AP World Unit 2 (Glossary)

Silk Roads

A network of overland trade routes connecting China and Central Asia with the Middle East and Europe; merchants exchanged goods while religions and technologies spread.

Junks

Large Chinese sailing ships with features such as multiple masts and watertight compartments; they supported maritime trade across East and Southeast Asia.

Commodities

Goods produced for sale or exchange; examples include silk porcelain spices gold and salt.

Silk

A valuable fabric produced from silkworm fibers; China was the major early producer and silk became a highly desired product along the Silk Roads.

Horses

Animals used for transportation warfare and communication; Central Asian steppe peoples traded them and used them to support powerful cavalry forces.

Porcelain

Fine and durable ceramic ware developed in China; it became a valuable export traded across Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Spices

Plant products such as pepper cinnamon and cloves used to flavor food and for medicine; Asian ___s were highly desired in long-distance trade.

Paper

A writing material invented in China that spread westward; it made written communication and recordkeeping more accessible.

Luxury goods

Expensive or highly desired products such as silk porcelain spices and precious stones; long-distance merchants often traded them for substantial profit.

First paper money

first developed and used on a large scale in China; it made some commercial transactions easier than transporting large quantities of coins.

Indian Ocean Exchange

A maritime trading network linking East Africa the Middle East South Asia Southeast Asia and China; it exchanged goods and spread religions languages and technologies.

Compass/astrolabe

Navigation instruments used by sailors; one indicates direction while the other helps estimate latitude using celestial observations.

Monsoons

Seasonal wind patterns over the Indian Ocean; sailors used predictable changes in wind direction to plan voyages between coastal trading regions.

Caravans

Groups of merchants and travelers moving together across long distances; they transported goods and improved safety on routes such as those crossing Central Asia and the Sahara.

Caravanserai

Roadside lodging places along trade routes where merchants could rest obtain supplies and shelter animals; they supported long-distance commerce across Eurasia.

Camel caravan

A group of camels and travelers transporting goods across deserts; camels were especially useful for trans-Saharan trade because they could endure dry conditions.

Camel saddle

Equipment designed to help people ride camels or carry heavy cargo; improved saddles helped make camel transport more practical for desert trade.

Champa rice

A fast-growing and drought-resistant rice variety from Champa in Southeast Asia; its introduction to China helped increase food production and support population growth.

Gold

A valuable precious metal used for wealth jewelry and trade; West African gold helped support trans-Saharan commerce and the prosperity of Ghana and Mali.

Salt

An essential mineral used to preserve and flavor food; Saharan salt from places such as Taghaza was traded southward across West Africa.

Copper

A useful metal traded and used to make tools ornaments and other objects; it was one of many materials exchanged through regional trade networks.

Beads

Small decorative objects made from materials such as glass stone or shell; ___s served as ornaments and trade goods across several regions.

Slave trade

The buying selling and forced transportation of enslaved people; different ___-trading networks operated across Africa the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean world.

Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

Trade networks crossing the Sahara that connected West African states with North Africa and Mediterranean markets; gold and salt were major goods exchanged.

Roman Empire

An ancient empire centered on Rome that controlled territories around the Mediterranean; its western half fell in 476 CE while its eastern continuation survived as the Byzantine Empire.

Byzantine Empire

The eastern continuation of the Roman Empire centered on Constantinople; it preserved Roman political traditions and Orthodox Christianity while connecting European and Asian trade.

Chinese dynasties

Successive ruling families that governed China; dynasties such as the Tang Song and Yuan shaped government trade technology and cultural life.

Mongols

A people originating on the Central Asian steppe who built a vast Eurasian empire in the 13th century; their conquests connected regions and expanded long-distance trade.

Pax Mongolica

A period of relative stability across parts of Mongol-controlled Eurasia; protected routes and communication helped merchants and travelers move along the Silk Roads.

Chagatai Khanate

A Mongol successor state that ruled parts of Central Asia after the Mongol Empire fragmented; it occupied territory along important Eurasian routes.

Il-Khan Khanate

A Mongol successor state that ruled much of Persia and nearby territories; its rulers interacted with Islamic societies and Eurasian trade networks.

Golden Horde

A Mongol successor state that controlled parts of Russia and the western Eurasian steppe; it influenced regional politics and trade connections between Europe and Asia.

Yuan Dynasty

A dynasty established by Kublai Khan that ruled China from 1271 to 1368; it was founded by Mongol rulers and supported connections between China and the wider Mongol world.

Srivijaya Empire

A maritime trading empire based in Sumatra in Southeast Asia; it gained wealth and influence by controlling important sea routes near the Strait of Malacca.

Majapahit

A powerful kingdom based on Java in present-day Indonesia; it became influential in Southeast Asian politics and maritime trade during the 13th to 15th centuries.

Malacca Sultanate

A Muslim-ruled trading state on the Malay Peninsula; its location near the Strait of Malacca made it a major center of Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian commerce.

Delhi Sultanate

A succession of Muslim-ruled dynasties that governed much of northern India from the 13th century; it strengthened Islamic political influence in the region.

Vijayanagara Empire

A powerful Hindu-ruled empire in southern India founded in the 14th century; it competed with neighboring states and participated in regional commerce.

Kingdom of Ghana

An early West African state that gained wealth by taxing trade across the Sahara; gold and other goods connected it to North African merchants.

Kingdom of Mali

A powerful West African empire that prospered through trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt; rulers such as Mansa Musa expanded its wealth and Islamic connections.

Mamluk Sultanate

A Muslim-ruled state based in Egypt that controlled Egypt and parts of the eastern Mediterranean; it played an important role in regional trade and politics.

Marinid Dynasty

A Muslim dynasty that ruled Morocco in North Africa during the medieval period; its territory was connected to trans-Saharan trade and Islamic scholarship.

Ethiopia

An East African state with a long-standing Christian tradition; its Christian kingdom maintained religious and political connections with other parts of the Red Sea region.

Buddhism

A religion originating in South Asia based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama; merchants and missionaries helped spread it across Central Asia China Korea and Japan.

Islam

A monotheistic religion founded on the teachings of Muhammad in 7th-century Arabia; merchants scholars and rulers helped spread it through the Middle East Africa and Asia.

Hinduism

A diverse religious tradition that developed in South Asia; it influenced Indian society and spread cultural practices into parts of Southeast Asia.

Christianity

A monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus that originated in the Middle East; it spread through missionaries trade migration and imperial expansion.

Confucianism

A Chinese ethical and philosophical tradition associated with Confucius; it emphasizes social harmony education respect for elders and proper relationships.

Syncretism

The blending of beliefs or cultural practices from different traditions; it often occurred when merchants migrants and religious communities interacted.

Nomads

People who move from place to place rather than living permanently in one settlement; steppe ___s often relied on herding and played major roles in Eurasian trade and warfare.

Genghis Khan

The founder of the Mongol Empire who united Mongol tribes in the early 13th century; his conquests created the basis for a vast empire across Eurasia.

Tengriism

A traditional spiritual belief system among many Central Asian steppe peoples centered on ___ the sky deity; it was important among Mongol and Turkic groups.

Kublai Khan

A grandson of Genghis Khan who founded the Yuan Dynasty in China; he completed the Mongol conquest of the Song and ruled from a Chinese imperial capital.

Zheng He

A Chinese Muslim admiral who led large Ming-sponsored maritime expeditions in the early 15th century; his voyages strengthened diplomatic contacts and demonstrated Ming power across the Indian Ocean.

Ibn Battuta

A Moroccan Muslim scholar and traveler who journeyed across Africa Asia and the Middle East in the 14th century; his travel account documents connected Muslim societies.

Marco Polo

A Venetian merchant and traveler associated with journeys through Asia during the Mongol period; his accounts introduced many European readers to Asian places and customs.

Margery Kempe

An English Christian mystic from the 14th and 15th centuries; her autobiographical account describes religious experiences pilgrimages and devotional life in medieval Europe.

Mansa Musa

The famous 14th-century ruler of the Mali Empire; his pilgrimage to Mecca displayed Mali's wealth and strengthened its connections with the wider Islamic world.

Swahili

A Bantu-based language and coastal cultural tradition of East Africa shaped by African and Indian Ocean influences; ____ city-states traded with Arabia Persia India and beyond.

Hausa

A West African people associated with trading cities and states in the region of modern northern Nigeria and nearby areas; ____ communities participated in regional and trans-Saharan commerce.

Diaspora

The dispersal of a population away from its original homeland; ____ communities carried languages religions customs and trade connections to new regions.

Baghdad

A major city in present-day Iraq that became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century; it developed into a center of Islamic scholarship commerce and translation.

Aleppo

A historic city in present-day Syria located near important routes connecting the Mediterranean Mesopotamia and inland Asia; it became a significant center of regional trade.

Karakorum

A city in Mongolia that served as a capital of the early Mongol Empire; it was a political center within the Mongol world.

Peking/Beijing

A city in northern China that became an important imperial capital including under the Yuan Dynasty; it connected Mongol rule with Chinese political traditions.

Xi'an/Chang'an

An ancient Chinese capital located in present-day Xi'an; it was a major eastern starting point of Silk Roads trade and a center of imperial culture.

Samarkand

A major Central Asian city in present-day Uzbekistan; its location made it an important hub for merchants and cultural exchange along the Silk Roads.

Timbuktu

A West African city in present-day Mali that prospered through trans-Saharan commerce; it became known for Islamic scholarship and manuscript learning.

Taghaza

A Saharan settlement in present-day Mali known for salt mines; its salt was transported across the desert and exchanged for goods including gold.

Book of the Marvels of the World

A famous travel account associated with Marco Polo and his descriptions of Asian societies; it is also known as The Travels of Marco Polo and influenced European views of Asia.

Black Death

A devastating plague pandemic that spread across Eurasia and North Africa during the 14th century; trade and travel helped carry the disease and it caused enormous population loss.

What made the Mali Empire wealthy?

Trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt provided revenue and helped Mali become a powerful West African empire.

Why was Timbuktu important?

It connected trans-Saharan trade with Islamic scholarship and became a center of learning and manuscript production.

How were Taghaza and Mali connected?

Taghaza produced salt that merchants transported across the Sahara and exchanged in West African trading networks including Mali.

Why were camels important to trans-Saharan trade?

Camels could endure desert conditions and carry people and cargo over long distances with limited water.

How did camel saddles help trade?

Specialized saddles made camels more useful for carrying heavy loads and helped expand the volume of desert trade.

What was the purpose of a caravanserai?

It provided lodging protection water and supplies for merchants and animals traveling along long-distance trade routes.

How did the Silk Roads connect societies?

They carried goods and also spread religions technologies artistic styles scientific knowledge and cultural practices across Eurasia.

What effect did Pax Mongolica have on Silk Roads trade?

Relative stability under Mongol rule improved movement and communication across parts of Eurasia and encouraged long-distance commerce.

How did the Mongol Empire help connect Eurasia?

Conquest brought many regions under related political systems and expanded movement of merchants envoys skilled workers and ideas.

How did Genghis Khan affect Eurasia?

He united Mongol tribes and began conquests that created an empire linking large parts of Asia and eastern Europe.

How was Kublai Khan connected to China?

He established the Yuan Dynasty and ruled China as a Mongol emperor while adopting aspects of Chinese imperial government.

What was the relationship between the Yuan Dynasty and the Mongols?

The Yuan Dynasty was founded by Mongol rulers and governed China as part of the broader Mongol imperial legacy.

Why was Samarkand important?

Its Central Asian location connected trade routes between China the Middle East and other parts of Eurasia.

Why was Baghdad important?

As an Abbasid capital it became a major center of government learning translation commerce and cultural exchange in the Islamic world.

How did the Indian Ocean trade network work?

Merchants used sea routes and seasonal winds to exchange goods among East Africa Arabia Persia India Southeast Asia and China.

Why were monsoons important to Indian Ocean trade?

Predictable seasonal wind changes helped sailors plan voyages and return journeys across the Indian Ocean.

How did the compass and astrolabe help maritime trade?

The compass helped sailors identify direction while the astrolabe helped them estimate latitude using the position of celestial bodies.

How did junks contribute to trade?

Large Chinese ships carried cargo and passengers across Asian waters and supported China's maritime commercial connections.

How did Champa rice affect China?

The introduction of fast-growing rice increased agricultural output and helped support population growth in parts of China.

Why was porcelain important to trade?

Chinese porcelain was durable and highly desired abroad so its production and export linked Chinese workshops to overseas markets.

How did Zheng He contribute to Indian Ocean connections?

His state-sponsored voyages established diplomatic contacts and displayed Ming power while visiting trading ports across the Indian Ocean.

How did Ibn Battuta demonstrate cultural connections?

His journeys across Muslim regions reveal shared religious institutions and scholarly networks as well as regional differences.

How did Marco Polo connect Europe and Asia?

His accounts described Asian places and customs to European audiences and reflected increased contact during the Mongol period.

How did Islam spread through trade?

Merchants scholars and Sufi teachers carried Islamic beliefs and practices to trading cities and communities in Africa and Asia.

How did Buddhism spread across Asia?

Merchants missionaries and travelers carried Buddhist teachings along trade routes and helped establish monasteries in new regions.

What is an example of syncretism?

When communities combine elements of different religious traditions or cultural practices after sustained contact they create syncretic forms.

How were the Swahili connected to Indian Ocean trade?

East African coastal communities exported goods and traded with merchants from Arabia Persia India and other Indian Ocean regions.

How did Srivijaya gain power?

It benefited from its strategic location near major maritime routes and profited from controlling and participating in regional trade.

Why was the Malacca Sultanate important?

It controlled a key passage between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea and became an important center for merchants and the spread of Islam.