AP World History: Unit 1 A1-A8 Terminology

Absolute Monarchy

When a monarch's (king/emperor) power is not limited by any body like a parliament

Art Legitimizing Power

When art is used to communicate the authority and power of a leader

Bureaucracy

The government agencies that allow a monarch to run a state or empire

Civil Servant / Civil Service

A person who works in a government bureaucracy / a government bureaucracy

Civil Service Examination System

The standardized exam in China that serves as the gateway to coveted government jobs bringing status to those males who pass; creates meritocracy; test Confucian knowledge

Divine

Related to the gods

Dynasty

When rule is passed down along the male line in a family

Emperor

Monarch of an empire

Filial Piety

Respect, devotion, and obedience to parents; a Confucian theme; relates to ancestor worship

Imperial

Related to an emperor or empire; e.g. the imperial throne

Mandate of Heaven

Authority to be emperor of China by permission from gods; can be lost through neglect of people

Meritocracy

A government bureaucracy staffed by educated, qualified people; supported by Confucius

Neo-Confucianism

Confucian philosophy created after Confucius by later philosophers

Nomadic

Not leading a sedentary lifestyle; seasonal movement is the norm

Pastoralism

Herding of animals on a steppe from one grazing area to another

Steppe

Vast grassland too cold and dry for farming; home to pastoralism

Asceticism / Ascetic

Depriving oneself of physical and material comforts to achieve spiritual goal

Enlightenment / Nirvana

Ultimate goal for Buddhist monks and nuns achieving blissful state where one awakes to the true reality of the cosmos; cycle of death and rebirth is left behind

Lay person / Laity

A follower of a religion who has no leadership or professional position

Monastery

A community of monks living together with common goals

Monasticism

Pertaining to monks and monasteries

Nun

A female monk living in a convent

Sect

A branch or denomination of a religion

Syncretism

When two or more cultures are blended together to form a new, mixed version

Champa Rice

A rice which is drought-resistant and fast growing, contributing to population rise in China

Commerce

Another word for trade or business

Concubine

A secondary wife taken by a husband; only common among wealth elite

Dowry

A financial package (e.g. land, livestock) offered by the family of the bride to the groom's family

Envoy

An official messenger or diplomat

Foot Binding

The practice begun in Song China in which young girls would have their feet bound to make them smaller, seen as a necessity for securing a husband; would leave women somewhat crippled

Grand Canal

A canal linking South and North China allowing for commerce, rice, and revenue to be transported

Porcelain

A durable, white, translucent form of China perfected in China and sold abroad as an export

Revenue

Income to the government typically in the form of taxes

Silk

A strong, soft fiber made from the cocoons of silkworms used to make luxurious cloth

Textile

Another word for cloth

Tribute

A payment made from one state to another typically as a sign of subservience

Urbanization

The growth of cities and people living in cities compared to living in rural areas

Monotheism

When a religion only recognizes one God; e.g. Judaism, Christianity, Islam

Polytheism

When a religion recognizes multiple gods; e.g. Hinduism

Animism

The belief that plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena can have spirits or souls

Missionary

One who actively tries to expand a religion by the conversion of others

Diaspora

The spreading out of a people

Deity

A god

Patriarch/Matriarch

A male leader / A female leader

Idol/Idolatry

A physical representation of a god / The use of idols in a religion

Synagogue

Jewish place of worship

Rabbi

Jewish leader of a synagogue or a Jewish scholar

Torah

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible

Edict

An official proclamation

Roman Catholicism

A branch of Christianity with its headquarters in Rome, Italy

Eastern Orthodox

A branch of Christianity practiced in Eastern Europe

Chieftain

A tribal Leader

Prophet

One through whom God speaks

Mosque

Muslim place of worship

Ka'ba

Sacred Muslim building in Mecca

Qur'an

Muslim Bible

Martyr

One who dies for a cause

Minaret

Tower connected to a mosque on which a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer

Hajj

Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca

Caliph/Khalifa

Leader of Islamic Empire

Sunni

Branch of Islam that represents a majority of Muslims

Shi'a

Branch of Islam that represents a minority of Muslims

Caliphate

An Islamic state led by a caliph, a leader of the Islamic world

Dar al-Islam

The Islamic world

Persia

A Shi'a Muslim state that is today, Iran

People of the Book

Fellow monotheists to Muslims: Jews & Christians

Puppet Ruler

A ruler kept in place by a conqueror with a title and the appearance of power, but who is ultimately controlled by a more powerful person or state

Dhow

A Muslim merchant sailing ship with a lateen sail able to transport bulk cargo; used in Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean

Lateen Sail

A triangular sail common on dhows that allows a ship to tack into the wind

Polygamy

The practice of men marrying multiple spouses

Veiling

The practice of covering parts of the head and/or body as a show of conservative modesty; has a tradition in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; almost always applies to women, not men

Hijab

A cloth that covers the hair and neck; commonly worn by women in Islamic world

Eunuch

A castrated male often employed in a royal court as a servant, official, or guard

Innovations

Original and improved upon intellectual advancements

Transfers

Passing on the intellectual work of one neighboring civilization to another; involves translation; e.g. Muslims passing work of Ancient Greeks to Renaissance Europeans

Sufism

Mystical order of Islam that promotes asceticism and engages in missionary work

Mysticism/Mystical (adj.)

The pursuit of a direct experience of God involving an altered state of consciousness; Buddhist monasticism is mystical; Muslim Sufis are mystical

Caste

A fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification; individuals are expected to: marry exclusively within the same caste, follow lifestyles often linked to a particular occupation, and interact with others based on cultural notions of exclusion

Dalits

Previously known as untouchables, is the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent; Dalits were excluded from the four-fold caste system of Hinduism and were seen as forming a fifth caste

Brahmins

Priests in Hinduism; the basis of the highest caste in the Hindu caste system

Samsara

Cycle of death and rebirth in Hinduism; reincarnation

Karma

Actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect): Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and happier rebirths, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and bad rebirths.

Moksha

Freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth; akin to nirvana in Buddhism

Strait

A narrow passage of water connecting two seas or two other large areas of water

Monsoon

a predictable seasonal, reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation that facilitates travel on the Indian