AP Human Unit 1

Confucianism

Confucianism

The system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct.

Social Stratifcation

a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy

Filial Piety (Confucianism)

a virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors

Metallurgy

the science of working with metals

Imperial Bureaucracy

Division of an empire into organized provinces to make it easier to control

Monotheism

belief in one god

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophy that emerged in Song-dynasty China; it revived Confucian thinking while adding in Buddhist and Daoist elements.

Polytheism

belief in more than one god

Buddhism in China

Spread by the Silk Roads, took form of Mahavana Buddhism. Blended with Daoism, formed 'Chan Buddhism' (aka Zen Buddhism).

Grand Canal

Built in 7th century during reign of Yangdi during Sui dynasty; designed to link the original centers of Chinese civilization on the north China plain with the Yangtze river basin to the south; strengthened China's internal cohesion and economic development

Judaism

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Developed written scriptures and an ethical code (Torah, 10 Commandments) over time.

Vedas

Ancient Sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism.

porcelain

a thin, beautiful pottery invented in China; one of China's 3 major exports

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

Steel and iron production

A key element during the Song Economic Revolution; helped popularize mass production and new production methods

Monasticism

A way of life in which men and women withdraw from the rest of the world in order to devote themselves to their faith (as monks and nuns)

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

commodity

valuable product

Judaism

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Yahweh was responsible for the world and everything within it. They preserved their early history in the Old Testament.

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Legitimacy

the popular acceptance of an authority, like a King or ruler

Caste System

a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation, but also his or her position in society

Abbasid Caliphate

third of the Islamic Caliphates of the Islamic Empire. The rulers who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphs. In started in 750 CE. It flourished for two centuries, but slowly went into decline with the rise to power of the Turkish army it had created, the Mamluks. In the 13th century the Mongols displaced them.

Turks

Central Asian nomads related to the Xiongnu peoples that pressured Han China. Organized as tribes that constantly fought each other. Most converted to Islam. Most societies sought to trade with settled people. Nobles controlled absolutely in times of war.

Reincarnation

the rebirth of a soul in a new body.

Seljuk Empire

An empire formed by Turkish and Persian Sunnis, lasting from 1037 to 1194 A.D.

Eightfold Path

In Buddhism, the path to nirvana. Comprises eight aspects in which an aspirant must become practiced: right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

Mamluks

Under the Islamic system of military slavery, Turkic military slaves who formed an important part of the armed forces of the Abbasid Caliphate of the ninth and tenth centuries. Mamluks eventually founded their own state, ruling Egypt and Syria (1250-1517)

Confucianism

A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It shows the way to ensure a stable government and an orderly society and stresses a moral code of conduct.

Delhi Sultanates

For about 320 years beginning in 1206, five dynasties ruled over the city of Delhi in India. A former slave named Qutb-ud-din Aibak spread Delhi's territory and influence across northern India. He also spread the influence of the Islamic religion throughout the region. After years of conquest, the Sultanate conquered and incorporated that majority of the Indian subcontinent. This resulted in a sort of unification process between the diverse peoples of the region, but also led to a split in Indian culture, as Hindus increasingly fought against the Sultanate in the 16th century, leading to its demise.

Buddhism

the teaching of Buddha that emphasizes that life is filled with suffering caused by desire and that suffering ceases when desire ceases. Through right conduct, wisdom and meditation one can end the cycle of rebirth and reach Enlightenment.

Sufis

mystical Muslim group that believed they could draw closer to God through prayer, fasting, & simple life

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament, emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Dar al-Islam

an Arabic term that means the "house of Islam" and that refers to lands under Islamic rule

Abbasid

A dynasty that ruled much of the Muslim Empire from 750 to about 1250.

Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)

Means "Enlightened One." He is said to have renounced his worldly possessions and taught of a way to overcome suffering.

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

filial piety

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

Bhakti Movement

a Hindu movement that sought to emphasize the idea of devotion to God (Salvation); women began to receive greater importance and recognition in society

ancestor veneration

Veneration of the dead or ancestors is based on the beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living

Monasticism

A way of life in which men and women withdraw from the rest of the world in order to devote themselves to their faith (monetarists and nunneries)

syncretic religion

Combines two religious traditions into something distinctly new, while containing traits of both

Great Zimbabwe

A powerful state in the African interior that apparently emerged from the growing trade in gold to the East African coast; flourished between 1250 and 1350 C.E.

Silk Roads

trade routes stretching from China to the Mediterranean, which allowed for the exchange of goods and ideas from China to the Roman Empire

Hausa Kingdoms

1 kingdom divided into 7 states that were connected through kinship, blood, or ethnic ties; had no main central authority but rather ruled each state separate from one another;mainly benefited economically from the trans-Saharan trade network

Mediterranean Sea Lanes

Trade routes that connected the Mediterranean civilizations together. The need for a sea rout for trade in the region. Trade increased and diffusion of cultures occurred

Decentralization

Degree to which decision-making authority is given to lower levels in an organization's hierarchy.

tribute system

payment made by one nation to another in acknowledgment of submission, notably used by Chinese dynasties

Feudalism

the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.

Bureaucracy

A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials

Manorial System

self sufficient, economic structure that is the relationship between the Lord and the peasants or serfs who produced all the necessary goods to keep the manor running

commercial exchange

the buying and selling of goods

Free Labor

Wage-paying rather than slave labor

epidemic

A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.

Coerced Labor

a system where the workers were forced to work based on threats, pressure, or intimidation.

monsoon winds

These seasonal winds carried ships on the Indian Ocean between India and Africa

Serfdom

Feudal system, the use of serfs to work the land in return for protection against barbarian invasions

Missionaries

people who work to spread their religious beliefs

Silk Roads (600-1450)

flourished under the unity of the Mongols, only to lose favor again when the Mongols fell.

Black Death

The common name for a major outbreak of plague that spread across Asia, North Africa, and Europe in the mid-fourteenth century in part caused by the period of unity along the Silk Road and migration of Mongols.

Indian Ocean trading network

The world's largest sea-based system of comunication and exchange before 1500 C.E., Indian Ocean commerce stretched from southern China to eastern Africa and included not only the exchange of luxury and bulk goods but also the exchange of ideas and crops.

Srivijaya

A Malay kingdom that dominated the Straits of Malacca between 600 and 1075 CE. It amassed wealth and power by a combination of selective adaptation of Indian technologies and concepts, and control of trade routes.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade across the Sahara desert in Africa, usually in caravans of camels. Contributed to the spread of Islam.

Mali Empire

Capitalizing on the Saharan trade routes, Mali traded gold & salt. Embraced Islam as well. notably under Mansa Musa.

Song dynasty

During this Chinese dynasty (960 - 1279 CE) China saw many important inventions. There was a magnetic compass; paper money; gun powder; moveable type printing. Mass produced goods for trade on the Indian Ocean, experienced great urbanization, population increase, and embraced Neo-Confucianism.

Hangzhou

Capital of later Song dynasty; located near East China Sea; permitted overseas trading; population exceeded 1 million.

foot binding

Becoming prominent during the Song dynasty, practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller; produced pain and restricted women's movement; made it easier to confine women to the household.

tribute system

Chinese method of dealing with foreign lands and people's that assumed the subordination of all non-Chinese authorities and required the payment of tribute --produce of value from their countries--to the Chinese emperor(although the Chinese gifts given in return were often much more valuable).

Chinese influence on Japan

Centralized government; Confucian ideals; architecture (pagodas); Buddhism spread

Quran

The holy book of Islam

Pillars of Islam

The five core practices required of Muslims: a profession of faith, regular prayer, charitable giving, fasting during Ramadan, and a pilgrimage to Mecca (if physically and financially possible).

jizya

the extra tax paid by Christians and Jews who lived in Muslim communities

Ibn Battuta

(1304-1369) Morrocan 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. His writings gave a glimpse into the world of that time period.

Timbuktu

Mali trading city that became a center of wealth, learning, and Islam

Mansa Musa

Ruler of Mali (r. 1312-1337). His extravagant pilgrimage through Egypt to Mecca in 1324-1325 established the empire's reputation for wealth in the Mediterranean world.

House of Wisdom

Combination library, academy, and translation center in Baghdad established in the 800s.

Roman Catholic church

In 1054 CE Christianity was divided between the Eastern Orthodox (practiced in East Europe) and the Roman Catholic Church (practiced in West Europe). The head of the Roman Catholic church is the Pope.

Serfdom

A type of labor used in in feudal Europe in which the laborers work the land in return for protection but they are bound to the land and are not allowed to leave or to pursue a new occupation.

Feudal Europe

Western Europe was far removed from the growing world trade routes, but coastlines and river systems facilitated internal exchange. Decentralized kingships were established over powerful lords, with manors dominating political and economic life.

Crusades

Armed pilgrimages to the Holy Land by Christians determined to recover Jerusalem from Muslim rule. The Crusades brought an end to western Europe's centuries of intellectual and cultural isolation.

Mongols

13th-15th centuries; Military strength allowed for rapid conquest. Subjected huge populations in Eurasia to Mongol rule. Their conquests helped diffuse technology, culture, and disease due to the unity brought.

Delhi Sultanate

The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India, centered in Delhi. A minority of Muslims ruled over a majority of Hindus, violent takeover led to religious tension.

Malacca

Port city in the modern Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, founded about 1400 as a trading center on the Strait of Malacca. Also spelled Melaka.

Inca

Largest and most powerful Andean empire. Controlled the Pacific coast of South America from Ecuador to Chile from its capital of Cuzco. Built a strong network of roads, and relied on the mita system.

Fedualism

System where kings give land to nobles in exchange for service (as found in Western Europe)

Arabic

Language of the Islamic civilization; facilitated trade.

Quipu

An arrangement of knotted strings on a cord, used by the Inca to record numerical information.

Marco Polo

Venetian merchant and traveler. His accounts of his travels to China offered Europeans a firsthand view of Asian lands and stimulated interest in Asian trade.

Zheng He

Chinese admiral during the Ming Dynasty, he led great voyages through the Indian Ocean to acquire more tribute states

Champa Rice

Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. It was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (in Vietnam) as part of the tributary system.

Seljuk Turks

nomadic Turks from Asia who conquered Baghdad in 1055 and allowed the caliph to remain only as a religious leader, leading to the increasing fragmentation of the Caliphate (but the promotion of science, learning, and trade in the empire remained.)

Sufism

An Islamic mystical tradition that desired a personal union with God, and contributed to the spread of Islam through missionary activity.

Silk Road Regions

-Eastern Europe

-Central Asia

-East Asia

-Middle East

Indian Ocean Trade Routes

-South Asia

-Southeast Asia

-East Asia

-Middle East

-East Africa

Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

-Africa

-North Africa

-Persian Gulf

-Western Africa

Tributary States

China, Korea, Japan, Americas, Aztec, Mayans

Champa Rice

A Chinese agricultural innovation used to create food during all seasons, scarcity of food was no longer an issue.

Chinampas

Artificial islands made by the Aztecs in ancient Mexico. Constructed by layering mud and vegetation on top of rafts, they were used for agriculture.

crop rotation

Crop Rotation: A farming practice that involves growing different crops in a specific order on the same piece of land over time. It helps prevent soil depletion, control pests and diseases, and improve overall crop yield and soil health.

grand canal

An ancient waterway in China, connecting Beijing and Hangzhou. It is the world's longest man-made canal, spanning over 1,100 miles. Built during the Sui Dynasty, it served as a major trade route, facilitating cultural exchange and economic growth. It played a significant role in the development of China's agriculture, transportation, and urbanization.