also provided the foundation of the Gregorian calendar
Karma	In Hinduism, everything a person has done. Determines status in the next life
Latin	The language spoken in Rome. It has been influential in contributing to many modern day European languages including English
Maize	Corn, first grown by Native Americans
Mandate of Heaven	Chinese mandate that held that he gods blessed good rulers and overthrew bad ones
Marc Antony	A Roman commander and close friend of Caesar. He was in the lst civil war of the Roman Republic
Martin Luther	An important Christian figure who launched the Protestant Reformation and founded the Lutheran Church. He was responsible for the first major split from the Catholic Church
Mauryan Empire	A Buddhist empire covering much of modern India
Mesoamerica	Mexico and Central America, where Pre-Columbian civilizations existed
Mesopotamia	Modern-day Iraq, where civilization first appeared
Messiah	Essentially means anointed by God. Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Christianity
Michelangelo	A Renaissance painter and sculptor, known for his paintings on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, among other masterpieces. The archetypal Renaissance man.
Middle Ages	A period of time, ranging from approximately 500 AD to 1500 AD, where lands were kingdoms and ruled by the system of feudalism
Middle Kingdom	Egyptian kingdom known for its works and ideas that ended due to a civil war
monotheism	The belief in a religion worshipping only one god. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are monotheistic religions.
monsoons	Tropical storms
Moses	The prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt. He also brought the Ten Commandments to the Israelites and is credited with writing the first five books of the Bible
New Kingdom	Ancient Egypt at the time of Moses, where many buildings were built primarily with slave labor
Nicene Creed	A core statement of Christianity that asserts the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Ghost
Nirvana	The ultimate goal of Buddhism, the end of all suffering
Old Kingdom	The ancient Egyptian kingdom that built the famous pyramids
Olympics (Ancient Greek)	An ancient Greek sporting event
Paul	An apostle of Jesus, and the only one not to have seen Him in the flesh. He went to different churches and wrote letters that make up a part of the New Testament of the Bible
Pax Romana	27 B.C.-180 A.D. A time of peace for the Roman Empire
Peloponnesian War	War fought between Athens and Sparta, 431-404 BC. The war was ultimately won by Sparta and its allies
Pentateuch	The first five books of the modern Bible, believed to have been written by Moses
Persian empire	A large empire stretching from India to southern Europe and Egypt
Persian Wars	Wars between Persia (modern-day Iran) and Greek city-states such as Athens and Sparta
Peter	A disciple and apostle of Jesus, who taught in areas such as Jerusalem and Palestine
pharaoh	The ruler of Egypt
Philip of Macedon	King of Macedonia and father of Alexander the Great
Philistines	Group of people occupying the land of Canaan. Enemies of Israel and God.
Phoenicians	An ancient people who lived on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Plato	Athenian Philosopher who wrote several treatises on philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric, and mathematics. He founded the Academy, of which Aristotle was its most famous student.
polis	The name for city-states in Ancient Greece
polytheism	A religion with many Gods. This was the norm in ancient times until Judaism and Christianity emerged
Ptolemy	Greek mathematician, geographer, astronomer, and astrologer
Punic Wars	Enabled the Roman republic to get control of the Mediterranean Sea and access to many goods
pyramids	A structure with 3 or more triangular-shaped sides and a base that is either a triangle, a rectangle or some other polygon. These structures have been built for thousands of years, in such diverse areas as Egypt, Mexico, North America, China and India. Pyramids have either smooth sides, like the famous pyramids in Egypt, or stepped sides similar to those built by the Mayans in Mexico.
Reformation	Events that led to the separation of Catholic and Protestant churches
Renaissance	A revival in the arts and in Greek and Roman literature, and more of a focus on the current life
Roman empire	Transition of Rome from a republic to having an emperor, starting with the appointment of Augustus Caesar as ruler in 27 BC
Roman republic	The first republic, located in Rome, and the basis of many principles of the government of the United States
Rome	The capital city of the Roman Empire and now, modern day Italy. Founded by Romulus and Remus who supposedly fought over which one of them the city would be named after. Romulus killed his brother and had the city named after himself.
Rosetta Stone	Ancient piece written on stone that tells how to figure out Egyptian hieroglyphics
Royal Road	Ancient Persian highway rebuilt by Darius the Great
Saul	The first king of Israel appointed by God. He turned out to be a very flawed character, afflicted by jealousy for David.
Scholasticism	Christian doctrines about man popular in the Middle Ages
Scientific Revolution	The beginning of modern science in the mid-1500s
Senate	The dominant force of the Roman Republic's government.
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World	A listing of the most impressive public works in the world, by Greek writer Antipater
Siddhartha Guatama	The Buddha, and the founder of the religion of Buddhism
Silk Road	A trade route from East China to Central Asia and Europe
Socrates	An Athenian philosopher who believed that the world we experience is a poor substitute for reality. His philosophy inspired Plato and in turn Aristotle; and became the accepted Orthodoxy until modern times.
Solomon	Third King of Israel. Wrote Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.
Sparta	A Greek city-state well known for its military prowess. Fought (and won) the Peloponnesian war against Athens.
Spread of Buddhism	Buddhism traveled outside of India per the Silk Road
St. Augustine	A father of the Christian church
Sumer	A civilization in modern Iraq that invented many things including the first known form of writing
Sumerians	The earliest civilizations living in the Middle East
Taoism (Daoism)	Chinese philosophy of seeking harmony with nature
Ten Commandments	The laws of the God of Israel handed down to Moses
Theocracy	A government ruled by the laws of a specific religion
Thomas Aquinas	An Italian Christian philosopher whose ideas were influential in developing complex Christian theology.
Thirty Years War	A war that left Germany and its neighbors fighting for decades
Thucydides	Greek scientific historian, wrote History of the Peloponnesian War
Torah	The Jewish name for the five books of Moses, meaning Law. The first five books of the modern Bible.
Tragedy	A type of drama and/or poetic saga that was common in Ancient Greece. It normally followed the fall of a character, often because of a specific character flaw such as envy or greed. The production and study of tragedies was very important in early philosophical movements, particularly that of Aristotle
Vedas	Holy books of Hinduism
Virgil	Well known Roman poet and philosopher
Vishnu	Supreme god of Hinduism
Visigoths	A confederacy of Germanic tribes who were ultimately fell to the Moors
Warring States Period	War period in China known for philosophy developed
Yahweh	God as described in the Old Testament, written as YHWH in the original Hebrew.
Yin and Yang	Daoist idea that everything in the universe stays in harmony
Zhou dynasty	771 to 221 B.C. Longest lasting Chinese dynasty. Confucius lived during it.
Ziggurat	"Mountains" made in Mesopotamia
Zoroastrianism	Dualistic religion founded in modern Iran

Honors terms

Term	Definition
Age of Metal	Copper, iron, and bronze were developed as tools
Age of Pericles	The "golden age" of Athens led by Pericles who introduced a form of direct democracy from BC 461-429
Ahhotep	A Middle Kingdom Pharaoh who repelled Hyksos from Egypt.
Akkadian Empire	A Sumerian empire (2360-2180 BC) located in the fertile crescent in the lower Mesopotamia and north of the Sumer River.
Alluvial	d
Arianism	d
Ark of the Covenant	d
Aryans	d
Ashoka	d
Bantu	d
Barracks Emperors	d
Battle of Marathon	d
Bhagavad Gita	d
Caesar's Commentaries	d
Caligula	d
Canaan	d
Catal Huyuk	d
Cato the Censor	d
Champollion, Jean	d
Chandragupta Maurya	d
Cicero	d
Cincinnatus	d
Claudius	d
Cleopatra	d
Confucianism	d
Constitutional monarchy	d
consul	d
Copts	d
Covenant	d
Cynicism	d
Cyrus	d
Darius	d
Delian League	d
Demosthenes	d
Diocletian	d
Dorians	d
Dravidians	d
Empress Lu	d
Epicureanism	d
Etruscans	d
Euripides	d
Exodus	d
Five Good Emperors	d
foraging society	d
Four Emperors Era	d
Franks	d
Gaul	d
Golden mean	d
Great Canal	d
Hadrian	d
Han empire	d
Harappa	d
Hatshepsut	d
Hellenistic culture	d
helot	d
Herodotus	d
Hiram	d
Hittites	d
Horace	d
humanism	d
Hyksos	d
Iron Smelting	d
Iliad	d
Jericho	d
Josephus	d
Kassites	d
Khufu	d
Khyber Pass	d
Kush	d
Larger Vehicle	d
Last Roman Emperor	d
legalism	d
Legions	d
Lesser Vehicle	d
Livy	d
Loess	d
Mahayana	d
Manichaeism	d
Marathon	d
Marcus Aurelius	d
Marius	d
Masada	d
Menes	d
Meroe	d
Minoan Civilization	d
Moksha	d
Mount Sinai	d
Mycenaean Civilization	d
Nebuchadnezzar I	d
Nebuchadnezzar II	d
Neolithic Age	d
Nero	d
Nerva	d
Nineveh	d
Nok culture	d
Octavian	d
Odyssey	d
Olmec	d
oracle bone	d
Ostrogoths	d
Ovid	d
Paleolithic Age	d
papyrus	d
pariah	d
Parthenon	d
patricians	d
Peru	d
Philippides	d
Philo	d
Pisistratids	d
plebian	d
Plutarch	d
Pompey	d
praetors	d
Prehistory	d
purdah	d
Pythagorus	d
Ramayana	d
Ramses II	d
Rembrandt	d
Rig Veda	d
Romance of Three Kingdoms	d
Romulus and Remus	d
rule of tyrants	d
Sargon the Great	d
Sati (Buddhism)	d
Satrap	d
Saxons	d
Schliemann, Heinrich	d
Scipio	d
Seneca	d
Shang dynasty	d
Shang Yang	d
Shi	d
Shiva	d
Solon	d
Sophocles	d
Steppes	d
Stoicism	d
Stone age	d
Stupa	d
Sulla	d
Sunna	d
Sumuabum	d
Suttee	An ancient Hindu practice in India where a wife sacrifices herself upon her husband's funeral pyre.
Tacitus	d
Taj Mahal	A marble memorial located in Agra, India. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Queen Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth.
terra cotta	d
Theravada	d
Thutmos III	d
Tiber River	d
Tiberius	d
Tigris and Euphrates	d
Titus and Domitian	d
Trajan	d
Tribal Assembly	d
Triumvirate	A triumvirate is a system of governance led by 3 leaders. The two most important triumvirates of ancient times was that of Rome, lead by Julius Caesar, Pompeius Magnus ("Pompey the Great") and Marcus Crassus; and that lead by Octavian, Mark Antony, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. It was the failings of these triumvirates that lead to the downfall of the Republic and the emergence of the Roman Empire.
Twelve Tables	d
Untouchables	d
Upanishads	d
Ur	d
Vandals	d
Vespasian	d
Wheel	The ancient Mesopotamians invented the wheel, originally in the form of a potter’s wheel. This is considered the first and greatest of man's inventions.
Xenephos	d
Xerxes	A Persian King in the 5th century BC who attacked and conquered much of Greece, before being defeated in a naval battle in the Battle of Salamis and being forced to withdraw back to Babylon
Zealots	A group of Jews in the 1st Century AD who sought the violent overthow and expulsion of Rome from Israel. Their most famous battle (and defeat) came at the Masada, a mountain fortress that still holds spiritual significance for Israel today.
Zeno	d