AP World History Exam Vocab Review (All Units)

Hunter-Gatherer

Nomadic people who survive by hunting animals and gathering plants

Paleolithic

Old Stone Age with small groups and no agriculture

Neolithic

New Stone Age with agriculture and permanent settlements

Domestication

Adapting plants and animals for human use

Pastoralism

Raising livestock as main economic activity

Kinship Group

Social organization based on family ties

Animism

Belief that nature and objects have spirits

Social Stratification

Hierarchy of social classes

Specialization of Labor

Workers focus on specific tasks

Patriarchy

System where men hold primary power

Cuneiform

Earliest writing system in Mesopotamia

Bureaucracy

System of government with officials and departments

Qanat

Underground irrigation system in Persia

Hellenistic

Blend of Greek and local cultures after Alexander

Caste System

Rigid social hierarchy in India

Coerced Labor

Forced labor such as slavery or serfdom

Civil Service Exam

Test to select Chinese officials

Pax Romana

Period of peace and stability in Rome

Monotheism

Belief in one god

Polytheism

Belief in multiple gods

Karma

Actions influence future rebirth

Moksha

Freedom from cycle of rebirth

Reincarnation

Cycle of death and rebirth

Mandate of Heaven

Belief Chinese rulers are chosen by heaven

Polis

Greek city-state

Aqueduct

Roman system to transport water

Syncretism

Blending of different cultures or religions

Han Wudi

Han emperor who expanded empire and Confucianism

Socrates

Greek philosopher using questioning method

Alexander the Great

Conqueror who spread Greek culture

Ashoka

Mauryan ruler who spread Buddhism

Darius I

Persian ruler who centralized empire

Augustus Caesar

First Roman emperor

Grand Canal

Waterway connecting northern and southern China

Proto-industrialization

Early form of industrial production before factories

Scholar-Gentry

Educated Chinese elite class

Foot Binding

Chinese practice to restrict women’s feet

Neo-Confucianism

Revival of Confucianism with Buddhist ideas

Heian Period

Era of Japanese court culture

Abbasid Caliphate

Islamic empire centered in Baghdad

Mamluks

Slave soldiers who gained power

Seljuk Turks

Turkic Muslims who controlled Middle East

Sufism

Islamic mystical practice

Jizya

Tax on non-Muslims in Islamic states

Swahili

East African trading culture

Chinampas

Floating farming system of Aztecs

Tribute System

Payment to rulers or empires

Theocracy

Government ruled by religious leaders

Mita System

Incan forced labor system

Carpa Nan

Incan road network

Kin-Based Networks

Trade based on family ties

Griots

West African storytellers and historians

Vikings

Seafaring Norse raiders and traders

Feudalism

System where land is exchanged for service

Manorial System

Economic system of feudal estates

Code of Chivalry

Rules for knights

Serfs

Peasants bound to land

Great Schism

Split of Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church

Crusades

Religious wars for Holy Land

Little Ice Age

Period of cooling affecting agriculture

Monasticism

Religious life in monasteries

Guilds

Associations of artisans

Reconquista

Christian reconquest of Spain

Lateen Sail

Triangular sail for navigation

Compass

Magnetic navigation tool

Astrolabe

Tool to measure latitude

Dhows

Arab trading ships

Junks

Chinese ships

Monsoon System

Seasonal wind patterns aiding trade

Silk Roads

Eurasian trade routes

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade across Sahara desert

Indian Ocean Trade

Maritime trade network

Flying Cash

Early Chinese paper money

Banking Houses

Early financial institutions

Hanseatic League

Northern European trade network

Bubonic Plague

Deadly disease spread via fleas

Genghis Khan

Founder of Mongol Empire

Kublai Khan

Ruler of Yuan Dynasty

Yuan Dynasty

Mongol rule in China

Golden Horde

Mongol state in Russia

Pax Mongolica

Peace facilitating trade

Siege Weapons

Military technology used in warfare

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty after Mongols

Sinicization

Adoption of Chinese culture

Diaspora

Spread of people from homeland

Spice Islands

Source of valuable spices

Caravanserai

Roadside inns for traders

Champa Rice

Fast-growing rice increasing population

Marco Polo

Traveler to China

Zheng He

Chinese explorer of Indian Ocean

Ibn Battuta

Muslim traveler

Gunpowder Empires

Empires using gunpowder weapons

Ottoman Empire

Large Islamic empire

Suleiman I

Ottoman ruler at peak

Safavid Empire

Persian Islamic empire

Shah Abbas

Safavid ruler

Mughal Empire

Muslim empire in India

Akbar

Mughal ruler promoting tolerance

Devshirme

Ottoman system recruiting boys

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman soldiers