APWH Vocab 2.1-2.3

2.1 - The Silk Roads; 2.2 - Mongol Empire; 2.3 - Indian Ocean Exchange

Caravans

group of merchants or travelers, usually with animals, who journey together for safety, particularly over long routes or challenging terrain

Camel saddles

allowed riders to have better control over camels and also carry large loads; invented by Arabians and Africans

Magnetic compass

a navigational device used for maritime travel; invented by the Chinese in the Han Dynasty

Rudder

a device mounted on the ship's back that improved control and maneuverability when steering; invented by the Chinese in the Han Dynasty

Junk ship

a ship that contained multiple sails, divided compartments, and were as long as 400 feet; invented by the Chinese in the Han Dynasty

Kashgar

located at the western edge of China, where the northern and southern Silk Roads crossed, became a city of thriving trade with bustling markets, resources, and a center of Islamic scholarship

Samarkand

located in present-day Uzbekistan along the Silk Roads, became a center of trade and cultural exchange--especially its exchange of diverse religions (Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrinism, especially Islam, you get the point)

Money Economy

using money rather than bartering with commodities like cowrie shells or salt to use in economic systems

Flying Cash

a system of credit where merchants deposit paper money at one location and withdraw it at another location like banking houses

Diffusion

process of spreading cultural beliefs, ideas, technologies, goods, and practices are spread from one society to another

Hanseatic League

A commercial/economic league of merchant guilds and markets, created in the 13th century, that controlled trade in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Goods exchanged included timber, fish, grain, and textiles

Pastoral nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domesticated animals

Gobi Desert

vast, arid desert region in northern China and southern Mongolia; served as important geographical region for trade in the Silk Road

Stirrup

a device attached to a saddle for securing a horseman's feet, providing stability and balance while riding a horse

Khan

A Mongol ruler/king

Siege weapons/cannon

weapons used to attack walled fortifications: portable towers, cannons, catapults

Pax Mongolica

the period of approximately 150 years of relative peace and stability was created by the Mongol Empire (13th-14th century); expanded global trade

Yuan Dynasty

(1279-1368 CE) the dynasty with Mongol rule in China originally led by Kublai Khan; religiously tolerant, prospering trade, and centralized bureaucracy, but the Chinese were alienated and the government were run by the foreign Mongols

Il-Khanate

(1256-1335) Mongol khanate originally led by Hulegu, grandson of Genghis, over Persia and parts of the Middle East; defeated the Abbasid Caliphate

Golden Horde

(1220s-1502) Mongol khanate led by Batu, grandson of Genghis, over Central Asia, Siberia, and parts of Eastern Europe; exerted control by tributary system

White Lotus Society

a secret religious society dedicated to overthrow of Yuan dynasty in China, Chinese peasants began to resent Mongol rule

Mongol Yoke

300-year period when the Golden Horde dominated Russia from the 13th-late 15th centuries; created long-lasting effect on Russia as it was mostly severed from European culture and interaction

Spice Islands

located in modern-day Malaysia and Indonesia, known for its spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom

Monsoons

seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons, maritime merchants used this knowledge to their advantage for travel across the Indian Ocean trade network

Diasporic communities

merchant communities that have dispersed from their homeland to various regions while maintaining cultural ties to their original culture

Lateen sails

a triangular sail on a long yard at an angle of 45° to the mast, allows for catching winds from many different directions; invented by Arab sailors?

Stern rudder

a small piece of wood in the back that allows for more stability and easier maneuverability when steering a ship; invented by Chinese sailors

Astrolabe

an instrument used by sailors to determine their location (distance from equator) by observing the position of the stars and planets; invented by the Greeks and improved by Muslim navigators in the 12th century

Malacca/Melaka

Port city-state located in modern Malaysia that became wealthy around the 14th-15th centuries by its navy and imposing of fees on ships using their Strait of Malacca

Calicut

Port city along the western coast of India that became a thriving center of trade as part of the Indian Ocean trade network by interactions with East African and Southwest Asian merchants; contributed to spread of Islam

Indian Ocean Slave Trade

a trade network where enslaved people were traded; many worked in seaports and household servants; African cultures and customs were spread along the Indian Ocean region