APWRLD VOCAB UNITS 1 & 2

Neo-Confucianism

A blend between traditional Chinese philosophy and Buddhism.

Censorate

A part of the Chinese state structure designed to spy on the government officials and the people.

Hangzhou (Song capital)

The Song capital city with more than a million people and vibrant social and economic life; Marco Polo called it the “noblest city in the world.”

Foot binding

A practice designed to keep women subordinate to men and restrict them to their inner quarters.

Middle Kingdom

The belief that China was the center of the world, superior to peoples beyond its borders.

Kowtow

Ritual bowing and presentation of tribute by foreign delegations to the Chinese Emperor.

Xiongnu

A large and powerful nomadic empire reaching from Manchuria to Central Asia that came before the Mongols.

Sultanate of Delhi

A Turkic Muslim Dynasty that ruled northern India, established in 1206.

Sufis

Muslim missionaries and mystics that traveled to spread Islam to places like India, Africa, and Spain.

Kabir

Great 15th Century Islamic mystic poet - declared that God was to be found 'within your heart'.

Sikhism

A new religious tradition in India that blended elements of Islam and Hinduism.

Timbuktu

A city in West Africa that was a center of both trade and Islamic learning.

Mexica

One of the three tribes that made up the Aztec ruling class.

Triple Alliance

The three tribes that ruled the Aztec Empire together (Mexica, Texcoco, and Tlacopan).

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztecs that was built in the middle of Lake Texcoco.

Chinampas (floating gardens)

Platforms for agriculture built in the shallow Lake Texcoco that produced mass quantities of food.

Huitzilopochtli

The Aztecs sacrificed humans to appease this God of War and ensure the survival of their empire.

Quechua

Both the Incan language and ethnic group of indigenous peoples.

Gender Parallelism

The Inca idea that women’s roles in society were different from men’s roles, but they were equally important.

Yuan Dynasty

Name given to the Mongol dynasty in China lasting from 1209 - 1279.

Khubilai Khan

Grandson of Chinggis Khan and China’s Mongol ruler from 1271-1294.

Hulegu

Grandson of Chinggis Khan who helped conquer Islamic Persia and end the Abbasid Dynasty.

Khutulun

Wrestler princess that defeated all men and demonstrated the strong role of women in Mongol society.

Kipchak Khanate/ Golden Horde

The name of Mongol Khanate rule in Russia.

Monsoon winds

Made Indian Ocean commerce possible by pushing merchants towards East Africa for part of the year and towards India for part of the year.

Swahili language

A blend of Bantu and Arabic that was key to facilitate trade in East Africa.

Great Zimbabwe

A state in southeastern Africa that was rich due to controlling the trade in gold and cattle.

Jenne-Jeno

A pair of cities in West Africa that were centers of both trade and Islam.

Camel caravans

Carried merchants across long distances to trade goods along the Silk Road and in West Africa.

Ulama

Islamic scholars who served as judges, interpreters, administrators, prayer leaders, and teachers.

Madrassas

Formal Islamic colleges offering advanced instruction in the Quran, grammar, rhetoric, math, and medicine.

The hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca.

Baghdad

The capital city of the Islamic Abbasid empire and center of Islamic trade, culture, and learning.

House of Wisdom

An academic center established in Baghdad by the Abbasid Caliphate where the best scholars in the world came to study.

Pure Land School of Buddhism

A Chinese form of Buddhism that only required repeating the name of the Buddha to gain salvation.

An Lushan Rebellion

A rebellion in China in 755 CE that started anti-foreign and anti-Buddhist sentiment.

Pastoralism

A lifestyle based on raising and herding animals, found in places like Central Asia.

Modun

A charismatic leader that united the Xiongnu tribes to create a powerful empire in Central Asia.

Turks

Many of the nomadic peoples of central Asia were from this linguistic and ethnic group.

Temujin/Chinggis Khan

Unified the Mongols and became their supreme leader.