A system of ancient caravan routes across Central Asia, along which traders carried silk and other trade goods; known for spreading religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam as well as technological transfers and diseases like the Bubonic plague
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Indian Ocean Trade
connected to Europe, Africa, South Asia, and China.; worlds richest maritime trading network and an area of rapid Muslim expansion, spread of goods, ideas
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Trans-Saharan Trade
route across the Sahara Desert; traded for gold and salt, created caravan routes, economic benefit for controlling dessert, camels and camel saddles were crucial in the development of these trade networks; facilitated the spread of Islam
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magnetic compass
Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was north
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rudder
Steering device, usually a vertical blade attached to a post at, or near, the stern of the boat; improved sea trade
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junk ship
A very large flat-bottom sailing ship produced in the Tang and Song Empires, specially designed for long-distance commercial travel and participation in the tribute system
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Kashgar
Also known as Kashi, a central trading point at which the western and the eastern Silk Road met; It is one of the westernmost cities of China, near the border with modern day Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.
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Samarkand
During the rule of Timur Lane was the most influential capital city, a wealthy trading center known for decorated mosques and tombs; a key trading city along the Silk Roads
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paper money
legal currency issued on paper; it developed in China as a convenient alternative to metal coins; facilitated trade
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Caravanserai
an inn with a central courtyard for travelers in the desert regions of Asia or North Africa; allowed caravans and their camels to rest in a protected environment, encouraging trade
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porcelain
a thin, beautiful pottery invented in China
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monsoon winds
seasonal wind in India, the winter monsoon brings hot, dry weather and the summer monsoon brings rain
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Spice Islands
Europeans' name for the Moluccas, islands rich in cloves and nutmeg - highly valued spices often traded in the Indian Ocean trade network
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diaspora
A dispersion of people from their homeland; merchant communities of Muslim spread Islam throughout Southeast Asia
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Dhow Ships
Arab sailing vessels with triangular or lateen sails; strongly influenced European ship design; facilitated trade in the Indian Ocean networks
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Timbuktu
Mali trading city that became a center of wealth and learning thanks to its location in the trans-Saharan trade networks; universities, mosques, and libraries
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Camel Saddle
An invention which gives camel riders more stability on the animal and its invention and basic idea traveled along the Trans-Saharan Caravan Trade Route. Invented somewhere between 500 and 100 BCE by Bedouin tribes.
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caravan
group of traveling merchants and animals
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Sundiata
the founder of Mali empire. He crushed his enemies and won control of the gold trade routes along the trans-Saharan trade networks
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Khan
Name for a Mongol ruler
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Khanates
Four regional Mongol kingdoms that arose following the death of Ghengis Khan.
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Pax Mongolica
The period of approximately 150 years of relative peace and stability created by the Mongol Empire.
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Golden Horde
Mongol khanate founded by Genghis Khan's. It was based in southern Russia and quickly adopted both the Turkic language and Islam.
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Il-Khanate
Mongol empire that ruled over Iran (Persia) & the Middle East
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Yuan Dynasty
(1279-1368 CE) The dynasty with Mongol rule in China; centralized with bureaucracy but structure is different: Mongols on top->Persian bureaucrats->Chinese bureaucrats; did not emphasize Confucianism and the civil service exams
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Bubonic Plague
Also called the Black Death; the deadly disease that spread through Asia and Europe and killed more than a third of the population in some areas; hit Europe (peak 1347-1351) especially hard due to unsanitary living conditions and overcrowded cities; spread thanks to increased trade along the Silk Roads
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Gunpowder
Invented within China during the 9th century, this substance was became the dominate military technology used to expand European and Asian empires by the 15th century; spread from East to West via trade networks like the Silk Roads and help from the Pax Mongolica
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Swahili city-states
City coasts that actively participated in Indian Ocean trade along the East coast of the African continent
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Zheng He
(1371-1433?) Chinese Ming Dynasty naval explorer who sailed along most of the coast of Asia, Japan, and half way down the east coast of Africa before his death; facilitated China's role in the tribute system in the Indian Ocean trade network
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Pastoralists
semi-nomadic herders of domesticated animals
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Patriarchy
a system of society in which men hold the power
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Social Stratifcation
a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy
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Metallurgy
the science of working with metals
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Monotheism
belief in one god
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Polytheism
belief in more than one god
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Shamanism
The practice of identifying special individuals (shamans) who will interact with spirits for the benefit of the community.
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Animism
The belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other natural objects have souls
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Judaism
A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Developed written scriptures and an ethical code (Torah, 10 Commandments) over time.
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Vedas
Ancient Sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism.
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Hinduism
A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms
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Monasticism
A way of life in which men and women withdraw from the rest of the world in order to devote themselves to their faith (as monks and nuns)
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commodity
valuable product
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Legitimacy
the popular acceptance of an authority, like a King or ruler
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Caste System
a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation, but also his or her position in society
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Mandate of Heaven
an ancient Chinese belief and philosophical idea that tiān (heaven) granted emperors the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly.
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Reincarnation
the rebirth of a soul in a new body.
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Confucianism
A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It shows the way to ensure a stable government and an orderly society and stresses a moral code of conduct.
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Buddhism
the teaching of Buddha that emphasizes that life is filled with suffering caused by desire and that suffering ceases when desire ceases. Through right conduct, wisdom and meditation one can end the cycle of rebirth and reach Enlightenment.
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Christianity
A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament, emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.
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State
a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.
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Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
Means "Enlightened One." He is said to have renounced his worldly possessions and taught of a way to overcome suffering.
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filial piety
In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.
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ancestor veneration
Veneration of the dead or ancestors is based on the beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living
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syncretic religion
Combines two religious traditions into something distinctly new, while containing traits of both
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Silk Roads
trade routes stretching from China to the Mediterranean, which allowed for the exchange of goods and ideas from China to the Roman Empire
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Mediterranean Sea Lanes
Trade routes that connected the Mediterranean civilizations together. The need for a sea rout for trade in the region. Trade increased and diffusion of cultures occurred
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tribute system
payment made by one nation to another in acknowledgment of submission, notably used by Chinese dynasties
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Bureaucracy
A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials
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commercial exchange
the buying and selling of goods
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epidemic
A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.
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Missionaries
people who work to spread their religious beliefs
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Silk Roads uasage by mongols
flourished under the unity of the Mongols, only to lose favor again when the Mongols fell.
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Black Death
The common name for a major outbreak of plague that spread across Asia, North Africa, and Europe in the mid-fourteenth century in part caused by the period of unity along the Silk Road and migration of Mongols.
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Indian Ocean trading network
The world's largest sea-based system of comunication and exchange before 1500 C.E., Indian Ocean commerce stretched from southern China to eastern Africa and included not only the exchange of luxury and bulk goods but also the exchange of ideas and crops.
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Srivijaya
A Malay kingdom that dominated the Straits of Malacca between 600 and 1075 CE. It amassed wealth and power by a combination of selective adaptation of Indian technologies and concepts, and control of trade routes.
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Angkor Wat
This place was first a Hindu (dedicated to the god Vishnu), then subsequently a Buddhist, temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world.
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Swahili Coast
East African city-states that emerged in the 8th century CE from a blending of Bantu, Islamic, and other Indian Ocean trade elements
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Great Zimbabwe
City, now in ruins (in the modern African country of Zimbabwe), whose many stone structures were built between about 1250 and 1450, when it was a trading center and the capital of a large state.
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Mali Empire
Capitalizing on the Saharan trade routes, Mali traded gold & salt. Embraced Islam as well. notably under Mansa Musa.
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Song dynasty
During this Chinese dynasty (960 - 1279 CE) China saw many important inventions. There was a magnetic compass; paper money; gun powder; moveable type printing. Mass produced goods for trade on the Indian Ocean, experienced great urbanization, population increase, and embraced Neo-Confucianism.
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Hangzhou
Capital of later Song dynasty; located near East China Sea; permitted overseas trading; population exceeded 1 million.
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foot binding
Becoming prominent during the Song dynasty, practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller; produced pain and restricted women's movement; made it easier to confine women to the household.
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tribute system
Chinese method of dealing with foreign lands and people's that assumed the subordination of all non-Chinese authorities and required the payment of tribute --produce of value from their countries--to the Chinese emperor(although the Chinese gifts given in return were often much more valuable).
The five core practices required of Muslims: a profession of faith, regular prayer, charitable giving, fasting during Ramadan, and a pilgrimage to Mecca (if physically and financially possible).
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jizya
the extra tax paid by Christians and Jews who lived in Muslim communities
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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.
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Timbuktu
Mali trading city that became a center of wealth, learning, and Islam
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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.
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House of Wisdom
Combination library, academy, and translation center in Baghdad established in the 800 CE.
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Roman Catholic church
In 1054 CE Christianity was divided between the Eastern Orthodox (practiced in East Europe) and the Roman Catholic Church (practiced in West Europe). The head of the Roman Catholic church is the Pope.
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Serfdom
A type of labor used in in feudal Europe in which the laborers work the land in return for protection but they are bound to the land and are not allowed to leave or to pursue a new occupation.
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Feudal Europe
Western Europe was far removed from the growing world trade routes, but coastlines and river systems facilitated internal exchange. Decentralized kingships were established over powerful lords, with manors dominating political and economic life.
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Crusades
Armed pilgrimages to the Holy Land by Christians determined to recover Jerusalem from Muslim rule. The Crusades brought an end to western Europe's centuries of intellectual and cultural isolation.
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Mongols
13th-15th centuries; Military strength allowed for rapid conquest. Subjected huge populations in Eurasia to Mongol rule. Their conquests helped diffuse technology, culture, and disease due to the unity brought.
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Delhi Sultanate
The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India, centered in Delhi. A minority of Muslims ruled over a majority of Hindus, violent takeover led to religious tension.
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Malacca
Port city in the modern Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, founded about 1400 as a trading center on the Strait of Malacca. Also spelled Melaka.
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Inca
Largest and most powerful Andean empire. Controlled the Pacific coast of South America from Ecuador to Chile from its capital of Cuzco. Built a strong network of roads, and relied on the mita system.
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Syncretism
Religious syncretism exhibits blending of two or more religious belief systems into a new system
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Mita System
Incan system for payment of taxes with labor
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Grand Canal
The 1,100-mile waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers, facilitating trade and movement. It was expanded during the Song Empire.
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Fedualism
System where kings give land to nobles in exchange for service (as found in Western Europe)
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Arabic
Language of the Islamic civilization; facilitated trade.
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Quipu
An arrangement of knotted strings on a cord, used by the Inca to record numerical information.
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Marco Polo
Venetian merchant and traveler. His accounts of his travels to China offered Europeans a firsthand view of Asian lands and stimulated interest in Asian trade.
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Zheng He
Chinese admiral during the Ming Dynasty, he led great voyages through the Indian Ocean to acquire more tribute states
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Champa Rice
Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. It was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (in Vietnam) as part of the tributary system.
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moveable type
blocks of metal or wood, each bearing a single character, that can be arranged to make up a page for printing. Improved on by the Song Dynasty (from Korea)
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Seljuk Turks
nomadic Turks from Asia who conquered Baghdad in 1055 and allowed the caliph to remain only as a religious leader, leading to the increasing fragmentation of the Caliphate (but the promotion of science, learning, and trade in the empire remained.)