Studied by 52 people
Aryans
nomads from Europe and Asia who migrated to India and finally settled; started the caste system
Vedas
Collections of hymns, songs, prayers, and rituals honoring the various gods of the Aryans.
Caste System
A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life
Brahmins
Priests, at the top of the caste system in Hindu culture
Kshatriyas
rulers and warriors in Hindu culture
Vaishyas
farmers, traders, and merchants in Hindu culture
Shudras
laborers in Hindu culture
Dalit
"untouchables"; did dirty jobs that no one else wanted to do in Hindu culture
Upanishads
A major book in Hinduism that is often in the form of dialogues that explored the Vedas and the religious issues that they raised.
Brahman
World soul-single divine power in Hinduism that is in everything and surrounds everyone
Atma
Individual souls; will eventually rejoin Brahman
Samsara
Reincarnation/Cycle of Rebirth
Karma
Good and bad deeds that influence a person's next life (in Hinduism)
Moksha
Goal of Hinduism: attain liberation by one's atma joining the Brahman
Siddhartha Gautama
Founder of Buddhism
Buddha
Means "Enlightened One." He is said to have found a path for overcoming suffering. Siddhartha Gautama.
Four Noble Truths
All life involves suffering
Desire is the cause of suffering
The elimination of desire, ends suffering
Leading a disciplined life according to the Eightfold Path eliminates desire
Eightfold Path
In Buddhism, the basic rules of behavior and belief leading to an end of suffering
Enlightenment (Buddhism)
the complete abandonment physical pleasures. The benefit, now cannot feel physical pain or loss, since one has accepted that his body is just a casket that he will shed upon death and reincarnation.
Middle Way (Buddhism)
Nothing to excess, not too little or too much
Nirvana
The state of enlightenment for Buddhists.
Theravada Buddhism
Buddhist sect that focuses on a monastic lifestyle; older, more traditional; Gods/supernatural beings were not a large part of the sect
Monastic life
Living as a monk or nun in a religious community
Bodhisattva
a person who has attained enlightenment but who has postponed nirvana in order to help others achieve enlightenment
Tibetan Buddhism
Blend of Mahayana Buddhism, Hinduism, and traditional Tibetan practices. Uses special teachers called Lamas, emphasizes awareness and preparedness for death.
Warring States Period
A time in Chinese history when conflicting regions faced each other in conflicts; 476-221 BC
Confucius
Founder of Confucianism
The Analects
Collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius; considered one of the most important texts of Confucianism
Ren
An attitude of kindness and benevolence or a sense of humanity for Confucianism.
Li
Called for individuals to behave in conventionally appropriate fashion in Confucianism.
Xiao
filial piety; respect and care for parents and ancestors
5 relationships of Confucianism
-Father/Son -Brother/Brother -Husband/Wife -Ruler/Subject -Friend/Friend
Daoism
A religion in China which emphasizes the removal from society and to become one with nature.
Laozi
Founder of Daoism
Daodeijing
Important text of Daoism; "The Way and its Power"
Wuwei
Daoist concept of a disengagement from the affairs of the world; doing nothing is the best form of action
Legalism
a Chinese philosophy that stressed the importance of government and laws; ended the Warring States period!
Han Feizi
Founder of Legalism
Civil Service Exam
In China, it was an exam based on Confucian teachings that was used to select people for various government service jobs in the bureaucracy.
Civil Service Bureaucrats
People that passed the Civil Service Exam and took their place as bureaucrats within Chinese society.
Abrahamic Faiths
Christianity, Judaism, Islam
Judaism
the monotheistic religion of the Jews.
Abraham
Founder of Judaism
Torah
First five books of the Hebrew Bible
10 Commandments
the 10 laws given by God to Moses
The Covenant
The promise that God would offer protection and land to Abraham and his descendants, but they must follow the path of God.
Jerusalem
A city in the Holy Land, regarded as sacred by Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
Monotheism
belief in only one god
Diasporic Communities
Widely dispersed community as a result of natural disaster, politics or other reasons. Many communities have become diasporic throughout time starting with the Jews of Babylon in ancient history
Christianity
A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.
Jesus
Founder of Christianity
The Bible
The holy book of Christianity
Muhammad Ibn Abdullah
founder and prophet of Islam
Quran
The holy book of Islam
Mecca
Holy city of Islam
Medina
2nd holiest city of Islam
Arabia
a peninsula in the Middle East; cradle of Islam
Umma
The term for all Muslims as a community.
Five Pillars
The basic tenets of Islam: Allah is the only god and Muhammad is his prophet; pray to Allah five times a day facing Mecca; fast during the month of Ramadan; pay alms for the relief of the weak and the poor; take a hajj to Mecca
Hajj
Pilgrimage to Mecca
Jihad
the obligation incumbent on all Muslims to follow and realize God's will
Sharia Law
the system of Islamic law, based on interpretation of the Qu'ran
Veiling
Muslim practice of wearing a hijab or veil
Ulama
Islamic religious scholars
Madrassas
Islamic schools that helped provide unity in the empire (students learned similar material, religion, Arabic, interpretation of the Quran)
Mosques
Islamic houses of worship
Arabic
language of Islam
Sunni
A branch of Islam whose members believe that the caliph should be chosen by leadership of the Islamic community
Shia
the branch of Islam whose members believed that the caliph should be a descendant of Muhammad
Sufi
More mystical third sect of Islam; less legalistic; MISSIONARIES!
Dar al-Islam
an Arabic term that means the "house of Islam" and that refers to lands under Islamic rule
Umayyad Caliphate
(661-750 CE) The Islamic caliphate that conquered North Africa, the Iberian Pennisula, Southwest Asia, and Persia, and had a bureaucracy with only Arab Muslims able to be a part of it.
Damascus
Capital of the Umayyad Caliphate
Dhimmi
Literally "people of the book"; applied as inclusive term to Jews and Christians in Islamic territories
Malawi
People who converted to Islam
Jizya
Religious tax imposed on non-Muslims living in Islamic empires
Baghdad
Capital of Abbasid Caliphate
House of Wisdom
Place of learning and research in the Abbasid Caliphate-scholars came from all over the world; the library collected texts from everywhere and allowed for the accumulation of knowledge in Afro-Eurasia
Qadis
Islamic judges
Thousand and One Nights
Popular collection of Muslim folktales
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
Celebrated Islamic scholar during the "golden age" of Islam in Baghdad. He made contributions to astronomy (observatory & astronomical charts) law, ethics, mathematics, philosophy and medicine.
Aishah al-Ba'uniyyah
A Sufi master and poet. She is one of few medieval female Islamic mystics to have recorded their own views in writing.
Cloistering
constraining women to their homes; only allowing them to be in public with their husbands/other male family members
Lateen sail dhow
more maneuverable ships that could travel against the wind.
Astrolabe
An instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars and planets
Camel Caravan
large groups of people that used camels and caravans to travel across the African desert; utilized for the trading of goods and also carried religion
Caravanserai
inn or rest station for caravans/camels
Al-Andalus
Islamic Spain
Cordoba
the capital of al-Andalus
Seljuk Turks
Nomadic horseman from Central Asia who had converted to Islam -Usurped the power of the Caliph -Continue military expansion
Mamluk Sultanate
Slave soldiers from Central Asia (Turks) overthrew regional rulers and established their own state around 1250; "mamluk"--slave
Delhi Sultanate
Sultanate that did not extend far outside of Delhi; very large and powerful army; worked with Hindu kings to carry out policies
Sui Dynasty
(589-618) Chinese dynasty that followed legalism, had lots of infrastructure projects (palaces, granaries, Great Wall, GRAND CANAL); conscription labor and high taxes
Grand Canal
The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. Completed during the Sui Empire, used for military purposes (transport/shipping lanes)
Great Zimbabwe
A powerful state in the African interior that apparently emerged from the growing trade in gold to the East African coast; flourished between 1250 and 1350 C.E.
Conscription labor
Forced labor of peasants in the Sui Dynasty that was used to build infrastructure (Grand Canal); caused hatred towards the government
Tang Dynasty
(618-907 CE) The Chinese dynasty who used Confucianism. This dynasty had the equal-field system, a bureaucracy based on merit, and a Confucian education system.
Tributary System
A system first established during the Han Dynasty to regulate contact with foreign powers. States and tribes beyond its borders sent envoys bearing gifts and received gifts in return.
Champa Rice
Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. Originally introduced into Champa from India, it was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (as part of the tributary system.)
Wu Zhao/Wu Zetian
The first empress of the Tang dynasty; led with an iron fist and squashed her enemies so that no one would question her authority.
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