Chapter 4 Ap World History Vocab

History Vocab Chapter 2

1. Mesopotamia- comes from two greek words meaning “the land between the two rivers”. These rivers were the Tigris and Euphrates. This is where modern day iraq is. It is important because the rivers provided the first cultivators with irrigation which led them to a food surplus. By creating a food surplus villages and towns progressed and thrived.

2. Sumer- An area in the Southern half of Mesopotamia. Sumer was a rapidly increasing population. It is important because the Sumerians started to irrigate their crops which improved their harvest tremendously. This made more people come to their land such as the Semitic peoples and also helped form the first cities, creating trade.

3. Semitic peoples- Nomadic herders

Monotheism- The belief that there is only one god. This was important at the time because most people believed there was more than one god.

29. Phoenicians- Spoke a Semitic language and settled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Lebanon Mountains. Settled around 3000 BCE and were often subject to Mesop. rule.

30. Phoenician trade networks- Since there land did not support an agricultural society they turned to trade and industry. Not only did their trade networks go on land to Mesopotamia and Jerusalem but they soon traded across the seas.

31. Phoenician writing/alphabet- Used Mesopotamian writing but then adapted the writing system to their own needs. They created twenty two symbols that represented consonants but didn’t have any symbols for vowels.

32. Indo-European languages- Many languages of Europe, southwest Asia, and India had similar vocabulary and grammar structure. The only explanation for these languages to be so similar is that a descendent of these Indo-European languages spoke the same tongue.

33. Horses- Probably originally used for food. Learned to domesticate horses at about 4000 BCE. Later learned that they were able to ride them. Soon after the invention of the wheel the Indo- European speaker created ways to attach carts and chariots to the

Hittites- Most influential Indo-European migrants. They built a powerful empire and made close relations with the Mesopotamians. Adapted cuneiform writing into their own language. After their kingdom fell they became apart of the Babylonian empire.

35. Iron metallurgy- Hittites did not create the technology of iron metallurgy but expanded on the idea of it. Learned that they were able to heat up iron and hammer it into its own shape. Enabled people to create weapons and tools cheaply.

36. Indo-European migrations (east, west & south) East: By 2000 BCE Indo-European speakers migrated east, some to Tarim Basin. Evidence of this migration was found because of burials. These burials were so well preserved that they could see colors in some of the remainings. West: A group of migrants went west to Greek after 2200 BCE. Another wave went even further west into Russia and central Europe. These people who moved west three man social groups, a military elite, priests, and a large class of commoners.
South: Later another group of Indo-European speakers migrated south to India and Iran. They divided themselves as rulers, priests and commoners. They built large and powerful states unlike the migrators who went