AP World History Unit 2 Networks of Exchange Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, concepts, locations, and figures from AP World History Unit 2 (c. 1200 – c. 1450 CE).

Silk Roads

Overland exchange networks across Eurasia where merchants traded luxury goods such as silk, porcelain, jade, and tea.

Flying Cash

A system of paper money invented by Song China that replaced heavy copper coins in long-distance trade.

Bills of Exchange

Financial instruments issued by banking houses allowing merchants to deposit money in one city and withdraw it in another.

Kashgar

A vibrant, multi-ethnic oasis commercial city in western China where Silk Road trade routes converged.

Samarkand

A major Central Asian oasis city and center of Islamic learning along the Silk Roads.

Pax Mongolica

A period of 'Mongol Peace' under unified Mongol rule that secured Eurasian Silk Road routes and fostered interregional trade and communication.

Yam System

A Mongol postal relay network composed of horse stations and bronze passports (paiza) that ensured rapid communication and safe travel.

Yuan Dynasty

The Mongol khanate in China established under Kublai Khan.

Lateen Sail

A triangular sail designed to catch wind from any angle, enhancing navigation across the Indian Ocean.

Sultanate of Malacca

A powerful coastal trading state located at a strategic choke point in the Malacca Strait that accumulated wealth by taxing maritime trade lanes.

Calicut

A prominent Indian Ocean port city on the coast of India known as the 'City of Spices.'

Zheng He

A Ming Dynasty admiral who led 7 massive treasure fleet expeditions across the Indian Ocean between 1405 and 1433 to expand China's tributary system.

Somali Camel Saddle

A transport innovation capable of carrying up to 600 lbs, transforming the Sahara Desert into an efficient trade highway.

Mansa Musa

The emperor of Mali who undertook a famous 1324 hajj to Mecca, showcasing Mali's immense gold wealth to Europe and the Middle East.

Timbuktu

A major West African trade hub in the Mali Empire that evolved into a global center for Islamic scholarship.

Ibn Battuta

An Islamic legal scholar and traveler who documented his extensive journeys across the Islamic world.

Marco Polo

A Venetian merchant and traveler who wrote accounts of his travels to Yuan Dynasty China under Mongol rule.

Margery Kempe

A Christian traveler who authored accounts detailing her pilgrimages across Europe and the Middle East.

Champa Rice

A fast-ripening, drought-resistant crop introduced to China that doubled grain yields and fueled rapid population growth.

Bubonic Plague

An epidemic disease (Black Death) originating in Central Asia that hit Europe in 1347, killing 25–50% of the population and dismantling feudal labor systems.