AP World History Foundations & Period 1 (Units 1 & 2)

Judaism

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Yahweh was responsible for the world and everything within it. They preserved their early history in the Old Testament.

Buddhism

the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth, Belief system that started in India in the 500s BC. Happiness can be achieved through removal of one's desires. Believers seek enlightenment and the overcoming of suffering.

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Daoism

Chinese philosophical system developed by of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events, emphasizes the removal from society and to become one with nature.

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Qur'an. Followers are called Muslims.

Shinto

"Way of the Kami"; A Japanese religion whose followers believe that all things in the natural world are filled with divine spirits

Roman Catholic Church

Church established in western Europe during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages with its head being the bishop of Rome or pope.

Orthodox Church

Eastern church which was created in 1053 after the schism from the western Roman church; its head is the patriarch of Constantinople. (also called the Byzantine Church), the church that followed the Eastern traditions of Christianity as opposed to the Western traditions

Patriarchy

A form of social organization in which males dominate females, a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line.

Civil Service Exam

In Imperial China starting in the Han dynasty, it was an exam based on Confucian teachings that was used to select people for various government service jobs in the nationwide administrative bureaucracy.

Entrepot

Big commercial center for importing and exporting commodities.

Shogun

In feudal Japan, a noble similar to a duke. They were the military commanders and the actual rulers of Japan for many centuries while the Emperor was a powerless spiritual figure.

Daimyo

A Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai

Agricultural Revolution

The time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering

Teotihuacan

first major metropolis in Mesoamerica, collapsed around 800 CE. It is most remembered for the gigantic "pyramid of the sun".

Mississippian

A Native Indian culture that flourished in the modern day midwest. They resided in the Mississippi river valley, the last Mound Builder culture that lasted from AD 800 to the arrival of the Europeans in the 1500s.

Toltecs

Nomadic peoples from beyond the northern frontier of sedentary agriculture in Mesoamerica; established capital at Tula after migration into central Mesoamerican plateau; strongly militaristic ethic, including cult of human sacrifice.

Silk Roads

A system of ancient caravan routes across Central Asia, along which traders carried silk and other trade goods.

city-state

a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.

Mauryan Empire

The first state to unify most of the Indian subcontinent. It was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 324 B.C.E. and survived until 184 B.C.E. From its capital at Pataliputra in the Ganges Valley it grew wealthy from taxes.

Gupta Empire

Powerful Indian state based in the Ganges Valley. It controlled most of the Indian subcontinent through a combination of military force and its prestige as a center of sophisticated culture. Often associated with a Golden Age of classical India.

Mandate of Heaven

a political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source

Qin Dynasty

1st unified imperial Chinese dynasty, Chinese dynasty in 200s BCE. Lasted 15 years. Unified Chinese kingdoms, built the Great Wall and its emperor was the legalistic Shi Huangdi.

Han Dynasty

(202 BC - 220 AD) dynasty started by Lui Bang; a great and long-lasting rule, it discarded the harsh policies of the Qin dynasty and adopted Confucian principles; Han rulers chose officials who passed the civil service exams rather than birth; it was a time of prosperity

Persian Empire

Mesopotamian empire that conquered the existing Median, Lydian, and Babylonian empires, as well as Egypt and many others. Also known as the Achaemenid Empire., conquered by Alexander the Great

Greek city-states

- Ancient Greece was made up of city-states, also known as Polis
- they were developed out of the political chaos of the 1100's (BCE)
- each Polis was independent and so a range of political institutions developed across the Balkan Peninsula and Aegean Islands
- the largest city-states were Athens and Sparta

Roman Empire

an empire established by Augustus in 27 BC and divided in AD 395 into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern or Byzantine Empire, fall of the Western Roman Empire circa 500 CE marks the beginning of the Middle Ages in Europe

Byzantine Empire

(330-1453) The eastern half of the Roman Empire, which survived after the fall of the Western Empire at the end of the 5th century C.E. Its capital was Constantinople, named after the Emperor Constantine. Historians' name for the eastern portion of the Roman Empire from the fourth century onward, taken from 'Byzantion,' an early name for Constantinople, the Byzantine capital city. The empire fell to the Ottomans in 1453.

Sui Dynasty

(589-618 CE) The Chinese dynasty that was like the Qin Dynasty in imposing tight political discipline; this dynasty built the Grand Canal which helped transport the rice in the south to the north.

Tang Dynasty

(618-907 CE) The Chinese dynasty that was much like the Han, who used Confucianism. This dynasty had the equal-field system, a bureaucracy based on merit, and a Confucian education system.

Song Dynasty

During this Chinese dynasty (960 - 1279 AD) China saw many important inventions. There was a magnetic compass; had a navy; traded with india and persia (brought pepper and cotton); paper money, gun powder; landscape black and white paintings

Great Zimbabwe

City, now in ruins (in the modern African country of Zimbabwe), whose many stone structures were built between about 1250 and 1450, when it was a trading center and the capital of a large state, emerged from the growing trade in gold to the East African coast; flourished between 1250 and 1350 C.E.

Kashgar

was an oasis city and major trade hub along the great Silk Road as the northern and southern Silk Routes crossed here and caravans departed for Central Asia, India, Pakistan and ancient Persia (current Iran.) Kashgar has been under the rule of the Chinese, Turkic, Mongol, and Tibetan empires. Caravans transported silk, spices, gold and gemstones, etc.

Bills of exchange

a written order without interest which binds one party to pay a fixed sum to another party at a predetermined date or on demand of the person holding the note. Allowed merchants to trade without carrying a large amount of coins. Required the existence of two established networks, one of bankers and another of merchants. Worked in a way similar to modern checks.

Banking houses

Was the precursor to the modern bank. Along with innovations such as bills of exchange, or bank drafts, and credit, the rise of banking houses supported the development of interregional trade in luxury goods.

Mongol Khanates

Four Mongol kingdoms that arose following the death of Chinggis Khan, aka Genghis Khan. These regions were held under control of Mongol Khans and were; Khanates of Chaghati, Golden Horde, the Great Khan and Ilkhanate of Persia.

Gengis Khan

Original name was Temujin, was a ruthless leader and considered personal loyalty the best way to run his kingdom
1206 Gathered Mongol chieftains at a kuriltai and was elected Han of the Mongolian Kingdom and took the name Genghis (Chinggis) Khan ( meaning ruler of all.) During his conquests, he earned a reputation as a terrifying warrior as anyone who resisted was brutally killed. By 1227 his kingdom, reached from the Northern China sea to eastern Persia.

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Genghis Khan, spent years trying to conquer the Song dynasty in China. After 11 years, finally defeated the Chinese and established the Yuan Dynasty. like Genghis Khan instituted a policy of religious tolerance.

Indian Ocean Trading network

The world's largest sea-based system of communication and exchange before 1500 C.E., Indian Ocean commerce stretched from southern China to eastern Africa and included not only the exchange of luxury and bulk goods but also the exchange of ideas and crops. Europe, Africa, and China.; worlds richest maritime trading network and an area of rapid Muslim expansion.

Gujarat

located in India. prospered from the Indian Ocean trade, exporting cotton textiles and indigo in return for gold and silver. Gujarat was not simply a commercial center; it was also a manufacturing center that produced textiles, leather goods, carpets, silk, and other commodities. Gujarat's overseas trade was dominated by Muslims, but Hindus also benefited.

City states of the Swahili Coast

Trade centers in eastern Africa. Their growth was due largely to the increase in trade along the Indian Ocean Basin. Bantu settlers on the coast and Arab merchants who traded along the east African coast interacted to create city-state and bustling commercial centers, like Kilwa, Mombasa, and Zanziber . Local traders sold ivory, gold and slaves to Arab trading partners as well as other exotic goods. They acquired Chinese porcelain, Indian cotton and manufactured ironworks. Trade brought considerable wealth to the cities on the coast of East Africa.

Ming Dynasty

Succeeded Mongol Yuan dynasty in China in 1368; lasted until 1644; initially mounted huge trade expeditions to southern Asia and elsewhere, but later concentrated efforts on internal development within China.

Zheng He

muslim admiral who was sent of seven voyages by the Ming emperor Yongle. Expeditions won prestige for the Chinese government and opened up new markets for Chinese goods. His fleet included 300 ships and crews totally close to 28,000 people. Voyages inspired some Chinese people to immigrate to the ports that the expedition had visited in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. Chinese exploration ended when Zhu Gaozhi (Yongle's son and successor) ended expeditions, discouraged people from sailing aways from China and made it illegal to build a ship with more than two masts.

Camel Saddle

An invention which gives camel riders more stability on the animal and its invention and basic idea traveled along the Trans-Saharan Caravan Trade Route.

Caravans

groups of traveling merchants. On the Trans-Sahran trade route, the average caravan was close to 1000 camels with some as large as 5000 camels. The survival of a caravan was precarious and would rely on careful coordination. Runners would be sent ahead to oases so that water could be shipped out to the caravan when it was still several days away, as the caravans could not easily carry enough with them to make the full journey

trans-Saharan trade network "gold-salt"

travel across the Sahara (north and south) to reach sub-Saharan Africa from the North African coast, Europe, to the Levant. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the early 17th century. Merchants from Southwest Asia traveled across the Sahara on camel. Gold was the most precious commodity traded. Foreign traders came to West Africa seeking not only gold but also ivory and slaves. Brought considerable wealth to the societies of West Africa, particularly the kingdoms of Ghana and Mali.

Mali Empire

From 1235-1400, this was a strong empire of Western African. With its trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao, it had many mosques and universities. The Empire was ruled by two great rulers, Sundiata and Mansa Musa. Thy upheld a strong gold-salt trade. The fall of the empire was caused by the lack of strong rulers who could govern well.

Caravanserai

was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia, North Africa and Southeast Europe, most notably the Silk Road.

Monsoon winds

The seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter. (in India and nearby lands) the season during which the southwest monsoon blows, commonly marked by heavy rains; rainy season.. These carried ships on the Indian Ocean between India and Africa

Gunpowder

Invented within China during the 9th century, this substance was became the dominate military technology used to expand European and Asian empires by the 15th century. was first used to make fumigators to keep away insect pests and evil spirits. In later centuries it was used to make explosives and grenades and to propel cannonballs, shot, and bullets.

Ibn Battuta

a Muslim Moroccan scholar, and explorer who widely travelled the medieval world. Over a period of thirty years, Ibn Battuta visited most of the Islamic world and many non-Muslim lands, including Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and China. Near the end of his life, he dictated an account of his journeys, titled A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling.

Margery Kempe

English Christian mystic, known for writing through dictation The Book of Margery Kempe, a work considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language. Her book chronicles her domestic tribulations, her extensive pilgrimages to holy sites in Europe and the Holy Land, as well as her mystical conversations with God.

Marco Polo

Venetian merchant and traveler. At 17, he left Venice with his father and uncle. They traveled the Silk Road to China where he met the great ruler Kublai Khan. Marco traveled much of China and the east, and his stories were written into a popular book. His book would go on to inspire other explorers.
His accounts of his travels to China offered Europeans a firsthand view of Asian lands and stimulated interest in Asian trade.

Bubonic plague

a serious, sometimes fatal, infection with the bacterial toxin Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas from infected rodents and characterized by high fever, weakness, and the formation of buboes, especially in the groin and armpits.
Also called the Black Death; is believed to be the deadly disease that spread through Asia and Europe and killed more than a third of the people in parts of China and Europe.

Cultural transfer

This exchange of knowledge, culture, and technology among differing cultures resulted from such interregional activities as trade and conquest during the Middle Ages. Some examples of cultural transfer took place between Tang China and the Abbasid Empire, between Western Europeans and Muslims during the Crusades, and among the conquered peoples of the Mongol Empire.

Consumption

The process in which the substance of a thing is completely destroyed, used up, or incorporated or transformed into something else.

Imperial state

A state that imposes its will on other states politically, economically and socially. Also a state that wants to expand by acquiring territory

Interregional

occurring between, or existing between two or more regions

Diasporia/Diasporic

A dispersion of people from their homeland, for example the Jewish Diaspora, the African Diaspora, the Irish Diaspora - Communities usually of a particular ethnicity, culture, or nation, scattered across places outside of their land of origin or homeland

Indigenous

originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.

Maritime

relating to the sea

Intensification

increase in strength or magnitude (or intensity)

Diffusion

The process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time

Pathogens

organisms that cause disease

Silk Road Trade

The most famous of the trading routes established by pastoral nomads connecting the Chinese, Indian, Persian, and Mediterranean civilizations; transmitted goods and ideas among civilization.

Mongol Empire

an empire founded in the 12th century by Genghis Khan, which reached its greatest territorial extent in the 13th century, encompassing the larger part of Asia and extending westward to the Dnieper River in eastern Europe.

magnetic compass

Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was north

Chinese Junk

A very large flat-bottom sailing ship produced in the Tang and Song Empires, specially designed for long-distance commercial travel.

Samarkand

During the rule of Timur Lane was the most influential capital city, a wealthy trading center known for decorated mosques and tombs.

money economy

economic system in which goods or services are paid for through the exchange of a token of an agreed value

flying cash

a paper currency of the Tang dynasty in China and can be considered the first banknote

paper money

legal currency issued on paper; it developed in China as a convenient alternative to metal coins

Hanseatic League

An economic and defensive alliance of the free towns in northern Germany and Scandanavia, founded about 1241 and most powerful in the fourteenth century.

Gobi Desert

One of the worlds largest deserts, covers part of China and present-day Mongolia.

Khan

A Mongol ruler

Kurultai

A general council of Mongols that would vote on political and military matters. They were responsible for electing Genghis Khan into a position of leadership.

siege weapons

A device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications such as a castle

Pax Mongolica ("Mongol Peace")

The period of peace and prosperity from the mid-1200s to the mid 1300s when the Mongols imposed stability and law and order across much of Asia

Batu

ruler of the golden horde; one of Chinggis Khan's grandsons; responsible for the invasion of Russia beginning in 1236.

Golden Horde

Mongol khanate founded by Genghis Khan's grandson Batu. It was based in southern Russia and quickly adopted both the Turkic language and Islam. Also known as the Kipchak Horde.

Moscow

Capital of Russia

Kievan Rus

State that emerged around the city of Kiev in the ninth century C.E.; a culturally diverse region that included Vikings as well as Finnic and Baltic peoples. The conversion of Vladimir, the grand prince of Kiev, to Orthodox Christianity in 988 had long-term implications for Russia.

Hulegu

Grandson of Chinggis Khan and ruler of Ilkhan khanate; captured and destroyed Abbasid Baghdad.

Il-Khanate

Mongol rule in Persia deferred to local Persian authorities; Mongol empire that ruled over Iran (Persia) & the Middle East

Yuan Dynasty

(1279-1368 CE) Dynasty in China set up by the Mongols under the leadership of Kublai Khan, replaced the Song (1279-1368); centralized with bureaucracy but structure is different: Mongols on top->Persian bureaucrats->Chinese bureaucrats.

White Lotus Society

Secret religious society dedicated to overthrow of Yuan dynasty in China; typical of peasant resistance to Mongol rule

Zhu Yuanzhang

A former monk that led this army in a final victory over the Mongols, became emperor of China and founded the Ming Dynasty

cannon

a big gun, especially one mounted on a base or wheels

Uyghur Alphabet

one of Genghis Khan's attempts to unify his empire included directing a scribe to adapt the Uyghur alphabet to represent Mongol - alphabet still used in Mongolia

Calicut

Great spice port of India where da Gama landed and traded

Spice Islands

Europeans' name for the Moluccas, islands rich in cloves and nutmeg

Indian Ocean Slave Trade

E. Africa -> Middle East & India/ Similar conditions to the Atlantic Slave Trade/ Cultural Diffusion

Lateen Sail

triangular sail that made it possible to sail against the wind; used in the Indian Ocean trade

Stern Rudder

a steering device, usually a vertical blade attached to a post at, or near, the stern of the boat so that you can steer a large vessel more effectively.

Astrolabe

An instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars and planets

Malacca (Melaka)

Port city in the modern Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, founded about 1400 as a trading center on the Strait of Malacca. (Melaka); a Muslim Indian Ocean city-state that gained wealth by imposing fees on ships that passed through the Strait of Malacca

Sahara Desert

the largest desert in the world, covering most of northern Africa

Oases/Oasis

a place where water can be found in a desert

Arabian Desert

A desert on the Arabian Peninsula in southwestern Asia; largest sand desert in the world

Sundiata

The "Lion Prince"; a member of the Keita clan; created a unified state that became the Mali Empire; died about 1260