Global Tapestry/State Building 1200-1450 (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, people, and phenomena from the 1200–1450 Global Tapestry/State-Building era.

Champa Rice

A fast-ripening, drought-resistant rice from Champa that expanded agricultural production in Asia.

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960–1279) noted for wealth, stability, innovation, a merit-based bureaucracy, and expansion of education.

Grand Canal

A vast canal system (~30,000 miles) that boosted internal trade and linked northern and southern China.

Gunpowder

Military technology that produced early firearms and spread along the Silk Roads, accelerating warfare and state power.

Coal/Black Earth

Coal discovered in China that enabled large-scale cast iron and steel production.

Proto-Industrialization

Economic changes where rural workers produced more goods for sale, signaling early industrial growth.

Porcelain

China’s highly valued ceramic product intensified by manufacturing for expanding trade networks.

Silk

A key Chinese export whose production and trade connected China to distant markets.

Compass

navigational instrument that enabled long-distance sea travel and exploration.

Paper and Printing

Paper invented in the 2nd century; printing began in the 7th century; woodblock printing spread literacy.

Chan/Zen Buddhism

Buddhist tradition in China and Japan emphasizing meditation and direct insight.

Neo-Confucianism

Syncretic philosophy combining Confucianism with Buddhist and Daoist ideas; stressed filial piety and hierarchy.

Foot Binding

Practice symbolizing status in Song Dynasty; limited mobility and later banned in 1912.

Scholar Gentry

Educated class in Song China, well-versed in Confucian philosophy and influential in government.

Tributary System

Diplomatic system where states paid tribute to the Chinese emperor, signaling respect and yielding benefits.

Kotow

Ritual bowing gesture by tributary representatives to show reverence to the Chinese emperor.

Daimyo

Sugane landowning magnates in Japan’s feudal system who governed large domains.

Bushido

The samurai code emphasizing loyalty, frugality, martial prowess, and honor.

Shogun

Military ruler in Japan who held the real power, with the emperor as a figurehead.

Minamoto Clan

Powerful Japanese clan that established the first shogunate in 1192.

Feudal Japan

A decentralized system of government based on landholding and loyalty rather than centralized authority.

Heian Japan

Period when Japan emulated Chinese political, artistic, and literary traditions and produced early literature.

Tale of Genji

World’s first novel, created by a Japanese writer during the Heian period.

Korea Civil Service Exam

Merit-based exams for bureaucrats in Korea, not open to peasants.

Urdu

A language developed in South Asia blending Hindi vocabulary with Arabic and Persian elements.

Qutub Minar

Tall minaret in Delhi symbolizing Islamic influence in northern India.

Bhakti Movement

Devotional Hindu movement emphasizing personal devotion to a deity.

Srivijaya/Majapahit

Indonesian Hindu kingdoms; Srivijaya dominated maritime trade, Majapahit ruled Java and its many tributaries.

Sinhala Dynasties

Sri Lankan dynasties rooted in early Indian migration and Buddhist-Islamic exchange.

Khmer Empire

Angkor-era empire in the Mekong region, noted for irrigation and agricultural prosperity.

Olmecs/Maya/Aztecs/Inca

Pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas with distinct political systems, economies, and technologies.

Cahokia

Mississippian mound-building center near present-day Cahokia, Illinois; Great Sun governed towns.

Chaco/Mesa Verde

Mound-building and cliff-dwelling cultures in North America; declined due to drought.

Maya City-States

Independent Maya city-states often led by strong rulers and lacking centralized authority.

Aztecs (Mexicas)

Central Mexican empire founded in Tenochtitlan; built chinampas and a vast tribute system; theocracy.

Tenochtitlan

Aztec capital built on an island in Lake Texcoco; major urban, religious, and economic center.

Chinampas

Artificial floating gardens used by Aztecs to increase agricultural space.

Inca

South American empire with a centralized bureaucracy, mit’a labor system, and road network.

Mit’a

Mandatory public service labor system used by the Incas to support the state.

Inti

Sun god central to Inca religion; rulers claimed divine status as Inti’s representatives.

Quipu

Incan knotted-string device used to record numerical and other information.

Waru Waru/Carpa Nan

Incan agricultural terrace system (waru waru) and the extensive road system (Carpa Nan).

Mali/Ghana/Zimbabwe/Ethiopia

West and East African states built on trade (gold, salt, ivory), including Great Zimbabwe and Ethiopian rock churches.

Great Zimbabwe

Stone-walled city in southern Africa; symbol of state power and trade hub; abandoned by 15th century.

Griots/Griottes

Oral historians and storytellers who preserved community histories in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Gutenberg Printing Press

Innovative movable-type printing that spurred widespread literacy during the Renaissance.

Renaissance Humanism

Cultural movement focusing on human potential and secular classics from Greece and Rome.

Dante/Chaucer

Prominent medieval writers; Dante’s Divine Comedy and Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales illustrate Renaissance-era thought.

Origins of Russia

Early Russian state development under Mongol influence, leading to Moscow-centered independence under Ivan the Great.

Mongol Impact

Pastoral nomads who built vast empires, facilitating large-scale exchange and cultural interaction.

State-Building through Trade

States used trade (e.g., Champa rice, Silk Roads, Indian Ocean) to strengthen administration and revenue.

Religious Foundations of State-Building

Religion often supported governance, law, and legitimacy in many regions (Confucianism in China, Hindu/Buddhist in South Asia, Catholic Church in Europe).