WHAP Period 1 Post-Classical Era

Inca

Largest pre-Columbian civilization located in the Andes of South America.

Zoroastrianism

system of religion founded in Persia in the 6th century BCE that highlighted the conflict between good and evil.

foot binding

Chinese practices that began in Tang Dynasty that tried to keep women’s feet small.

Swahili

a mixture of African and Islamic culture, created a common language for East Africa.

wood-block printing

method developed in China which allowed the printing of entire pages.

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty that placed more emphasis on civil administration, education, and arts.

Monasticism

A way of life in which people withdraw from the rest of the world to devote themselves to their faith.

Heian Period

Japanese era where they moved away from Chinese cultural influences.

Cahokia

Mississippian settlement near modern St. Louis known for their building of mounds.

Muhammad 

Arab prophet who founded Islam

Mansa Musa

Wealthy ruler of Mali, made an extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca.

Grand Canal

The 1,100 mile waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi rivers completed by the Sui Empire.

Seljuk Turks

nomadic invaders from central Asia, staunch Sunnis; ruled in the name of the Abbasid caliphs from mid-11th century.

mita system

economic system in Incan society where people paid taxes with their labor and what they produced.

Tenochtitlan

capital of the Aztec/Mexica empire

Srivijaya

A Malay kingdom that dominated the Straits of Malacca that was Hindu

House of Wisdom

a center of learning established in Baghdad in the 800s

flying cash

a paper current of the Tang Dynasty that can be considered the first banknote.

primogeniture

right of inheritance belongs exclusively to the eldest son

Caliphate

Islamic empire ruled by those believed to be the successors to the Prophet Muhammad.

Margery Kempe

wrote 1st autobiography in English that told about her pilgrimage to holy sites throughout Europe and Asia

Byzantine Empire

Eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived after the fall of Rome

astrolabe

instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars

Serfdom

a labor system in which laborers are bound to the land and work the land in return for protection

Mahayana

the largest Buddhism’s sects, prevalent in China, Japan and Korea, that emphasize devotion and prayer to the Buddha

Mecca

holiest city of Islam, birthplace of Prophet Muhammad

Islam

religion based on the teachings of Muhammad based around five pillars

junk

a Chinese ship produced for long-distance commercial travel

Marco Polo

Italian explorer who wrote about journeys to China and his travels.

Hanseatic League

a commercial and defensive confederation of free cities in Northern Europe

Zheng He

Chinese naval explorer who sailed throughout the Indian Ocean basin

Hausa Kingdom

West African people who lived in several city-states that combined Muslims and pagan traditions

monsoon winds

seasonal weather pattern in Indian Ocean that shifted directions that made ocean trade easier

Magna Carta

a charter of liberties and political rights that King John was forced to sign

Black Death

a deadly plague that swept along the Silk Roads and reaching Europe

dhow

an Arab sailboat using triangular sails for use in Indian Ocean trade

Yuan Dynasty

Period of Mongol rule in China

Judaism

monotheistic religion; Abraham is considered the founder; Torah and Talmud are holy texts

Sufis

mystical Muslim groups that believed they could draw closer to God throughout prater, fasting & simple life.

Chinampa

floating gardens constructed on rafts in Mesoamerica to increase agricultural yields

a time of peace and prosperity when trade increased between Europe and Asia

Aztec

Mesoamerican empire that grew to power, also known as Mexicana

Magnetic Compass

Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was North

Genghis Khan

title for Temujin who ruled the Mongols

Neo-Confucianism

Syncretic religion that combined Confucianism with Buddhist and Daoist influences

Mamluks

Muslim slave warriors; established a dynasty in Egypt and defeated the Mongols at Ain Jalut

Zen Buddhism

emphasizes the values of meditation and intuition; primarily in Japan

Ibn Battuta

most widely traveled individuals of his time, Muslim scholar

lateen sail

triangular sail that made it possible to sail against the wind

sogdians

lived in Central Asia in commercial centers and maintained the stability and accessibility of the Silk Road

syncretism

a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith

White Lotus Society

secret religious society dedicated to overthrow of Yuan Dynasty

Feudalism

the dominant social system in medieval Europe that created a hierarchy between the nobles, vassals, and peasants

Timbuktu

Mali trading city that became a center of wealth and Islamic learning

caravan

a group of traders that traveled together

quipu

an Incan device for recording information, with variously colored threads knotted in different ways

Kievan Rus

state that emerged around the city of Kiev in the 9th century that practiced Orthodox Christianity

Golden Horde

Mongol khanate based in Russia; also known as the Kipchak

Cordoba

capital of Muslim Spain, and economic center, culture and learning flourished there

Champa

quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season that thrived in China

diaspora

a dispersion of people from their homelands, like with the Jews

Theravada

traditional form of Buddhism that emphasizes personal meditation as tool to reach Nirvana. Most prevalent in SE Asia

Chaco

ancient urban center in New Mexico that used three-story adobe houses

Indian Ocean Trade

world’s richest maritime trading network that connected East Asia to India, Middle East, and East Africa

Mali

Strong empire in Western Africa that included the cities of Timbuktu and Gao

Quran

the holy book of Islam

gunpowder

invented in China, this substance became the dominant military technology

Manorial

economic system of Middle Ages Europe that was based on agriculture (learning)

Chang’an

start of the Silk Roads, capital of Tang Dynasty, largest city in the world at the time

Trans-Saharan Trade

major trade route the used camel caravans and focused on gold and salt

paper money

legal currency issued on paper that developed in China as an alternative to metal coins

Ilkhanate of Persia

made up the SW portion of the Mongol Empire

Bhakti

Hindu devotional movement that flourished in early modern era that emphasized rituals as a means to direct union with the divine

Sundiata

the ‘Lion Prince”, founded the Mali Empire

Hangzhou

capital city of the Song Dynasty, located at the southern end of the Grand Canal, cultural center