Key Terms
Give 3 examples of a Primary Source
What are...
Letters, diaries, photos, witness, etc.
What is the Code of Hammurabi?
What is...
One of the earliest written legal codes; addressed issues such as property rights, water rights, marriage, violent crime, & wage regulations
What is a prophet?
What is...
A messenger of God; sent/chosen by God to relay his message
Definition of Council
What is...
a relatively small group of government officials who handled the day-to-day government of Greece
What are...
Patricians: a group of ruling class citizens or noble families in Rome
Plebians: (plebs) the common people; free, landowning citizens
Definition of "Pax Romana"
A period of Roman peace & prosperity, from Augustus (14AD) to Aurelius (180AD)
What is a Rabbi?
What is...
"my master"; teachers of the Jewish law who give religious guidance
What are Federates?
Who are...
Allies of Rome; non-Romans who contributed to the Roman army & its interests
Qur'an
What is...
The Islamic sacred book believed to be the word of God as dictated to the prophet Muhammad who passed it on
Magi
What are...
Zoroastrian priests; they performed marriages, initiation rights, burial rights, & tended to the sacred fires in the temples
Why was the Iron Age influential?
What is...
New weapons and trading tools resulted in repeated shifts of power; iron objects can be dated back as early as 5000BCE, iron weapons were more popular by 1100BCE, and by 800BCE, most homes had iron pots, tools, & utensils
What are Gentiles?
What is...
A non-Jewish person
What is the Athenian Assembly?
What is...
The main body of the Greek government; they handled new legislation, adjudicate trials, and setting policies
What is...
Patricians were patrons to Plebian clients; patrons offered support in exchange for rendered services & loyalty of clients
Who are the Five Good Emperors?
Who are...
The Roman imperial succession of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, & Marcus Aurelius
What is a Bishop?
What is...
An ordained or appointed member of the church, entrusted with a position of authority & oversight
Who is Edward Gibbon?
Who is...
The author of The Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, published in 1776; attempted to explain the past as a guide to the future
Significance of Mecca
What is...
A city in western Saudi Arabia considered Islam's holiest city; the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad & the ritual center of the Islamic religion
What are Tribunes?
What is...
The title of various elected officials in ancient Rome chosen by Plebians to protect their interests
What are the Assyrians known for?
What is...
A semitic-speaking group who created one of the most feared new kingdoms; they used violence & terror to maintain order, and held a reputation of savagery; 1st army to heavily use iron weapons; erected victory monuments of rape, slaughter, torture, etc.
What is Diaspora? Give an example
What is...
Exile or scattering
The Neo-Babylonians destroyed the Temple at Jerusalem & drove the Judeans eastward into the Babylonian Captivity
Who is Herodotus?
Who is...
A Greek writer/historian who wrote a detailed account of the Persian Wars; considered the "Father of History"
What are the Twelve Tables?
What are...
The 1st attempt by the Romans to create a code of law, inscribed on 12 bronze tablets (450BCE)
Describe the Punic Wars
What are...
A series of wars between the Roman Republic & ancient Carthage; resulted in Roman dominance of the entire eastern mediterranean basin (264-146BCE)
Septuagint
What is...
The earliest surviving Greek translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew (260BCE)
Who is Constantine?
Who is...
A Roman emperor who founded the city of Constantinople; he issued the Edict of Milan which outlawed the persecution of Christians
Hijra
What is...
The migration/exodus of Muhammad & his followers from Mecca to Medina; marks year 1 in the Islamic calendar (622AD)
"Princep"
What is...
Meaning "first one" or "leader"; unofficial title used by the Roman emperors, 1st coined by Augusts
Who was Nebuchadnezzar II?
What is...
A Neo-Babylonian king who lead his army into Jerusalem, destroyed the Hebrew Temple, & took tens of thousands of Hebrews into slavery back in Babylon
Describe the story of the Torah
What is...
Moses is chosen by God to lead the Hebrews out of Egyptian bondage; he receives the Torah on Mount Sinai and guides the Hebrews to a promised land of safety and prosperity; Torah are the laws for righteous living
Who is Plato?
Who is...
An Athenian philosopher who was a student of Socrates; founder of the Platonist School of Though & the Academy, the 1st institution of higher learning in the Western world
Who are the Etruscans?
Who are...
The people of ancient Etruria, Italy; taught the Romans Greek engineering & building skills; heavy influence on religious & moral ideals in Rome
Who is Octavian?
Who is...
a.k.a Caesar Augustus; the 1st Roman emperor; Julius Caesar's adopted son; he defeated Antony & added Egypt under the rule of Rome; legacy as an extremely effective leader; led the transformation from Republic to Empire
What is Gnosticism?
What is...
The belief that human beings contain a piece of God within them, which has fallen from the immaterial world into human bodies
Who is King Alaric?
Who is...
The 1st King of the Visigoths - a division of the Goths who raided Roman territories & established a monarchy that lasted until the early 8th century; known for capturing Rome in 410AD
What is the difference between Sunni and Shi'a Islamic cultures?
Sunni: larger of the 2 main branches of Islam; muslims who regard selection by the community as the only legitimate way to determine the caliph
Shi'a: muslims who believe the political & religious legitimacy of the caliph can only pass through Muhammad's hereditary line
Caliph
What is...
The successor to Muhammad as political & religious leader of the Islamic world; after Muhammad died, his followers could not decide who would be Caliph, & it created a divide into 2 major sects of Islam
Describe Zoroastrianism (Ahura Mazda)
What is...
The 1st transnational Western religion; Zoroaster claimed a vision of a "Wise Lord", Ahura Mazda, the one true & eternal God; believed Ahura Mazda's spirit formed into 7 principle elements: Sky, Water, Earth, Plants, Cattle, Man, Fire
Who is David & how did he influence Israelite history?
Who is...
An ambitious soldier, & the 2nd King of Israel, who united the kingdoms of Judah & Israel; he pushed the borders of the united Israelite kingdom to their greatest expanse; under David, the Israelites were among the most powerful
Who is Socrates?
Who is...
An Athenian philosopher credited as a founder of Western philosophy; he shifted the emphasis of philosophical investigation from questions of natural science to ethics & human behavior
Who is Tarquin the Proud?
Who is...
The legendary & final King of Rome; operated in a cruel & oppressive way (absolute power); overthrown in 509BCE
What is the First Triumvirate?
What is...
An informal alliance among 3 prominent Roman politicians - Julius Caesar, Pompey, & Crassus; meant to "restore the republic"; worked to consolidate power in Rome between the 3 members; eventually dissolved due to rivalry between Caesar & Pompey
Who is Paul of Tarsus?
Who is...
An apostle known as St. Paul (originally St. Paul of Tarsus); a Roman who persecuted Christians until he saw the resurrected Jesus Christ & converted to Christianity; responsible for roughly 2/3 of the letters found in the new testament of the Christian bible
What is Diocletian known for?
What is...
He attempted to deal with the fall of the empire by splitting it & delegating co-emperors (termed: Tetrarchy); he brought armies back under imperial control & tried to strengthen currency by forcing budget on the government & capping prices to deal with inflation
Who were the Abbasids?
Who are...
A dynasty of Islamic caliphs who came to power in 750AD after overthrowing the Umayyads, & remained formal heads of the Islamic empire until 1258 when they were overthrown by the Mongols; their Islamic capital was moved from Damascus to Baghdad