AP World History
Unit 1 Vocabulary
#2
Unit One: Foundations (8000 B.C.E.
– 600 C.E.)
1. Polis
2. Sati
3. Silk Roads
4. Stoicism
5. Twelve Tables
6. Untouchables
7. Varna
8. Vedas
9. Zoroastrianism
10. Analects
11. Animism
12. Bodhisattvas
13. Brahmin
14. Covenant
15. Dharma
16. Diaspora
17. Disciple
18. Edict of Milan
19. Filial piety
20. Karma
21. Messiah
22. Moksha
23. Monotheism
24. New Testament
25. Nirvana
26. Pope
27. Phoenicians
28. Reincarnation
29. Ten Commandments
30. Theocracy
31. Torah
32. Yahweh
33. Yin and yang
34. Huns
35. Latifundia
Moksha

In Hindu belief, the
spirit’s liberation from
the cycle of
reincarnation
Yahweh

Jehovah, the god of
the Jews
Sati

The custom of higher
castes of Hinduism of
a widow throwing
herself on the funeral
pyre of her husband
Latifundia

Large landholdings in
the Roman Empire
Polis

A Greek city-state
Karma

In Hindu tradition, the
good or evil deeds
done by a person
Analects

Also known as the
Analects of Confucius,
are a record of the words
and acts of the central
Chinese thinker and
philosopher Confucius
and his disciples, as well
as the discussions they
held
Animism

The belief that spirits
inhabit the features of
nature
Bodhisattvas

Buddhist holy men
who accumulated
spiritual merits during
their lifetime;
Buddhists prayed to
them in order to
receive some of their
holiness
Brahmin

A member of the
social class of priests
in Aryan society
Covenant

Agreement; in the
Judeo-Christian
heritage, an
agreement between
God and humankind
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.
Diaspora

The exile of an ethnic
or racial group from
their homeland
Disciple

A follower and learner
of a mentor or other
wise figure
Edict of Milan

A document that
made Christianity one
of the religions
allowed in the Roman
Empire
Filial Piety

In China, respect for
one’s parents and
other elders
Huns

Nomadic and pastoral
people of unknown
ethnological affinities
who originated in N
central Asia, appeared
in Europe in the 4th
cent. AD, and built up
an empire there.
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
Messiah

(Heb. ‘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.
Monotheism

The belief in one god
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
Nirvana

In Buddhism, a state
of perfect peace that
is the goal of
reincarnation
Pope

The head of the
Roman Catholic
Church
Reincarnation

Rebirth; a belief of
both Buddhism and
Hinduism
Silk Roads

Caravan routes and
sea lanes between
China and the Middle
East
Stoicism

The most popular
Hellenistic philosophy;
it involved strict
discipline and an
emphasis on helping
others
Twelve Tables

The codification of
Roman law during the
republic
Ten Commandments

The moral law of the
Hebrews
Theocracy

A government ruled
by the church
Torah

The first five books of
the Jewish scripture
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
Varna

A caste in the Hindu
caste system
Vedas

Ancient and most
sacred writings of
Hinduism. They
consist of series of
hymns and formulaic
chants that
constituted a Hindu
liturgy (rituals).
Yin and Yang

In ancient Chinese
belief, the opposing
forces that begin
balance to nature and
life
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