Term
|
Definition
| "Eye for an eye." The law of reciprocation. First appears in Hammurabi's code, but is seen throughout history in many different cultures such as Judaism. Compare with Confuscianism's "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Persia, 600 BCE - The prophet Zoroaster as an argument against polytheism. Henotheistic - focus on Ahuramazda. People must choose between good and evil and will be judged on the day of reckoning when their eternal fate would be decided. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Sumerian, oldest tablets containing the story date back to 2100 BCE, but the story was extremely likely to have been passed down by oral tradition way before then. The story of Gilgamesh's search for eternal life. Tropes from this story exist to present-day (the great flood, doves, etc.). Compare with the Book of Genesis. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 508 BCE. "The Father of Athenian Democracy." Broke up the power of the families in Athens by changing distribution of political power from four tribes based on familial relationships to 10 tribes based on the areas in which they lived (demes). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 261 BCE, Mauryan Empire, India. A king who felt so guilty after slaughtering the people in Kalinga that he embraced Buddhism and spread it throughout India. He is the reason Buddhism also spread to other countries. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 312 CE. Legalized Christianity, then converted to it. Founded Constantinople (the "New Rome") on the site of Byzantium. The decision to build the capital in the Eastern part of the empire hastened the split between the East and the West |
|
|
Term
| The First Citizen of Athens |
|
Definition
| 495 - 429 BCE, Greece - Pericles, united Greece against the Persians, then used funds for the Delian League to build the Parthenon. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The age of Agriculture brought the division of labor along age and sex. This created gender roles and power inequalities. It was also essential for the development of cities, art, and culture. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 403 - 221 BCE, China, The separate states fought each other until only the Qin remained. Many new weapons and tactics of war resulted from these battles. See also Chinese philosophies such as Daoism, Buddhism, and Legalism. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 1367-1350 BCE, Egypt - Akhenaten and his wife and queen, Nefertiti, were monotheists who worshipped their sungod, Aton. He insisted that all other gods were frauds. His religion did not gain a foothold among his people and his religion died when he did. This is historically significant because this is the first recorded monotheistic religion. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| At least as far back as 13th century BCE, the god of the Jewish people, monotheistic, required people to have high moral standards. Compare with Mesopotamian gods that also punished people. Unlike the Mesopotamian Gods, Yahweh protected all people, not just the leaders. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 1500 - 500 BCE, but dates to much earlier through oral tradition. India. Contains poems, ritual texts, and philosophical treatises. Would eventually become part of the shared culture of all of India. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Roughly 5th Century BCE, Greece, Heavily armed citizens who served as infantrymen and fought to defend the polis. Polises generally had no standing army. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 551 BCE, China - Filial piety is the basis on which Confucianism was founded. It stresses respect and devotion to one's own family, specifically father/son, husband/wife and older brother/younger brother relationships. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 370 - 300 BCE, China - A follower of Confucius, he traveled the country giving advice to kings, hoping they would see that being a benevolent ruler would unite the country. His work, along with that of Xunzi, helped Confucianism shape Chinese society until the 20th Century. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 264 - 133 BCE, the Mediterranean - Wars between Rome and Carthage over Sicily. Rome defeats Carthage in all three wars and in the last burns Carthage to the ground. This expands the Roman Empire throughout the Mediterranean and, due to over expansion, may have been the first nail in the Empire's coffin. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 715 BCE, Sparta, All Spartan citizens were given equal political rights, devoting their time to rigorous military training. Training began at age 7 and the citizen became a life-long soldier. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 206 BCE - 220 CE, China - Followed the fall of the Qin Dynasty. Repealed the harsh Legalist system and restored Confucian ideals. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 416 - 415 BCE - during the Peloponnesian War, Athens opened a dialogue with the island of Melos telling the island to surrender or be destroyed. The Athenians hoped that they would intimidate the Spartans by conquering the island. The Melians argued they had right on their side so the gods would favor them. The Athenians conquer them, killing the men, and enslaving the women and children. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 1st and 2nd centuries CE, Rome - a period of peace and prosperity in the Roman empire marked by further expansion as far as Britain and the building of walls and fortifications at the borders of the empire. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 3200 BCE, Sumer - "wedge writing," the first writing system in the world. "The Epic of Gilgamesh" is written in Cuneiform. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 1790 BCE - Mesopotamia, First law code. Showed that women in Mesopotamia, while not equal to men, were treated quite well. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Roman Empire - Comfortable in both the Jewish and Roman worlds, Paul spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. He taught that gentiles should be accepted on an equal basis. Also included women and anyone of any social class. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 1550 BCE, New Kingdom, Egypt - A coffin text, written on papyrus, that a person could buy to be buried with and attain eternal life. Contains a long list of things the person had not done that would bar his way to eternal life. Can be found in the Book of the Dead. See Journal #1. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 330 BCE, Greece - Seized Egypt from the Persians without a fight, founded Alexandria, continued fighting for four more years, pushing his way across the Indus Valley into India. When his troops refused to go further, he turned around, but died in Babylon at the age of 32. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 3100 BCE Egyptian king, thought to be the living embodiment of Horus. In the Old Kingdom, the pharaoh was the only person who could attain eternal life. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 19 BCE, Jerusalem - The Western portion of the wall that surrounded the Jewish Temple courtyard. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 500 BCE, Northern India, Siddartha Gautama - a pushback against Hinduism. With hindi brahmans demanding money to perform religious services, and an unrelenting cycle of death and rebirth, Siddartha looked for a way to end the cycle, make the religion more accessible, and gain enlightenment. The religion dies out in India, but moves to China where it thrives and influences Japanese and Korean culture. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 1100-800 BCE, Greece - An epic poem attributed to an author named Homer. Likely passed down through oral tradition before finally being written down after Greece's Dark Age. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The trade routes through central Asia through which silk and other items were traded. Mentioned in the book around 114 B.C.E., but dating to much earlier than that. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 2331 BCE, Sumer - The chieftain of a group of Sumerian villages, Sargon conquered and united several Sumerian cities with the help of what was probably the world's first permanent army. Leading his armies to the Mediterranean, he spread Sumerian culture throughout the Fertile Crescent. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 508 BCE, Greece, Cleisthenese - A subdivision of the land surrounding Athens. A man had to be enrolled in a deme in order to become a citizen. This weakened the aristocracy. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 2nd or 3rd century BCE, India - a book of early Indian laws that codifies the social, family, and caste law. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 550 BCE (roughly), China - The Way. The natural order in Daoist philosophy. Believed that trying to make things better made them worse. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 400 BCE - 200 CE, India - Moral law, codifies legitimate pursuits: material gain, pleasure and love for the perpetuation of family, and moksha (release from the circle of life) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 280-233 BCE, China - An advocate of the Legalist theory, 100 years after it was established in China. He was forced to drink poison. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Belief in many deities. Arose after animism. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Indian social hierarchical system based on family groups. Brahmin (priests), Kshatriya (warriors and officials), Vaishya (merchants), Shudra (peasants and laborers). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the theory that heaven gives a king the right to rule so long as he has the best interests of his people at heart. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Hellenistic period, Greece - A set of religions that had rituals that were disclosed only to the initiated. Developed as a pushback against Greek religions that were rich with pomp, but offered little in respect to satisfy spiritual yearnings. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 221-206 BCE, China - ruled by a legalist Emperor, but did not last long after the Emperor's death. |
|
|
