Unit 1 WHAP Vocab

Synthesize

To combine different elements from different sources into one idea or entity

Reconstitute

Reconstruct, or build up again from parts (as in a reconstituted empire)

Caravanserai

Large, single building structures, generally without roofs but with many places to house and feed merchants and their animals along trade routes

Astrolabe

Navigational instrument for determining latitude by looking at the stars, used along the Indian Ocean trade routes and the Trans-Saharan caravan routes

Lateen sail

Large triangular sails that are attached to the masts; good at catching winds from multiple sides or during times when there is little wind

Dhow

Indian, Persian, and Arab ships, one hundred to four hundred tons, that sailed and traded throughout the Indian Ocean basin

Junk

Chinese and Southeast Asian ships that can carry one thousand tons of cargo

Tributary system

System where surrounding areas recognize and pay tribute to China to acknowledge their subordinate status

Merit

Conduct or behavior that deserves reward, honor, or esteem

Kowtow

Ritual prostration in which the subordinates knelt before the Chinese emperor and touch their foreheads to the ground

Neo-Confucianism

Syncretic belief system used in China that combines Confucianism with elements of Buddhism and Daoism

Shinto

Indigenous Japanese religion that emphasizes purity, clan loyalty, and the divinity of the emperor

Hajj

Islamic holy pilgrimage to Mecca, which Muslims must make in their lifetime

Sharia

Islamic holy law, drawn upon by theologians from the Quran and accounts of Mohammad's life

Caliph

Deputy, or leader/head of state for the Islamic empire

Jizya

Tax in Islamic empires that was imposed on non-Muslims

Proselytize

To try to convert someone to a religion

Qadis

Islamic judge

Umma

The followers/community of Muhammad

Sakk

Letter of credit that were common in medieval Islamic banking world (like a check)

Subservient

Obedient, willing to serve someone else

Sufi

Islamic mystics who placed more emphasis on emotion and devotion than on strict adherence to rules, good at converting people to Islam

Bhakti Movement

South Asian movement that attempted to 'bridge the gap' between Hinduism and Islam by promoting acceptance between followers of the two religions

Coerced

Forced to do something, as in labor

Chinampa

Agricultural gardens used by Mexica (Aztecs) in which fertile muck from lake bottoms was dredged and built up into small plots in the middle of the lake

Waru waru

Agricultural technique used by the South American civilizations (like the Inca), featuring raised beds and irrigation

Mit'a system

Labor system used by the Incas, which required males to perform labor for the govt, such as building roads and religious temples (used as a tax)

Quipu

Incan system of using knotted strings to serve as record keeping

Bantu migrations

African peoples who slowly migrate through sub-Saharan Africa between 3000 BCE and 1000 CE, bringing with them bananas and iron metallurgy

Griot

West African storytellers who preserved their history and culture orally