period 1 terms

Sui Dynasty

Sui Dynasty

Reunited China. Had extensive canal systems built. Expanded its borders (589-618)

Grand Canal

Built in 7th century during reign of Yangdi during Sui dynasty; designed to link the original centers of Chinese civilization on the north China plain with the Yangtze river basin to the south; nearly 1200 miles long.

Song Dynasty

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

Tang Dynasty

(618-907 CE) The Chinese dynasty that was much like the Han, who used Confucianism. This dynasty had the equal-field system, a bureaucracy based on merit, and a Confucian education system.

Equal Field System

Chinese system during the Tang dynasty in which the goal was to ensure an equitable distribution of land

Foot Binding

Chinese practice of tightly wrapping girls' feet to keep them small, begun in the Tang dynasty; an emphasis on small size and delicacy was central to views of female beauty.

Neo-Confucianism

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

Shinto

A Japanese religion whose followers believe that all things in the natural world are filled with divine spirits

Tale of Genji

the world's first novel, written around AD 1000 by Lady Murasaki Shikibu

Heian Period

The era in Japanese history from A.D. 794-1185, arts and writing flourished during this time

Champa Rice

Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. Originally introduced into Champa from India, it was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state of Vietnam (as part of the tributary system.)

Shogun

In feudal Japan, a noble similar to a duke. They were the military commanders and the actual rulers of Japan for many centuries while the Emperor was a powerless spiritual figure.

Samurai

Class of warriors in feudal Japan who pledged loyalty to a noble in return for land.

Bedouin

Nomadic pastoralists of the Arabian peninsula; culture based on camel and goat nomadism; early converts to Islam.

Islam

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

Muhammad

the Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632)

Quran (Koran)

The holy book of Islam

Hadith

Traditional records of the deeds of Muhammad, and his quotations

Kaaba

(Islam) a black stone building in Mecca that is shaped like a cube and that is the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine

Umma

The community of all Muslims

Dar al-Islam

an Arabic term that means the "house of Islam" and that refers to lands under Islamic rule

Jihad

A holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal

Caravanserai

an inn with a central courtyard for travelers in the desert regions of Asia or North Africa.

Thousand and One Nights

A group of tales narrated by a fictional princess, many are set in baghdad, include romances, fables, adventures, best known for Aladdin and the magic lamp

Caliph

successor to Muhammad as political and religious leader of the Muslims

Shia

The second largest sect within Islam. It originated in the early centuries of Islam perhaps over a political dispute over who would be the next Caliph. This group believed that Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin Ali should be the Caliph. Over time this faction's religious interpretations and practices have also come to differ slightly from most Muslims.

Umayyad Dynasty (661-750)

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 Dynasty (750-1258)

1- The founders of this second great Muslim dynasty claimed to be descendants of Muhammad's uncle, so at first they were more acceptable to Shi'ites than the Umayyads 2- They also learned from the mawali (non-Arab Muslims) rebellion that a change in policy toward non-Arabs was due 3- As a result, a cosmopolitan mix of cultures combined to create a dynamic civilization 4- They moved the capital of the Islamic Empire from Damascus in present-day Syria (Umayyad capital) to Baghdad in present-day Iraq 5- However, they could not solve the intractable problem of how to centrally govern a vast, multi-ethnic domain

Sunni

A branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad, largest sect in islam

Delhi Sultanate

(1206-1526) Centralized Indian empire of varying extent, created by Muslim invaders.

Dhow Ships

Arab sailing vessels with triangular or lateen sails; strongly influenced European ship design; facilitated trade in the Indian Ocean networks

junk ships

An ancient Chinese sailing vessel design that used watertight compartments

Axum

The Christian state in Africa that developed its own branch of Christianity, Coptic Christianity, because it was cut off from other Christians due to a large Muslim presence in Africa.

sufis

Muslim mystics who seek communion with God through meditation, fasting, and other rituals

Constantinople

City founded as the second capital of the Roman Empire; later became the capital of the Byzantine Empire

Caesaropapism

political system where the head of the state is the head of the Church

Code of Justinian

The collection of laws that were taken from old Roman law and rewritten so that they could be easily understood by emperor justinian

Hagia Sophia

Most famous example of Byzantine architecture, it was built under Justinian I and is considered one of the most perfect buildings in the world.

Charlemagne

King of the Franks (r. 768-814); first holy roman empire (r. 800-814). Through a series of military conquests he established the Carolingian Empire, which encompassed all of Gaul and parts of Germany and Italy. Illiterate, though started an intellectual revival.

Vikings

Scandinavian peoples whose sailors raided Europe from the 700s through the 1100s

iconoclasm

Opposing or even destroying images, especially those set up for religious veneration in the belief that such images represent idol worship.

Patriarch

Highest church official in eastern orthodoxy

Great Schism

in 1054 this severing of relations divided medieval Christianity into the already distinct Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectively. Relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes.

Orthodox Christianity

A branch of Christianity developed in the Byzantine Empire, after its split from the Roman Empire. It spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Russia.

Feudalism

the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.

Shaman

an ancient doctor, healer, or priest, they were called upon for religious ceremonies

Mongol Khanates

Four regional Mongol kingdoms that arose following the death of Genghis Khan.

Chinngis (Genghis) Khan / Temujin

The founder of the Mongol empire. United many of the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. Started the Mongol invasions that resulted in the conquest of most of Eurasia. Before he died, he split his empire among his descendants into khanates. He also officially adopted a type of script as the Mongol writing system and promoted religious tolerance in his empire. Created a military and civil system he used to govern the empire. One of the most diverse and ethnically tolerant empires in history.

Yuan Dynasty

Chinese dynasty ruled by the Mongols from 1279 to 1368; best known ruler was Kublai Khan

Jenne-Jeno

One of the first urbanized centers in western Africa. A walled community home to approximately 50,000 people at its height. Evidence suggests domestication of agriculture and trade with nearby regions.

Trans-Saharan Trade

route across the sahara desert. Major trade route that traded for gold and salt, created caravan routes, economic benefit for controlling dessert, camels played a huge role in the trading

Mali Empire

From 1235-1400, this was a strong empire of Western African. With its trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao, it had many mosques and universities. The Empire was ruled by two great rulers, Sundiata and Mansa Musa. Thy upheld a strong gold-salt trade. The fall of the empire was caused by the lack of strong rulers who could govern well.

Mansa Musa

Ruler of Mali (r. 1312-1337). His extravagant pilgrimage through Egypt to Mecca in 1324-1325 established the empire's reputation for wealth in the Mediterranean world.

Islamic Slave Trade

10 million slaves have been shipped out of Africa by this slave trade between the 8th and 18th centuries. Europeans used these existing networks and expanded the slave trade

Swahili

A Bantu language with arabic words, spoken along the east african coast, usually as a lingua franca

Crusades

A series of holy wars from 1096-1270 AD undertaken by European Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule. did not work

Hanseatic League

an organization of north German and Scandinavian cities for the purpose of establishing a commercial alliance.

Chinampa system

System in which farmers dredged up muck from the lake to plots of land, allowing some cultivators to grow up to seven crops a year

Bubonic Plague

disease brought to Europe from the Mongols during the Middle Ages. It killed 1/3 of the population and helps end Feudalism. Rats, fleas typically spread it.

Marco Polo

(1254-1324) Italian explorer and author. He made numerous trips to China and returned to Europe to write of his journeys. He is responsible for much of the knowledge exchanged between Europe and China during this time period.

Ibn Battuta

(1304-1369) Morrocan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time. He wrote a detailed account of his visits to Islamic lands from China to Spain and the western Sudan. His writings gave a glimpse into the world of that time period.

Vassals

lesser lords who pledged their service and loyalty to a greater lord

Primogeniture

A system of inheritance in which the eldest son in a family received all of his father's land. The nobility remained powerful and owned land, while the 2nd and 3rd sons were forced to seek fortune elsewhere. Many of them turned to the New World for their financial purposes and individual wealth.

mit'a system

mandatory public service system created by the inca