Trade Routes, Empires, and Civilizations Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key trade routes, empires, leaders, and cultural aspects from the provided lecture notes on global history.

Silk Roads

Land-based trade routes linking much of Eurasia (China, Central Asia, Middle East, Mediterranean) that flourished from 200 BCE–1400s CE, facilitating the trade of products like silk and the spread of religions such as Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.

Samarkand, Kashgar, Dunhuang

Major Silk Road cities in western China/Central Asia (c. 200 BCE–1400s CE) that were centers of Buddhist art, learning, and cultural exchange.

Bills of Exchange

Contracts promising payment, allowing merchants to trade without carrying coins, used widely in Silk Road and Indian Ocean commerce during the post-classical era (c. 1200–1450 CE).

Caravanserai

Inns along land-based trade routes, especially the Silk Roads and Sand Roads across Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa (c. 600–1450 CE), which supported Islamic and interregional trade.

Flying Cash

An early form of paper money in Tang Dynasty China (8th–9th century) that spread with merchants on Silk Roads, known for being light and portable.

Banking Houses

Financial institutions in medieval Europe and Islamic trade networks (c. 1200–1500) that allowed for letters of credit and deposits, often connected to Christian or Islamic finance principles.

Sea Roads (Indian Ocean Trade)

The largest sea-based network before 1500, stretching from Southern China to East Africa, peaking c. 600–1500 CE, and spreading Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and goods like spices and textiles.

Chinese Junk

Large, advanced ships with multiple sails and compartments originating from the Song Dynasty and used in Indian Ocean trade, notably during Ming Dynasty voyages (1405–1433 CE).

Sand Roads (Trans-Saharan Trade)

Routes linking West Africa with North Africa/Mediterranean, peaking c. 500–1600 CE, primarily trading gold, salt, and enslaved people, and facilitating the spread of Islam into West Africa.

Temujin (Chinggis/Genghis Khan)

Born 1162, he united Mongol tribes, became the 'universal ruler' in 1206, and expanded the Mongol Empire across Central Asia, Persia, China, and Eastern Europe until his death in 1227.

Yuan Dynasty

The Mongol dynasty in China (1279–1368) under Khubilai Khan, known for religious tolerance and supporting Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, and Islam, before being replaced by the Ming.

Ming Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty (1368–1644) that restored Confucian traditions, civil service exams, and rebuilt the Great Wall after the Mongols, also developing a strong navy under Emperor Yongle.

Karakorum

The Mongol capital in Central Asia (Mongolia), established under Genghis Khan, which flourished in the 1200s CE as a religious hub for Buddhist, Daoist, Muslim, and Christian communities.

Great Zimbabwe

A state in southern Africa (peak: 1250–1350 CE) linked to gold trade with the East African Swahili coast, known for its archaeological remains of stone enclosures and wealth.

Emperor Yongle

Ming China's emperor (r. 1402–1424) who sponsored Zheng He’s voyages across the Indian Ocean and supported Confucianism while expanding China’s naval power.

Mansa Musa

Emperor of Mali, West Africa (r. 1312–1337), famous for his 1324 pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, which spread Islam and showcased Mali’s immense wealth in gold.

Cahokia

A major Mississippian mound city near present-day St. Louis, Missouri, peaking c. 900–1250 CE, functioning as a large urban center in pre-Columbian North America with religion tied to nature and ancestor veneration.

Pochteca

Long-distance Aztec merchants in Mesoamerica active in the 15th century CE, who carried luxury goods, sometimes worked as spies, and dedicated their wealth to the state and gods.

Crusades

'Holy wars' launched by Catholic Europe against Muslim states in the eastern Mediterranean (main Crusades: 1095–1291 CE), also targeting the Iberian Peninsula and parts of Eastern Europe, impacting Christianity, Islam, Jews, and Orthodox Christians.

Zen Buddhism

A school of Buddhism in Japan, heavily influenced by Chinese Chan Buddhism, that emphasized meditation and discipline, flourishing particularly in the 12th–16th centuries CE during samurai culture.