Terms U1 & 2: 600-1450 OCSA

Add (1) Definition (2) Significance to a theme or big question

Neo-Confucianism

Censorate

Hangzhou (Song capital)

Foot binding

“middle kingdom”

kowtow

Xiongnu

Sultanate of Delhi

Sufis

Kabir

Sikhism

Timbuktu

Mexica

Triple Alliance

Tenochtitlan

Chinampas, aka “floating gardens”

Huitzilopochtli

Quechua

Gender Parallelism

Yuan Dynasty

Khubilai Khan

Hulegu

Khutulun

Kipchak Khanate/ Golden Horde

Monsoon winds

Swahili language

Great Zimbabwe

Jenne-Jeno

Camel caravans

Ulama

Madrassas

Sufis

The hajj

Pure Land School of Buddhism

An Lushan Rebellion

Pastoralism

Modun

Xiongnu

Turks

artisans

Skilled craft workers who produced goods such as textiles, ceramics, metalwork, and other manufactured products.

Buddhism

A religion founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama that spread across Asia through trade and cultural exchange.

Champa rice

A fast-ripening rice variety from Vietnam adopted in Song China that increased agricultural output and supported rapid population growth.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

A Buddhist tradition emphasizing meditation and direct insight, later known as Zen in Japan.

filial piety

A Confucian value emphasizing respect, obedience, and duty toward one's parents and ancestors.

Grand Canal

A major Chinese waterway linking northern and southern China, strengthening internal trade and political unity.

imperial bureaucracy

A centralized system of government staffed by appointed officials who administered laws and policies across the empire.

Mahayana Buddhism

A branch of Buddhism that emphasizes bodhisattvas and broader access to enlightenment, influential in East Asia.

meritocracy

A system in which advancement is based on ability and achievement, particularly through examination performance.

scholar gentry

Educated elite in China who gained status through success on civil service examinations and often served in government.

Song Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty (960-1279) known for economic expansion, technological innovation, and a strong bureaucratic system.

syncretic

The blending of different religious or cultural traditions into a new combined system.

Theravada Buddhism

A branch of Buddhism emphasizing monastic life and adherence to early teachings, dominant in parts of South and Southeast Asia.

Abbasid Caliphate

The Islamic dynasty (750-1258) centered in Baghdad that oversaw a flourishing of trade, scholarship, and scientific advancement.

Baghdad

The capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and a major center of trade, learning, and culture during the Islamic Golden Age.

Crusaders

European Christians who launched military campaigns between the 11th and 13th centuries to gain control of Jerusalem and other holy lands.

House of Wisdom

A major intellectual center in Baghdad where scholars translated and preserved Greek, Persian, and Indian knowledge.

Muhammad

The prophet of Islam (570-632 C.E.) who founded the religion and whose teachings form the basis of the Quran.

Bhakti Movement

A Hindu devotional movement that emphasized personal worship of a deity and spiritual equality.

mit'a system

A labor system requiring subject peoples of the Inca Empire to provide periodic labor for public works and state projects.

Swahili

A coastal East African culture and language that developed through trade between African, Arab, and Persian merchants.

trans-Saharan trade

Trade routes crossing the Sahara Desert that connected West Africa to North Africa and facilitated exchange of gold, salt, and other goods.

Marco Polo

A Venetian merchant whose travels to Asia expanded European knowledge of the East.

European Middle Ages

Era in Europe (500-1500) marked by feudalism, where Europe was disconnected from and behind other parts of the world.

Renaissance

A cultural revival in Italy (1300 - 1500) that emphasized classical learning, art, and human potential.

caravanserai

Inns built along Silk Road to provide lodging and protection for merchants and caravans.

flying cash

An early form of Chinese paper money used during the Tang and Song dynasties to facilitate trade.

junk

A large Chinese sailing ship with multiple masts and watertight compartments used extensively in maritime trade.

dhow

An Arab sailboat used for travel and trade on the Indian Ocean.

lateen sails

Triangular sails that allowed ships to sail against the wind and improved maneuverability.

magnetic compass

A navigational instrument developed in China that uses Earth's magnetic field to determine direction and improved sea travel.

rudder

A Chinese invention that allowed sailors to steer their ship.

Samarkand

A major Central Asian city that flourished under Mongol rule as a center of trade and culture.

bubonic plague

A deadly infectious disease spread by fleas on rats that devastated Eurasia in the 14th century. Spread via trade.

Genghis Khan

Born Temujin; unified the Mongol tribes and began large-scale conquests across Eurasia.

Moscow

A Russian city that rose to prominence under Mongol rule and later became the center of a unified Russian state.

Pax Mongolica

The period of relative peace and stability across Eurasia under Mongol rule that facilitated trade and cultural exchange.

Calicut

A major port city on the southwest coast of India that played a central role in spice trade networks.

Malacca (Melaka)

A major Southeast Asian port city that controlled the Strait of Malacca and became a key hub in Indian Ocean trade.

Zheng He

A Chinese admiral of the Ming Dynasty who led large maritime expeditions across the Indian Ocean in the early 15th century.

camel saddle

A technological innovation that improved long-distance desert travel by allowing camels to carry heavier loads efficiently.

Mansa Musa

A ruler of Mali (r. 1312-1337) famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca and promotion of Islamic learning.

Ibn Battuta

A Moroccan Muslim traveler who journeyed extensively across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East in the 14th century.