AP World History Unit 2 AMSCO Vocab

Mongols

central Asian nomadic peoples; captured Baghdad in 1258 and killed the last Abbasid caliph

Malacca

flourishing trading city in Malaya; established a trading empire after the fall of Shrivijaya

Ibn Battuta

Arab traveler throughout the Muslim world

East African trading ports

urbanized commercial centers mixing African and Arab cultures; included Mogadishu, Mombasa, Malindi, Kilwas, Pate, and Zanzibar

Flying money

Chinese credit instrument that provided vouchers to merchants to be redeemed at the end of a venture; reduced danger of robbery; an early form of currency

Genghis Khan

born in 1170s; elected supreme Mongol ruler (khagan) in 1206; began the Mongols rise to world power; died 1227

Shamanistic religion

Mongol beliefs focused on nature spirits

Golden Horde

one of four regional subdivisions of the Mongol Empire after death of Genghis Khan; conquered and ruled Russia during the 13th and 14th centuries

Kublai Khan

grandson of Genghis Khan; conquered China; established Yuan dynasty in 1271

Ethnocentrism

judging foreigners by the standards of one's own group; leads to problems in interpreting world history

Timbuktu

trade center of Mali, cosmopolitan city that saw the blending of many different cultures and people

Marco Polo

traveler/merchant from Europe who spend 17 years at court of Kublai Khan

Junks

Chinese ships, particularly from the 1400s. It had a sturdy Chinese ship design and the largest of its kind were treasures ships that could carry a thousand tons of cargo.

Samarkand

city in Uzbekistan known for its mosques and mausoleums. It's on the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linking China to the Mediterranean

Pax Mongolia

A time when global trade expanded due to the political stability provided by mongol rulers.

Swahili city-states

Warring states that were always competing for control of trade routes and each other in Africa, many of these city-states were Muslim and very cosmopolitan.

Diasporic communities

merchant communities that introduced their own cultures into other areas. Examples included Arab and Perisan communities, Chinese merchant communities in Southeast Asia, and Malay communities in the Indian Ocean basin

Mali

The kingdom in West Africa that followed the Kingdom of Ghana; its wealth is also based on trans-Saharan trade; this kingdom encouraged the spread of Islam.

Camel Saddles

with the advent of these, animals could now be used to transport iron technology, slaves, salt, and gold across the Sahara, and could be used in battle.

Mansa Musa

Emperor of the kingdom of Mali in Africa. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca and established trade routes to the Middle East. Increased contact between Eurasian world and Africa

monsoon winds

This made Indian Ocean trade depend on seasonal changes. Required a keen knowledge of to safely sail.

bulk

a large quantity of goods being traded

ivory

hard white material made from elephant tusks

Astrolabe

An instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars and planets

Lateen Sail

Triangular sail that was developed in Indian Ocean trade that allowed a ship to sail against the wind.

compass

an instrument containing a magnetized pointer that shows the direction of magnetic north and bearings from it.

Caravanserai

an inn with a central courtyard for travelers in the desert regions of Asia or North Africa.

Syncretism

a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith

Bubonic Plague

disease brought to Europe from the Mongols during the Middle Ages. It killed 1/3 of the population and helped end feudalism.

Demographics

statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.

Westernization

An adoption of the social, political, or economic institutions of Western—especially European or American—countries.

Southernization

idea that it was the innovations and developments from the global south which transformed the world in 600-1450 periodization. It contrasts with the idea of "westernization".

Gunpowder

It was used to make explosives and grenades and to propel cannonballs, shot, and bullets.

porcelain

a ceramic made of fine clay baked at very high temperatures

silk

a valuable cloth, originally made only in China from threads spun by caterpillars called silkworms