Notes

Civilization
a complex culture in which large numbers of people share basic elements, such as a social structure, religion, and art.

patriarchal
dominated by men (page 123)

pharaoh
an Egyptian monarch originally meaning "great house" or "palace" (page 124)

Judaism
monotheistic religion developed among the Israelites (page 125)


monotheistic
having one god (page 126)

covenant
contract (page 126)

prophet
religious teacher (page 126)

caste system
a set of rigid categories in ancient India that determined a person's occupation and economic potential as well as his or her position in society (page 127)

Hinduism
a major Indian religious system, which had its origins in the religious beliefs of the Aryans who settled India after 1500 B.C. (page 128)

Buddhism
a religious doctrine introduced in northern India in the sixth century B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, or "Enlightened One" (page 128)

Confucianism
the system of political and ethical ideas formulated by the Chinese philosopher Confucius toward the end of the Zhou dynasty; it was intended to help restore order to a society that was in a state of confusion. (page 129)

polis
the early Greek city-state, consisting of a city or town and its surrounding territory (page 135)

tyrant
rulers who seized power by force and not subject to the law (page 135)

democracy
"the rule of the many," government by the people, either directly or through their elected representatives (page 136)

oligarchy
"the rule of the few," a form of government in which a small group of people exercises control (page 138)

direct democracy
a system of government in which the people participate directly in government decision making through mass meetings (page 138)

philosophy
an organized system of thought. the term comes from the Greek word meaning "love of wisdom" (page 139)

Socratic method
teaching method which uses a question-and-answer format to lead pupils to see things for themselves (page 139)

patrician
great landowners, they formed the ruling class in the Roman Republic (page 145)

plebeian
in the Roman Republic, a social class made up of minor landholders, craftspeople, merchants, and small farmers (page 145)

republic
a form of government in which the leader is not a king and certain citizens have the right to vote (page 145)

Senate
a select group of about 300 landowners in the Roman Republic who served for life (page 145)

Christianity
monotheistic religion that emerged during the first-century (page 147)

Catholic Church
the first major organized Christian institution in Europe (page 151)

Islam
monotheistic religion that emerged in the Arabian Peninsula during the seventh century (page 153)

feudalism
political and social system that developed during the Middle Ages, when royal governments were no longer able to defend their subjects; nobles offered protection and land in return for service (page 155)

common law
a uniform system of law developed in England based on court decisions and on customs and usage rather than on written law codes; replaces law codes that varied from place to place (page 180)

Magna Carta
the "Great Charter" of rights, which King John was forced to sign by the English nobles at Runnymede in 1215 (page 125)

parliament
a representative body of advisers to a king or other chief executive (page 156)

Oligarchy Democracy
GOVERNMENT, PHILOSOPHY, ARCHITECTURE BUILDINGS