Ap world vocab 1.1-1.2

State building

The process through which political entities create, consolidate, and maintain their power and structure, essentially forming a stable/functioning state.

Bureaucracy

The vast system of appointed officials in a large empire, such as the Chinese imperial bureaucracy, that enforces the emperor's policies and laws across the territory.

Meritocracy

A social system in which individuals are rewarded and advanced based on their abilities, talent, and efforts rather than their social status.

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.

Proto-industrialization

A period before the industrial revolution, where rural,home-based workers produced goods for external markets, organized by urban merchants.A set of economic changes in which people in rural areas made more goods than they could sell.

• A phase before the Industrial Revolution, where rural households, often directed by urban merchants, produced goods for distant markets, supplementing agricultural income

South China Sea

A critical maritime region in Southeast Asia, covering an area of about 3.5 million sq. kilometers and bordered by several countries, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.

• Overlapping territorial claims

• Vital for international shipping routes with rich natural resources

Textile

A fabric made by weaving or knitting fabrics that are made from fibers, which can be natural (like cotton, wool, and silk) or synthetic.

• Crucial components of trade

Porcelain

A ceramic made of fine clay baked at very high temperatures. This became one of the country's most significant exports. It could be decorated.

• A high-fired, durable, and often translucent ceramic that originated in China and became a major luxury trade good along routes like the Silk Road

Tribute system

A hierarchical relationship, primarily between China and neighboring states, where subordinate policies acknowledge the superiority of the Chinese emperor and offer him gifts (tribute) in exchange for recognition, trade opportunities, and sometimes military protection.

Canal networks

Systems of artificial waterways, or canals, are constructed to facilitate transportation and irrigation.

Scholar gentry

A powerful social group in imperial China, composed of educated individuals who gained status and influence through their knowledge of Confucianism and success in civil service examinations.

• China's elite class of educated, landowning men who gained social status and government power through success in the rigorous civil service examinations based on Confucian texts, forming a meritocratic bureaucracy that influenced governance, social order, and cultural life from the Han through later dynasties

• Became the most influential social class in China

Artisians

Skilled craftspeople who produce goods using their hands and tools, often specializing in a particular trade like pottery, weaving, or metalworking.

Merchants

People involved in the buying and selling of goods often facilitating trade between different regions or communities.

• Individuals or entities engaged in the trade of goods and services, playing a critical role in economic systems throughout history

Peasant

A rural agricultural worker/farmer with limited land ownership, especially one living in pre-industrial societies or under feudal systems. Of low social rank

• A rural agricultural laborer or small-scale farmer, often working land they don't own, providing food for subsistence or markets, and typically holding low social status within pre-industrial or agrarian societies, subject to obligations like labor or rent to elites

Urban poor

A segment of the population living in cities who experience poverty and its associated hardships, such as inadequate housing and limited resources.

Patriarchy

A social system where men hold primary power and are predominant in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.

Foot binding

The practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller produced pain and restricted women's movement, making it easier to confine women to the household. A bound foot signified social status, something suitors particularly desired.

• The painful Chinese custom of tightly wrapping young girls' feet to stunt their growth and create tiny, arched "lotus feet," symbolizing feminine beauty, high social status (as it showed a woman didn't need to work), and patriarchal control

Filial piety

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

Buddhism

A belief system that started in India in the 500s BC. Happiness can be achieved through the removal of one's desires. Believers seek enlightenment and the overcoming of suffering.

• A philosophical and spiritual tradition founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) that focuses on ending suffering through the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

Daoism

An ancient Chinese Philosophical and religious tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the Dao (the way), the natural order of the universe.

• An ancient Chinese philosophy/religion emphasizing living in harmony with the Dao (the Way), the natural, underlying principle of the universe, advocating simplicity, spontaneity, and wu wei (effortless action/non-interference) to achieve balance

Syncretism

The blending of different cultural or religious traditions to create something new.

Chan/Zen Buddhism

Emphasized direct experience and meditation as opposed to formal learning or studying scripture. Emphasizes meditation and direct insight into the nature of reality.

• A branch of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasizes meditation, mindfulness, and the direct experience of enlightenment. Originating in China as Chan Buddhism, it later spread to Japan, where it became known as Zen.

Neo-confucianism

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

• An intellectual movement that revived and adapted traditional Confucianism during China's Song Dynasty (960–1279) by incorporating elements from Buddhism and Daoism

Heian Period

Lasting from 794 to 1185, was a significant era in Japanese history marked by the flourishing of art, culture, and political power in the capital city of Heian-kyo, modern-day Kyoto. It is characterized by the rise of a highly refined court culture, where literature, poetry, and aesthetics thrived, influencing Japanese identity and social structures during this time. It is a period in Japanese history when the Chinese influences were in decline, and the national culture matured.

• A "golden age" in Japan characterized by a flourishing of court culture, art, and literature, centered in Heian-kyo (modern-day Kyoto). Politically, it saw the rise of powerful aristocratic clans like the Fujiwara, who manipulated their influence through strategic marriages, and the decline of centralized imperial power, culminating in the Genpei War and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate. Key developments included refined aesthetics, waka poetry, and masterpieces like The Tale of Genji. 

House of Wisdom

A major intellectual center and library in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate, functioning as a hub for translating classical texts and fostering a wide range of scientific, cultural, and philosophical advances during the Islamic Golden Age.

Cordoba

Capital of Muslim Spain (al-Andalus) that flourished as a center of culture, learning, and architecture during the Middle Ages, particularly under the Umayyad Caliphate.

Trans- Saharan trade route

Gold-salt trade; linked North and West Africa; across the Sahara Desert; spread Islam; land trade. Connected North Africa and the Mediterranean world with West Africa.

• A network of caravan trails across the Sahara Desert, connecting sub-Saharan Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean world. This exchange, which peaked between 1200 and 1450, was crucial for moving goods like gold and salt, fostering economic growth, and spreading Islam and culture throughout the region

Indian Ocean Network

The extensive premodern trading system connected lands bordering the Indian Ocean. This network facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and culture between East Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and China.

• It was characterized by its reliance on monsoon winds, its cosmopolitan port cities, and the relatively free flow of trade.

• Transportation was cheaper by sea than by land; it made transportation of bulk goods possible.

• Cultural diversity and environmental conditions facilitated trade

Shia (Shiite)

Those who believe that leadership of the Muslim community after the Prophet Muhammad's death should have passed to his son-in-law, Ali, and his descendants.

Sunni

The largest branch of Islam, representing the mainstream and traditional interpretation of faith. Sunni Muslims recognize the first four caliphs (successors to the Prophet Muhammad) as rightful leaders, emphasizing a more political and worldly approach to leadership.

Sufi

Muslim mystics who emphasize a personal and direct experience of God through practices like meditation and devotion.

The mystical, inward-focused dimension of Islam that emphasizes personal and direct experience of God through practices like meditation, chanting, and poetry.

• Sufis emphasized introspection to grasp truths that they believed could not be understood through learning.

Afro-Eurasia

The combined landmass of Africa, Europe, and Asia which forms the largest contiguous landmass on Earth. It's essentially the "old world" and is known for its early civilizations and extensive networks of exchange.

Baghdad

The capital of the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE) and a significant center of culture, learning, and trade during the Islamic Golden Age.

5 Pillars of Islam

The core tenets of the Islamic faith, fundamental practices that structure daily life for muslims.

1. Shahada (declaration of faith in Allah)

2. Salat (prayer)

3. Zakat (obligatory alms to the poor)

4. Sawm (fasting during Ramadan)

5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca if able)

Silk Road

The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and West, facilitating not just the exchange of goods but also ideas, culture, and technology from around 130 BCE to the 1450s. Connected East Asia with Europe and the Middle East.

• A vast network of ancient land and sea trade routes connecting East and West (Asia, Europe, Africa) from roughly 200 BCE to 1450 CE

Mamluks

Arabs often purchased enslaved people, or Mamluks, who were frequently ethnic Turks from Central Asia, to serve as soldiers and later as bureaucrats. Because of their roles, Mamluks had more opportunities than did most enslaved people.

• Enslaved military soldiers, often from Central Asian Turkic backgrounds, who were trained to be elite warriors and later became the ruling class of the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria from 1250 to 1517

Mamluk Sultanate

In Egypt, Mamluks overthrew the Ayyubid dynasty and seized control of the government, establishing the Mamluk sultanate (1250-1517). This sultanate served as a buffer against the Mongol invasions and the Crusades while contributing to the cultural/economic development of the region.

• A powerful Islamic state ruling Egypt and the Levant, founded and run by former slave soldiers (Mamluks, often Turkic/Circassian) who overthrew their Ayyubid masters, becoming renowned for defeating Mongols at Ain Jalut, transforming Cairo into a cultural hub, and establishing a unique military-led society before falling to the Ottomans, highlighting military power in Dar al-Islam. 

Sultanate

A Sultanate is a state or territory ruled by a Sultan, who is the ruler of a Muslim country. The term refers to the system of governance under a sultan, who typically claims full sovereignty and does not answer to a higher religious authority, such as a Caliph.

Seljuk Turks

A Turkic nomadic group from Central Asia that, after converting to Islam, conquered vast areas of the Middle East, including Persia and parts of the Byzantine empire. They established a powerful empire, with their leader becoming a sultan (secular ruler), significantly reducing the Abbasid caliph to a religious figure. Seized Baghdad in 1055

• A medieval Turkic Sunni Muslim dynasty from Central Asia that conquered Persia and the Middle East in the 11th century

Persians

The people of the ancient Persian Empire, a powerful empire that originated in the region of modern-day Iran.

Abbasid Caliphate

Third of the Islamic Caliphates of the Islamic Empire. The rulers who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphs. It started in 750 CE. It flourished for two centuries, but slowly went into decline with the rise to power of the Turkish army it had created, the Mamluks. In the 13th century, the Mongols displaced them.

• Led by Arabs and Persians

Mongols

• A nomadic group from central Asia, who, under Genghis Khan, established the largest contiguous land empire in history.

• Their conquests connected vast regions of Asia and Europe.

• The Mongols conquered the remaining Abbasid Empire in 1258 and ended the Seljuk rule. They continued to push westward but were stopped in Egypt by the Mamluks.

Crusades

A series of religious wars (1096-1291) fought primarily between Christians and muslims, aimed at controlling the Holy Land, particularly Jerusalem.

Crusaders

Christian warriors sent to regain the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from the Muslims.

• Seljuk Turks limited Christian travel to holy sites

• European Christians organized groups of soldiers called crusaders to open access.

Arabs

traveling people who lived throughout North Africa and Southwest Asia/Middle East, first followers of Islam

Turks

A collection of Turkic peoples originating from Central Asia, historically known for forming nomadic empires and their significant expansion and assimilation into the Islamic world, particularly through empires like the Seljuks and the Ottomans.

Mahayana Buddhism

A major branch emphasizing compassion, altruism, and the goal of helping all beings reach enlightenment, featuring figures like Bodhisattvas (an enlightened being who postpones nirvana to help others)

• Dominant in East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia) and the Himalayan regions (Tibet)

Theradava Buddhism

Meaning "Way of the Elders," is the oldest surviving Buddhist tradition, preserving what it sees as the Buddha's original teachings in the Pali Canon, emphasizing individual liberation through ethical conduct, meditation (like vipassana), and wisdom, focusing on achieving Nirvana by following the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

• Dominant in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, shaping Southeast Asian culture for centuries