AP World History: Global Tapestry 1200-1450 - Practice Flashcards

A set of QUESTION_AND_ANSWER style flashcards covering themes, civilizations, empires, religion, trade, state-building, and major events from 1200–1450 as presented in the notes.

What are the six overarching themes of the Global Tapestry course?

Governance (GOV); Innovation and Technology (TEC); Economic (ECN); Cultural Developments and Interactions (CDI); Environment and Human Interaction (ENV); Social Structures (SOC).

Why are these six themes important in studying history?

They provide a framework to organize, compare, and analyze change and continuity over time.

What does the GOV theme focus on?

Governance: state formation, expansion and decline; how governments maintain order; institutions, laws, procedures; how governments exercise power.

What does TEC stand for and study?

Innovation and Technology: human adaptation, efficiency, comfort and security; technological advances and their consequences.

What does ECN address?

Economic: changes in how humans produce, exchange, and consume goods and services.

What does CDI cover?

Cultural Developments and Interactions: ideas, beliefs, religions, and how these shape societies and politics.

What does ENV examine?

Environment: how the environment affects human progress and how humans shape the environment.

What does SOC examine?

Social Structures: class mobility, gender roles, family and kinship, race/ethnicity, social movements, rights and freedoms.

Which ancient civilization produced cuneiform and Hammurabi's Code?

Mesopotamia (Sumer) civilization.

What is the Kish Tablet known for?

The Kish Tablet is the oldest known sample of Sumerian writing, marking an early writing system.

What is Hammurabi's Code best known for?

One of the earliest written sets of laws.

Which dynasty is associated with centralized government, hieroglyphics, and pyramids in Egypt?

Ancient Egypt (Pharaonic era).

What trade network connected Asia, Africa, and Europe and spread goods and ideas?

The Silk Road.

What was the significance of the Silk Road beyond trade?

It spread culture, religion (e.g., Buddhism), philosophy, and technological ideas.

Which religion's Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path are central?

Buddhism.

Which empire built Angkor Wat in Southeast Asia?

The Khmer Empire.

Which two religious traditions influenced the Khmer Empire?

Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism (later Theravada Buddhism became prominent).

What is the House of Wisdom a symbol of?

Baghdad's center of translation, learning, and scientific advancement in the Islamic world.

What is Dar al-Islam?

The House of Islam; lands where Muslims can practice their religion freely.

What were the Five Pillars of Islam?

Core practices in Islam; Shahada is one pillar (declaration of faith); other pillars include prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage (Shia details vary, but Shahada is explicitly noted in the notes).

What is the Shahada?

The declaration: There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.

What role did the Silk Road play in cultural exchange?

It facilitated the spread of goods, ideas, religions, and technologies across continents.

What is the significance of the Great Schism of 1054?

A formal split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

What were the Crusades (1096–1300 CE) primarily about?

Christian campaigns to retake the Holy Land; increased contact between Europe and the Middle East and Asia.

What event in 1215 limited the powers of the English king?

The Magna Carta.

What is the DOMINANT religion/philosophy in Song China that influenced the state?

Neo-Confucianism (and Confucianism in general) shaping government and society.

What system in Medieval Europe linked land to military service and vassalage?

Feudalism.

What system linked peasants to land and provided self-sufficient manors in medieval Europe?

Manorialism.

What was the major impact of the Black Death in Europe?

Mass population loss, economic disruption, and social upheaval; intensified religious and social questioning.

Which empire established a vast network of roads in the Americas (Inca) and used mita labor?

The Inca Empire; mita = periodic labor obligation; roads and bureaucracy.

What did the Inca use for record-keeping instead of a writing system?

Quipu (knotted string records).

What is the capital of the Mexica (Aztec) Empire and what was its significance?

Tenochtitlan; center of power with canals, causeways, and floating gardens.

What is a key feature of the Aztec economy and warfare?

Tribute system and human sacrifice as part of religious and political control.

Which West African empires were famous for gold-salt trade and wealth?

Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.

Who was Mansa Musa and why is he important?

Mali king famed for wealth and the pilgrimage to Mecca, boosting Islamic learning and trade.

What Southeast Asian kingdom controlled the Strait of Malacca and was a major Hindu-Buddhist maritime empire?

Srivijaya Empire.

Which Southeast Asian empire built Angkor Wat and was later influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism?

Khmer Empire (Angkor Kingdom).

What is notable about the Khmer Empire's hydraulic city and economy?

Angkor Wat; elaborate canals, reservoirs, and irrigation supporting large populations.

What is the significance of Cahokia in North America?

A major Mississippian city-state with large earthen mounds and complex society.

What are the major Mesoamerican civilizations and their general pattern of political unity?

Maya city-states (not unified); Mexica/Aztec and Inca later formed vast imperial states in the region.

What is the Maya contribution to knowledge?

Advances in mathematics, astronomy, and the calendar; city-states with writing systems.

What is notable about the Inca political organization?

A divine emperor, Quechua language, mita labor system, and a vast road network; centralized but accommodated local cultures.

What is the significance of the Reconquista (711–1492)?

The gradual Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule, culminating in 1492.

What was the impact of the Renaissance?

A revival of classical art and learning; emphasis on humanism and new ideas inspiring cultural and scientific advances.

How did Sub-Saharan Africa participate in global trade networks?

Ghana, Mali, Songhai traded gold, salt, and other goods; Swahili city-states connected African interior to Indian Ocean trade.

What was a key feature of the Swahili Coast trading cities?

Arab-Islamic influence, maritime trade, and the diffusion of language and culture along the Indian Ocean.

What is the significance of Timbuktu in medieval Africa?

Center of trade and learning in the Mali Empire; important libraries and scholarship.

What role did the House of Wisdom play in Islamic civilization?

Center for translation and learning; preserved and expanded Greek and Roman knowledge, fueling later advances.

What is an example of a major South Asian Hindu-Buddhist state?

Vijayanagara Empire in South India and the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia; both blended Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

What was the function of griots in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Storytellers who preserved oral histories and genealogies.

What is the significance of the Mongol Empire in global history (1200–1450)?

Created vast intercultural connections, fostered trade along the Silk Road, and facilitated cultural exchange (even as rulers varied).