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Unit 1 Vocabulary #2 - AP World History
1. Analects - Record of the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and
philosopher Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions they held.
2. Animism - The belief that spirits inhabit the features of nature.
3. Brahmin - A member of the social class of priests in Aryan society.
4. Corvée System – System in which governments required subjects, usually peasants,
to provide labor as a payment of tax. A specified number of labor days had to be offered
to the state as an obligatory taxation.
5. Covenant - Agreement; in the Judeo-Christian heritage, an agreement between God
and humankind.
6. Dharma - In Hinduism, the doctrine of the religious and moral rights and duties of
each individual; it generally refers to religious duty, but may also mean social order,
right conduct, or simply virtue.
7. Diaspora - The exile of an ethnic or racial group from their homeland.
8. Edict of Milan - A document that made Christianity one of the religions allowed in the
Roman Empire.
9. Filial Piety - In China, respect for one’s parents and other elders.
10. Huns - Nomadic and pastoral people that originated in N central Asia and appeared
and built up an empire in Europe in the 4th century A.D.; contributed to the decline of
the Gupta Empire in India, the Han Dynasty in China, and the Roman Empire.
11. Karma - In Hindu tradition, the good or evil deeds done by a person.
12. Latifundia - Large landholdings in the Roman Empire.
13. Messiah - (Hebrew for ‘anointed’) Savior or redeemer. Specifically, the Messiah was
the descendant of King David expected by the Jews of ancient times to become their
king, free them from foreign bondage, and rule over them in a golden age of glory,
peace, and righteousness.
14. Moche - Andean civilization that flourished from the 1st to the 8th century C.E. on
the northern coast of what is now Peru. Their settlements extended along the hot, arid
coast of northern Peru from the Lambayeque River valley south to the Nepeña River
valley.
15. Moksha - In Hindu belief, the spirit’s liberation from the cycle of reincarnation.
16. New Testament - The portion of the Christian Bible that contains the Gospels that
relate the account of the life of Jesus and also includes letters from the followers of
Jesus to the early Christian churches.
17. Nirvana - In Buddhism, a state of perfect peace that is the goal of reincarnation.
18. Phoenicians – Seafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern
Mediterranean (modern day Lebanon); established colonies throughout the
Mediterranean (Carthage); devised a simplified alphabet of 22 letters.
Unit 1 Vocabulary #2 - AP World History
19. Polis - A Greek city-state.
20. Qanāt system - Ancient type of water-supply system, developed in arid regions of
the world. The system taps underground mountain water sources trapped in and
beneath the upper reaches of alluvial fans and channels the water downhill through a
series of gently sloping tunnels, often several kilometers long, to the places where it is
needed for irrigation and domestic use.
21. Reincarnation - Rebirth; a belief of both Buddhism and Hinduism.
22. Sati - The custom of higher castes in Hinduism of a widow throwing herself on the
funeral pyre of her husband.
23. Shamanism - The practice of identifying special individuals (shamans) who will
interact with spirits for the benefit of the community. Characteristic of the Korean
kingdoms of the early medieval period and of early societies of Central Asia.
24. Silk Road - Caravan routes and sea lanes between China and the Middle East
25. Stoicism - The most popular Hellenistic philosophy; it involved strict discipline and
an emphasis on helping others.
26. Theocracy - A government ruled by the church.
27. Torah - The first five books of the Jewish scripture.
28. Twelve Tables - The codification of Roman law during the republic.
29. Untouchables - The social division in Hindu society that fell in rank below the caste
system; it was occupied by those who carried out undesirable occupations such as
undertaking, butchering, and waste collection.
30. Vedas - Ancient and most sacred writings of Hinduism. They consist of series of
hymns and formulaic chants that constituted a Hindu liturgy (rituals).
31. Xiongnu - Nomadic pastoral people who at the end of the 3rd century B.C. formed a
great tribal league that was able to dominate much of Central Asia for more than 500
years. China’s wars against the Xiongnu, who were a constant threat to the country’s
northern frontier throughout this period, led to the Chinese exploration and conquest of
much of Central Asia.
32. Yahweh - Jehovah, the god of the Jews.
33. Yin and Yang - In ancient Chinese belief, the opposing forces that bring balance to
nature and life.
34. Yoke - A bar or frame that is attached to the heads or necks of two work
animals (such as oxen) so that they can pull a plow or heavy load .
35. Zoroastrianism - An ancient Persian religion that emphasized a struggle between
good and evil and rewards in the afterlife for those who chose to follow a good life.
* Spelling counts to some extent for each word.