1.3-1.7 Vocab - A.P. World

Social Stratification

a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy

Metallurgy

the science of working with metals

Shamanism

The practice of identifying special individuals (shamans) who will interact with spirits for the benefit of the community.

Monasticism

A way of life in which men and women withdraw from the rest of the world in order to devote themselves to their faith (as monks and nuns)

Syncretic Religion

Combines two religious traditions into something distinctly new, while containing traits of both

Mediterranean Sea Lanes

Trade routes that connected the Mediterranean civilizations together. The need for a sea route for trade in the region. Trade increased and diffusion of cultures occurred

Bureaucracy

A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials

monsoon winds

These seasonal winds carried ships on the Indian Ocean between India and Africa

Black Death

The common name for a major outbreak of plague that spread across Asia, North Africa, and Europe in the mid-fourteenth century in part caused by the period of unity along the Silk Road and migration of Mongols.

Srivijaya

A Malay kingdom that dominated the Straits of Malacca between 600 and 1075 CE. It amassed wealth and power by a combination of selective adaptation of Indian technologies and concepts, and control of trade routes.

Angkor Wat

This place was first a Hindu (dedicated to the god Vishnu), then subsequently a Buddhist, temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world.

Swahili Coast

East African city-states that emerged in the 8th century CE from a blending of Bantu, Islamic, and other Indian Ocean trade elements

Great Zimbabwe

City, now in ruins (in the modern African country of Zimbabwe), whose many stone structures were built between about 1250 and 1450, when it was a trading center and the capital of a large state.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade across the Sahara desert in Africa, usually in caravans of camels. Contributed to the spread of Islam.

Mali Empire

This empire capitalized on the Saharan trade routes, trading gold & salt. Embraced Islam as well. notably under Mansa Musa.

Ibn Battuta

(1304-1369) Morrocan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time. He wrote a detailed account of his visits to Islamic lands from China to Spain and the western Sudan. His writings gave a glimpse into the world of that time period.

Timbuktu

Mali trading city that became a center of wealth, learning, and Islam

Mansa Musa

Ruler of Mali (r. 1312-1337). His extravagant pilgrimage through Egypt to Mecca in 1324-1325 established the empire's reputation for wealth in the Mediterranean world.

Roman Catholic church

Serfdom

A type of labor used in in feudal Europe in which the laborers work the land in return for protection but they are bound to the land and are not allowed to leave or to pursue a new occupation.

Feudal Europe

Western Europe was far removed from the growing world trade routes, but coastlines and river systems facilitated internal exchange. Decentralized kingships were established over powerful lords, with manors dominating political and economic life.

Crusades

Armed pilgrimages to the Holy Land by Christians determined to recover Jerusalem from Muslim rule. The Crusades brought an end to western Europe's centuries of intellectual and cultural isolation.

Mongols

13th-15th centuries; Military strength allowed for rapid conquest. Subjected huge populations in Eurasia to Mongol rule. Their conquests helped diffuse technology, culture, and disease due to the unity brought.

Delhi Sultanate

The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India, centered in Delhi. A minority of Muslims ruled over a majority of Hindus, violent takeover led to religious tension

Malacca

Port city in the modern Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, founded about 1400 as a trading center on the Strait of Malacca. Also spelled Melaka.

Inca

Largest and most powerful Andean empire. Controlled the Pacific coast of South America from Ecuador to Chile from its capital of Cuzco. Built a strong network of roads, and relied on the mita system.