Unit 1 Key Terms

Abraham

leader of the Hebrews who led them to northern Mesopotamia

'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah

most prolific female Muslim writer and poet before the 20th century

Alexander the Great

conquered the Persian empire and advanced to the borders of India. He attempted to combine Greek and Persian culture

The Analects

the compilation of Confucius' teachings after his death

Ancestor Veneration

A Confucian practice of praying to one's ancestors

Aqueducts

a bridge-like system that used gravity to carry water from one place to another

Ashoka

the third king of the Mauryan Empire who promoted Buddhism

Bantu Migrations

the spread of Bantu-speaking peoples from their homeland in what is now southern Nigeria to most of Africa

Bhakti Movement

Hindu devotional movement that flourished in the early modern era, emphasizing music, dance, poetry, and rituals as means by which to achieve direct union with the divine

Brahman

Hindu spirit that is the energy that connects everything; a priest class

Calligraphy

intricate handwriting that became a major art form during the Abbasid caliphate

Caste System

a rigid social system in India that gives every Indian a particular place in the social hierarchy from birth

Champa Rice

an Indian quick-maturing, very resistant rice that could be harvested twice in one growing season

Chang'an

ancient Chinese capital of several dynasties; now known as Xi'an

Confucianism

the system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct

Consul

the two chief executives of the Roman Republic

Corvee Labor

forced, unpaid labor that was often intermittent

Cyrus

King of Persia; united the Persian Empire

Daoism

a Chinese philosophy based on the teachings of Lao Zi which taught that people should turn to nature and give up their worldly concerns; was largely a spiritual alternative to Confucianism

Dharma

a position and career determined by birth within the caste system

Diaspora

any movement of the citizens of a population sharing the same ethnic descent

Eightfold Path

one of Buddha's teachings which outlines the path to nirvana

Filial Piety

a Confucian virtue of respect, obedience, and care for one's parents and elderly family members

Forbidden City

a walled section of Beijing built in the Ming Dynasty where emperors lived between 1121 and 1924

Four Noble Truths

Buddha's guiding principles regarding suffering

Grand Canal

an over 30,000 mile long transportation waterway that allowed China to be the most populous trading area in the world during the Song Dynasty

Great Wall

a Chinese defensive fortification built during the reign of Shi Huangdi to keep out northern nomadic invaders

Great Zimbabwe

a powerful state in the African interior that emerged from the growing trade in gold to the East African coast

Gupta Empire

the empire that later united India following the Maurya Empire

Han Dynasty

China's longest running dynasty

Han Wudi

the strongest emperor during the Han Dynasty who greatly increased the authority of the Han Dynasty

Hausa Kingdoms

a group of small independent city-states in northern central Africa

Hebrew Bible

collection of sacred books containing diverse materials concerning the origins, experiences, beliefs and practices of the Israelites

House of Wisdom

an academic center for research and translation of foreign texts that was established in Baghdad by the Abbasid caliph al-Mamun

Imperial Bureaucracy

large organization in China in which appointed officials carried out the policies of the empire

Inca Empire

largest imperial state in the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries. The empire spanned almost the entire coast of western South America

Indian Ocean Maritime System

a trade route across the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea

Jati

a classification within the Indian caste system

Jesus

a Jewish teacher whom Christians recognized as their savior; wanted peace between the Romans and the Jews

Judaism

oldest known monotheistic religion

Julius Caesar

the general responsible for the conquest of Gaul; brought his army back to Rome and overthrew the republic

Karma

the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation

Lao Zi

a Chinese philosopher who taught retreat from society into nature and that individuals should seek to become attuned with Dao

Legalism

a political philosophy in China that emphasized the unruliness of human nature and justified state coercion and control. The Qin rulers and early Han rulers invoked it to validate the authoritarian nature of their regimes

Liu Bang

Han Dynasty founder

Mahayana Buddhism

focuses on service and became popular in China and Korea

Majapahit Kingdom

Buddhist Kingdom from 1293-1520 based on Java that gained power by controlling sea routes

Mamluks

enslaved soldiers from the Abbasid era

Mauryan Empire

it unified most of India into a peaceful and stable empire and expanded trade

Mayans

established a series of independent states and city-states in Mesoamerica

Meritocracy

the exam system that granted Chinese officials their positions

Mesa Verde

the largest complex of Anasazi cliff-dwellings in the United States Southwest

Moche

a civilization near the coast of Peru that built irrigation networks and urban centers that had brick temples

Moksha

the goal for Hindus in which you are reunited with Brahman and escape reincarnation

Monarchies

governments in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch who reigns over a state or territory, usually for life and by hereditary right

Monastic Living

a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work

Monsoons

a seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia which affected trade routes

Mudras

a hand gesture with specific meaning or significance in Indian classical sculpture and dance

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

Persian mathematician; one of the most celebrated Islamic scholars.

Nirvana

the state of liberation from suffering which can be achieved when an individual follows the Eightfold Path in Buddhism

Oligarchy

form of government in which a small group of elites make decisions for everyone

Olmec

the earliest known Mexican civilizations

Parthians

Persian dynasty based in Iran that extended into Mesopotamia

Pataliputra

the chief political and commercial center of northern India

Patrician

class of wealthy landowners in Roman society

Phoenicians

occupied a narrow tract of land along the coast of modern Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel; were notable merchants, traders, and colonizers of the Mediterranean

Plebeian

an ordinary Roman citizen

Polis

the typical structure of a community in the ancient Greek world

Proto-industrialization

people in rural areas producing more goods than they can sell

Qin Dynasty

the Chinese dynasty that established the first centralized imperial government and built much of the Great Wall, Replaced the Zhou dynasty and employed legalist ideas in order to control warring states and unify the country

Rajput Kingdoms

Hindu kingdoms that arose after the fall of the Gupta Empire.

Reciprocity

a relationship between people and state where people pay tribute in exchange for access to resources

Reincarnation

Hindu principle in which souls pass to other beings after death

Republic

a form of government where citizens hold the power and can vote for their leaders

Romanization

the process by which the Latin language and Roman culture became dominant in the western provinces of the Roman Empire

Sanskrit

sacred language of the Vedas in India

Sassanid

the last pre-Islamic Persian empire, established in 224 CE by Ardeshir I, son of Papak, descendant of Sasan

Scholar Gentry

Confucian educated social class that became the most influential social class of China

Senate

in ancient Rome, the governing and advisory council that proved to be the most permanent element in the Roman constitution

Shi Huangdi

first emperor of a unified China from 221 BC to 210 BC

Shiva

an important Hindu deity who in the trinity of gods was the Destroyer

Silk Road

a vast network of trading routes that connected the East to the West: Constantinople in Europe to Chang'an in Asia

Slash-and-burn

a farming technique in which trees are cut down and burned to clear and fertilize the land

Sufis

a mystical Muslim group that had successful missionaries. They believed they could become closer to God through prayer, fasting, and a simple life

Syncretism

the blending of elements from more than one religion into a distinct system of worship

Teotihuacan

a major city in Mesoamerica that was the center for cultural and religious activities

Theater State

a state that acquires prestige and power by developing attractive cultural forms and staging elaborate public ceremonies

Theravada Buddhism

Buddhism focused on meditation in Southeast Asia

Tibetan Buddhism

form of Buddhism in Tibet centered around chanting

Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

networks of exchange that transformed West Africa by connecting it to the larger parts of the world

Tribunes

plebeian officials elected annually during the Roman republic

Universalizing Religion

a religion seeking to convert others. Islam was a universalizing religion

Urdu

a new language with elements of Hindi, Arabic, and Farsi that developed among the Muslims of South Asia

Varnas

warriors within the Indian caste system

Vedas

the oldest collection of scriptures of Hinduism and religious texts in an ancient Sanskrit language

Vishnu

Hindu god considered the preserver of the world

Warring States Period

the time in China prior to its unification during the Qin Dynasty in which regional warlords fought each other

Xiongnu

the Chinese name for the confederacy of Turkish-speaking peoples who were nomadic herders in Central Asia

Zoroastrianism

a monotheistic religion believed to be founded as early as the 10th century; flourished during the Achaemenid empire

Zhou Dynasty

the dynasty that took over the dominant position in north China from the Shang and created the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule