AP World Unit II Test

Sassanid Empire

The Sassanid Empire was the last pre-Islamic Persian empire from 224 to 651 CE, known for its Zoroastrian religion, Persian culture, and long wars with the Byzantine Empire, which weakened both before the Islamic conquests.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism, founded by Zoroaster, was a monotheistic Persian religion centered on Ahura Mazda and the cosmic struggle between good and evil, influencing later faiths like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Mecca

Mecca was an Arabian trade city and the birthplace of Muhammad. It housed the Ka'ba and became the holiest site in Islam and destination of the annual pilgrimage.

Ka'ba

The Ka'ba is a cube-shaped shrine in Mecca that once held pagan idols before Muhammad rededicated it to Allah. Muslims face it in prayer as the focal point of worship.

Five Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam are the core acts of worship: declaration of faith, prayer five times daily, almsgiving, fasting during Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca.

Muhammad

Muhammad, born around 570 CE in Mecca, was the prophet and founder of Islam who received divine revelations recorded in the Quran and united Arabia under one God.

Abu Bakr

Abu Bakr was Muhammad's close companion and the first caliph after his death, known for uniting Arabia and beginning the early Islamic conquests.

Medina

Medina, originally Yathrib, became the first Muslim city when Muhammad and his followers migrated there in 622 CE, forming the first Islamic community.

Umma

The Umma refers to the community of all Muslims united by faith, transcending tribal, ethnic, and racial divisions under God's law.

Caliphate

A Caliphate is the Islamic state governed by a caliph, who serves as both political and religious successor to Muhammad.

Khalifa (Caliph)

The Caliph, or Khalifa, is the leader of the Muslim community after Muhammad, tasked with upholding Islamic law and guiding believers.

Quran

The Quran is the holy book of Islam, believed to be the literal word of God revealed to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.

Imam

An Imam, in Sunni Islam, is a prayer leader, while in Shia Islam he is considered a divinely guided successor of Muhammad.

Ulama

The Ulama are Islamic scholars who study and interpret the Quran, Hadith, and Sharia law, preserving religious knowledge and education.

Shiites

Shiites, or Shia Muslims, believe leadership of Islam should have stayed within Muhammad's family through his cousin and son-in-law Ali.

Sunnis

Sunnis make up the majority of Muslims and believe the caliph should be chosen by the community based on merit and tradition.

Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad Caliphate (661-750) was the first hereditary Islamic dynasty with its capital in Damascus and expanded Islam into Spain and Asia.

Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258) succeeded the Umayyads, moved the capital to Baghdad, and oversaw the Islamic Golden Age of science, art, and philosophy.

Harun al-Rashid

Harun al-Rashid was a famous Abbasid caliph known for his patronage of learning and the arts, symbolizing the height of the Islamic Golden Age.

House of Wisdom

The House of Wisdom in Baghdad was a major intellectual center where scholars translated and studied Greek, Persian, and Indian texts.

Madrasas

Madrasas were Islamic schools for advanced study of religion, law, logic, and sometimes science, spreading knowledge throughout the Islamic world.

Astrolabe

The Astrolabe was a navigational instrument improved by Muslim scientists to calculate position using the stars and determine prayer direction.

Translation Movement

The Translation Movement was a period in Abbasid Baghdad when Greek, Persian, and Indian works were translated into Arabic, preserving ancient knowledge.

Mamluk Caliphate

The Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517) was a dynasty of slave soldiers in Egypt who rose to power and defeated the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut.

Christian Crusades

The Christian Crusades were a series of religious wars from 1095 to 1291 launched by European Christians to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control.

Sharia

Sharia is Islamic law based on the Quran, Hadith, and scholarly interpretation, governing moral, social, and legal aspects of life.

Hadith

The Hadith are collections of Muhammad's sayings and actions that serve as a primary source of Islamic law and guidance alongside the Quran.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, ruled from 768 to 814, expanded the Frankish kingdom, and was crowned Emperor of the Romans in 800 CE.

Medieval

The Medieval period spanned roughly from 500 to 1500 CE in Europe, characterized by feudalism, church dominance, and gradual urban and cultural revival.

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire was the eastern continuation of the Roman Empire, preserving Greek and Roman culture and Orthodox Christianity.

Caesaropapism

Caesaropapism was the Byzantine practice where the emperor held both political and religious authority over the church.

Kievan Russia

Kievan Russia was a medieval Slavic state that adopted Orthodox Christianity from Byzantium under Prince Vladimir in 988 CE.

Emperor Alexius

Emperor Alexius I of Byzantium appealed to the Pope for help against the Turks, sparking the First Crusade in 1095.

Constantinople

Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, was a wealthy trade hub that fell to the Ottomans in 1453, ending the empire.

Cyrillic Alphabet

The Cyrillic alphabet was created by Byzantine missionaries Cyril and Methodius to translate the Bible for Slavic peoples.

Carolingian Empire

The Carolingian Empire, founded by Charlemagne, united much of Western Europe and revived learning in what is called the Carolingian Renaissance.

Vikings

The Vikings were Norse sailors and warriors from Scandinavia who raided, traded, and settled across Europe from the 8th to 11th centuries.

Manorial System

The Manorial System was the economic structure of medieval Europe in which peasants worked the lord's land in exchange for protection.

Feudalism

Feudalism was the political and social system where land was exchanged for military service and loyalty between lords and vassals.

Vassal

A Vassal was a noble who pledged loyalty and military service to a lord in exchange for land and protection.

Papacy/Pope

The Papacy refers to the office and authority of the Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a collection of German and Italian territories under emperors who claimed to revive the ancient Roman legacy.

Investiture Controversy

The Investiture Controversy was a power struggle between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor over who could appoint bishops.

Thomas à Becket

Thomas à Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury murdered in 1170 after clashing with King Henry II over church authority.

Monasticism

Monasticism was the religious practice of withdrawing from the world to live a life of prayer, work, and devotion in monasteries.

Latin West

The Latin West refers to Western Europe under the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, where Latin was used for religion and scholarship.

Three-Field System

The Three-Field System was a medieval agricultural method that rotated crops among three fields, increasing productivity.

Waterwheel and Windmills

Waterwheels and windmills were technological innovations that harnessed natural energy for grinding grain and other tasks, boosting productivity.

Hanseatic League

The Hanseatic League was an alliance of trading cities in northern Europe that dominated Baltic and North Sea trade during the Middle Ages.

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural rebirth from the 14th to 17th centuries that revived classical art, learning, and humanism, beginning in Italy.

Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE) reunified China after centuries of division and constructed the Grand Canal to link northern and southern China.

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) marked a golden age of Chinese culture, territorial expansion, and flourishing of art and Buddhism.

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) was known for economic prosperity, urban growth, and technological innovations like gunpowder and printing.

Grand Canal (China)

The Grand Canal was a massive waterway connecting northern and southern China, improving trade and transportation of grain.

Neo-Confucianism

Neo-Confucianism was a revival of Confucian philosophy during the Song Dynasty that integrated Buddhist and Daoist ideas.

Chinese Examination System

The Chinese Examination System was a civil service system that selected officials based on merit through Confucian-based exams.

Three Korean Kingdoms

The Three Korean Kingdoms—Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla—competed for dominance until Silla unified Korea under strong Chinese influence.

Shamanism

Shamanism was an indigenous Korean spiritual tradition where shamans communicated with spirits to heal and guide communities.

Yamato Rulers

The Yamato rulers were Japan's first imperial clan, claiming descent from the sun goddess Amaterasu and establishing centralized rule.

Fujiwara

The Fujiwara clan dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period by forming marriage alliances with the imperial family.

Kamakura Shogunate

The Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333 CE) was Japan's first military government, where real power was held by the shogun instead of the emperor.

Champa Rice

Champa Rice, imported from Vietnam, was a fast-growing variety that allowed two annual harvests, increasing food supply in China.

Junk

The Junk was a large Chinese sailing ship with multiple sails used for long-distance trade and naval power.

Magnetic Compass

The Magnetic Compass, invented in China, allowed accurate sea navigation and revolutionized global exploration.

Woodblock Printing

Woodblock Printing, developed in China, involved carving text or images into wood to print on paper, enabling mass production of books.

Flying Money

Flying Money was an early form of Chinese paper currency or credit that facilitated safe long-distance trade.

Gunpowder

Gunpowder was a Chinese invention first used for fireworks and later adapted for weapons, transforming warfare across the world.