AP World Unit 1-2

Silk road

An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea

Trans-Saharan Trade Route

gold-salt trade; linked North and West Africa; across Sahara Desert; spread Islam

Indian Ocean Trade

connected to Europe, Africa, and China.; worlds richest maritime trading network and an area of rapid Muslim expansion.

Mongols

People from Central Asia when united ended up creating the largest single land empire in history.

Camel Saddle

An invention which gives camel riders more stability on the animal and its invention and basic idea traveled along the Trans-Saharan Caravan Trade Route

Caravans

Groups of people traveling together for safety over long distances

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time. He wrote a detailed account of his visits to Islamic lands from China to Spain and the western Sudan.

Marco Polo

Venetian merchant and traveler. His accounts of his travels to China offered Europeans a firsthand view of Asian lands and stimulated interest in Asian trade.

Margery Kempe

Wrote the Book of Margery Kempe - considered the 1st autobiography in the Eng. language. Chronicles her pilgrimages to holy sites in Europe and Asia.

Genghis Khan

Also known as Temujin; he united the Mongol tribes into an unstoppable fighting force; created largest single land empire in history.

Khanate

one of several separate territories into which Genghis Khan's empire was split, each under the rule of one of his sons

Bubonic Plague

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

Caravansaries

an inn where desert travelers found food and shelter

overgrazing

Destruction of vegetation caused by too many grazing animals consuming the plants in a particular area so they cannot recover

deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

soil erosion

wearing away of surface soil by water and wind

Champa Rice

a quick-maturing, drought resistant rice brought to China from Vietnam

Diffusion

The process of spread of an item or trend from one place to another over time

Zheng He

(1371-1433?) Chinese naval explorer who sailed along most of the coast of Asia, Japan, and half way down the east coast of Africa before his death.

Lateen sail

triangular sail that made it possible to sail against the wind; used in the Indian Ocean trade

Stern Rudder

controls the sailing direction of a ship

Astrolabe

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

Magnetic Compass

Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was north

Monsoon winds

The seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter.

Diaspora

A dispersion of people from their homeland

Yuan dynasty

Dynasty in China set up by the Mongols under the leadership of Kublai Khan, replaced the Song (1279-1368)

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644; took over after the fall of the Yuan dynasty

Pax Mongolica

Era of relative peace and stability created by the Mongol Empire

Junk

A very large flat bottom sailing ship produced in the Tang and Song Empires, specially designed for long-distance commercial travel.

Hanseatic League

An economic and defensive alliance of the free towns in northern Germany, founded about 1241 and most powerful in the fourteenth century.

Nomadic

wandering from place to place

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.

Ortogh

Mongol empire, commercial alliances created to minimize risk

Kashgar

Located on Western edge of China where Northern and Southern routes of the Silk Road met

Samarkand

City in modern day Uzbekistan, stopping point on the Silk Road between China and Mediterranean

flying cash

Enabled merchants to deposit good or cash at one location and draw the equivalent in cash or merchandise elsewhere in China.

Paper money

legal currency issued on paper; it developed in China as a convenient alternative to metal coins

Bill of exchange

a document stating that the holder was legally promised payment of a set amount on a set date

Banking Houses

an establishment or office in which, or a firm by whom, banking is done, Emerged in Europe

Khan

A Mongol ruler

Batu

Grandson of Genghis Khan and ruler of the Golden Horde; invaded Russia in 1236.

Golden Horde

Mongol khanate founded by Genghis Khan's grandson Batu. It was based in southern Russia and quickly adopted both the Turkic language and Islam.

Moscow

Major city in Russia

Hulegu

Grandson of Genghis Khan and ruler of Ilkhan khanate; captured and destroyed Abbasid Baghdad.

Il-Khanate

Mongol empire that ruled over Iran (Persia) & the Middle East

Kublai Khan

Mongolian emperor of China and grandson of Genghis Khan who completed his grandfather's conquest of China

Yuan Dynasty

Dynasty in China set up by the Mongols under the leadership of Kublai Khan, replaced the Song (1279-1368)

White lotus society

Secret religious society dedicated to overthrow of Yuan dynasty in China; typical of peasant resistance to Mongol rule

Malacca

Port city in the modern Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, founded about 1400 as a trading center on the Strait of Malacca.

Gujarat

Region of western India famous for trade and manufacturing.

Swahili City States

dominated trade along the east African coast

Spice Islands

Modern day Malaysia and Indonesia, known for its spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom

Calicut

Great spice port on west coast of India

Mali

Power trading society in West Africa, rich in gold and ivory

Sundiata

the founder of Mali empire. He crushed his enemies and won control of the gold trade routes

Songhai Kingdom

Largest African trading kingdom during its time; Helped rebel against Mali

Timbuktu

Mali trading city that became a center of wealth and learning

Mecca

the holiest city of Islam; Muhammad's birthplace

Swahili

Bantu language with Arabic loanwords spoken in coastal regions of East Africa.

Urdu

official language of Pakistan, mixed grammatical patterns of Hindi with the vocabulary of Arabic and some elements of Farsi

Hangzhou

China's capital during the Song dynasty, with a population of more than a million people.

Constantinople

Capital of the Byzantine Empire

Money economy

an economic system based on money rather than barter

Pastoralists

semi-nomadic herders of domesticated animals

Patriarchy

a system of society in which men hold the power

Social Stratifcation

a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy

Metallurgy

the science of working with metals

Monotheism

belief in one god

Polytheism

belief in more than one god

Shamanism

The practice of identifying special individuals (shamans) who will interact with spirits for the benefit of the community.

Animism

The belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other natural objects have souls

Judaism

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Developed written scriptures and an ethical code (Torah, 10 Commandments) over time.

Vedas

Ancient Sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism.

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

Monasticism

A way of life in which men and women withdraw from the rest of the world in order to devote themselves to their faith (as monks and nuns)

commodity

valuable product

Legitimacy

the popular acceptance of an authority, like a King or ruler

Caste System

a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation, but also his or her position in society

Mandate of Heaven

an ancient Chinese belief and philosophical idea that tiān (heaven) granted emperors the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly.

Reincarnation

the rebirth of a soul in a new body.

Eightfold Path

In Buddhism, the path to nirvana. Comprises eight aspects in which an aspirant must become practiced: right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

Confucianism

A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It shows the way to ensure a stable government and an orderly society and stresses a moral code of conduct.

Buddhism

the teaching of Buddha that emphasizes that life is filled with suffering caused by desire and that suffering ceases when desire ceases. Through right conduct, wisdom and meditation one can end the cycle of rebirth and reach Enlightenment.

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament, emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

State

a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.

Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)

Means "Enlightened One." He is said to have renounced his worldly possessions and taught of a way to overcome suffering.

filial piety

In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.

ancestor veneration

Veneration of the dead or ancestors is based on the beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living

syncretic religion

Combines two religious traditions into something distinctly new, while containing traits of both

Silk Roads

trade routes stretching from China to the Mediterranean, which allowed for the exchange of goods and ideas from China to the Roman Empire

Mediterranean Sea Lanes

Trade routes that connected the Mediterranean civilizations together. The need for a sea rout for trade in the region. Trade increased and diffusion of cultures occurred

tribute system

payment made by one nation to another in acknowledgment of submission, notably used by Chinese dynasties

Bureaucracy

A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials

commercial exchange

the buying and selling of goods

epidemic

A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.

monsoon winds

These seasonal winds carried ships on the Indian Ocean between India and Africa

Missionaries

people who work to spread their religious beliefs

Silk Roads (600-1450)

flourished under the unity of the Mongols, only to lose favor again when the Mongols fell.

Black Death

The common name for a major outbreak of plague that spread across Asia, North Africa, and Europe in the mid-fourteenth century in part caused by the period of unity along the Silk Road and migration of Mongols.

Indian Ocean trading network

The world's largest sea-based system of comunication and exchange before 1500 C.E., Indian Ocean commerce stretched from southern China to eastern Africa and included not only the exchange of luxury and bulk goods but also the exchange of ideas and crops.