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- Paleolithic Age : (750,000 BCE - 10,000 B.C.E.) Old Stone Age. A period of time in human history characterized by the use of stone tools and the use of hunting and gathering as a food source.
- Panama Canal : A canal that crosses the isthmus of Panama connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Built by the United States between 1904 and 1914.
- papyrus scrolls : Paper like material made from the reeds of the papyrus plant. It was used by the Egyptians for the writing and storing of documents.
- parliament : A government's legislative body.
- Parthenon : A large temple dedicated to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was built in the 5th century BCE, during the Athenian golden age.
- patrician : A member of the upper class of ancient Roman society.
- Pax Mongolia : Also known as the Mongol Peace. A time when global trade expanded due to the political stability provided by Mongol rulers.
- Pax Romana : A 200 hundred year period of relative peace throughout the Roman Empire. Occurs during the first two centuries C.E..
- peasantry : Members of the lowest class in some social class systems.
- peninsula : An area of land surrounded on three sides by water. Italy, Greece, and the southern part of India are all peninsulas.
- Peninsulares : In colonial Latin America, Spanish official sent to govern Latin American colonies. They controlled government completely.
- Perestroika : A policy of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to revitalize the Soviet economy by opening it up to more free enterprise.
- Perry, Matthew : (1794-1858) Commodore. United States Navy officer who is responsible for opening Japan to trade and imperialism.
- Persian Empire : Ancient Middle Eastern empire comprising modern day Iran. The Perisan Empire dominated the Middle East from the middle of the 6th century BCE to about the end of the 5th century BCE, Its greatest ruler was Dairus I. Persia was later conquered by Alexander the Great.
- Persian Gulf War : (1990 – 1991) Conflict between Iraq and a coalition of countries led by the United States to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait which they had invaded in hopes of controlling their oil supply. A very one sided war with the United States’ coalition emerging victorious.
- Peter the Great : (1672-1725) Czar of Russia. He was responsible for the westernization of Russia in the 18th century.
- pharaoh : In ancient Egypt, title given to the ruler who was considered both king and god.
- Philip II : (1527-1598) King of Spain from 1556 to 1598. Absolute monarch who helped lead the Counter Reformation by persecuting Protestants in his holdings. Also sent the Spanish Armada against England.
- philosophy : A system of thought devoted to the examination of ideas such as truth, existence, reality, causality, religion, and freedom
- pictographs : Writing system that uses drawings of objects.
- pilgrimage : A religious journey to visit a shrine or other holy site.
- Pizarro, Francisco : (1476?-1541) Spanish conquistador who was responsible for the conquest of the Incan Empire.
- plebeian : A member of the lower class of ancient Roman society.
- Pol Pot : (1925-1998) Leader of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Pol Pot is responsible for the deaths of almost 2 million of his own people due to starvation, execution, and beatings.
- polytheism : The belief in many gods or goddesses.
- Pope : Leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Chosen by the College of Cardinals.
- Pope Urban II : (1040?-1099) The head of the Roman Catholic Church who issued the proclamation the began the First Crusade.
- porcelain : A hard, fine ceramic material used to make a variety of products.
- Pre-Columbian : Period of North and South American history before the arrival of the Europeans in the late 15th century.
- predestination : The idea of Calvinist Protestants that certain people were pre-selected to go to heaven.
- priest : A spiritual leader in a variety of religions.
- Prince, The : A book of political advice written by Niccolo Machiavelli during the Renaissance in which he describes the methods that a prince should use to acquire and maintain political power. This book was used to defend policies of despotism and tyranny. Machiavelli wrote that a ruler should take any action to remain in power, or that “the ends justifies the means.”
- Princip, Gavrilo : (1894 -1918) Serbian nationalist/terrorist who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in 1914. This event resulted in the start of World War I.
- property : Something of value that is owned by a person.
- Protestant : Member of Christian relgious sect which formed during the Protestant Reformation. Protestants reject the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Ptolemy : (100?-170 CE) Greek astronomer, mathematician, and geographer. His geocentric model of the universe lasted until the 16th century.
- pyramid : A triangular shaped building.
