Foundations Unit

Neolithic Revolution: the period of the Stone Age associated with an ancient Agricultural Revolution
Hellenism: The spread of Greek culture and other cultures throughout Eurasia
Indian Ocean Trade: In premodern times, a network of seaports, trade routes, and maritime culture
linking countries on the rim of the Indian Ocean from Africa to Indonesia.
Southernization: meant to be analogous to westernization, southernization changed Southern Asia and
later spread to other areas, which then underwent a process of change.
Zoroastrianism: A religion originating in ancient Iran with the prophet Zoroaster. It centered on a single
benevolent deity--Ahuramazda - who engaged in a twelve-thousand-year struggle with
demonic forces before prevailing and restoring a pristine world. Emphasizing truth-telling,
purity, and reverence for nature, the religion demanded that humans choose sides in the
struggle between good and evil. Those whose good conduct indicated their support for
Ahuramazda would be rewarded in the afterlife. Others would be punished. The religion of the
Achaemenid and Sasanid Persians, Zoroastrianism may have spread within their realms and
influenced Judaism, Christianity, and other faiths.
Silk Road: Caravan routes connecting China and the Middle East across Central Asia and Iran
Bantu Migration: the migration of a large group of sub-Saharan African languages and of the peoples
speaking these languages
Civilizations of America: The Olmecs were the first Mesoamerican civilization. Between ca. 1200 and
400 BCE, the Olmec people of central Mexico created a vibrant civilization that included
intensive agriculture, wide-ranging trade, ceremonial centers, and monumental construction.
They had a great cultural influence on later Mesoamerican societies, passing on artistic
styles, religious imagery, sophisticated astronomical observation for the construction of
calendars, and a ritual ball game. Chavin was the first major urban civilization in South
America. Its capital, Chavin de Huantar, was located high in the Andes Mountains of Peru.
Chavin became politically and economically dominant in a densely populated region that
included two distinct ecological zones, the Peruvian coastal plain and the Andean foothills.
Mandate of Heaven: Chinese religious and political ideology developed by the Zhou, according to
which it was the prerogative of Heaven, the chief deity, to grant power to the ruler of China
and to take away that power if the ruler failed to conduct himself justly and in the best
interests of his subjects.
Development of Hinduism and Buddhism:
Buddhism: Original form centered on the individual. Although it did not quite reject the existence of
gods, it denied their usefulness to a person seeking enlightenment. After Buddha's death, his
message-contained in philosophical discourses memorized by his followers-spread
throughout India and Beyond into Central, Southeast, and East Asia, its very success began
to subvert the individualistic and essentially atheistic tenets of the founder. Buddhist
monasteries were built, and a hierarchy of Buddhist monks and nuns came into being. A
Schism seperated Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.
Hinduism: The foundation of the religion is in the Vedic religion of the Arya tribes of northern India. But
Hinduism also incorporated elements drawn from the Dravidian cultures of the South. the
gods were altered, from the way they were in the Vedic religion, both in identity and in their
relationships with humanity.

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What was the relationship between Bronze Age societies and trade in the Mediterranean?

What were the factors involved in the expansion of Christianity and Buddhism during this period?
What economic factors contributed to Roman and Han Decline?

4. Compare/Contrast the decline of the Roman, Han, and Gupta Empires

Compare the status of women in the Roman, Han, and Gupta Empires

Compare the status of Celtic women with their counterparts in the Mediterranean world during this
time

Compare the status of Athenian and Spartan women during this period
How did the agricultural revolution impact women?

How were the situations of upper class and lower class women in Han China different?

Explain the different mentalities developed by the eastern and western philosophies during this period