Developments in South, Southeast, East Asia, and the Islamic World (c. 1200 - c. 1450)

Flashcards covering vocabulary, empires, religious traditions, trade networks, and cultural/intellectual achievements across South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Islamic world between c. 1200 and c. 1450.

Caste System

The social structure provided by Hinduism in South Asia that shaped culture, society, and politics.

Delhi Sultanate

A region in South Asia where Islam introduced new cultural and social practices that blended with local traditions.

Vijayanagara Empire

A Hindu kingdom in Southern India that preserved Hindu traditions and promoted massive temple construction, such as the Virupaksha Temple.

Virupaksha Temple

A massive temple built in Southern India exemplifying how the Vijayanagara Empire preserved Hindu traditions.

Khmer Empire

A Southeast Asian empire that combined Buddhist and Hindu principles with centralized authority to build architectural complexes that reinforced political and economic strength.

Angkor Wat

An architectural complex in Cambodia built by the Khmer Empire that reflects enduring religious influence, changing over time from a Hindu to a Buddhist site.

Song Dynasty

A Chinese empire (960-1279) characterized by continuity, innovation, a commercialized economy, imperial bureaucracy, Confucian principles, and technological innovations.

Civil Service Examination System

A merit-based examination system expanded during the Song Dynasty that allowed for greater social mobility and the selection of capable officials to govern.

Kaifeng and Hangzhou

Major Chinese cities that reflected the economic vibrancy of the Song Dynasty and its connection to global trade networks.

Grand Canal

A major waterway connecting northern and Southern China that allowed easy transportation of grains and goods.

Champa Rice

A drought-resistant crop introduced to China from Vietnam that allowed for multiple harvests per year, boosting food production and population growth.

Junks

Large Chinese trading ships equipped with maritime technologies like the compass that expanded China's participation in Indian Ocean trade.

Syncretism

The adaptation and adoption of cultural practices from one society by neighboring regions, such as Japan adapting the Chinese writing system.

Mahayana Buddhism

A tradition of Buddhism that spread across East Asia, Java, and Cambodia, emphasizing compassion and the role of bodhisattvas.

Theravada Buddhism

A major branch of Buddhism that remained dominant in Southeast Asia.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

A branch of Buddhism that blended with Daoist traditions and attracted scholars through its focus on mindfulness and meditation.

Great Buddha of Kamakura

A monumental statue constructed in Japan during the 13th century that represents the influence of Mahayana Buddhism on Japanese art and architecture.

Abbasid Caliphate

An Islamic empire whose fragmentation led to diverse Muslim states while preserving governance continuity, legal traditions, and scientific knowledge.

Umayyad Expansion

Military campaigns that extended Islamic political control into Spain.

Sufi Missionaries

Islamic mystics who used an adaptable cultural approach to spread a localized version of Islam in Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Indonesia.

House of Wisdom

An academic institution in Baghdad that served as a global hub for translating classical Greek, Roman, Indian, and Persian texts and advancing scientific knowledge.

Al-Khwarizmi

A Muslim scholar at the forefront of intellectual innovation who developed foundational concepts in algebra.

Astrolabe

An astronomical instrument preserved and refined by Muslim scholars that spread from Islamic states to Europe and beyond.