AP World Vocab Test Words

Animism

Religious belief that focuses on the roles of various gods/spirits into the natural world and human life. The belief that all things have a spirit.

Buddhism

(Nepal 560 BCE) founded by Siddhartha Gautama. Core beliefs: Reincarnation, Enlightenment, 4 noble truths, 8 fold path. Diffused by silk roads to the Indian Ocean, South & Southeast Asia, China, and Central Asia.

Christianity

(Palestine 30 CE) A branch of Judaism. Core beliefs: Monotheism, trinity, Jesus (Messiah), and moral code. Diffused by trade routes in the Mediterranean and European conquest in the Americas and Africa.

Shamanism

The practice of identifying special individuals (shamans) who will interact with spirits for the benefit of the community. Example: Mongols.

Buddha/Siddhartha Gautama

The Founder of Buddhism. Born an Indian Prince in the 500s BC. Gave up his luxurious life to Meditate and discover The Four Noble Truths.

Syncretism

The unification or blending of opposing people, ideas, or practices, usually in means of religion.

Shintoism (East Asia)

Religion located in Japan and related to Buddhism. Shintoism focuses particularly on nature and ancestor worship.

Theravada Buddhism

A sect of Buddhism focusing on the strict spiritual discipline originally advocated by the Buddha. (South Asia-India)

quechua

language of the Inca (The Americas- Andean South America)

Silk Roads

A system of ancient caravan routes across Central Asia & Mesopotamia that linked the Mediterranean and China, along which traders carried silk and other trade goods.

pastoral societies

societies based around the domestication of animals.(West Europe)

Mahayana

"the Great Vehicle" - The largest of Buddhism's three divisions, prevalent, encompasses a variety of forms, including those that emphasize devotion and prayer to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. (South Asia-India)

Trans-Saharan Trade

route across the saharan desert. Major trade route that traded for gold and salt, created caravan routes, economic benefit for controlling dessert, camels played a huge role in the trading. (North to West Africa)

Judaism

(Palestine 1200 BCE) Founded by Abraham, who created a covenant with God. Core Beliefs: Monotheism, the temple. synagogue, the 10 Commandments, and the Torah. Diffused because of "Jewish Diaspora" (Roman Empire)

Bodhisattva

a person who has attained enlightenment but who has postponed nirvana in order to help others achieve enlightenment/ "door holder." (Southeast Asia)

Indian Ocean Maritime System

Multilingual/Multiethnic network of seaports that increased economic & social ties between E. Africa, S. Arabia, India, S.E. Asia, S. China, and the Persian Gulf by use of lateen sails and monsoon winds. Very cosmopolitan.

Monotheism

Belief in one God

Monasticism

Practice of being a monk/Living in a religious community apart from secular society and adhering to a rule stipulating chastity, obedience, and poverty. (Primary Centers of Learning in Medieval Europe)

Mediterranean Sea Lane

Connect the people, empires and civilizations of North Africa, Asia, and Europe through trade as a resource for feeding growing populations, and as an aid to the spread and mingling of races and cultures.

Hinduism (South Asia)

(India 1500 BCE) Context: Harappan civilization & Indo Aryan migration (Indus Valley). Core beliefs: reincarnation-Atman, Karma/Dharma, Caste System, polytheism/polytheistic monotheism. Diffusion: South Asia and Indian Ocean through trade.

Mandate of Heaven

A political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source. (East Asia)

Muhammad (632)

the Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632). He was the 1st caliph and provided a sense of unity throughout the bedouin clans & tribes and Dhimmi. (Middle East)

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Confucianism (Asia/East Asia)

(China 500 BCE) Context: 1st warring states period. Core beliefs: Harmony through relationships, "5 Basic Relations," and propriety. Diffused: East Asia, China, Japan, Korea (Asia/East Asia)

Islam

(632 Muhammad's death- Arabian Peninsula) Context:Political expansion vs Byzantines & Sassanids. Core beliefs: Monotheism, Muhammad was the greatest and final prophet, Hajj, and prayer. Diffusion: Through trade and conquest in the Middle East, North Africa, Central & Southeast Asia.

Reincarnation

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the process by which a soul is reborn continuously until it achieves nirvana/enlightenment

Filial Piety

In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors. (East Asia)

Sunnis

Muslims belonging to branch of Islam believing that the community should select its own leadership. The majority religion in most Islamic countries. (Middle East)

Caste System (

a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation and economic potential, but also his or her position in society. (South Asia)

Zoroastrianism

One of the first monotheistic religions, particularly one with a wide following. It was central to the political and religious culture of ancient Persia. Stressed the fight between good and evil. (Middle East)

Shia

the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge Ali and his descendants as the rightful successors of Muhammad (Middle East)

Dharma

the religious and moral duties of an individual (South Asia)

Greco-Roman Philosophy

Ideas that emphasized logic, empirical observation, and nature of political power and hierarchy. Preserved by the Arabs.

Abbasids (750-1258)

empire based on equality of all Muslims that encourages learning and created a sophisticated bureaucracy. had Islam's CULTURAL GOLDEN AGE and merchants built a vast trading system across Muslim lands. Agriculture thrived. (Middle East)

Turkic Migration

expansion of the Turkic tribes and Turkic languages into Central Asia, Eastern Europe and West Asia, spreading islam.

Chinggis Khan (1206)

Title meaning "universal ruler" that was given to the Mongol leader Temujin in 1206 after he united the Mongols. (Central Asia)

Al-Andulus/Muslim Iberia

was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The term is used by modern historians for the former Islamic states in modern Spain, Portugal and France. (West Europe)

Seljuk Turks

Sunnis that invaded Europe and humbled the Byzantines. (Middle East)

Hulegu

(1217 - 1265) Ruler of the Ilkhan khanate; grandson of Chinggis Khan; responsible for capture and destruction of Baghdad in 1257. (Central Asia->Middle East)

Arab/Islamic agricultural Revolution

Created transformations in agriculture, water irrigation, moved the capital from Mecca to Damascus to Baghdad where the House of Wisdom was located. Arabic numerals were used and Arabic was the language of learning. Created the hospital and quarantine. (Middle East)

Crusades (1095)

Europeans attempting to reclaim control of the "Holy Land," succeeding at capturing Jerusalem for a short amount of time. Knowledge of the outside world increased, as well as trade and demand for middle Eastern wares. Also spread disease and Saks. (West Europe)

Mamluks

Muslim slave warriors; established a dynasty in Egypt; defeated the Mongols at Ain Jalut in 1260 and halted Mongol advance. (Middle East-Egypt)

Ulama

Muslim religious scholars. The primary interpreters of Islamic law and the social core of Muslim urban societies. (Middle East)

Mahmud of Ghazni

Third ruler of Turkish slave dynasty in Afghanistan; led invasions of northern India; credited with sacking one of wealthiest of Hindu temples in northern India; gave Muslims reputation for intolerance and aggression. (Central Asia)

Bhaktic cults

Hindu religious groups who stressed the importance of strong emotional bonds between devotees and the gods or goddesses especially Shiva, Vishnu, and Kali. Hindus placed emphasis on this to attempt to neutralize islam. Membership was open to all such as women and untouchables. (South Asia)

Sufis

Mystical Muslim group that believed they could draw closer to God through prayer, fasting, & simple life by fusing mystical, animist, Hindu, and Buddhist elements. Let people keep several traditions such as ancestor veneration in order to covert them to islam. Helped convert many lower castes, women, and disillusioned Buddhists. (South Asia)

Dehli Sultanate (1206)

Centralized Indian empire of varying extent, created by Turk Muslim invaders. (South Asia)

Southernization

A series or process of developments (the idea of mathematics, spices, technologies, and cultivated products) that were first made in Southern Asia and then diffused to other places through trade and conquest

Malacca (SE Asia)

Flourishing trading city in Malaya; established a trading empire after the fall of Shrivijaya. (SE Asia)

Srivijaya

A maritime empire that held the Strait of Malacca and the waters around Sumatra, Borneo, and Java. A "theater state" that controlled vital passageways for shipping. It had four zones and the king was a "magical Bodhisattva." Its fall led to the opening up of Southeast Asia to Muslim conversian. (SE Asia)

Mongols

A people of this name is mentioned as early as the records of the Tang Empire, living as nomads in northern Eurasia. After 1206 they established an enormous empire under Genghis Khan, linking western and eastern Eurasia. (Central Asia)

Dar al-Islam/Pax Islam

an Arabic term that means the "house of Islam" and that refers to lands under Islamic rule and where muslims can practice their religion freely.

Ethiopia

A Christian kingdom that developed in the highlands of eastern Africa, retained Christianity in the face of Muslim expansion elsewhere in Africa, resulting in the creation of the Ethiopian Orthodox church. Language: Ge'ez. Kush->Meroe->Aksum(King Ezana). (East Africa)

Sundiata

The "Lion Prince"; a member of the Keita clan; created a unified state that became the Mali Empire after breaking away from Ghana. "The first person to create social arrangements" (West Africa)

Swahili

Bantu language with Arabic loanwords spoken in coastal regions of East Africa. (East Africa)

Copts

Christians of Egypt (Middle East)

Mansa Musa (1324)

Emperor of the kingdom of Mali in Africa. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) and established trade routes to the Middle East. (West Africa)

Mogadishu, Mombasa, Malindi, Kilwa, Zanzibar, Sofala (East Africa)

East African city states.

Sahel

Belt south of the Sahara where it transitions into savanna across central Africa. It means literally 'coastland' in Arabic.

Griots (West Africa)

Professional oral historians who served as keepers of traditions and advisors to kings within the Mali Empire. A subsaharan method of record keeping.(West Africa)

Benin

a kingdom that arose near the Niger River delta in the 1300s and became a major West African state in the 1400s

Sudanic States

Kingdoms that developed during the height of Ghana's power in the region, included Mali and Songhay. Power extended to subordinate communities that they drew on for taxes, tribute, and military support. Rulers were sacred and used Islam to reinforce kingship. (West Africa)

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan 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.

Kongo

Kingdom, based on agriculture, formed on lower Congo River by late 15th century; capital at Mbanza Kongo; ruled by hereditary monarchy. Confederation of smaller states brought under the control of the Montikongo. (South Africa)

Ghana

First known kingdom in sub-Saharan West Africa between the sixth and thirteenth centuries C.E. Also the modern West African country once known as the Gold Coast. gold and salt trade. (West Africa)

Timbuktu

As part of the Mali empire, it became a major major terminus of the trans-Saharan trade and a center of Islamic learning. (East Africa)

Great Zimbabwe

A powerful state in the African interior. Had stone houses and was a Bantu confederation until it became a centralized state under King Mien Mutaba, expanding quickly with the control it had in the gold industry. (East Africa)

trans-Saharan caravan routes

Trading network linking North Africa with sub-Saharan Africa across the Sahara conducted by caravans and camels.

Songhai

The Songhai Empire was a state located in the western part of the Sahel during the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest African empires in history.(West Africa)

Mali

The kingdom in West Africa that followed the Kingdom of Ghana; its wealth is also based on trans-Saharan trade; this kingdom encouraged the spread of Islam. Both Sundial and Mensa Must were rulers of this kingdom. (West Africa)

Sharia

Islamic law (Middle East)

Constantinople

A large and wealthy city that became the new imperial capital of the Byzantine empire after being moved by Constantine. (East Europe)

Hagia Sophia

the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople, built by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian (East Europe)

Eastern Orthodox

this Christian religion of the Byzantine empire that broke away from the Roman church when it would not accept the authority of the Pope as the head of the church (East Europe)

Justinian

Byzantine emperor in the 6th century A.D. who reconquered much of the territory previously ruler by Rome, initiated an ambitious building program , including Hagia Sofia, as well as a new legal code (East Europe)

Kiev

Trade city in southern Russia established by Scandinavian traders in 9th century; became focal point for kingdom of Russia with a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Vikings (Rus) took over this region, giving it its name. (East Europe)

The Magna Carta

First document to limit the powers of the king - signed in 1215.

Citizens could not be deprived of life, liberty or property without a lawful judgment of their peers or by law of the land. Represented by the fifth amendment. (West Europe-England)

Middle Ages

Also known as the medieval period, the time between the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century AD and the beginning of the Renaissance in the fourteenth century. (West Europe)

Guilds

Association of merchants or artisans who cooperated to protect their economic interests (West Europe)

Charlemagne (800)

King of the Franks. 800 AD crowned by the Pope as the head of the Holy Roman Empire, which extended from northern Spain to western Germany and northern Italy. His palace was at Aachen in central Europe (West Europe)

Parliment

the lawmaking branch of the British government (West Europe)

Bubonic Plague (1347)

a deadly disease that spread across Asia and Europe in the mid-14th century, killing millions of people

Holy Roman Empire

Loose federation of mostly German states and principalities, headed by an emperor elected by the princes. It lasted from 962 to 1806.

Hundred Years War

Series of campaigns over control of the throne of France, involving English and French royal families and French noble families. Won by the French. (West Europe)

Little Ice Age

A century-long period of cool climate that began in the 1590s. Its ill effects on agriculture in northern Europe were notable.

Vikings

Scandinavian peoples whose sailors raided Europe from the 700s through the 1100s. Especially known for invading Kiev. (East Europe)

Manorialism

Economic system during the Middle Ages that revolved around self-sufficient farming estates where lords and peasants shared the land through fiefs. (West Europe)

investiture

controversy Dispute between the popes and the Holy Roman Emperors over who held ultimate authority over bishops in imperial lands. (West Europe)

Romanesque

Style of church architecture using round arches, domes, thick walls, and small windows. Came before gothic. (West Europe)

Serfs/Serfdom

the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe. (West Europe)

Thomas Aquinas

(Roman Catholic Church) Italian theologian and Doctor of the Church who is remembered for his attempt to reconcile faith and reason in a comprehensive theology. He said religion could be proven with logic. (West Europe)

Gothic

A style of architecture developed in northern France that spread throughout Europe between the 12th and 16th centuries. Came after Romanesque. (West Europe)

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 (West Europe)

Scholasticism

A philosophical and theological system, associated with Thomas Aquinas, devised to reconcile Aristotelian philosophy and Roman Catholic theology in the thirteenth century. (West Europe)

Italian city-states

their location on the Mediterranean coast led to trade, which led to wealth and cultural diffusion, which led to the Renaissance. (West Europe)

Vassals

lesser lords who pledged their service and loyalty to a greater lord in a military capacity. (West Europe)

Hanseatic League

An economic and defensive alliance of the free towns in northern Germany, founded about 1241 and most powerful in the fourteenth century. (West Europe)

Venice

a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades. (West Europe)

Maya city-states

City states in Mesoamerica that were part of the Maya Empire. (Mesoamerica/Latin America)

toltecs

Powerful postclassic empire in central Mexico, It influenced much of Mesoamerica. Aztecs claimed ties to this earlier civilization (Mesoamerica/Latin America)