Ap world period 1 vocab (units 1-2)

AP EXAM REVIEW!

Kin-based network

A decentralized system of political and social organization where communities are structured around extended families (kinship) and clans. Essentially, families governed themselves.

Metallurgy

The science and technology of extracting and processing metal ores to create useful and valuable items like tools, weapons, and currency.

Mortar-less walls

Constructions built by carefully interlocking stones without any binding agent, like mortar or cement.

Griots

A West African oral historian, storyteller, musician, and poet who preserves and transmits a community's history, culture, genealogies, and traditions through song and spoken word.

• Revered West African storytellers, poets, musicians, and oral historians who preserve and transmit cultural knowledge, genealogies, and history through performances

Caravanserai

An inn or rest stop for travelers and merchants along trade routes, particularly prominent during the era of the Silk Roads. These facilities provided lodging, food, and services to caravans.

Chattel Slavery

Absolute legal ownership of another person, including the right to buy or sell that person.

Feudalism

a decentralized political and social system prevalent in medieval Europe (and Japan) based on reciprocal bonds of loyalty, land ownership (fiefs), and military service.

• Lords granted land to vassals in exchange for protection, while serfs worked the land, forming a rigid, hereditary hierarchy

Serfs

farmers/peasants tied to the land under the feudal system, given land in exchange for service to their lord

Peasants

agricultural laborers; on the lower parts of the society structure

Monarchs

sovereign ruler of a state or kingdom, holds power for life and is usually passed down hereditarily

Parliament

A legislative body of elected representatives with the power to make laws and oversee the government. Historically established to represent the interests of the people and limit the powers of the monarchy.

Magna Carta

A 1215 charter that limited the English king's power and established the principle that the monarch was not above the law

Three-field system

A rotational system for agriculture in medieval Europe which arable land was divided into three parts: one field grows grain, one grows legumes, and one lies fallow.

Crusades

A series of military expeditions in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries by Western European Christians to reclaim control of the Holy Lands, particularly Jerusalem, from the Muslims.

Bourgeois/burghers

The urban middle class of self-employed businessmen; included shopkeepers, merchants, craftspeople, and small landholders

Great Schism

Separation of the Christian Church in Europe between the Western Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox in 1054

• Relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes.

Renaissance

Also known as "rebirth", it was a period characterized by the revival of classical Greek and Roman literature, art, culture, and civic virtue; followed the Middle Ages

Black Death/Bubonic Plague

A deadly infectious disease that killed between one-third and two-thirds of the population in less than five years. The epidemic spanned from China to England to North Africa, transmitted along the Silk Road and other trade routes (through rats with fleas).

Little Ice Age

A five-century period of climate cooling beginning in the 1300s which hindered urban growth and agricultural productivity, led to issues like increased disease, unemployment, and social unrest

• a period of global cooling, characterized by harsher winters and shorter growing seasons, heavily impacting agricultural production and social stability. In AP World History, it is analyzed as a major environmental driver of famine, disease, migration, and political unrest, especially in Europe and North America during the 17th-century crisis

Antisemitism

hostility to or prejudice against Jews.

Qutub Minar

A tall minaret in Delhi built during the Delhi Sultanate and today the world's largest minaret; it was built alongside the construction of a mosque atop an existing Hindu temple, demonstrating architectural syncretism

Urdu

A Persian-influenced literary form of Hindi written in Arabic characters and used as a literary language since the 1300s. National language of Pakistan, and widely spoken in India

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

• a polytheistic religion developed in the Indian subcontinent with a set of beliefs that include concepts like dharma (duties/moral conduct) and karma (actions and consequences)

Bhakti Movement

A medieval Hindu devotional movement that emphasized personal love and intense devotion to a particular deity, offering a path to spiritual liberation that was accessible to all, regardless of caste or gender. This movement challenged the existing rigid caste system.

Caste system

A rigid, hereditary social stratification that originated in ancient India, determining a person's social status, occupation, and opportunities based on their birth into a specific group (jati or varna) within a hierarchical system. Rooted in Hinduism, it is justified by concepts of karma and dharma.

• a Hindu social stratification system where people are born into a certain social group that defines their occupation, socioeconomic status, and mobility

Spice Kingdom

A group of islands in Indonesia that was historically significant for its abundance in spices such as cloves and nutmeg, which attracted European colonial powers with trade

City-States

A city that, with its surrounding territory, forms an independent state.

• A sovereign state centered around a city that rules the surrounding countryside

Theocracy

A form of government where religious leaders hold political power and the state's laws are based on religious principles

• Ex; Aztec Empire

Polytheistic

belief in more than one god

Tenochtitlan

The capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in the middle of a swampy lake; it grew to a population of nearly 200,000 people and is characterized by the construction of temples, aqueducts, and chinampas (floating gardens), and a religious hub; symbolized the center of the Aztec world before it fell to the Spanish in 1521.

Capac Nan

A massive 25,000-mile roadway system created by the Incas for efficient transportation, military, and government

Mita system

A labor system used by the Inca Empire where citizens were required to work for the state on various projects, such as agriculture, mining, and construction, for a specific period each year

Concept of Zero

The recognition of zero as a number and a functional concept to be used in advanced calculations; it was developed and incorporated by the Guptas and the Mayans, despite being in separate world regions

Mayan Calender

Created the most accurate calendar in the Ancient World

• a sophisticated calendar based on astronomical observations with high precision and accuracy; priests used it to determine days of religious ceremonies and when to go to war, as well as agricultural purposes

Chicen Itza

An ancient Mayan city located on the Yucatan Peninsula known for its astronomic observatory pyramid, the Temple of Kukulkan (El Castillo)

• acted as a crucial political, religious, and economic hub

Aqueducts

A conduit, often a system of pipes, tunnels, and bridges, designed to transport water from a source, such as a spring or river, to a destination, usually a city, using gravity and the natural slope of the land

Chinampas

On Lake Texcoco, the Aztecs built floating gardens to increase the amount of space for food production

Quipu

An ancient Andean record-keeping system developed by the Inca Empire and earlier Andean civilizations, consisting of colored strings with knots that encoded numerical and possibly non-numerical information for census data, accounting, and other administrative purposes

Terrace farming

The cutting out of flat areas (terraces) into near-vertical slopes to allow farming. Terrace farms appear as steps cut into a mountainside. This adaptation allowed both the early Chinese and the Inca of Mesoamerica to grow enough food for their large populations.

Pochteca

The professional, long-distance merchants of the Aztec Empire, who facilitated trade and also served as spies and information agents

• a special merchant class in Aztec society known for trading luxury goods across long distances

Animistic

The belief that non-human natural entities—including animals, plants, rocks, and rivers—possess a spiritual essence or soul.

Temple of the Sun

An important Incan religious site dedicated to Inti, the sun god, and served as a significant expression of the Inca Empire's power and religious beliefs.

• An Incan religious center in Cuzco that honored Inti, the sun god, and royal ancestor veneration (practice of recognizing dead rulers as continuing to rule)

State building

The process through which political entities create, consolidate, and maintain their power and structure, essentially forming a stable/functioning state.

Bureaucracy

The vast system of appointed officials in a large empire, such as the Chinese imperial bureaucracy, that enforces the emperor's policies and laws across the territory.

Meritocracy

A social system in which individuals are rewarded and advanced based on their abilities, talent, and efforts rather than their social status.

Woodblock printing

A type of printing in which text is carved into a block of wood and the block is then coated with ink and pressed on the page.

Proto-industrialization

A set of economic changes in which people in rural areas made more goods than they could sell; precursor to industrialization

• A phase before the Industrial Revolution, where rural households, often directed by urban merchants, produced goods for distant markets, supplementing agricultural income

South China Sea

A critical maritime region in Southeast Asia, covering an area of about 3.5 million sq. kilometers and bordered by several countries, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.

• Overlapping territorial claims

• Vital for international shipping routes with rich natural resources

Textile

A fabric made by weaving or knitting fabrics that are made from fibers, which can be natural (like cotton, wool, and silk) or synthetic.

• Crucial components of trade

Porcelain

A high-fired, durable, and often translucent ceramic that originated in China and became a major luxury trade good along routes like the Silk Road

Tribute system

A hierarchical relationship, primarily between China and neighboring states, where subordinate policies acknowledge the superiority of the Chinese emperor and offer him gifts (tribute) in exchange for recognition, trade opportunities, and sometimes military protection.

Canal networks

Human-made waterway networks that are used for transportation and trade; ex. the Grand Canal

• A 1,100-mile (1,800 km) artificial waterway in eastern China linking the Yellow River in the north with the Yangtze River in the south

Scholar gentry

A powerful social group in imperial China, composed of educated individuals who gained status and influence through their knowledge of Confucianism and success in civil service examinations.

• Became the most influential social class in China

Artisians

Skilled craftspeople who produce goods using their hands and tools, often specializing in a particular trade like pottery, weaving, or metalworking.

Merchants

People involved in the buying and selling of goods often facilitating trade between different regions or communities.

• Individuals or entities engaged in the trade of goods and services, playing a critical role in economic systems throughout history

Peasant

A rural agricultural laborer or small-scale farmer, often working land they don't own, providing food for subsistence or markets, and typically holding low social status within pre-industrial or agrarian societies, subject to obligations like labor or rent to elites

• of low social rank

Urban poor

A segment of the population living in cities who experience poverty and its associated hardships, such as inadequate housing and limited resources.

Patriarchy

A social system where men hold primary power and are predominant in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.

Foot binding

The practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller produced pain and restricted women's movement, making it easier to confine women to the household

• Practice among women in aristocratic families where girls wrapped their feet so tightly to where the bones grew unnaturally to signify social status, common during the Song Dynasty

Filial piety

In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.

Buddhism

A religion/philosophy that was founded in northern India by Siddhartha Gautama; it preached the path to reaching enlightenment and nirvana, which ended the cycle of suffering that is reincarnation

• focuses on ending suffering through the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

Daoism

An ancient Chinese Philosophical and religious tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the Dao (the way), the natural order of the universe.

• a Chinese philosophy founded by Lao Tzu where it preaches being in harmony with the way of nature, representing an ideal way to how life should be lived

Syncretism

the blending of beliefs, cultures, and ideas to form a new, hybrid system

Chan/Zen Buddhism

A syncretic religion that combined Buddhism doctrines with Daoist elements beginning during the Tang Dynasty; emphasized direct experience and meditation rather than focusing on studying scripture

Neo-confucianism

A philosophy that emerged in Song-dynasty China; it revived Confucian thinking while adding in Buddhist and Daoist elements.

• An intellectual movement that revived and adapted traditional Confucianism during China's Song Dynasty (960–1279) by incorporating elements from Buddhism and Daoism

Heian Period

(794-1185) A period in Japan where there was a flourishing in art, culture, and politics; they were heavily influenced by Chinese culture during the Tang Dynasty

• A significant era in Japanese history marked by the flourishing of art, culture, and political power in the capital city of Heian-kyo, modern-day Kyoto. It is characterized by the rise of a highly refined court culture, where literature, poetry, and aesthetics thrived, influencing Japanese identity and social structures during this time.

House of Wisdom

A major intellectual center and library in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate, functioning as a hub for translating classical texts and fostering a wide range of scientific, cultural, and philosophical advances during the Islamic Golden Age.

Cordoba

Capital of Muslim Spain (al-Andalus) that flourished as a center of culture, learning, and architecture during the Middle Ages, particularly under the Umayyad Caliphate.

Trans- Saharan trade route

Gold-salt trade; linked North and West Africa; across the Sahara Desert; spread Islam; land trade. Connected North Africa and the Mediterranean world with West Africa.

• A network of caravan trails across the Sahara Desert, connecting sub-Saharan Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean world. This exchange, which peaked between 1200 and 1450, was crucial for moving goods like gold and salt, fostering economic growth, and spreading Islam and culture throughout the region

Indian Ocean Network

A network of maritime trade routes that crossed between regions around the Indian Ocean, including Africa, the Arabian peninsula, the Indian subcontinent, and parts of Asia

• It was characterized by its reliance on monsoon winds, its cosmopolitan port cities, and the relatively free flow of trade.

• Transportation by sea was cheaper than by land; it made the transport of bulk goods possible.

• Cultural diversity and environmental conditions facilitated trade

Shia (Shiite)

Those who believe that leadership of the Muslim community after the Prophet Muhammad's death should have passed to his son-in-law, Ali, and his descendants.

Sunni

A branch of Islam where they believe the first four caliphs of the Rashidun Caliphate were rightful leaders despite not being blood-related, believes in rightful successors by electoral vote

• leadership (Caliph) should be determined by community consensus or election

Sufi

A branch of Islam where Islamic teachings are performed by experience rather than learning through the Qu'ran, perceived as a mystical experience but won many converts through adapting with local cultures

• a mystical, inward-looking branch of Islam emphasizing a personal, emotional connection with God over strict adherence to legalistic dogma

Afro-Eurasia

The combined landmass of Africa, Europe, and Asia which forms the largest contiguous landmass on Earth. It's essentially the "old world" and is known for its early civilizations and extensive networks of exchange.

Baghdad

The capital of the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE) and a significant center of culture, learning, and trade during the Islamic Golden Age.

• capital of modern-day Iraq and held intellectual and cultural significance as a center of learning during the Abbasid Caliphate

5 Pillars of Islam

The core tenets of the Islamic faith, fundamental practices that structure daily life for muslims.

1. Shahada (declaration of faith in Allah)

2. Salat (prayer)

3. Zakat (obligatory alms to the poor)

4. Sawm (fasting during Ramadan)

5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca if able)

Silk Road

The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and West, facilitating not just the exchange of goods but also ideas, culture, and technology from around 130 BCE to the 1450s; connected East Asia with Europe and the Middle East

Mamluks

Arabs often purchased enslaved people, or Mamluks, who were frequently ethnic Turks from Central Asia, to serve as soldiers and later as bureaucrats. Because of their roles, Mamluks had more opportunities than did most enslaved people.

• enslaved people, usually of Turkish descent, who eventually seized control of the Ayyubid Sultanate government, establishing the Mamluk Sultanate

Mamluk Sultanate

Enslaved people, usually of Turkish descent, who eventually seized control of the Ayyubid Sultanate government, establishing the Mamluk Sultanate

• (1250-1517) a medieval Islamic empire that ruled in Egypt and the Levant region established by slave soldiers called Mamluks, known for their strong cavalry warfare that resisted Mongol attacks and the Crusades while contributing to the region's cultural and economic development.

Sultanate

a state or territory ruled by a Sultan, who is the ruler of a Muslim country who typically claims full sovereignty and does not answer to a higher religious authority, such as a Caliph

• a state ruled by a sultan, an Islamic monarch; an empire/kingdom

Seljuk Turks

An ethnic group that came from Central Asia that controlled Turkey during the 11th-12th centuries; they were Muslim and were partly responsible for the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate

• a nomadic, Sunni Muslim Turkic dynasty (11th–14th centuries) from Central Asia who conquered parts of the Middle East, including Baghdad in 1055, and Anatolia

Persians

an ethnic group that originated in Persia, they were people of the Achaemenid/Persian Empire which was expanded from the Aegean Sea to the eastern border of India

Abbasid Caliphate

Third of the Islamic Caliphates of the Islamic Empire. The rulers who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphs. It started in 750 CE. It flourished for two centuries, but slowly went into decline with the rise to power of the Turkish army it had created, the Mamluks. In the 13th century, the Mongols displaced them.

• Led by Arabs and Persians

Mongols

• A nomadic group from central Asia, who, under Genghis Khan, established the largest contiguous land empire in history.

• Their conquests connected vast regions of Asia and Europe.

• The Mongols conquered the remaining Abbasid Empire in 1258 and ended the Seljuk rule. They continued to push westward but were stopped in Egypt by the Mamluks.

Crusades

A series of religious wars (1096-1291) fought primarily between Christians and muslims, aimed at controlling the Holy Land, particularly Jerusalem.

Crusaders

Christian warriors sent to regain the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from the Muslims.

• Seljuk Turks limited Christian travel to holy sites

• European Christians organized groups of soldiers called crusaders to open access.

Arabs

traveling people who lived throughout North Africa and Southwest Asia/Middle East, first followers of Islam

• a group of people who came from the Arabian peninsula and are associated with Arabic culture and language

Turks

A collection of Turkic peoples originating from Central Asia, historically known for forming nomadic empires and their significant expansion and assimilation into the Islamic world, particularly through empires like the Seljuks and the Ottomans.

• Central Asian nomadic, pastoralist people who migrated into the Islamic heartland (Persia, Anatolia) between the 10th-15th centuries, forming nomadic empires

Mahayana Buddhism

A major branch emphasizing compassion, altruism, and the goal of helping all beings reach enlightenment, featuring figures like Bodhisattvas (an enlightened being who postpones nirvana to help others)

• Dominant in East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia) and the Himalayan regions (Tibet)

Theradava Buddhism

A conservative "school of the elders" that emphasizes personal enlightenment, meditation, and strict monastic discipline to achieve Nirvana. As a key, early branch of Buddhism popular in Southeast Asia (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar), it focuses on individual spiritual growth rather than the divinity of the Buddha

Champa rice

a fast-maturing, drought-resistent rice variant that originated from the Champa Kingdom in present-day Vietnam; it contributed to increased agricultural production in China

Grand Canal

a more than 30,000 mile long canal network in China constructed during the Sui Dynasty that allowed for efficient waterway transportation for trading purposes

• a massive 1,100-mile (1,800 km) artificial waterway system in China, connecting the Yangtze River in the south to the Yellow River and Beijing in the north.

Nuclear families

a family made up of parents and their children, a common familial structure in Vietnam that contrasted to the Chinese extended families

Muhammed

(c. 570-632) the Arab prophet who founded the religion of Islam in the early 7th century

'A'isha al-Ba'uniyya

(1460-1507) a female Sufi poet and mystic known to have wrote many works on the religion of Islam and Sufism

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

(1201-1274) a Persian mathematician and Islamic scholar who has made various contributions in astronomy, law, logic, ethics, math (laid foundation for trigonometry), philosophy, and medicine; he directed an observatory in which he produced accurate astronomical charts

Ibn Khaldun

(1332-1406) a Muslim historian widely acknowledged as the founter of historiography and sociology

Vijayanagara Empire

(1336-1646) an empire in southern India formed by two Hindu brothers who left the Delhi Sultanate to form their own Hindu kingdom, known for significant contributions to Hindu art, architecture, and culture

Rajput Kingdoms

Hindu kingdoms in northern India and present-day Pakistan formed after the fall of the Gupta Empire, often were at war with each other with no centralized government

• constant inter-clan competition, which made them vulnerable to Islamic invasions

Delhi Sultanate

(1206-1526) an Islamic empire that ruled over a majority of the Indian subcontinent; it marked Muslim rule over India but throughout its reign, imposing rule was difficult over the diverse region with internal Hindu resistence and foreign attacks