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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 in the present world and stresses a moral code of conduct.
Filial Piety
In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.
Neo-Confucianism
The Confucian response to Buddhism by taking Confucian and Buddhist beliefs and combining them into this. However, it is still very much Confucian in belief.
Theravada Buddhism
the oldest of the two major branches of Buddhism. Practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia, its beliefs are relatively conservative, holding close to the original teachings of the Buddha
Mahayana Buddhism
"Great Vehicle" branch of Buddhism followed in China, Japan, and Central Asia. The focus is on reverence for Buddha and for Bodhisattva, enlightened persons who have postponed Nirvana to help others attain enlightenment. It was a more "user friendly" Buddhism that developed as Buddhism spread into East and Southeast Asia.
Tibetan Buddhism
a Buddhist doctrine that includes elements from India that are not Buddhist and elements of preexisting shamanism, a tradition of Buddhism that teaches that people can use special techniques to harness spiritual energy and can achieve nirvana in a single lifetime
Champa Rice
Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season; led to increased populations in Song Dynasty China. Originally introduced into Vietnam from India, it was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (as part of the tributary system.)
Grand Canal
The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Dynasty.
Flying Money
Chinese credit instrument that provided credit vouchers to merchants to be redeemed at the end of the voyage; reduced danger of robbery; early form of currency
Seljuk Empire
Turkic empire ruled by sultans in Persia and modern-day Iraq (11th and 12th centuries); Established Turks as major ethnic group carrying Islam across Eurasia, along with Arabs and Persians; Demonstrated weakness of Abbasid caliphate in its later years; sultans held real power in the empire; Helped to spread the influence of Islam throughout the region
Delhi Sultanate
The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India and was centered in Delhi.
Abbasid Caliphate
(750-1258 CE) The caliphate, after the Umayyads, who focused more on administration than conquering. Had a bureaucracy that any Muslim could be a part of.
House of Wisdom in Baghdad
Large Islamic-based Library and learning center. Focus of conversion of Greek and Roman classics and Indian learning into Arabic. Preserved knowledge.
Bhakti Movement
An immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.
Sufism
An Islamic mystical tradition that desired a personal union with God--divine love through intuition rather than through rational deduction and study of the Shari'a. Followed an ascetic routine (denial of physical desire to gain a spiritual goal), dedicating themselves to fasting, prayer, meditation on the Qur'an, and the avoidance of sin.
Feudalism
A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land
Vassal
a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he or she owes allegiance
Serf
an agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on their lord's estate.
Manorialism
Economic system during the Middle Ages that revolved around self-sufficient farming estates where lords and peasants shared the land; the economic side of feudalism
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.
Cahokia
The dominant center of an important Mississippi valley mound-building culture, located near present-day St. Louis, Missouri; flourished from about 900 to 1250 C.E.
Maya city-states
Classical culture in Southern Mexico and Central America; contemporary with Teotihuacan; extended over broad region; featured monumental architecture, written language, calendar system, mathematical system
Meritocracy
government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability; used in China via the Civil Service Exam
Syncretism
The unification or blending of opposing people, ideas, or practices, frequently in the realm of religion. For example, when Christianity or Buddhism was adopted by people in a new land, they often incorporate it into their existing culture and traditions.
Zen Buddhism
(also called Chen) a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition; illustrates the adaptations Buddhism made as it spread to new areas and interacted with different cultures
Greek Philosophy
the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics; distinguished by the ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; preserved by the Arabs after the Roman Empire collapsed
Mita System
economic system in Inca society where people paid taxes with their labor and what they produced; men and women were expected to contribute this labor to the state yearly
Chinampas
Floating gardens constructed along lake shores by the Mexica/Aztecs to increase agricultural yields.
Waru Waru Agriculture
A form of farming used in the Inca Empire; divided the hills into terraces or flat steps almost like steps; they could then control the amount of water being put into those places; led to vastly improved agriculture for the Incas
three-field system
A rotational system for agriculture in which one field grows grain, one grows legumes, and one lies fallow. Restores nutrients to the soil to improve crop yields. It gradually replaced two-field system in medieval Europe.
Crusades
A series of holy wars from 1096-1270 AD undertaken by European Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule; ultimately spread culture and increased trade but were not successful
Renaissance
"rebirth"; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome; began in Florence, Italy and spread throughout Europe
Great Schism
in 1054, divided medieval Christianity into (Greek) and Western (Latin) branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes.
coercive labor
Any labor system that involves force (slavery, chattel slavery, serfdom, and indentured labor)
Fief
land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service
Buddhist Monks
religious communities where Buddha's followers stayed, studied, and meditated; both men and women could join monasteries as monks or nuns; often exempt from taxation which put strains on Chinese political systems
Pastoralists
semi-nomadic herders of domesticated animals
Patriarchy
a system of society in which men hold the power
Social Stratification
a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy
Metallurgy
the science of working with metals
Monotheism
belief in one god
Polytheism
belief in more than one god
Shamanism
The practice of identifying special individuals (shamans) who will interact with spirits for the benefit of the community.
Animism
The belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other natural objects have souls
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.
Vedas
Ancient Sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism.
Hinduism
A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms
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)
commodity
valuable product
Legitimacy
the popular acceptance of an authority, like a King or ruler
Caste System
a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation, but also his or her position in society
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.
Reincarnation
the rebirth of a soul in a new body.
Eightfold Path
In Buddhism, the path to nirvana. Comprises eight aspects in which an aspirant must become practiced: right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.
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.
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.
State
a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.
Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
Means "Enlightened One." He is said to have renounced his worldly possessions and taught of a way to overcome suffering.
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
syncretic religion
Combines two religious traditions into something distinctly new, while containing traits of both
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
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
Tribute System
payment made by one nation to another in acknowledgment of submission, notably used by Chinese dynasties (plus Mongols and Aztecs)
Bureaucracy
A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials
commercial exchange
the buying and selling of goods
epidemic
A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.
monsoon winds
These seasonal winds carried ships on the Indian Ocean between India and Africa
Missionaries
people who work to spread their religious beliefs
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Trans-Saharan Trade
Trade across the Sahara desert in Africa, usually in caravans of camels. Contributed to the spread of Islam.
Mali Empire
Capitalizing on the Saharan trade routes, Mali traded gold & salt. Embraced Islam as well. notably under Mansa Musa.
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.
Hangzhou
Capital of later Song dynasty; located near East China Sea; permitted overseas trading; population exceeded 1 million.
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.
Chinese influence on Japan
Centralized government; Confucian ideals; architecture (pagodas); Buddhism spread
Quran
The holy book of Islam
Pillars of Islam
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).
jizya
the extra tax paid by Christians and Jews who lived in Muslim communities
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.
Timbuktu
Mali trading city that became a center of wealth, learning, and Islam
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fedualism
System where kings give land to nobles in exchange for service (as found in Western Europe)
Arabic
Language of the Islamic civilization; facilitated trade.
Quipu
An arrangement of knotted strings on a cord, used by the Inca to record numerical information.
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.
Zheng He
Chinese admiral during the Ming Dynasty, he led great voyages through the Indian Ocean to acquire more tribute states
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)
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.)
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