AP World History Unit 1 Terms

AP World History Unit 1 Terms

Song Dynasty

(960-1279 CE) The Chinese dynasty that placed much more emphasis on civil administration, industry, education, and arts other than military.

Grand Canal in China

The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Empire.

Footbinding

Practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller; produced pain and restricted women's movement; made it easier to confine women to the household.

Filial Piety

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

Gunpowder

Invented within China during the 9th century, this substance was became the dominate military technology used to expand European and Asian empires by the 15th century.

Champa Rice

a quick-maturing, drought resistant rice that can allow two harvests, of sixty days each in one growing season.

paper money

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

porcelain

a thin, beautiful pottery invented in China

Confucianism

The system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct.

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophy that emerged in Song-dynasty China; it revived Confucian thinking while adding in Buddhist and Daoist elements.

Umayyad Dynasty

An Islamic Dynasty based on succession rather than election following the first period of caliphates. Continued advances in the kingdom, venturing as far as China in the East. Fell apart in 750 CE due to internal tensions.

Abbasid Caliphate

(750-1258 CE) The caliphate, after the Umayyads, who focused more on administration than conquering. Had a bureaucracy that any Muslim could be a part of.

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

Delhi Sultanate

The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India and was centered in Delhi.

Nasir al-Din Tusi

Persian mathematician and cosmologist who inspired Copernican model of the solar system

'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah

Female Arabic poet who wrote The Principles of Sufism

centralized government

A government in which power is concentrated in a central authority to which local governments are subject

Meritocracy

a system in which promotion is based on individual ability or achievement

Bureaucracy

a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

Imperial Bureaucracy

Division of an empire into organized provinces to make it easier to control

Civil Service Exam

In China, it was an exam based on Confucian teachings that was used to select people for various government service jobs in the bureaucracy.

Syncretic

A religion that combines several traditions

Patriarchy

a form of social organization in which a male is the family head and title is traced through the male line

Theraveda Buddhism

closely followed Buddha's original teachings; oldest form of Buddhism

Mahayana Buddhism

Also known as popular Buddhism, is allows people more ways to reach enlightenment and Bodhisattva can help you reach enlightenment.

Chan Buddhism

Known as Zen in Japan; stressed meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty; popular with members of elite Chinese society

Silk Road

Caravan routes connecting China and the Middle East across Central Asia and Iran.

Metallurgy

The science and technology of metals

Silk

a valuable cloth, originally made only in China from threads spun by caterpillars called silkworms

Hinduism

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

Crusades (1095-1291)

The religious wars between Western Catholic Europe and the Islamic Turks over the holy lands in Jerusalem

Holy Roman Empire

Loose federation of mostly German states and principalities, headed by an emperor elected by the princes. It lasted from 962 to 1806.

Feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Serf

A person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord

Manor

A large estate, often including farms and a village, ruled by a lord.

Byzantine Empire

Eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived the fall of the Western half.

Al-Andalus

A Muslim-ruled region in what is now Spain

Alhambra

a palace and fortress built in Granada by the Muslims in the Middle Ages

Jewish Diaspora

the scattering of the Jewish people outside their homeland beginning about 586 BCE

Great Zimbabwe

A stone-walled enclosure found in Southeast Africa. Have been associated with trade, farming, and mining.

Hausa states/kingdom

people of northern Nigeria formed these states; formed following the demise of the Songhay Empire & combined Muslim & pagan tradition

Decentralized

governmental power is spread among more than one person or group

scholar gentry

elite, educated bureaucrats who ran the centralized gov't of China

filial piety

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

matriarchy

A society ruled or controlled by women

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Heian Period

The era in Japanese history from 794-1185, arts and writing flourished during this time, inspired by Chinese traditions

Sufism

Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God

Bhakti Movement

Movement that tried to erase the gap between Hinduism and Islam, focused on developing a strong attachment to a particular deity (monotheism), and appealed to women and lower classes

Great Schism

the official split between the Roman Catholic and Byzantine churches that occurred in 1054

Manorial System

an economic system in the Middle Ages that was built around large estates called manors

Srivijaya Empire

Hindu Kingdom in Western Indonesia, had a navy and prospered by charging fees for ships traveling between India and China

Majapahit kingdom

Southeast Asian Buddhist kingdom (1293-1520) centered on the island of Java., controlled sea routes

Khmer Empire

Also known as Angkor Kingdom. Situated near the Mekong River in SE Asia. Had a complex irrigation and drainage system that allowed it to flourish

woodblock printing

a type of printing in which text is carved into a block of wood and the block is then coated with ink and pressed on the page

Four Noble Truths of Buddhism

All life involves suffering; desire is the cause of suffering; elimination of desire brings an end to suffering; a disciplined life conducted life brings the elimination of desire.

Eightfold Path

In Buddhism, the basic rules of behavior and belief leading to an end of suffering

Shinto

The traditional religion of Japan

Daimyo

A Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai

Shogun

A military general who ruled Japan in the emperor's name. Had all the power in feudal Japan

Shia Islam

minority branch of Islam; belief that only a descendant of Ali (Muhammad's Cousin) can be caliph.

Sunni Islam

Muslims who believe in the successorship of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali.

Jizya

Poll tax that non-Muslims had to pay when living within a Muslim empire