AP World History Unit 1: Global Tapestry

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960 - 1279 CE) that could be considered their "golden age" when China saw many important inventions and population growth

Confucianism

Chinese belief system that emphasizes respect for authority, filial piety, morality, education, and proper relationships to create an orderly and harmonious society

filial piety

Confucian belief that people should respect, obey, and care for their parents and elders; created order in Chinese societies

Neo-Confucianism

revival of Confucianism during China's Song Dynasty; combined traditional Confucian ideas with influences from Buddhism and Daoism

Theravada Buddhism

the oldest of the two major branches of Buddhism; practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia; beliefs are relatively conservative, holding close to the original teachings of the Buddha; emphasizes individual efforts to achieve enlightenment without the help of Bodhisattva

Mahayana Buddhism

"Great Vehicle" branch of Buddhism followed in China, Japan, and Central Asia. The focus is on reverence for Buddha and for Bodhisattva, enlightened persons who have postponed Nirvana to help others attain enlightenment; a more "user friendly" Buddhism that developed as Buddhism spread into East and Southeast Asia.

champa rice

quick-maturing rice that allowed two harvests in one growing season; led to increased populations in China; sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (Vietnam) as part of the tribute system

Grand Canal

1,100-mile (1,700 km) waterway in China linking northern and southern China connecting the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers; made it easier to transport food and goods promoting trade and economic growth; begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Dynasty

Seljuk Empire

Turkic Muslim empire that controlled much of the Middle East from the 11th-13th centuries; helped spread Turkic political influence and Sunni Islam throughout the region

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim-ruled states in northern India (1206-1526) that expanded Islam in South Asia while ruling over a largely Hindu population

Abbasid Caliphate

major Islamic empire (750-1258) following the Umayyad; centered in Baghdad; known for expanding trade, scholarship, science, and cultural exchange during the Islamic Golden Age

House of Wisdom

major library and center of learning in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate; scholars translated, preserved, and expanded knowledge from Greek, Persian, and Indian sources, as well as shared astronomical and mathematical advancements

feudalism

political and social system utilized in both medieval Europe and Japan in which lords granted land to vassals in exchange for loyalty and military service

vassal

a person who received land or protection from a lord in exchange for loyalty and military service; utilized in medieval Europe

serf

an agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on their lord's estate; legally tied to the land they farmed; received protection from the lord in exchange for their labor

manorialism

the economic side of feudalism; a medieval economic and social system in which peasants worked the land of a lord's manor in exchange for protection and the right to live on and farm part of the land

Great Zimbabwe

powerful state in the African interior that emerged from the growing trade in gold and ivory to the East African coast; flourished between 1250 and 1350 C.E.

Cahokia

dominant center of an important Mississippi valley mound-building culture, located near present-day St. Louis, Missouri; flourished from about 900 to 1250 C.E.

Maya

classical city-states in Southern Mexico and Central America (Yucatan Peninsula); featured monumental architecture like pyramids, written language, advanced calendar system, and mathematical advancements

meritocracy

government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability (rather than heredity); used in China via the Civil Service Exam

syncretism

unification or blending of ideas or practices, frequently in the realm of religion; example: when Christianity or Buddhism was adopted by people in a new land, they often incorporated it into their existing culture and traditions

Zen Buddhism

Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition; illustrates the adaptations Buddhism made as it spread to new areas and interacted with different cultures; also called "Chen Buddhism"

mita system

Inca labor tax system that required people to work for the government for part of the year (a few weeks usually) on projects such as roads, farming, and construction

chinampas

floating gardens constructed along lake shores by the Mexica/Aztecs to increase agricultural yields; necessary since the Mexica built their capital on a large lake in the Valley of Mexico

terrace farming

agricultural technique that creates flat, step-like fields on hillsides or mountains, allowing people to farm steep land while reducing soil erosion and water runoff; utilized in East Asia and South America (Inca)

three-field system

rotational system for agriculture in which one field grows grain, one grows legumes, and one lies fallow (unplanted); restores nutrients to the soil to improve crop yields; commonly used in medieval Europe

Renaissance

European movement from 1300 to 1600 CE that centered on the revival or "rebirth" of interest in classical learning of Greece and Rome; began in Florence, Italy and spread throughout Western Europe

Great Schism

divided medieval Christianity into (Greek) and Western (Latin) branches in 1054 CE; East became the Eastern Orthodox Church and West became the Roman Catholic Church; relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes

coercive labor

any labor system that involves force (slavery, chattel slavery, serfdom, and indentured labor)

fief

land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service

Buddhist monks

religious communities where Buddha's followers stayed, studied, and meditated; both men and women could join monasteries as monks or nuns; often exempt from taxation which put strains on Chinese political systems

civil service exam

Chinese examination system based largely on Confucian teachings that was used to select educated government officials based on merit; higher scores led to more prestigious positions in the Chinese bureaucracy

jizya

tax paid by non-Muslims living under Muslim rule in exchange for protection and exemption from military service

caliph

political and religious leader of the Muslim community who was considered a successor to the Prophet Muhammad