History of Asia

147 flashcards by MentisLibrary

The dynasties, empires and revolutions of the world's largest continent. Covers China from the Shang to the present, Japan from the samurai to Meiji, the Mauryan and Mughal empires, the Khmer and Srivijaya, Korea, Persia and the Mongols.

What was the Jomon period?
A long era of hunting, gathering and some of the earliest pottery anywhere
What was the Indus Valley civilization?
A Bronze Age urban civilization in the Indus basin with planned cities such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, standardized bricks and drainage systems
What was the Xia dynasty?
The first dynasty in Chinese tradition, whose historical existence is still debated
Which Chinese dynasty produced the earliest confirmed Chinese writing?
The Shang dynasty, whose oracle bone inscriptions were used for divination by the royal court
What is the Vedic period?
The era in which the Vedas were composed and transmitted orally in Sanskrit, and in which social groupings that hardened into the caste system took shape
What are the Vedas?
The oldest Sanskrit scriptures, transmitted orally with extraordinary precision before being written
What are oracle bones?
Ox shoulder blades and turtle shells cracked by heat to read answers to royal questions
What is the Mandate of Heaven?
The doctrine that Heaven grants the right to rule to a just ruler and withdraws it from a corrupt one, so rebellion against a failing dynasty can be legitimate
Who was Mahavira?
The teacher who shaped Jainism, with its radical commitment to non-violence
What did Confucius teach?
That social harmony comes from moral cultivation, ritual propriety, family duty and rulers who lead by virtuous example rather than by force
What is the central idea of Daoism as attributed to Laozi?
That one should align with the Dao, the natural way of things, and act through wu wei, effortless non forcing action
What was the Achaemenid Empire?
The Persian empire founded by Cyrus the Great, stretching from the Aegean to the Indus and governed through provinces called satrapies
What was the Warring States period?
An era in which several large states fought for supremacy after Zhou authority collapsed, ending with Qin's conquest of the rest
Who founded Buddhism and what did he teach?
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, taught the Four Noble Truths about suffering and its cessation and the Eightfold Path as the way to release
What was the Royal Road?
A maintained highway with relay stations running from Susa to Sardis, used by royal couriers of the Achaemenid Empire
What did Legalism argue?
That people respond only to strict law, harsh punishment and certain reward, not to virtue
Who founded the Mauryan Empire?
Chandragupta Maurya, who overthrew the Nanda dynasty and built the first empire to control most of the Indian subcontinent
What defined the Yayoi period in Japan?
The arrival of wet rice agriculture, bronze and iron working and new pottery styles, largely from the Asian mainland
What changed Ashoka's approach to rule?
Remorse after the bloody conquest of Kalinga led him to embrace Buddhist principles and to promote dhamma, moral conduct, through edicts carved on rocks and pillars
How did Buddhism spread beyond India?
Along the Silk Road into Central Asia and China, and by sea to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, carried by monks, merchants and royal sponsorship
Who was Qin Shi Huang?
The king of Qin who conquered the rival states and declared himself the first emperor of a unified China
What is the terracotta army?
Thousands of life sized clay soldiers, horses and chariots buried near the tomb of Qin Shi Huang and rediscovered by well diggers in 1974
What did the Han dynasty do with Confucianism?
It made Confucian learning the basis of official ideology and of training for government service
What are the Ajanta and Ellora caves?
Rock-cut Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples and monasteries carved into cliffs
What was the Silk Road?
A network of overland and connecting maritime routes linking China with Central Asia, India, Persia and the Mediterranean
What were the Three Kingdoms of Korea?
Goguryeo in the north, Baekje in the southwest and Silla in the southeast, which competed for control of the peninsula
What did the Chinese invent that reshaped the world?
Paper, printing, gunpowder and the magnetic compass, the four great inventions
What was the Three Kingdoms period?
The division of China among the states of Wei, Shu and Wu after the Han collapsed
What was the Sasanian Empire?
The last pre Islamic Persian empire, with Zoroastrianism as its state religion, and a long rival of Rome and Byzantium
Why is the Gupta period called a golden age?
It saw major achievements in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, Sanskrit literature and temple art under relatively stable rule