AP world Unit 1

Song Dynasty

In power from 960 to 1279 in East Asia; used Confucianism to justify rule and maintain a centralized government.

Confucianism

A philosophy where society is built on a natural hierarchy; emphasizes that those below must submit to those above to achieve harmony.

Imperial Bureaucracy

A large organization of appointed officials who carry out the emperor's laws; qualifications were based on the Civil Service Exam.

Civil Service Exam

A test based on Confucian texts used to select government officials, creating a meritocracy that favored the wealthy who could afford to study.

Meritocracy

A system where jobs are handed out to the most qualified people rather than those with family or blood connections.

Filial Piety

The necessity of children obeying and honoring parents and ancestors; respect for parents was equated to respect for the emperor.

Neo-Confucianism

A revival of Confucianism during the Song Dynasty that blended Buddhist and Taoist elements while reinforcing strict social hierarchies.

Scholar-Gentry

A social class of influential, educated landowners who earned their status through the civil service system.

Foot Binding

A social practice among wealthy Song women where feet were bound to show status; it signaled a husband was rich enough to hire servants.

Heian Japan

A period in Japanese history heavily influenced by Chinese traditions, including Confucianism and government structure.

Buddhism

Originating in India and centered on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to end suffering and reach Nirvana.

Nirvana

The ultimate goal in Buddhism to reach enlightenment and become one with the universe, ending the cycle of reincarnation.

Theravada Buddhism

A branch of Buddhism from Sri Lanka that believed outsiders were too occupied with the real world to reach Nirvana.

Mahayana Buddhism

East Asian branch of Buddhism that encouraged wider participation to help enlighten non-Buddhist people.

Tibetan Buddhism

A specialized form of Buddhism developed in the Himalayan region incorporating distinct local traditions. (they shaved themselves?. they use more montras and rituals to reach nirvana faster))

Champa Rice

Fast-ripening, drought-resistant rice from Vietnam that allowed for two harvests per year and led to a population explosion.

Grand Canal

A massive internal waterway that linked Northern and Southern China, boosting trade, unity, and communication.

important because North had iron but it was too cold. thanks to the grand canal south china was able to send things there so they could build houses and allow people to eat while contributing to the steel and iron production of the north (man built)

Steel and Iron Production

A key technological innovation in Song China that allowed for increased manufacturing and export.

Abbasid Caliphate

The major Islamic state that fragmented after 1200, leading to the rise of new Turkic-led entities.

Seljuk Empire

Turkic nomads who took military and political power from the Abbasids while keeping the Caliph as a religious figurehead.

Mamluk Sultanate

An Islamic state in Egypt established by "Mamluks" or enslaved Turkic soldiers who seized power.

Delhi Sultanate

Islamic state in Northern India that struggled to convert the Hindu population but introduced Islam to the region.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

A scholar who made significant advances in mathematics, specifically improving trigonometry.

‘A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah

A female Sufi poet and scholar whose work reflected the mystical and scholarly depth of Islam.

House of Wisdom

A famous center of learning in Baghdad where scholars preserved and commented on Greek philosophy.

Sufism

A mystical branch of Islam focusing on a personal connection to God; effective at spreading Islam by adapting to local cultures.

Bhakti Movement

A Hindu movement focusing on emotional attachment to a deity; appealed to the masses because it challenged traditional hierarchies.

Vijayanagara Empire

A powerful Hindu empire in Southern India that rose as a counterpoint to the Muslim Delhi Sultanate.

Srivijaya Empire

A sea-based empire that grew wealthy by controlling maritime trade routes like the Strait of Malacca.

Majapahit

A Buddhist sea-based empire in Southeast Asia that profited from maritime trade routes.

Khmer Empire

A land-based empire in Cambodia known for Angkor Wat, showing the transition from Hinduism to Buddhism.

Sukhothai Kingdom

A land-based state in Southeast Asia that used advanced irrigation and religious architecture to project power.

Sinhala Dynasties

Island-based states in Sri Lanka where Theravada Buddhism was deeply influential.

Mexica (Aztecs)

A decentralized empire in Mexico that ruled through a Tribute System, requiring goods and labor from conquered people.

Inca Empire

A highly centralized empire in the Andes that used the Mit'a system for mandatory public service labor.

Mit'a System

A mandatory public labor requirement used by the Inca to build roads, bridges, and other state infrastructure.

Cahokia

The largest city of the Mississippian culture, known for building massive earthen mounds.

Chaco and Mesa Verde

North American societies that built complex dwellings and showed social stratification.

Great Zimbabwe

A powerful state in Southeast Africa that grew wealthy through agriculture and the gold trade.

Ethiopia (Axum)

A unique Christian kingdom in East Africa that remained independent while surrounded by Islamic states.

Hausa Kingdoms

Loosely connected city-states in West Africa that became Islamic through the Trans-Saharan trade.

Feudalism

A decentralized political system based on land-for-loyalty, involving Kings, Lords, and Knights (vassals).

Manorialism

The economic system of the Middle Ages where serfs lived on a Lord's estate (manor) and worked the land for protection.

Serfdom

A form of coerced labor where peasants were legally bound to the land, though not owned as property. they were slaves but their descendants were not