Unit 1 Review: Key Concepts from 1200 BCE to 1450 CE (World Regions)

Vocabulary flashcards covering major concepts, events, and figures from the unit. Each term is paired with a concise definition reflecting notes from the lecture.

Han Dynasty Confucianism as official state philosophy (c. 200 BCE)

Confucianism becomes the state philosophy, emphasizing hierarchical society and filial piety.

Imperial bureaucracy (China)

A government where jobs are awarded through a merit-based civil service examination and Confucian classics, expanding competency and efficiency.

Neo-Confucianism (Pre-Song/Tang Revival)

Revival of Confucian thought incorporating Buddhist/Taoist ideas to justify state authority and social hierarchy.

Foot binding

Practice that becomes widespread among elite women, signaling status and wealth and limiting women’s rights.

Champa rice

Drought-resistant rice from Vietnam that doubles agricultural output with two harvests per year.

Grand Canal expansion

Expansion of the canal linking the Yellow and Yangtze rivers to facilitate cheaper regional trade.

Paper money and credit (Song China)

Increased use of paper money and credit, aiding economic commercialization.

Iron and steel industry (Song)

Rapid growth supplying material for war, coinage, and agriculture.

Civil service examinations (Confucian Classics)

Merit-based exams that determine bureaucratic appointments in imperial China.

Junk ship improvements

Advances in junk design (bulkheads, stern rudders) boosting navigation and trade.

Magnetic compass (perfection)

Improved navigation enabling expansion of sea-based trade.

Chan Buddhism

A distinct Chinese form of Buddhism that integrates with elite culture.

Neo-Confucian state ideology in Song

Continued official philosophy reinforcing hierarchy and filial piety.

Korean tributary relationship with Song China

Korea maintains tributary ties; elite adopts Confucian principles and civil service exams.

Korean foot binding not adopted

Foot binding not practiced in Korea, contrasting with China.

Japanese adoption of Chinese culture (Song period)

Japanese elite adopt Buddhism and Chinese writing system; governance modeled on Chinese imperial bureau.

Vietnamese influence during Song era

Elite adoption of Confucianism, Buddhism, Chinese literary techniques, civil service exams; women less marginalized than in China.

Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan, Chan

Major Buddhist traditions spreading during this era; Chan is the Chinese adaptation.

Shaping of “Cast of Characters” in Song/Asia

Rulers, emperors, Confucius, and Buddha frame the ideological landscape.

Dar al-Islam

“The house of Islam,” referring to regions where Islam is the majority religion (circa 1200 CE).

Judaism (monotheism; ethnic religion)

One God; origin as an ethnic religion; foundational soil for later Abrahamic faiths.

Christianity: origins and spread

Founded by Jesus; salvation by grace; spread through Roman Empire and beyond.

Islam: founding beliefs (Muhammad)

Prophet Muhammad (7th century) founded Islam; teachings include alms, prayer, fasting.

Abbasid Caliphate (Golden Age)

8th–13th century Islamic empire centered in Baghdad; innovations in science, math, and literature.

House of Wisdom (Baghdad)

Massive library translating Greek works into Arabic and commenting to preserve knowledge.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

Mathematician who helped develop trigonometry and influenced Copernicus.

Delhi Sultanate

Turkic Muslim state in northern India (from 1206 CE) with Islam as a regional elite religion.

Sufism

Mystical, experience-based Islam that aided Islamic expansion across Afro-Eurasia.

Bhakti Movement (Hinduism)

Devotional movement stressing personal worship and equality, challenging caste hierarchy.

Vijayanagara Empire

14th-century Hindu kingdom in southern India resisting Delhi Sultanate influence.

Sinhala Dynasties (Sri Lanka)

Long-standing Buddhist kingdoms with centralized, land-based power.

Khmer Empire and Angkor Wat

Hindu temple-centered empire in mainland Southeast Asia; later syncretism with Buddhism.

Syncretism (Khmer example)

Blending of religious elements, e.g., Buddhist statues added to a Hindu temple.

Sri Vijaya Empire

7th–11th century Buddhist sea-power controlling the Strait of Malacca; Indian influence.

Majapahit Kingdom (Java)

Hindu-leaning empire in Southeast Asia with a tributary system.

Mamluk Sultanate (Egypt)

Turkic slave-soldier origins; seized power after Saladin; established a major Muslim state.

Delhi sultanate expansion and Islam in India

Islam becomes the religion of the elite in parts of northern India and expands south.

Cast of Characters (South/Southeast Asia briefing)

Key figure types: Turkic invaders, Hindu/Muslim emissaries, Bhakti/Sufi adherents, monks, etc.

Mita system (Inca)

Labor obligation system requiring periodic state service from conquered peoples.

Inca centralized bureaucracy

Massive administrative state with centralized power and road/bridge networks.

Aztec/Mexica (Mashika)

Semi-nomadic group that formed the Aztec Empire (1345–1528) in Mesoamerica.

Tenochtitlan

Aztec capital; monumental urban center with markets, palaces, and pyramids.

Maya civilization (250–900 CE)

Sophisticated urban centers, writing system, zero in mathematics; decentralized city-states; human sacrifice.

Tributary networks (Mesoamerica)

Conquered states paid tributes; integration into a larger imperial system.

Wari (Andes)

Early Andean culture influencing later Inca, collapsed around 1000 CE.

Inca Empire (Mid-1400s)

Centralized Andean empire with a vast bureaucracy and the Mita labor system.

Great Sun (Mississippian chief)

Powerful chiefs who governed towns in the Mississippian culture.

Mississippian mound-building

Sophisticated earthwork complexes used for burial and ceremonial purposes.

Cahokia

Largest Mississippian mound site; major urban center.

Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde

Southwestern North American societies: Chaco with massive stone structures and water management; Mesa Verde cliff dwellings.

Swahili city-states

Independently ruled port city-states on East Africa’s coast; Islamized mercantile elites; Indian Ocean trade.

Great Zimbabwe

Inland African state wealth through gold and coastal trade; large capital city.

Hausa Kingdoms

West African city-states benefiting from trans-Saharan trade; Islam-linked elites.

Ethiopia (Northeast Africa)

Christian kingdom with centralized power; trade via Mediterranean/Indian Ocean routes; stone churches as authority symbols.

Islam and trade in Africa

Islam facilitated trade networks and elite connections (Swahili, Hausa); conversion linked to economic integration.

Ethiopia’s exception (Christian state)

Christian kingdom in Africa that did not fully convert to Islam, contrasting with regional trends.

Islamic expansion methods (1200–1450)

Military, trade, and Sufi missionary activity spreading Islam across Afro-Eurasia.

House of Wisdom translation impact

Translations preserved Greek philosophy and transmitted to Europe, fueling later Renaissance.

Byzantine Empire (Eastern Europe)

Eastern Roman Empire with Eastern Orthodox Christianity; centralized governance; fall in 1453.

Kievan Rus’ adoption of Orthodoxy

Eastern Orthodox Christianity spreads into Eastern Europe after Byzantium’s decline.

Western Europe religious landscape (Catholicism)

Fragmented politically but unified religiously under Roman Catholic Church; Crusades linked to trade networks.

Feudalism and Manorialism

Decentralized European political-economy; lords/monarchs, serfs bound to land.

Monarchical centralization (Europe)

Rulers consolidate power with armies and bureaucracies, shifting from noble-dominated rule.

Crusades

Religious wars initiated by Western Europe; linked to exchange and trade despite limited military success.

1453: Ottoman sack of Constantinople

End of the Byzantine Empire; Constantinople renamed Istanbul.

Byzantine-Kievan Rus transition

Eastern Orthodoxy continues in Rus; Byzantine influence persists through architecture and state organization.