Skip to ContentGo to accessibility pageKeyboard shortcuts menu
OpenStax Logo
World History Volume 1, to 1500

Key Terms

World History Volume 1, to 1500Key Terms
“Mandate of Heaven”
the favor of the gods that conferred a right to rule but could be lost by those less worthy
clan
a small group of several families that shared an encampment and herded or hunted together and formed the basic social unit of the seminomadic peoples of Eurasia
Confucianism
a Chinese school of philosophical thought shaping morality, governance, education, and family life
Daoism
a Chinese religion that emphasized veneration of nature, the cosmos, and mysticism
Inner Asian Steppe
the eastern half of the Eurasian Steppe that stretches into Mongolia and runs along the northern border of China
karma
a Hindu concept emphasizing the influence of good deeds and moral behavior on a person’s status in life and rebirth after death
khan
a title claimed by warrior-kings to unite various tribes into powerful confederations and empires
Legalism
a school of philosophical thought that helped dynasties such as the Qin use uniform laws and codes to reform and strengthen rulers
Peking Man
a subspecies of Homo erectus identified by fossil remains found in northern China
Ring of Fire
the boundary line of a zone of intense seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean
samsara
a Hindu concept explaining the continuance of the soul after death and its transformation
Silk Roads
a series of trade routes circulating luxury goods to and from China and parts of central Asia, India, and the Middle East
Terracotta Army
a collection of life-size clay statues of soldiers, officials, servants, and horses of the Qin emperor and buried in his tomb near Xi’an
Three Han
the three groups (the Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan) in southern Korea that were among the earliest with tribal chieftains
PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/world-history-volume-1/pages/1-introduction
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/world-history-volume-1/pages/1-introduction
Citation information

© Jul 3, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.