World History Honors—First Semester

Unit 5

Caliph

A successor to Muhammad as the political and religious leader of the Muslim community.

Astrolabe

an ancient analog instrument used by explorers and sailors in the Americas (and elsewhere) to determine latitude and time by measuring the altitude of celestial bodies such as the sun and stars

Calligraphy

The art of beautiful or decorative handwriting, widely used in Islamic culture for religious texts.

Climate

vast diversity, stretching across nearly every major climate zone due to its massive north-to-south span

Sahara Desert

The largest hot desert in the world, located in North Africa and serving as a major trade barrier.

Stateless society

A society that is organized by family lineage rather than a formal, centralized government or state.

Lineage groups

Extended families or communities that claim descent from a common ancestor, forming the basis of social structure.

Subsistence farming

A farming practice where crops are grown primarily to feed the farmer's family with little surplus for trade.

Animism

The religious belief that spirits and spiritual essence exist within animals, plants, and natural elements.

Gold-salt trade

Trade routes across the Sahara linking West African gold mines with the salt resources of the North.

Griot

A traditional West African storyteller, historian, and musician who preserves a community's oral history.

Agricultural techniques in the Aztecs

The use of chinampas, or artificial floating gardens, to grow crops on shallow lake beds.

Agricultural techniques in Inca

The use of terrace farming, where steps were cut into steep hillsides to create flat land for agriculture.

Agricultural techniques in Maya

Utilized slash-and-burn agriculture and built raised fields to manage farming in swampy rainforests.

Unique environmental conditions in the Aztecs

Settled in the marshy Valley of Mexico, primarily centered on Lake Texcoco.

Unique environmental conditions in Inca

Occupied the high-altitude and rugged terrain of the Andes Mountains in South America.

Unique environmental conditions in Maya

Developed within the dense tropical rainforests and lowlands of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Major achievements in the Aztecs

Engineering feats such as causeways and aqueducts, and the creation of a complex 365365-day solar calendar.

Major achievements in Inca

A massive, thousands-of-miles long road network and the quipu, a string-based record-keeping system.

Major achievements in Maya

A sophisticated hieroglyphic writing system, advanced astronomical charts, and a mathematics system including 00.