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UNIT 5: Early Belief Systems
UNIT AUDIO GLOSSARY
Click the audio icon to hear pronunciations. View full Audio Glossary.
Achaemenid 
Persian empire of the seventh century BCE.
Amaterasu
Shinto sun goddess.
Amon-Ra
Chief god of the ancient Egyptians.
animism
The belief that personalized, supernatural beings (or souls) inhabit ordinary objects and govern their existence.
Bonampak
Classic Mayan archeological site.
Brahman
Vedic sacred knowledge, and later the absolute power of the universe in Hindu belief.
Daoism
Chinese religion that encourages spontaneity and the development of connections to the Dao, the force balancing the universe.
gynocentric
Woman-centered.
Harappa
Earliest known culture in Indus valley, 2300 - 1500 BCE.
Hinduism
Dominant belief system in India with a diverse array of belief systems, practices, and scriptures; originated in ancient Vedic culture at least as far back as 2000 BCE.
Jainism
Influenced by the Vedic traditions and texts, Jains strive for an intense ethical life to gain release from reincarnation.
kami
Spirits dwelling in animate and inaminate places and things in Japanese Shinto belief.
Mencius
Chinese philosopher who taught that human's innate morality is corrupted by society, circa 372 - 289 BCE.
Mohenjo-Daro
Best-documented ancient city in Indus valley, 2300 - 1500 BCE.
Olmec
Mother civilization of Mesoamerican cultures, 1200 - 800 BCE.
Qin
State in northwest China that unified China for the first time during the Qin dynasty, 221 - 210 BCE.
shaman
Priest who channels spirits for his or her religious community.
Shinto
Literally "Way of the Gods"; indigenous religion of Japan.
Upanishads
Hindu sacred texts about meditation and spiritual debates.
Vedas
Hindu sacred texts of orally transmitted hymns from about 2000 BCE.
Xunzi
Chinese philosopher who taught that men are born evil and must be taught how to live ethically, sometimes through punishments, 312 - 235 BCE (Warring States period).
Zoroaster
Also known as Zarathustra; founder of Zoroastrianism, lived in Persia during the sixth century BCE.
Zoroastrianism
Persian belief system that combines aspects of monotheism and dualism; strongly influenced Judaism and Manichaeism.
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