Key Terms

loess-A fine, light silt deposited by wind and water. It constitutes the fertile soil of
the Yellow River Valley in northern China. Because loess soil is not compacted, it
can be worked with a simple digging stick, but it leaves the region vulnerable to
devastating earthquakes.

Shang-The dominant people in the earliest Chinese dynasty for which we have
written records (ca. 1750-1045 B.C.E.). Ancestor worship, divination by means of
oracle bones, and the use of bronze vessels for ritual purposes were major
elements of Shang culture.

divination-Techniques for ascertaining the future or the will of the gods by

interpreting natural phenomena such as, in early China, the cracks on oracle
bones or in ancient Greece, the flight of birds through sectors of the sky.

Zhou-The people and dynasty that took over the dominant position in north China
from the Shang and created the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify
their rule. The Zhou era, particularly the vigorous early period (1045-771 B.C.E.),
was remembered in Chinese tradition as a time of prosperity and benevolent
rule. In the later Zhou period (771-221 B.C.E.), centralized control broke down,
and warfare among many small states became frequent.

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.

Legalism-In China, a political philosophy that emphasized the unruliness of

human nature and justified state coercion and control. The Qin ruling class
invoked it to validate the authoritarian nature of their regime and its profligate
expenditure of subjects lives and labor. It was superseded in the Han era by a
more benevolent Confucian doctrine of governmental moderation.

Confucius-Western name for the Chinese philosopher Kongzi (551-479 B.C.E.).

His doctrine of duty and public service had a great influence on subsequent
Chinese thought and served as a code of conduct for government officials.

Daoism-Chinese school of thought, originating in the Warring States Period with

Laozi (604-531 B.C.E.). Daoism offered an alternative to the Confucian emphasis
on hierarchy and duty. Daoists believe that the world is always changing and is
devoid of absolute morality or meaning. They accept the world as the find it,
avoid futile struggles, and deviate as little as possible from the Dao, or path of
nature.
yin/yang-In Chinese belief, complementary factors that help to maintain the
equilibrium of the world. Yang is associated with masculine, light, and active
qualities; yin with feminine, dark, and passive qualities.

Kush-An Egyptian name for Nubia, the region alongside the Nile River south of
Egypt, where an indigenous kingdom with its own distinctive institutions and
cultural traditions arose beginning in the early second millennium B.C.E. It was
deeply influenced by Egyptian culture and at times under the control of Egypt,
which coveted its rich deposits of gold and luxury products from sub-Saharan
Africa carried up the Nile corridor.

Meroe-Capital of a flourishing kingdom in southern Nubia from the fourth century

C.E. In this period Nubian culture shows more independence from Egypt and the
influence of sub-Saharan Africa.

Olmec-The first Mesoamerican civilization. Between ca. 1200 and 400 B.C.E.,
the Olmec people of central Mexico created a vibrant civilization that included
intensive agriculture, wide-ranging trade, ceremonial centers, and monumental
construction. The Olmec had 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-The first major urban civilization in South America (900-250 B.C.E.). 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.

llama-A hoofed animal indigenous to the Andes Mountains in South America. It

was the only domesticated beast of burden in the Americas before the arrival of
Europeans. It provided meat and wool. The use of llamas to transport goods
made possible specialized production and trade among people living in different
ecological zones and fostered integration of these zones by Chavin and later
Andean states.