Term
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Definition
| "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. |
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Term
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Definition
| "Upright-walking-human", which existed from two million to two hundred thousand years ago; Homo erectus used cleavers and hand axes and learned how to control fire. |
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Term
| Migrations of Homo Erectus |
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Definition
| Other predecessor species didn't venture very far, but Homo erectus traveled far & wide & populated themselves throughout Eurasia & sporadically in Africa. |
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Term
| Migrations of Homo Sapiens |
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Definition
| Because of Homo sapiens increased intelligence, they spread out even farther than Homo erectus because they had found ways to adapt to different climates. Due to future Ice Ages land bridges formed & expansion into new continents grew. |
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Term
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Definition
| Early peoples used everything around them for food, clothing, shelter, & tools. This included animals & all they contained, plants for food & shelter, bones for tools, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| In early society everyone had the same hunter-gatherer profession which put everyone on a level playing field. This explains why the early societies had no forms of government. |
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Term
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Definition
| With increased intelligence & technology rose up big-game hunting in certain skilled & knowledgeable people in Homo erectus' time. |
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Term
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Definition
| Some people distinguised themselves as people living in permanent settlements & not nomads, but only in the temperate climates. |
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Term
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Definition
| Early humans (100,000-35,000 years ago) who were prevalent during the Paleolithic period. |
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Term
| The Creativity of Homo Sapiens |
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Definition
| Homo sapiens had creativity matched by no other. They formed the first ways of communication & language, transfering knowledge for others to share. They created trade & developed new technology constantly, along with making art something that preserved pieces of their history to this day. |
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Term
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Definition
| Small Paleolithic statues of women with exaggerated sexual features. |
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Term
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Definition
| This is the most common form of art across the board in any society. They usually depicted everyday life, but the purposes of them are largely vague. Some were for decorations in homes, special events, etc., even to try & gain spirits of big-game animals & religion. |
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Term
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Definition
| New Stone Age (10,000-40,000 B.C.), which was marked by the discovery and mastery of agriculture. |
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Term
| Independent Inventions of Agriculture |
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Definition
| The earliest known start of agriculture was just after 9000 B.C. in southwest Asia. Later on, other sites like Africa, east Asia, Mesoamerica, South America, & Europe were able to use agriculture effectively. |
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Term
| The Early Spread of Agriculture |
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Definition
| A big reason for widespread agriculture was the slash & burn technique, which has been modified, but is still used today. By burning chopped down vegetation any soil, anywhere could become extremely fertile. After a few years, people would move to another area, thus spreading agriculture throughout the world. |
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Term
| Emergence of Villages & Towns |
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Definition
| The rapid growth of people & technology forced humans to create some sort of organization, now known as government. This created different communities that differed in size & prosperity (among other things) called villages & towns. |
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Term
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Definition
| Because of population growth, not everyone had to find food anymore, thus opening up new professions & hobbies. |
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Term
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Definition
| It was the earliest craft industry because of the need to store excess food. Pottery was developed by 7000 B.C. |
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Term
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Definition
| The next craft that came to be was metallurgy in the form of copper. Later on, people discovered other workable metals & that heat could make it easier to shape the metal. |
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Term
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Definition
| Textiles came third. The oldest known ones are from about 6000 B.C. Selective plants & animals were used for clothing. Women were the main producers. |
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Term
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Definition
| Because of the ever-changing & diverse human landscape, some people gained more fame, power, etc. than others. Eventually social classes were formed based on people groups. |
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Term
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Definition
| Early religion first started with the worship of Venus figures & translated into other "gods & goddesses" which all represented something in life. |
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Term
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Definition
| This transition from villages & towns was a gradual process, & some cities fared better than others mainly because of location. |
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Term
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Definition
| This was the earliest Mesopotamian society. |
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Term
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Definition
| Named because they spoke a Semitic family language, they migrated to Mesopotamia from deserts to the south & west. |
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Term
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Definition
| Between 3200-2350 B.C., at least 12 Sumerian cities, or suburbs existed. They created independent systems of government & law among other things. |
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Term
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Definition
| The early government in cities consisted of kings by 3000 B.C. These kings did maintain contact with neighboring cities & had their own independent rule. |
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Term
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Definition
| He was the creator of an empire in Mesopotamia by overthrowing his king, rallying his own forces, & conquering others. He was the first known absolute ruler, or dictator. |
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Term
| Hammurabi & the Babylonian Empire |
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Definition
| He was one of the later absolute rulers for Babylon. He rose them up to power so much so that they had become bigger than the rest of Mesopotamia. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sophisticated law code associated with the Babylonian king Hammurabi. |
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Term
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Definition
| They rose up to power after the Babylonian empire collapsed by using new iron weapons. The extent of their empire came around 750 B.C. |
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Term
| Nebuchadnezzar & the New Babylonian Empire |
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Definition
| Between 600-550 B.C. Babylon regained control of Mesopotamia along with the Chaldeans, with king Nebuchadnezzar at the helm. By this time Mesopotamia had completely fallen to foreigners. |
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Term
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Definition
| Bronze was formed as a much stronger metal from a mix of copper & tin around 4000 B.C. Early bronze was not cheap though, but it was used for tools & war implements. |
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Term
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Definition
| Iron was developed after 1000 B.C. in its best form, but was played around with as early as 4000 B.C. Iron was much cheaper & better, so its uses spread faster. |
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Term
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Definition
| Besides metallurgy, transportation was another big thing; thus came the wheel from Sumer about 3500 B.C. Carts came shortly thereafter. |
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Term
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Definition
| Watercraft were invented by Sumerians by 3500 B.C. & were used for trade almost exclusively at first. |
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Term
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Definition
| By 2000 B.C. Mesopotamians were doing long distance trading over thousands of miles with literally tons of pounds of items. Historical evidence also shows that this process was well organized. |
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Term
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Definition
| In bigger villages, towns, & cities, there was more evidence of distinctions among people, which led to social classes, consisting of nobles & commoners. |
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Term
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Definition
| These were special designated living areas for priests & priestesses, where they did their daily duties & received the peoples gifts to either them or their gods. |
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Term
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Definition
| In ancient times, slaves were either prisoners of war, convicts, or those heavily in debt who became slaves to pay their debts off. |
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Term
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Definition
| Patriarchial societies dominated the Mesopotamian area. Men made all the decisions in the home, even possibly unjust & unfair ones. |
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Term
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Definition
| Even though women were the second-tier, some did become influential. Advisors or priestesses were examples of high positions held by women. |
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Term
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Definition
| Written language of the Sumerians, probably the first written script in the world. |
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Term
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Definition
| In ancient times, most, if not all education was based on occupations, not reading & writing. The few who did learn to read & write were in a formal education setting & earned a high-end government job typically. |
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Term
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Definition
| Some scholars chose another less-traveled path: astronomy & math. With this education, you could accurately make calendars, allocate equal amounts of land to people, & create units of measure. |
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Term
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Definition
| This is the best known literary work from Mesopotamia. It was written by a variety of people after 2000 B.C. The book has values & themes like friendship, man, & the gods, life & death, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| Semitic-speaking nomadic tribe influential for monotheistic belief in Yahweh. |
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Term
| Migrations & Settlement in Palestine |
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Definition
| Hebrews exited out of bondage & Egypt about 1300 B.C. Under Moses, they eventually ended up in what was to them to Promised Land; to us, Palestine. Hebrews eventually needed a monarchy-style government (ex: King Saul, David & Solomon). |
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Term
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Definition
| Early Hebrews took the same religious principles Mesopotamians had, but later, Moses taught that there is one God, Yahweh. Instead of Ziggurats, the Israelites built temples for the Lord. |
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Term
| Assyrian & Babylonian Conquests |
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Definition
| Even though the Israelites faced boundaries everywhere, they stuck with God but divided into two kingdoms which were eventually taken over by the Babylonians & Assyrians. |
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Term
| The Early Jewish Community |
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Definition
| Because of all the dominant surrounding areas, all the newly freed Jews could do was build several small cities in a small area. They had an easily indentifiable religion as well, for it was different than all the rest. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Phoenician society was founded on the banks of the Mediterranea around 3000 B.C. There was no monarchy; just individual city-states. Rather than expand or gain prosperity, Phoenicia was an area of commerce. |
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Term
| Phoenician Trade Networks |
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Definition
| The Phoenicians traded not only throughout their land, Mesopotamia, & Egypt, but used the sea to reach other lands to trade dyes for unheard of items. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Phoenicians also created the first alphabet after using cuneiform for a long time. It consisted of symbols & spread wherever the Phoenicians went. |
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Term
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Definition
| Many languages in Europe, Asia & India today are all very alike. We have learned that this is due to ancestors who all spoke in the same tongue. Future generations migrated elsewhere & developed their own languages later; yet these were all very similar to their native tongue. |
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Term
| The Indo-European Homeland |
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Definition
| The original Indo-European area was Ukraine & southern Russia, settled between 4500-2500 B.C. Most of the early people were easy-going farmers & herders. |
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Term
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Definition
| Horses were domesticated around 4000 B.C. by Indo-Europeans. Originally they were eaten, but were later used for other purposes, such as attaching them to carts. |
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Term
| The Nature of Indo-European Migrations |
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Definition
| Horse provided amazing means of transportation & expansion for Indo-European peoples. But because of this, the Indo-European people became severly fragmented & later disappeared. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Hittites were the most influential migrants. Where they moved, they conquered, establishing themselves, their culture, language, etc. & traded with other nearby nations. |
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Term
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Definition
| War chariots were one of the two major Hittite inventions. These chariots were drawn by horses & were much lighter & faster than previous ones. |
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Term
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Definition
| Iron tools & weapons were the other major invention. They were cheap & effective, so they were mass produced. Technically, the Hittites did make modifications to these two items, but they were critical for world history. |
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Term
| Indo-European Migrations to the East |
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Definition
| When the Indo-Europeans migrated & split, some went as far east as western China around 2000 B.C. |
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Term
| Indo-European Migrations to the West |
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Definition
| Some Indo-Europeans moved west into Greece by 2200 B.C. & Italy by 1000 B.C. Later on, some even made their way into central Europe & Britain. |
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Term
| Indo-European Migrations to the South |
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Definition
| Some Indo-European migrants moved south into Iran & India, where they became simple herders & farmers. |
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Term
| Early Sudanic Agriculture |
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Definition
| By 9000 B.C. the Sudanese were domesticating cattle & shortly thereafter developed agriculture with their native grains. More diverse crops were grown after 6500 B.C. |
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Term
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Definition
| After 5000 B.C. Africa experienced dramatic changes which included the formation of the Sahara desert, making it difficult to grow crops & raise animals in the region. |
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Term
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Definition
| Because of the once annual flooding of the Nile River, there came a much larger fertile area now known as the Nile River Valley. |
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Term
| Early Agriculture in the Nile Valley |
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Definition
| Because of early Sudanese agriculture, when climate change came, new principles & techniques were introduced to the Egyptians & Nubians. |
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Term
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Definition
| Although invasions & attacks were not present, government was formed due to a large population & the need for group projects. |
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Term
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Definition
| He was the ruler who unified Upper & Lower Egypt approximately 3100 B.C. |
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Term
| The Archaic Period & the Old Kingdom |
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Definition
| This is the first major period of Egyptian history; it is also considered the finest era because of the pharaohs & the construction of the pyramids. |
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Term
| Relations between Egypt & Nubia |
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Definition
| Because of the closeness in proximity, tension was high between Egypt & Nubia for territory & power, causing several wars to break out. |
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Term
| The Early Kingdom of Kush |
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Definition
| This kingdom was formed by Nubian leaders after several Egyptian attacks & years of Egyptian control in 2500 B.C. It was not great, but it was a solid kingdom which quickly gained power. |
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Term
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Definition
| After years of turmooil & unrest in Egypt, the Middle Kingdom was established along with the pharaoh by 2040 B.C. Though not as powerful as the Old Kingdom, Egypt became a solid area once more. |
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Term
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Definition
| Invaders who seized the Nile delta and helped bring an end to the Egyptian Middle Kingdom. |
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Term
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Definition
| The New Kingdom was formed after the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt; it was well-maintained & very prosperous. |
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Term
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Definition
| During the New Kingdom, Egyptian conquest became even greater when they tried to take over far & distant lands, who they thought were possible threats. |
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Term
| The Revived Kingdom of Kush |
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Definition
| After 1100 B.C. Egyptians backed out of Nubia, so Nubian leaders created a new Kush, which became more powerful than any other Nubian area before. They took over Egypt for several hundred years thereafter. |
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Term
| Cities of the Nile Valley: Egypt |
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Definition
| Although cities were not as common in Africa as in Mesopotamia, there were a few cities in Egypt: Memphis, established approximately 3100 B.C. as the capital, Thebes, the political capital, Heliopolis, the religious capital, & Tanis, the commercial & industrial capital. |
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Term
| Cities of the Nille Valley: Nubia |
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Definition
| Although not as well known, Nubian cities included: Kerma, Wapata, & Meroe. All three were once capitals of Kush. |
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Term
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Definition
| In both Egypt & Nubia there were differences between peoples which were noticed in society. Peasants & slaves did all the hard work & nobles got off easy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Also like Mesopotamia, the father was recognized as the head of the household, although women were not completely excluded, as evidence by Queen Hatshepsut. |
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Term
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Definition
| Where Egypt lacked was technology. It took them until after the Hyksos invasion to come up with metal tools, specifically, bronze. |
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Term
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Definition
| Iron Metallurgy arose independently because of Africa's rich iron resources. It was developed predominately in Nubia, because bronze was almost unknown at the time. |
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Term
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Definition
| Because of the Nile River, Egypt was able to have a swift means of transporation by boat, but for on land, they developed carts & donkeys. |
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Term
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Definition
| Besides the Nile, Egypt had no other source of things, so trade with Nubia was common & stayed strong even during war. |
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Term
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Definition
| Ancient Egyptian written language. |
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Term
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Definition
| Education brough much greater chances of success than one who picked up trades from ancestors. |
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Term
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Definition
| Nubians influenced Egypt greatly so that Nubian characters ran in Egyptian hieroglyphs, but influences later died out & the Nubians created their own alphabet (slightly borrowed from Egypt) named after their capital city, Meroe. |
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Term
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Definition
| Egyptian god, combination of the sun god Re and the air god Amon. |
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Term
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Definition
| Monotheistic god of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten and a very early example of monotheism. |
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Term
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Definition
| Egyptians practiced & believed mummification. They knew that one's physical life was over after death but they believed a spiritual sense similar to an after life, which gave way to the extravagant burial process. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the first separate religious groups from the main religion in history was the cult of Osiris, which gained much popularity among Egyptians. He was later regarded as a god who represented the forces of nature. |
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Term
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Definition
| Nubians had their own separate religion but were influenced by their Sudanese neighbors. Little is known except that they too had false gods. |
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Term
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Definition
| African peoples who originally lived in the area of present-day Nigeria; around 2000 B.C. they began a centuries long migration that took them to most of sub-Saharan Africa; the Bantu were very influential, especially linguistically. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Bantu were very eager to go anywhere new, & spread far & wide throughout sub-Saharan Africa, influencing many along the way, making their language especially widespread. |
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Term
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Definition
| When more Bantu migrated, the more inventive they became, especially with iron & the expansion & growth of their agriculture, creating a spike in population. |
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Term
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Definition
| Newly inhabited areas in Africa received what the people brought with them, which included new crops, animals, languages, & culture throughout Africa. |
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Term
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Definition
| Migrators came & developed religion in their inhabited areas. The main religion in sub-Saharan Africa was a monotheistic belief. |
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Term
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Definition
| Like the Nile in Egypt, the Indus consistently flooded and carried with it immense amounts of fertile soil, making the Indus River Valley a suitable place to live for early Indian societies. |
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Term
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Definition
| Even though the civilizations here were quite large, there is no trace of even the slightest hint of government. |
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Term
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Definition
| Early brilliant Indian societies. |
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Term
| Specialized Labor & Trade |
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Definition
| Harappan & Mohenjo-Daro did close-range trade & long-distance trading, which included using the land & sea for transportation. |
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Term
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Definition
| There were variations in the social lifestyle, which formed classes, or groups of people, some being better or more esteemed than others, living differently, having more or less money, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| In Harappan religion fertility was strongly praised via the gods, more than anything else. |
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Term
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Definition
| Because the Harappans used too many of their natural resources without conserving, their society fell apart by 1900 B.C. Natural disasters such as river flooding could have possibly contributed too. |
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Term
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Definition
| Early Aryan people relied almost solely on herding but did a little agriculture. Because of their extensive work & use of animals, they had transportation, war machines & much prosperity. |
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Term
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Definition
| "Wisdom", early collections of prayers and hymns that provide information about the Indo-European Aryans who migrated into India around 1500 B.C. Rig Veda is the most important collection. |
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Term
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Definition
| During the time in which the Vedas were written, Aryan society was going through much trouble & conflict in war, which was accurately represented in these books during the Vedic age. |
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Term
| Aryan Migrations in India |
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Definition
| Originally, large groups of Aryans migrated to other parts of the Indus River Valley, but soon thereafter smaller groups relocated throughout most of India. |
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Term
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Definition
| Early Indian societies, like many other early societies, lived near a natural source of water; in this case, the Indus River. It is very similar to the Nile in that when the waters rise & the river floods, much fertile soil is left behind, making it ideal to support a population. |
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Term
| Changing Political Organization |
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Definition
| After migrations, the Aryans formed a more organized political system than its basic predecessor. In more remote villages, elders were selected & recognized as the head of that area. |
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Term
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Definition
| Originally the Aryans had social distinctions among the people, but those quickly changed into differences in color between Aryans & Dravidians, forming the caste system eventually. |
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Term
| Social Distinctions in the Late Vedic Age |
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Definition
| The caste system was broken down into (originally) four parts: priests, warriors & other rich people, farmers & crafters & artists, & peasants. Later on the untouchable, or outcast category was added making today's still used caste system. |
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Term
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Definition
| As the society became more complex & diverse, so did the need for a more complex caste system. This new system based your caste on what kind of family you were born into, leaving almost no chance to improve one's social status. |
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Term
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Definition
| To suceed, the caste system had to have some give & take for people. Moving up was much harder than moving down, so people grouped together to climb the social ladder. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Lawbook of Manu was written to set up guidelines for interactions in society, specifically husband/wife rules. |
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Term
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Definition
| This practice consisted of the woman joining her husband in death by falling on his funeral pyre. Satis never really gained that much popularity though. |
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Term
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Definition
| Also known as suttee, Indian practice of a widow throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her husband. |
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Term
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Definition
| In order to gain favor from their gods, the Aryans performed sacrifices to also gain prosperity, win in war, gain children, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sacrifices became almost routine & meaningless later on, so many families of people separated themselves completely & became intricate thinkers of the meaning of life. |
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Term
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Definition
| Indian reflections and dialogues (800-400 B.C.) that reflected basic Hindu concepts. |
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Term
| Brahman, the Universal Soul |
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Definition
| The Upanishads taught that Brahman was the chief god, & that every human being played a part in him. |
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Term
| Teachings of the Upanishads |
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Definition
| The Upanishads had many other smaller doctrines, such as samsara, which states the theory of reincarnation, & karma, which determined how you were supposedly reincarnated. |
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Term
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Definition
| Modern thinkers have connected the Vedas, Upanishads, & their teachings into the workings of today's caste system. |
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Term
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Definition
| Also known as "China's Sorrow" for the floods it produces; was a popular site for early villages to flourish in the Yellow River Valley due to the fertile loess deposits that give it its yellow color. |
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Term
| Yangshao Society and Banpo Village |
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Definition
| Flourished between 5000 and 3000 B.C. in the middle region of the Yellow River Valley. It was made famous by the discovery of an entire neolithic village at Banpo in 1952. |
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Term
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Definition
| This dynasty made one of the first efforts to organize public life in China on the large-scale by creating public projects like flood control. It was founded by the sage-king Yu. |
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Term
| Bronze Metallurgy and Horse-Drawn Chariots |
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Definition
| Transformed Chinese society; it came from southwest Asia along with horses and various wheeled vehicles. It helped Shang rulers overthrow the Xia Dynasty. |
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Term
| Shan Political Organization |
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Definition
| It contained a network of walled towns with local rulers who worked under the Shang kings, rather than having a centralized state. |
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Term
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Definition
| Much is known about Ao because of recent excavations, revealing the city wall, for example, and how the centralized rule was shown in using the public to build it. |
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Term
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Definition
| The capital of the Shang Dynasty for its last few centuries; more extravagant archaelogical findings than Ao. |
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Term
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Definition
| The most important tomb discovered at Yin. She was one of 64 wives to the Shang king Wu Ding. It is the only tomb to be left untouched by grave robbers. |
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Term
| Beyond the Yellow River Valley |
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Definition
| Similar dynasties other than the Xia and Shang dominated regions outside the Yellow River Valley, with excavations showing elaborate but fairly similar cities that were the chief city of other dynasties. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Zhou Dynasty came into power due to a foolish Shang king. Many of the cities under his rule turned their loyalty to the Zhou forces, who in turn took over and reigned until about 256 B.C. |
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Term
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Definition
| States that heavenly powers granted the right to govern to a deserving individual known as the son of heaven. This person became a link between heaven and earth. |
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Term
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Definition
| Due to the Zhou state's large area, a single central ruler couldn't rule over all; thus individuals around the empire gained authority, but in turn reported back to the main government. |
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Term
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Definition
| Eventually, the "entrusted" individuals who ruled directly under the main Zhou ruler gained much power of their own and took over their own areas while ignoring the chief ruler, thus becoming more independent and more separate from the main Zhou state. |
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Term
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Definition
| Since the main office of the Zhou state couldn't control the production of bronze closely, the independent rulers started to build up stockpiles of iron weapons in order to attempt an overthrow of the main government. |
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Term
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Definition
| The royal family and allies of them held the most honorable positions in Chinese society. They were the people who oversaw the production of bronze metallurgy and lived lavishly. They also had much military strength. |
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Term
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Definition
| This small class of craftmakers worked nearly exclusively for the upper classes because of the materials used. |
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Term
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Definition
| Not much is known about trade in China, but recent archaeological discoveries have uncovered long-distance trade routes, and items that were definitely imported. |
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Term
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Definition
| The majority of China; they worked off the government-owned land and provided items in order to receive benefits in return. |
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Term
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Definition
| Most of these people were enemy warriors captured during battles between Chinese states. They did the "dirty work" |
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Term
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Definition
| It is a practice that goes back all the way to neolithic times. Chinese tended to their ancestors graves frequently because of their spiritual beliefs. They placed sacrifices at the tombs and buried their dead with various items in order to confirm their belief that the spirits of their ancestors passed into another realm of existence. This passing and tending supposedly gave them the power to protect and support their families. |
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Term
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Definition
| Chinese society consisted of the eldest male being the head of the household. The patriarchial society didn't promote women to higher positions, but slightly recognized them. |
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Term
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Definition
| The principal items used by fortune tellers in ancient China. A question was inscribed, then subjugated to intense heat. The bone would crack and the fortune teller would study the crack to gain the answer. |
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Term
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Definition
| First understood via oracle bones; earliest form was a pictograph; pictographs were combined sometimes to form an ideaograph. |
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Term
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Definition
| Some gained high popularity and served as textbooks in Chinese schools. Two of the most popular were the Book of History, Book of Changes, and the Book of Etiquette. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the most notable early classical works; also known as the Book of Poetry or the Book of Odes. It is a collection of light and serious poems written after 600 B.C. |
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