UNIT I: The Global Tapestry (VOCABULARY Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Unit I: The Global Tapestry (c. 1200–1450).

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960–1279) noted for wealth, political stability, and innovations such as a large imperial bureaucracy and rapid manufacturing growth.

Champa rice

Fast-ripening rice from Champa (Vietnam) that expanded agricultural production and allowed two crops per year in China.

Grand Canal

Extensive inland waterway (over 30,000 miles) that linked northern and southern China to promote internal trade.

Gunpowder

Explosive powder first developed in China; led to early guns and facilitated diffusion of military innovations along the Silk Roads.

Woodblock printing

Printing method that enabled multiple copies of texts and facilitated literacy and dissemination of knowledge.

Neo-Confucianism

Syncretic philosophy blending Confucian ethics with Daoist and Buddhist ideas; influential in East Asian governance and thought.

Imperial bureaucracy

A vast, centralized system of appointed officials who administered the state and implemented policies.

Meritocracy (Civil Service Exam)

System in which officials gained office by merit on Confucian-based exams, expanding upward mobility.

Kowtow

Ritual bowing to the Chinese emperor by tributary states to acknowledge dominance and seek favor.

Foot binding

Practice of binding women's feet to signify status and restrict movement; banned in 1912.

Silk Roads

Network of trade routes across Eurasia that facilitated exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies.

Zheng He

Ming dynasty admiral who led large voyages to display power and promote tribute to China.

Abbasid Caliphate

Islamic empire centered in Baghdad; a hub of learning and culture before fragmentation and the rise of new states.

House of Wisdom

Renowned center of learning in Baghdad where scholars translated and advanced knowledge.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

Islamic scholar (13th c.) who contributed to astronomy, mathematics, and the development of trigonometry.

Ibn Khaldun

Historian often considered the founder of historiography and sociology for his analysis of societies.

A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah

Prolific Muslim Sufi poet and writer, one of the most prominent female Muslim intellectuals before the 20th century.

Sufis

Islamic mystics who emphasized personal experiential knowledge and often spread Islam through adaptation to local cultures.

Delhi Sultanate

Islamic sultanate in northern India (13th–16th c.) known for decentralized governance and the jizya tax on non-Muslims.

Mamluk Sultanate

Muslim slave-soldier-turned rulers in Egypt (1250–1517) who facilitated regional trade.

Zanj Rebellion

A major slave uprising by East Africans in Basra (9th–10th c.), highlighting slavery in the Islamic world.

Mali Empire

West African empire that rose after Ghana; wealth from gold; linked to North Africa through trans-Saharan trade.

Mansa Musa

Mali emperor famed for his pilgrimage to Mecca; expanded Mali’s fame and wealth, notably via Timbuktu.

Great Zimbabwe

East African kingdom known for large stone walls (without mortar) and regional trade.

Cahokia (Mississippian)

Mississippian chiefdom in North America with large earthen mounds and a matrilineal elite.

Maya city-states

Mesoamerican city-states characterized by writing, calendars, and impressive temples.

Aztec (Mexica)

Central Mexican empire centered at Tenochtitlán with tribute systems, chinampas, and human sacrifices.

Inca

Andean empire organized into four provinces with mit’a labor, quipu for record-keeping, and Carpa Nan roads.

Carpa Nan

Inca road system totaling thousands of miles used for administration and military movement.

Quipu

Incan knotted-string system used for accounting and record-keeping.