AP World History Unit 1.4 - 1.6 Vocab Terms

City-States

Independent political states consisting of a city and its surrounding territory.

Theocracy

A government in which religious leaders or religious beliefs have major control over political authority.

Polytheistic

Believing in or worshipping multiple gods.

Tenochtitlan

The capital of the Aztec Empire, built on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Capac Ñan

The extensive Inca road system that connected different parts of the empire.

Mita System

An Inca labor system requiring communities to provide workers for public projects and government service.

Concept of Zero

The mathematical idea of zero as a number and placeholder, developed in ancient India.

Mayan Calendar

A sophisticated system of calendars developed by the Maya to track time, religious ceremonies, and agricultural cycles.

Chichen Itza

A major Maya city in the Yucatán Peninsula known for its temples, pyramids, and astronomical knowledge.

Aqueducts

Structures designed to transport water from one location to another.

Chinampas

Artificial farming islands developed by the Aztecs that allowed highly productive agriculture.

Quipu

A system of knotted cords used by the Inca to record information such as numbers, taxes, and supplies.

Terrace Farming

Farming on stepped levels cut into hills or mountains to create farmland and reduce soil erosion.

Pochteca

Professional Aztec merchants who traveled long distances to trade goods and gather information.

Animistic

Believing that spirits or supernatural forces exist within nature, animals, plants, or objects.

Temple of the Sun

A major Inca religious structure dedicated to the sun god Inti.

Kin-Based Network

A social and political system organized around family, clan, and other kinship relationships.

Metallurgy

The process of extracting, working, and shaping metals.

Mortar-Less Walls

Walls constructed by precisely fitting stones together without using mortar.

Griots

West African storytellers, historians, and musicians who preserved and passed down oral traditions.

Caravanserai

Rest stops along trade routes where merchants and travelers could stay and protect their goods.

Chattel Slavery

A system in which enslaved people were treated as property that could be bought, sold, or inherited.

Feudalism

A political and economic system based on relationships between lords and vassals, land ownership, and military service.

Serfs

Peasants who were legally tied to the land and required to work for a lord.

Peasants

Agricultural workers who generally lived and worked in rural areas.

Monarchs

Kings or queens who ruled kingdoms.

Parliament

A representative legislative body that developed in medieval England and gained influence over taxation and government.

Magna Carta

A 1215 English document that limited the power of the king and established that the monarch was subject to the law.

Three-Field System

A farming system in which land was divided into three sections, allowing one field to rest while the other two were cultivated.

Crusades

Military campaigns by European Christians, largely aimed at gaining or defending Christian control of holy lands.

Bourgeoisie/Burghers

The urban middle class, especially merchants and skilled workers, who grew in importance as European cities expanded.

Great Schism

The 1054 split between the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Renaissance

A cultural movement that revived interest in classical Greek and Roman learning, art, and literature.

Black Death/Bubonic Plague

A devastating disease outbreak in the 14th century that killed a huge portion of Europe's population.

Little Ice Age

A period of cooler temperatures that affected agriculture and society in Europe and parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Antisemitism

Prejudice, discrimination, or hostility toward Jewish people.